Christchurch Biodiversity Fund

Landowners may apply to the fund directly, or others (such as a community groups or trusts) can apply on behalf of landowners. If applying on behalf of a landowner, the applicant must supply the landowner’s agreement in writing. Projects must be on private land.

Who can’t apply?

Government organisations or their staff cannot apply. Projects cannot be on public land.

How much can I apply for?

The Council will fund up to $60,000 for individual projects from a total contestable fund of $400, 000 per annum. Successful applicants have up to five years to spend their grant.

Can I apply to other grants?

Yes. This Fund may be used in conjunction with other grants. Funding from sources other than the Christchurch City Council may be counted towards the 50% landowner contribution.

What you need to provide with your application

 Please complete the application form and provide the required supporting documentation. Supporting documentation includes:

• A map, photographs and/or plans showing the project area.
• Written permission from the landowner(s), if the applicant is not the landowner.
• A biodiversity management plan for the site. This plan must cover the specific project area, but may also include other parts of the property. For example, you may already have a management plan developed for a covenant or a Beef and Lamb Farm Environment Plan that includes biodiversity management information. A template/table is included in the application, and you can use this to provide a simple management plan.
• Quotes for materials, plants, contractors etc. is highly recommended, but not required. Providing quotes is helpful both to you and to us, as it provides assurance that the project can be achieved with the funding requested.

Accessing funding

The project can start from the agreed start date, providing any conditions have been met. If you are awarded funding we will discuss project-specific arrangements, including requirements for receipts etc. We will ask you to provide banking details so we can raise a purchase order for your funding, and you will need to provide us with one or more invoices.

Your reporting requirements

A projects’ end date is five years from the date of the grant being approved. Progress reports should be provided annually until the grant is fully spent. A final report must also be submitted with the final invoice. Your report does not need to be long or complex. Progress reports Progress reports should include the following information, as relevant for your project:

Fencing and planting: Please take at least three “before” photographs within a month of work commencing, and corresponding “after” photographs from the same points upon completion of any work supported by the Biodiversity Fund.

Pest animal control:

• a map of the location of traps and/or bait stations
• a description of the control method
• a standard measure of the implementation/success of the control e.g. date, number of baits laid, number of baits taken, residual trap catch, tracking tunnel rates 

Pest plant control:

• a pre-control map of the location of pest plants within the project area
• a description of the control method(s)
• documentation of the implementation/success of the control e.g. map of area where weeds have been controlled, change in adult:juvenile ratio in the control area, before and after photographs

What are the funding criteria?

To be awarded funding, a project must:

• Achieve positive biodiversity outcomes
• Be on private land, or on land which is defined under the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 as customary land 
• Be identified as a Site of Ecological Significance (SES) on Schedule A or B of the Christchurch City District Plan, or meet the criteria for an SES within the Christchurch City District Plan and have an agreed site of ecological significance statement; we can arrange assessment as part of the application process
• Have a management plan (a simple management plan can be included as part of the funding application)

These criteria ensure that we support work at sites which have robust documentation of their ecological value, and also have some level of long-term protection through SES designation in the District Plan. This safeguards the biodiversity gains made through landowners’ efforts and through the joint financial investment in the project.

The fund will pay for reasonable costs on a Council:Applicant/Landowner ratio of 50:50 relating to:

• Personnel
• Volunteers
• Contractors
• Equipment hire
• Donation of equipment
• Health and safety
• Consumables

Note that the landowner 50% contribution may comprise a direct financial contribution, funding from external sources other than the Christchurch City Council, and/or in-kind contributions. In-kind contributions must be appropriately costed and accounted for in the application.

If you are not GST registered, you should apply for the GST-inclusive amount of funding you need. If you are GST registered, you will need to confirm with us whether your application is GST-inclusive or –exclusive.

Examples of what you can apply for

Examples of what you cannot apply for

If your project site has not been assessed as a Site of Ecological Significance (on either Schedule A or B), please contact the Council at Biodiversityfund@ccc.govt.nz before applying. We can help you determine whether your site is likely to be eligible for funding, and may be able to provide a full ecological assessment.

Site and applicant information

In addition to some basic site and contact details, please indicate your preferred start date. Start dates need to be within our financial year of 1 July to 30 June.

Project actions

In the aims section of the application, please describe the aims of the project and what kind of work will be involved. It is helpful to provide target timeframes and explain how you will demonstrate the project’s success. For example:

• We will remove stock grazing and construct a 500m long fence by the end of March.” (You can illustrate this by attaching a map of the planned fenceline.
• We will control possums to < 5% RTC by mid-November, using a network of Timms traps deployed in a 100m grid pattern within the project area.
• We will control pest plants – state which pests or refer to an attached list – by the end of March to decrease the adult:juvenile ratio as per the map provided.
• We will plant eco-sourced native species over 3ha as indicated on the map provided by the end of May.

Project actions should follow best practice guidelines for things like trap spacing and eco-sourcing. If you are using a professional contractor, they can provide both a plan and evidence to show that best practices have been followed.

If you are not using a contractor, a variety of resources are available to help you plan your project. A good starting point is the resource centre at Naturespace.org.nz(external link), or you can ask for advice from our biodiversity and ranger staff.

Project costs and funding

Please use the tables provided to show the total cost of the project, how the council’s contribution will be used, and how you are covering the 50% landowner contribution.

The landowner’s contribution can comprise third-party funding and/or in-kind contributions. In-kind contributions must be costed appropriately so we can ensure the application is meeting the 50:50 criteria of the Fund. Here is an example using the application tables:

Summary

Add up the total costs for contractors, equipment, and miscellaneous, including costs that will be covered by other external funds and in-kind contributions.

Cost breakdown

Expand tables as needed.

If your project site is a Schedule A or B Site of Ecological Significance in the Christchurch District Plan, you do not need to supply a copy of the completed Significance Statement. However, you may wish to use material from the Statement to help develop your Management Plan. Appendix 9.1.6.1 of the District Plan(external link) includes links to statements for all sites in the two schedules.

If your project site is not on either Schedule, please email the Council Biodiversity Fund to clarify whether the site has been identified as a potential site of interest. We may be able to provide an assessment of significance as part of your application.

The Biodiversity Management Plan provides an overview of how the applicant intends to protect and enhance biodiversity at the project site over a longer time period than the five years of the project funding.

If you already have a management plan for a covenant that includes the project area, a farm biodiversity plan, or a farm environment plan (such as Beef and Lamb’s FEP) with a biodiversity component, you can use that. If you have a site significance statement, you may wish to use some of the items in the management recommendations to create a simple management plan. Your plan needs to cover at least the project site, but can extend to the whole property.

 Here is an example of a simple biodiversity management action plan for a project site:

Biodiversity Management Action Plan

Please email us at Biodiversityfund@ccc.govt.nz, or phone 03 941 6851 to find out when the next closing date is.