Yearly summary of our biodiversity work

How we deliver biodiversity outcomes

We’re responsible for looking after natural resources, including air, soil, water, and land. Protecting and improving the environment takes action from us all.

Our work has two main parts:

• Setting clear rules and guidance and making sure resources are used in line with those rules, community aspirations and national requirements.
• Working closely with mana whenua, other agencies and communities to deliver on-the-ground action that improves outcomes.

This summary focuses on the second part — the mahi we do on the ground to protect, enhance and restore biodiversity.

Our core biodiversity services are:

• Partnering to protect and enhance indigenous biodiversity and mahinga kai – mahi here delivers a direct benefit to biodiversity.
• Leading efforts to prevent, reduce or eliminate pests – mahi here provides an indirect benefit, or a co-benefit, to biodiversity.
• Providing resources to support local action – mahi here also provides an indirect benefit, or a co-benefit, to biodiversity.

Priority project funding 2024/25

Over the 2024/25 financial year, $1.69 million was allocated to priority biodiversity projects, where the primary drivers were to address threats to high-value biodiversity and achieve protection and restoration outcomes.

This investment supported vital protection and restoration projects, covering a range of focus areas, including:

• Braided rivers: Close to $900,000 was invested into projects to protect and restore habitat and braided river values in our priority braided river ecosystems. Operational work, predominantly weed and pest/predator control, was undertaken at the following sites: Upper Waimakariri, Upper Rakitata/Rangitata, Upper Rakaia and Rakaia Gorge, Waiau Toa/Clarence River, Hakatere/Ashburton River, Upper Ohau, Upper and Lower Hakataramea and tributaries.
• Wetlands: Wetlands saw $570,000 of investment into eight projects, including over $372,000 into maintaining the weed control work at Te Waihora through the Weed Strike Force in partnership with the Department of Conservation.
• Fish habitat and passage
• Habitat restoration: The remaining funding went to various weed control and habitat protection projects, including a $70,000 investment in the protection of habitat for peka peka (New Zealand long-tailed bat) at Kakahu Bush, Geraldine, and a $17,000 investment into controlling Gunnera (Chilean Rhubarb) at Okains Bay, Banks Peninsula. 
• Region-wide terrestrial projects.
• Other funding: Additionally, we have invested in a $1 million annual biodiversity-targeted rate in the Christchurch district, and we continue our support of the Pest Free Banks Peninsula initiative.

This work aligns with our legislative requirements under the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB), which helps to ensure a consistent approach to protecting the country’s indigenous biodiversity and meets our commitment to the Waitaha community by meeting our Long-Term Plan service measures.