The Gisborne district has a severe erosion problem. The cause of erosion in our district is the soft rock geology, climate, vegetation clearance and a combination of these factors. Severe erosion causes long-term damage to the productivity of rural land.
Impact of erosion
The Sustainable Hill Country (SHC) programme aims to increase protection of highly erodible land. To learn more about the programme, see our separate SHC webpage
Hill country erosion programme
Tairāwhiti capacity building and erosion control project - this programme aims to build the capacity and capability to address hill country erosion in the Tairāwhiti region.
Increasing our land management capacity will provide the necessary catchment-scale context to support landowners and catchment groups to reduce hill country soil erosion on their farms. This will also reduce the amount of sediment movement and damage. The 4-year programme will provide:
- 60 farm-scale erosion control plans.
- 80 hectares of land treatment on coastal hill country sites
- 3 coastal community nurseries
- increased Council land management capability.
Our land management team's contributes to the sustainable management of natural resources in Tairāwhiti by:
- education and advocacy to promote sustainable land-use practices.
- providing Land Use Capability (LUC) mapping, to assess and categorise the suitability of land for various types of uses, helping landowners adopt effective land use practices.
- providing erosion control plans (ECP) giving landowners a road map for improving on-farm soil conservation.
- support for catchment and community groups.
- contributing to policy development and implementation methods.
Our team takes a collaborative approach with landowners, mana whenua, iwi, hapū, catchment groups and industry. We'll also uphold Te Mana o te Wai by developing erosion control plans for inclusion into Freshwater Farm Plans (FWFP) and eventually, wider integrated farm plans that are consistent with regional and national requirements. We promote better land-use practices across various workstreams including:
- The Essential Freshwater Programme
- Catchment support
- LUC mapping and erosion control plans
- Coastal nursery project
- Whakaoratia Project (Hilton Collier) - Waiapu Catchment Debris Dams Ruatōria
- Maunga to Moana – embracing the Waimata Awa - nature-based solutions
- Soil conservation nursery
- Technical advice on land management.
To learn more, contact our land management team.
Erosion Control Funding Programme (ECFP)
The ECFP, previously known as the East Coast Forestry Project, was established in 1992 to address the severe erosion problems in the Gisborne district.
Through the ECFP, landholders and community groups in our district can access grants to establish effective tree cover - whether through planting or by encouraging native bush to naturally regenerate. These grants specifically target the most erosion-prone land in the district, helping to control and reduce erosion on a wide scale.
Funding for the ECFP is provided by Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) for landholders and community groups. To learn more about the programme visit MPI's website.
Erosion Control Funding Programme for the Gisborne District
Restoring the Waiapu catchment
The Waiapu catchment will benefit from a collaborative partnership between Gisborne District Council, the Ministry for Primary Industries and Te Runanganui O Ngāti Porou.
The 3 parties signed a memorandum of understanding demonstrating a 100-year commitment to collaboratively work with landowners to address the health of the Waiapu River catchment. Read the Joint Management Agreement