Project Director’s Report

Project De-Vine Environmental Trust – AGM November 2020

The Trust has had another busy year with a reasonable rate of success with grants, i.e. we failed with one large grant application to Lotteries for MU-D6, but were successful with a 3-year DOCCF application for MU-C1 at the second attempt. Two new funders were tried with success – $15k from WWF for control work around Rangihaeata and $3000 from the Tasman Network Trust to continue the pest plant and tree control on Motupipi Sandspit that was started with a TET Lotteries grant.

We have carried out a wider range of contracts. Our contracted work is all part of our mission to “Fostering native ecosystems in Golden Bay and the Top of the South”. We have also finally created a logo.

 With the government and other agencies all contributing to this work, it encourages the many landowners to be more active.

The following grants, approved before 1^st July 2019, were finished off in the 2020 year (All figures are GST exclusive):

• *Motueka Community Board for MU-H control work – $5000
• Rata Foundation 2018 grant for a split of “Follow up control work” in Pohara & Operating costs – $35,000

• Motueka Community Board Discretionary Fund to boost control work from Riwaka to Marahau & to support  DOCCF application – $500
• Motueka Community Board Special Projects fund to boost control work from Riwaka to Marahau & to support  DOCCF application- $5,000
• NBS Takaka for gel bottles to landowners in their area – $434.78
• NBS Motueka for gel bottles to landowners in their area – $434.78
• NBS Richmond for gel bottles to landowners in their area – $434.78

 

*Some could not be completed due to the Covid 19 lockdown and the finishing date was extended by arrangement for 2 or 3 months past 30 June 2020.

We have received 21 grants / sponsorship / donations in this last financial year 2020 – value $415,283.22:

See table of the summary following:

• TDC grant for Operating costs – $11,250
• TET / Cobb Mitigation Fund to assess properties in MU-E (Anatoki) & MU-G1 (Mid Takaka valley) $7000

• *TET / Cobb Mitigation Fund to control pest plants on properties in MU-E (Anatoki) & MU-G1 (Mid Takaka valley) – $60k over 3 years
• NBS Takaka for gel bottles to landowners in their area – $434.78
• NBS Motueka for working bee & gel bottles to landowners in their area – $434.78
• NBS Richmond for gel bottles to landowners in their area – $434.78

• *Golden Bay Community Trust to assist with control of properties in MU-E & MU-G1- $5,000

• *StreamCare West (a portion of the Aorere River Prize) to assess properties in MU-C2 from Milnthorpe to include the Aorere Valley out to Farewell Spit. MU-B To start in late 2020 and finish in 2021 – $7000

• *StreamCare West (a portion of the Aorere River Prize) to assess properties in MU-C2 from the “Lookout” to Milnthorpe. Any left over $ to be used for MU-A&B assessments in 2021 – $7000
• *DOCCF grant via TET with PDVET as contractor. To control pest plants (mainly OMB, BPV, Douglas Fir) on properties in MU-H from the Riwaka River to Marahau & ATNP. $159,730 over 3 years
• *Rata Foundation 2019 grant for a split of “Follow up control work” in eastern Golden Bay & Operating costs – $35,000

• TET with Lotteries grant. A 2 year grant for exotic tree and pest plant control on Motupipi Sandspit. Year ONE poison all large pines and sycamores – $3472.88
• *WWF Community Fund. To control pest plants on key properties in MU-C1 from the Takaka River to the “Lookout” – $15,000
• QEII. To finish off wilding pines and seedlings on Takaka Hill Walkway – $2026
• Internet NZ. To upgrade data base – $5000
• *GB Community Board. To control pest plants on properties in MU-C1 from the Takaka River to the “Lookout”. Support for DOCCF application – $500
• Sargood Bequest for operating expenses – $3,000
• *Living Light Candles + Pohutakawa Gallery. For extra control hours to control weeds on properties in MU-C2 from the “Lookout” to Milnthorpe – $2000
• *Donation private: Used to boost control work on properties in MU-E & MU-G1 – $1000
• *DOCCF. To control pest plants on properties in MU-C1 from the Takaka River to the “Lookout” – $90,000 over 3 years.
• Cut’n’Paste Ltd. Ongoing: 20% discount on all products. Our main supplier of Gel for cut and paste work

*Some could not be completed due to scheduling or the Covid 19 lockdown and the finishing date was extended by arrangement for 2 or 3 months past 30 June 2020.

Grant type	Number	Total value of grants approved this year	Value for use in this year
Control work starting	8	$335,728.88	$113,998.88
Follow up control work	0.65	$23,000.00	$23,000.00
Assessments	3	$21,000.00	$7,000.00
Operating costs	3.35	$31,250.00	$31,250.00
Sponsorship	5	$3,304.34	$1,304.34
Donations	1	$1,000.00	$0.00
Failed	3
SUCCESSFUL TOTALS	21	$415,283.22	$176,553.22

This year’s significant grants, with other funders / sponsors and donations, to continue the Trust’s landscape scale pest plant and tree control are:

• The MU-H, Riwaka to Marahau, DOCCF grant, instigated by the Trust and assessment costs raised by the Trust from TDC, Janszoon, NBS & Motueka Community Board, with support from Landcare Trust. The grant was submitted by and is being administered by Tasman Environmental Trust with PDVET as the contractor. To control pest plants (mainly OMB, BPV, Douglas Fir) on properties in MU-H from the Riwaka River to Marahau & ATNP. $159,730 over 3 years. This will help many properties and kill many thousands of Old mans beards. It is expected to raise the hopes of many landowners in the area who are getting desperate about the increasing spread of this vine.

• A DOCCF grant to control pest plants on properties in MU-C1 from the Takaka River to the “Lookout” – $90,000 over 3 years. This is crucial for stopping the spread of Yellow jasmine further to the west by controlling the only site found this far west. We have worked with TDC to obtain access to the property.
• A TET / Cobb Mitigation Fund grant, plus other funders (Golden Bay Community Trust and two donations), to control pest plants on properties in MU-E (Anatoki) & MU-G1 (Mid Takaka valley) – $60k over 3 years. This is a crucial step to continue pest plant control up the Takaka Valley. Also stopping the spread of Yellow jasmine further up the west side of the valley. MU-G2 is scheduled to start assessing in 2022. With the march to the west underway, see grant above in MU-C1 and assessments in MU-C2 and MU-B, the whole of Golden Bay is scheduled to start control work by 2024

• Also, from TDC, in their long-term plan we receive $11,250 towards operating costs as an annual grant for the next year. This amount is due for review in 2020 and we have submitted for an increase to be able to afford a paid Project Director.

New projects for this current year for which we have received, have pending, or are applying for grants include:

• We have started the assessment of MU-B climbing asparagus. Worryingly, it has been found alongside the Kahurangi NP boundary in two locations. The Trust has submitted to TDC to have this hard to get rid of plant listed as a “Sustained control” plant at an upcoming review of the RPMP. The Trust is aiming to apply for control work funding to WWF in late 2021 and DOCCF in 2022. Targeting the usual suspects, plus climbing asparagus.
• Tasman Environmental Trust has approved with the Cobb Mitigation Fund to cover $7k for the assessment work in 2022, as well as $60k as secured funding for the control work over 3 years, to carry out a major pest plant control programme in the Upper Takaka Valley floor. This will allow us to apply to Lotteries in Feb 2023 for a grant over three years. Targeting the usual suspects.
• We will start the assessment of MU-A & B in mid-2021. Funded by a grant from the Aorere River prize money, with the

Ongoing grants:

• Now in its 3^rd and final year: Grants from Lotteries ($90k) and Tasman Environmental Trust ($60k + $7k for the assessment work) over three years to carry out a major pest plant control programme in the Lower Takaka Valley floor. It involves the main sites in that area of two invasive plants, woolly nightshade and climbing asparagus as well as working to stop the spread of these, Italian jasmine and the pest vines banana passion vine and old man’s beard across the valley, where they are already threatening the boundary of Kahurangi National Park. In the first year we offered landowners 45 hours of work per property for free and asking for contributions to enable us to carry out more work after the 45 hours. Some of the larger properties are contributing for extra hours to be done. This work started in the 2018/19 financial year.

Now in the final year, we are offering only 30 hours for free to reach more landowners. We have targeted the only climbing asparagus site over 4 properties and woolly nightshade in the same area, between Rameka Creek and Dry River, which is the source site, and throughout the management unit.

• Tasman Environmental Trust have applied for funding for the next stages of the Motupipi River MRWERP scheme. The second year of the TET Lotteries grant starts with $7100+ and $3000 from Network Tasman to continue the exotic tree and pest plant control at Motupipi Sandspit.

This brings our total grants received, to November 2020, to $1,806,477 with $93k pending.

Pending grants:

• PENDING: The World Wildlife Fund NZ and Golden Bay Community Trust for control of pest plants on properties in MU-C2, from the “Lookout” (just before Onekaka) to Milnthorpe. It will be limited to key properties there. The rest will have to wait until next year’s application to the DOCCF, Feb 2021. Value $15+5k.
• PENDING: Sargood Bequest to boost our cover of operating costs.
• PENDING: Rata Foundation 2020 grant for a split of “Follow up control work” in eastern Golden Bay & Operating costs – $35,000

The Trust now has a mix of one-, two- and three-year approved grants, which gives us a greater certainty of being able to retain staff with steady work through the quieter periods of the contracted work – usually July to September.

These planned and future funding applications – if successful – will mean that ALL of Golden Bay will have received a reasonable level of control work on the usual suspects, plus climbing asparagus, by 2026. See our Funding Timeline plan.

Contracted work:

This has been steady, like the previous year.

Value of our contracted work for 2017 was $136.2k.

Value of our contracted work for 2018 was $137.5k.

Value of our contracted work for 2019 was $145.1k.

Value of our completed contracted work for 2020 was $141.9k.

 

2020 saw slightly more contracted work including our existing clients with more Motupipi River willow removal and riparian restoration project. With the Covid 19 lockdown, we were unable to carry out 3 contracts which upset our bottom line and created a larger than expected loss.

A much-increased contract with LINZ for the 11 rivers of Golden Bay has started and the Trust has been awarded to us for the next 3 years. The $76k per annum will allow our team to control plants to a far greater degree and add in Sycamores, Willows (where appropriate), Japanese Honeysuckle and others, as well as work with DOC to identify sites for planting using the “billion trees” scheme, which has been funded by TDC with a $3000 grant.

Other ones included:

• DOC repeat contract to control Tradescantia and Ivy in The Grove and Paines Ford Scenic Reserves.
• DOC repeat contract to control mixed pest plants / trees in QEII covenants in the mid Takaka valley.
• Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH) contract to control kiwifruit vines at various sites in Golden Bay.

Presentations about our work are given annually or to suit to:

• TDC Biodiversity Forum; TDC Community Board; Nelson Marlborough Conservation Board
• Local DOC staff and local iwi updates are provided annually.

Behind the scenes:

The Trust has three reporting methods in action:

1. A seedling count on 4 properties in Clifton and now in its 11^th The graph shows the residual reseeding.
2. Counting all pest species killed for each property visited.
3. The Trust has developed a new reporting system based on the 4 phases of weed control – see attached phase table. This has so far been applied to our work in:

• MU-D4 – completed – see attached summary tables of before and after.
• For the MU-H, MU-D6 and MU-E with MU-G1 control work projects.

The Trust is developing a carbon-neutral programme and is in talks with an agency landowner to plant trees on their land.

The Trust continues to use primarily chemicals without the reputedly toxic surfactant polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, instead using the cosmetic grade safe surfactant containing alkyl polyglycosides, or APG, which is derived from sugars or fatty alcohols.

The Trust maintains a high level of reporting to funders and maintains its approved contractor status with TDC, DOC, NZTA, LINZ and QEII.

Total number of vines & other pest species killed manually to 31/10/2020 is 530,337, including 413,118 banana passion vines, 59,185 old man’s beard, about 30,000 woolly nightshade and many climbing asparagus.

Latest update:

• The Trust is moving to a larger office space – 65 Commercial St, Takaka from 11^th Jan 2021
• The Trust is involved, as a possible provider, with a Kaimahi for Nature programme, which has just been approved by the Top of the south Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance members. It is awaiting the joint Government department’s approval. If it is approved, it will be focused on:

a/ Significant Natural areas protection and restoration and

b/ Landscape scale control of invasive pest plant and tree species  

The work will be spread over 3 years and cover the three Council areas of Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman.

 

A big thank you to our sponsors:

• Cut’n’Paste who give us a generous discount on their gel products.
• Golden Bay Weekly who publish our monthly tally of vines & other pest species killed manually.
• Nelson Building Society – Takaka, Richmond and Motueka branches – who assist with giving out gel bottles.
• Annette Litherland at Landcare Trust, who has been a great resource to help make projects happen.
• Tasman Environmental Trust – our partnership with the Motupipi River project has been a great way for a true team effort and their support via the Cobb Mitigation Fund, in particular for our projects to work our way up the Takaka Valley in 3 applications, is creating amazing outcomes.

Thank you to our trustees, staff and many others for your support & advice on this journey of pest plant control which paves the way for enhanced environmental restoration in Golden Bay & the “haloes” of our adjoining National Parks.

 

Chris Rowse            

 

Project Director for Project De-Vine Environmental Trust       

Appendix:

1/ Summary of key data

2/ Map for AGM presentation- BPV & OMB Status November 2019

 

Summary of key data	To 30 June 2016	To 30 June 2017	To 30 June 2018	To 30 June 2019	To 30 June 2020
Vines & other key pests plants killed	212,000	276,000	342,000	409,900	485,714
Vines & others killed– change per year	69,000	64,000	66,000	67,900	75,814
Grants total to date	$737,000	$976,000	$1,180,000	$1,336,000	$1,806,477
Contracted work – value per year	$63,450 approx.	$136,253	$137,499	$145,138	$141,940
Landowner contributions	Not recorded	$12,704	$8,528	$7,942	2695
Number of properties we have assessed	367	370	450	492	634

 

Download copy here

Project Directors Report AGM LH Nov 2020