Questions and answers about the Sustainable Land Management (Hill Country Erosion) Programme

What is the programme?

The SLM Hill Country Erosion Fund is part of the Sustainable Land Management (Hill Country Erosion) Programme. The programme was established by the Government, under the management of MAF Policy, to provide leadership and targeted support to communities that need to protect erosion-prone hill country.

What is sustainable land management?

Sustainable land management is about getting the best use for each unit of the farm while protecting the land for future generations. Many farmers have been able to retire land that was unsuited to grazing and to sustain or even increase production by devoting extra resources to the better parts of the farm.

Why do we need this programme?

New Zealand is prone to flooding, especially parts of the North Island.

In February 2004 exceptionally heavy rain fell in the lower North Island. The rain caused severe erosion in the hill country, which resulted in extensive flooding across much of the Manawatu-Wanganui region.

Similar weather and consequences were experienced in the Bay of Plenty in 2005.

The Sustainable Land Management (Hill Country Erosion) Programme has been developed to reduce the risk of erosion and flooding.

What will the programme cover?

The programme has three parts:

Allocation of funding, through the SLM Hill Country Erosion Fund, for regional initiatives that seeks to work with hill-country farmers to treat or prevent erosion. Regional councils and unitary authorities can apply for this funding.

Training, development and support for existing local government land management teams to assist their work alongside the farmers of land that is prone to erosion, and find and implement practical solutions. This will include the establishment or enhancement of catchment facilitation groups. The programme will support these groups by funding facilitators (through the relevant regional councils).

Review and development of scientific and information resources to assist in addressing the risk of erosion on hill country farms.

When will assistance be given to farmers?

Under the SLM Hill Country Erosion Fund, initial applications for funding will be sought by 13 December 2007. It is expected that regional projects will be funded from July 2008. Assistance to farmers will be part of those projects. Projects will be managed by local government land management teams.

How will farmers’ ability to farm their own land be protected?

The programme will be delivered through regional government initiatives. It will be up to regional councils and unitary authorities to administer their plans to achieve regional sustainable land management goals.

Eventually, some limits may be placed on how hill-country farmers farm their land. However, these limits will be based on the greater good of the whole catchment, to minimise the much greater limits that severe flooding places on farmers and communities in lower catchments. Each catchment will be judged on its own merits, with decisions made by regional councils and communities within that catchment.

What areas are most likely to receive assistance?

The regions that are particularly prone to hill country erosion and the consequent high risk of flooding are the most likely to receive assistance through the SLM Hill Country Erosion Fund. These regions are Northland, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Greater Wellington, Manawatu-Wanganui and Taranaki. Parts of Eastern Bay of Plenty and Waikato are also prone, but to a lesser degree.

What costs are associated with the consequences of hill country erosion?

Annual costs associated with hill country erosion are estimated at $100 to $150 million. This includes the loss of soil and nutrients; the loss of production; damage to houses, fences, roads, phone and power lines; and damage to waterways and aquatic habitat.

Following the 2004 and 2005 floods in Manawatu-Wanganui and the Bay of Plenty, central government provided support totalling $198 million: $58 million to farmers through the Agricultural Recovery Programme (ARP); approximately $127 million to assist with infrastructure restoration, including roads, bridges and local authority infrastructure; and $13 million for rates relief.

How much has been budgeted to solve the problem?

A budget of $2 million per year has been allocated to the SLM Hill Country Erosion Fund. Councils may be able to access funding form other programmes to ensure successful outcomes.

Who is running the programme?

MAF Policy is responsible for the SLM Hill Country Erosion Programme. The MAF team includes people from Hamilton to Dunedin, and a mix of skills including agriculture, forestry, resource management and research.

Who else is involved in the programme?

In developing the programme, MAF Policy has, and will continue, to seek expertise and feedback from others with an interest in the management of erosion-prone hill country, including rural-based organisations, local government, other government departments and relevant personnel within MAF.

What is the role of local government?

Issues around land management and erosion have been, and will remain the responsibility of local government. Most regional councils have existing sustainable land management projects. Government has initiated this programme to facilitate partnerships with local government and therefore achieve more rapid progress towards moderating the impact of flooding caused by erosion.

Is this just about planting trees?

No – it is about more rapid progress in protecting erosion-prone land. Planting trees is however one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of hill country erosion. What kind of trees, how many and where they need to be planted to most effectively limit erosion are the key questions. It is also necessary to ensure that, wherever possible, farmers can retain the maximum practical production from their land.

How does climate change come into this?

It is predicted that climate change will increase the risk and magnitude of extreme weather events, repeating the consequences suffered in Manawatu-Wanganui in 2004 and then again in the Bay of Plenty in 2005.

Under this scenario, erosion in the hill country, especially during extreme rain, will continue to cause major problems such as soil loss, sediment build-up in rivers, flooding and damage to roads and bridges.

What other government programmes will work alongside this one?

MAF and other government agencies are responsible for a number of programmes with similar objectives to those of the Sustainable Land Management (Hill Country Erosion) Programme. These include:

Common elements of these programmes are protection of the environment, the landscape and communities. Each seeks to achieve this protection without sacrificing the other objectives of sustainable land management: economic viability and long-term social well-being.

What is total catchment management and how will it work?

A total catchment management approach is taken in this and other government sustainability programmes.

Because reducing erosion in the upper areas of a catchment is more cost effective than bearing the cost of flooding and flood control structures in the lower areas, total catchment management stresses focus on the off-site or downstream effects of activities.

A total catchment approach to hill country erosion requires all landowners and community members to be involved in identifying issues and creating solutions within their own catchment. Part of the SLM Hill Country Erosion Programme is to ensure those with the necessary community-facilitation skills are available to assist those in each catchment to find their own solutions.

Contact for Enquiries

HCE Project Adviser
Natural Resources Group
MAF Policy
PO Box 2526
WELLINGTON 6140
Telephone: (04) 894 0632
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