Funding to Te Wahapū o Waihī for restoration and environmental programmes since 2021

Details of the request

The information we seek is:

1. What funding has been released from MFE to the Wahapu O Waihi for Restoration Purposes and Environmental Programmes in the wider Pongakawa/Little Waihi Catchment in association with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, since 2021?
2. What are the workstreams and key deliverables for this funding, and timelines for the funding streams that have been delivered, and are intended to be delivered, between 2022 and 2027?.
3. The public understands there has been funding released for the purchase of land, and development of a Blue Carbon Project(as released to media earlier in 2024), with Co Funding from Nature Conservancy: Therefore, Could you please update details of progress on how these funds & philantrhopic co funds are being implemented or redirected now, and over the next three years? We understand now that Sea Level Rise and unintended costs of constuction mean that the Blue Carbon Project will not be going ahead.
4. What source/funding pool, did the extra funding souce come from that was made additional from Minister Hoggard. (agenda of Regional Council 12 Sept 2024)?
5. What does the Ministry define as “Nature Based Solutions” ? and
6. Does the Ministry have a preference for edge of field mitigations such as constructed wetlands rather than whole of catchment remediation. In this case, the focus of the funding is at the end end of a small catchment area (in this case – 27 Ha) is noted that the wetland drains 4.2% of the subcatchment - this appears to only be a small area (around 642 ha approx) on the low lying area, east of State Highway 2. In contrast, the entire area of four rivers that drain into the Estuary is 34500 ha.
7. What is the Ministry of Environments position on the use of public funds for Climate Mitigation (edge of field approaches) rather than Climate Adaptation, land use transition, and slowing the flow from the top of catchment to the bottom of a catchment?

Released documents

1. Variation 2 to Deed of Funding: BOPRC - Te Wahapū o Waihi Freshwater Improvement Fund (PDF, 5.6 MB)
2. Payments made to BOPRC RE Te Wahapū o Waihi Freshwater Improvement Fund (PDF, 58 KB)
3. Te Mana o Te Wai Funding Agreement: Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whakaue ki Maketū (PDF, 9.8 MB)
4. Payments made to Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whakaue ki Maketū (PDF, 5 KB)
5. OIAD-1287 Response 1 (26 November 2024) (PDF, 333 KB)

oia@mfe.govt.nz