CWMS Action Plan Fund

For this year, $500,000 is available which is distributed evenly across the ten Canterbury Water Management Zones, so $50,000 each.  

You can apply for a minimum of $5,000, with a maximum of $30,000 per application. Funding is restricted to the 2026/27 financial year and cannot be used to support multi-year projects.

We may not be able to fund the full amount that you have applied for . 

• Community groups 
• Rūnanga 
• Non-profit organisations 
• Schools 
• Private landowners 
• Others working on water-related environmental projects 

Projects that deliver on the priorities identified in local CWMS Action Plans.

This could include:

• Projects that improve freshwater quality or habitat
• Projects that support community engagement or education on water issues
• Projects that build capability for ongoing local water management

Examples (dependent on water zone priorities):

• Riparian planting or wetland and stream restoration projects
• Community water monitoring programmes
• Educational events or resources about freshwater care
• Fish passage improvements
• Water quality improvement projects
• Freshwater habitat restoration
• Catchment planning and restoration

• Organisations and/or initiatives that are primarily political in nature
• Any project that will exclusively result in private gain
• Any project that is a legal obligation or condition of a resource consent

These are the key criteria you need to meet to be eligible for funding: 

1. Your project must align with at least one of the CWMS Action Plan priorities for the water zone where it is located
2. Your project is seeking funding between $5,000 to $30,000
3. You must supply a minimum of 30 per cent of the total project costs; this may come from other funding sources or equivalent in-kind contributions, such as volunteer hours
4. You must submit your project budget using the template (Excel file, 64.7KB) we supply and ensure you clearly state what you will spend the fund contribution on if your application is successful. If you don't have access to Microsoft Excel, please see the budget advice on our funding guide  page for an alternative option.

The decision panel will assess applications using the following criteria: 

1. Support “ki uta ki tai” projects 
2. Support kaitiakitanga within our zone 
3. Facilitate action to enhance biodiversity and improve amenity and recreation outcomes 
4. Support our community to respond to changing requirements, and share resources for good 
   management practice 
5. Facilitate understanding of catchment systems within our zone, build community knowledge and connection to these systems and increase public participation in activities that enhance catchment health and outcomes

1. Improve water quality and ecosystem health in the Hurunui and Waiau Uwha catchments through nutrient management, riparian planting, and sediment reduction 
2. Protect and restore mahinga kai and cultural values, supporting Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga and Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura aspirations for healthy, accessible waterways 
3. Balance water use and river flows to sustain both environmental health and community wellbeing
4. Enhance biodiversity and wetland habitats through coordinated restoration and land management
5. Support climate-resilient land and water management to reduce the impacts of droughts and flood events

1. Improve monitoring of groundwater and surface water 
2. Increase indigenous biodiversity 
3. Promote the natural braided character and increased flow of the Ashley River/Rakahuri 
4. Protection and enhancement of environmentally sustainable recreation 
5. Improve mahinga kai 
6. Support climate-resilient land and water management to reduce the impacts of droughts and flood events 

1. He Tangata / the people, Mahi tahi / partnership and engagement – support projects that grow community understanding, participation, and shared stewardship of urban waterways 
2. He huringa āhuarangi / a changing climate: Support projects that help urban communities understand, plan for, and adapt to the effects of climate change on waterways 
3. He whenua ora / a living environment – support collaborative projects that strengthen the health and resilience of waterways by improving erosion and sediment control 

1. Support actions that strengthen resilience and improve freshwater health with appropriate consideration of mātauranga Māori and climate change where relevant 
2. Restore and enhance waterways through collaborative projects that improve water quality, support habitat restoration and reduce contaminants such as sediment and nutrients, drawing on mātauranga Māori and climate-change understanding where it adds value 
3. Reduce erosion and sediment entering waterways by supporting initiatives that demonstrate effective soil conservation or improve recreational water quality, and appropriately incorporate mātauranga Māori or climate considerations 

1. Help raise awareness about the risks to private drinking water supplies 
2. Enhance mahinga kai, biodiversity and recreation opportunities 
3. Facilitate actions to achieve catchment nutrient targets and water quality outcomes 
4. Support actions to restore Te Waihora to a healthy state 
5. Support actions that help facilitate a community-wide approach to restore the Waikirikiri Selwyn River back to a healthy state 

1. Support action that enhances freshwater outcomes for several waterbodies: Ōtūwharekai Ashburton Lakes, Hakatere Ashburton and Hekeao Hinds and stockwater races 
2. Support work to enhance mahinga kai values 
3. Support work towards improving ecosystem health and meeting biodiversity targets 
4. Support measures to enhance recreation and amenity targets 

1. Support work that assists with the protection, enhancement and restoration of mahinga kai (to work the food – gather, harvest, preserve, conserve) and tuhituhi o neherā (rock art or rock drawings) sites 
2. Support community and partner-led activities with Papatipu Rūnanga that build understanding of local waterways and cultural values 
3. Build understanding of the importance of water and healthy waterways — reflected in concepts such as Te Mana o Te Wai and Te Mana o Ngā Awa — across rural, urban, and industrial settings 
4. Champion safe and reliable drinking water for the OTOP community 

1. Support landowners, communities, industry and rūnaka-led projects and others that enhance mahika kai 
2. Support collaborative projects that support or promote the CWMS Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity targets for 2030 
3. Support community projects that promote the responsible use of water resources by CWMS order of priorities into local decision-making, education, and on-the-ground action 
4. Support projects that restore freshwater recreation opportunities and develop plans and actions to achieve and show measurable progress 
5. Support projects that improve water quality and enhance immediate environs of Wainono Lagoon, and the Waihao River and catchment area 
6. Support improvement opportunities in water quality and quantity across the wider community, including schools 

1. Support the enhancement of nohoanga sites, improved health of key waterways for customary use and enhancement of mahinga kai opportunities 
2. Support improved management and preservation of recreational values of the Waitaki Lakes 
3. Support catchment groups taking collective action to reduce losses of contaminants, prioritised where they are addressing identified at-risk areas 
4. Support projects that communicate and engage with our communities, including sharing good understandable science communication