On this page:
- Applications for the 2008/2009 financial year will be open from 10 February 2008
- Applications will be considered as they are submitted
- When funds are exhausted, the round for the current financial year will close
- Only those applications which fit the criteria will be approved
- Any other applications may be examined by the Regional Council at its Environmental Management Committee meetings
- Contact your local land management officer (see inside front cover for contact details) if you need help filling out the application forms.
The minimum grant is $1,000 excluding GST. There is no maximum grant. All grants are allocated on the basis of a cost-sharing agreement.
- Soil conservation projects: up to 50% grant
- Preservation projects: up to 50% grant – with an appropriate covenant (generally grants are for 33.3%)
- Riparian projects: up to 50% region-wide or up to 90% in priority catchments – with an appropriate covenant
- Significant wetlands: up to 50% with an appropriate covenant
- On Farm wetland restoration and protection: up to 50%, with a maximum of $5,000
- Coastal enhancement and protection projects: up to 50% - with an appropriate covenant
- Research for applied research projects: variable grant.
GST will be paid where:
- The applicant is GST registered
- The project is part of the applicant’s taxable activity, and
- The GST number is supplied.
A list of maximum costs is attached to the application forms, and amounts greater than those listed will not be paid.
On farm contributions are eligible up to $5,000. On farm contributions include labour, machinery, and other inputs provided directly by the applicant.
The following costs are not eligible:
- Project costs incurred before the application is lodged
- Costs of developing the application
- Debt servicing
- Purchase of and repairs to equipment unless it is essential for the project.
Once the cost of a project and the grant rate has been approved by the Council, that amount may be increased or any new categories of expenditure introduced only at the discretion of the council.
- Applications are checked by staff to ensure sufficient detail is provided
- The Manager of Land Management approves projects fitting the criteria
- Those outside the criteria are either referred back to the applicant or rejected
- Applicants are notified in writing within 10 working days of a decision on their application
- When an application is approved the applicant is sent a letter of offer specifying the grant and conditions and an agreement to be signed.
For the formal agreement to be approved, the following conditions apply:
- The applicant must notify the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council of their acceptance of the grant, by signing the legal agreement supplied with the letter of offer
- Expenditure prior to the application being lodged will not be accepted.
- The grant will only be paid for approved costs on the basis of original invoices matched to original receipts
- A final report must be prepared by the land management staff at the conclusion of the project, and 10% of each eligible claim may be with-held and only paid out after a final report is received
- Any grant approval is personal to the applicant and may not be re-assigned without the written authority of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
- Grants must be uplifted within the time specified in the approval. An extension may be considered on request by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
- Grants are made subject to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council being satisfied that the information given is true and correct, and that there has been no omission of any relevant fact, nor any misrepresentation given. The Council retains the right to refuse payments to approved applicants in cases where it determines that it has been misled by the applicant or if the applicant has been placed in receivership or declared bankrupt
- In all cases the decision of the Regional Council shall be final and there will be no rights of appeal or review
- The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council reserves the right to inspect any project or use it for promotional purposes where grant assistance has been given. In all cases the applicant will be notified of an inspection
- The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council reserves the right to suspend and to refuse further grant payments, if, in the opinion of the Council, the grantee wilfully or through neglect causes the project to fail. The decision of the Council shall be final and there shall be no rights of appeal or review and no right to compensation or damages of any nature.
Erosion control programmes taking more than three years require an erosion control plan of the property.
What are erosion control plans?
- They include a line drawing based on a photograph of the farm, which the Regional Council will supply
- They identify erosion control problems on the farm
- They establish erosion control measures to solve the problems
- Prioritise the work that will be tackled this year
- Forecast ahead the cost of the next three to five years of work
- See the following pages for an example plan
Call your local land management officer for a pack to help you prepare an erosion control plan.
Up to one day of help is available from your land management officer to complete your plan.
If your application is for $10,000 or more of grant, a more comprehensive farm plan may need to be prepared for the farm.
A farm plan brings together information on:
- Soils
- Rocks
- Vegetation
- Slope
- Erosion, and
- Land use Capability.
The land use capability system is used to assess the suitability for sustained production of each different area of the farm, and this farm plan is prepared by a Land Management staff member in conjunction with you.
A pack to assist you in preparing your ECP to the consistent standard required by Council is available on request to your local LMO.