Tahua mō ngā Pae Hawa me ngā Ruapara Contaminated Sites and Vulnerable Landfills Fund

The CSVLF supports the investigation and/or remediation of legacy contaminated sites and landfills. These are sites where past activities occurred that were likely to result in contamination either:

• before the Resource Management Act (RMA) was enacted in 1991
• after the RMA was enacted in 1991 but no enforcement could be taken by the regional council, unitary authority or territorial authority to investigate or remediate the contamination.

Regional councils, territorial authorities and unitary authorities can apply for funding for sites that meet the eligibility criteria. This can be for sites they own or on behalf of other landowners.

If you think you are eligible you must reach out to your local regional council about applying for funding.

The CSVLF can support three of the four phases of contaminated land remediation. They are:

• Phase 2 – detailed site investigation. This phase is to determine the nature and extent of contamination and risk to human health and the environment.
• Phase 3 – remedial planning. This phase is to consider ways to remediate or manage the site, and to develop a remedial action plan.
• Phase 4 – site remediation. This phase is to use the remedial action plan to carry out remedial and management works. 

Phase 1 projects (preliminary site investigations) must be self-funded. These projects establish the contamination history of the site and form part of the contaminated site identification process.

The CSVLF typically contributes 50 per cent of total project costs and projects are funded for a discrete timeframe. Any funding request between 50 and 75 (maximum) per cent of total costs will be considered based on the following criteria:

• applicant’s resources, for example the number of ratepayers residing in a district and level of deprivation
• size of the project, including project value compared to the applicant’s resources
• scale and size of benefits to Aotearoa New Zealand
• remaining availability and priority of funding.

Example of what we fund

Costs for consultants and contractors, including:

• completing investigations and remedial options assessments, peer reviews of technical reports and undertaking the remedial works
• equipment and plant hire
• financial, legal, IT services and project management costs
• health and safety equipment and training.

Example of what we don't fund

• in-kind costs, such as internal staff time, land, donated equipment, and volunteer time
• retrospective or backdated costs, unless specifically agreed to by the Ministry
• costs associated with (Phase 1) preliminary site investigations
• projects that would be more appropriately funded by other funding sources, including government agencies
• costs associated with statutory duties of local government.

Application stage

After checking eligibility, fill out your application form.  The Guide for applicants  includes examples and details on eligible costs. You can download a copy of the application form and the Guide for applicants here. 

View the CSVLF application form.

Read the CSVLF guide for applicants.

Send the completed application form  with any supporting documentation to CSVLF@mfe.govt.nz. 

Assessment of applications

A panel of contaminated land management experts will assess applications. The assessment panel meets every two months.

The panel provides recommendations on whether the application should be approved for funding. The Ministry will consider recommendations and make final decisions for projects requesting less than $1 million. Projects requesting more than $1 million are decided by the Minister for the Environment.

Contracting stage

At the contracting stage, you will be asked to submit a project plan and detailed budget. Your investment manager will provide guidelines to assist you with this. Your contract will be subject to firming up costs, meeting any conditions, and agreeing to terms in the deed of funding. Once these steps are complete, you will proceed to signing the deed of funding. The contracting stage may take between two and four months to complete. Once the deed is signed, your project is active.