Agenda of Grants Allocation Subcommittee (Heritage Fund) Meeting

Grants Allocation Subcommittee (Heritage Fund) Meeting Agenda

11 March 2021

7.1 Heritage Fund Allocations 2020-21

Author: Rob Cross, Programme Manager Biodiversity

Authoriser: Janice McDougall, Group Manager People and Partnerships

Purpose of Report

1 This report summarises applications for grants from the Heritage Fund and makes recommendations on funding allocations.

Delegation

2 This Committee may make a decision under the following delegation in Sections B.6 of the Governance structure:

“This Committee will consider and allocate grant moneys in accordance with the meeting cycles and criteria of five granting programmes…Heritage Fund.”

Background

3 The Heritage Fund was established in 2001 with the intention of assisting and actively encouraging landowners and members of the Kāpiti Coast community to manage, protect and enhance natural features throughout the district, including ecological, geological, historical and cultural sites.

4 To be eligible for funding, projects must meet the criteria set out in the Heritage Fund Application Criteria and Guidelines, attached as Appendix 1, or be a contribution to the establishment of a QEII Trust covenant.

5 A total of 11 applications for funding in 2020-21 have been received requesting a total of $36,154 slightly less than the $37,069 available for allocation this year. All the projects meet the funding criteria and merit support.

6 One application is for a project in the research and education category and the others are for projects in the heritage feature management and preservation categories. The following section will cover the details of each project and provide reasoning for the recommendations made. The location of projects is shown on a map (Appendix 2), and there are photographs of project sites (Appendix 3).

CONSIDERATIONS

118 Waterfall Road, Paraparaumu

7 For the last 13 years the owners of a 17.3ha bush remnant listed in the District Plan Heritage Register as K098 have devoted countless hours to its restoration. Known as ‘Waterfall Road Bush’ the remnant’s flora is unusually diverse, containing a wide range of species including northern rata, miro and maire taiki, a rare semi-parasitic tree with a conservation threat status of ‘at risk, declining’.

8 Five years ago the Department of Conservation funded the installation of an extensive pest animal control network targeting possums, stoats and rats. A 50m X 25m grid of more than 300 traps and bait stations, similar to grids used to create ‘mainland islands’ on the conservation estate, covers much of the site. Having undertaken baseline biodiversity surveys prior to installing the grid, the owners are monitoring changes to the forest ecosystem by collecting data on plant, insect, lizard and bird populations. Information is being shared with the Kāpiti Biodiversity Project, a confederation of three community restoration groups working in the south of the district.

9 In 2019 a successful workshop for Kāpiti landowners participating in the Key Native Ecosystem Programme, a Greater Wellington Regional Council biodiversity protection and restoration scheme supported by Kāpiti Coast District Council, was held at the property, covering all aspects of native forest restoration.

10 The application is for $1,339 out of a project cost of $2,681 to fund maintenance of the trap network.

11 As the application meets Heritage Fund criteria in the management and research categories it is recommended that funding is granted as requested.

State Highway 1, Ōtaki

12 This is a heritage management project to restore Haruatai Forest, a regionally significant swamp forest remnant listed as Ecological Site K015 in the District Plan Heritage Register

13 Haruatai forest covers 7ha, making it the second biggest swamp forest remnant in the district after Nga Manu-Jacks Bush. The remnant is a taonga of local iwi, and is included in Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Key Native Ecosystem programme, which funds protective management of the region’s top 64 biodiversity sites.

14 Though a corner of the forest extends into Haruatai Park most of the forest and surrounding farmland is in joint Maori ownership, administered by a trust. The farmland is leased to a farmer who has grazed cattle in unprotected parts of the remnant.

15 Since 2008 Council’s Biodiversity Programme Manager has collaborated with Greater Wellington Regional Council biodiversity staff to help the trust manage the forest by controlling pest plants and animals.

16 The forest is now used as an outdoor classroom by Te Wananga O Raukawa students. During the last three years 1,800 native trees were planted by students, trust representatives and Council staff as part of a biodiversity restoration programme.

17 The application is for $3,000 out of a project cost of $8,500 to continue the programme by planting more trees and controlling pest plants and animals. Greater Wellington Regional Council will contribute $5,000 from its Key Native Ecosystem programme.

18 Under Heritage Fund criteria the restoration of Haruatai Forest is a priority for funding because of its biodiversity and heritage values. Therefore it is recommended that funds are granted as requested.

1400 ŌTAKI GORGE ROAD, ŌTAKI

19 This is a Natural Heritage Management Project to assist the control of pest animals and weeds on a 125ha bush block on the edge of Tararua Forest Park. The block is part of Ecological Site K017 and is almost entirely covered by native bush, including primary forest on steep faces that escaped logging.

20 As such it is a valuable part of an evolving ‘mountains to the sea’ ecological corridor that has the potential to link the wilderness of the Tararua Ranges to Kāpiti Island via the Ōtaki River. The block provides habitat for keystone species such as kereru, and has resident populations of many native forest bird species including tomtit, whitehead, rifleman and bellbird.

21 Pest animal control on this block complements intensive control on adjacent Department of Conservation land conducted as part of ‘Project Kākā’, an innovative ecological management initiative designed to improve biodiversity in selected areas of the Tararua Forest Park.

22 The applicants are dedicated conservationists who have already spent large sums protecting and restoring biodiversity on their land. They are seeking a contribution of $5,000 toward the $10,120 cost of extending and maintaining an existing 3km network of bait stations and traps to control possums, stoats and rats.

23 This project meets the Heritage Fund criteria for natural heritage management. Therefore it is recommended that funds are granted as requested.

234 Te Hapua Road, Te Horo

24 The previous owners of 234 Te Hapua Road spent more than a decade restoring the 4.1ha wetland on their property. When they decided to sell because of advancing age their priority was to find a buyer who would continue their restorative work.

25 The new owners are not only continuing restoration but also increasing the wetland’s size by retiring adjacent land from grazing and planting native wetland species. They are also planting dry dunes beside the wetland to provide complementary habitat for birds, lizards and insects.

26 Protected by a QE II Trust covenant, the wetland is part of the regionally significant Te Hapua complex, which is highly representative of a formerly extensive swamp and is considered one of the best and largest remaining examples on the Kāpiti Coast. The area provides habitat for endangered species such as spotless crake, Australasian bittern, dabchick, Ranunculus macropus, Carex dipsacea, Potentilla anserinioides and other plant species becoming uncommon in the Wellington Region including Gratiola sexdenta, kapungawha and Baumea articulata.

27 Listed in the District Plan Heritage Register as Ecological Site KO57, the Te Hapua wetlands are part of Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Key Native Ecosystem programme. For the last 15 years biodiversity staff from both councils have collaborated in providing advice and support to Te Hapua landowners, resulting in steady progress in protective wetland management.

28 The application is for $5,000 out of a project cost of $29,000 to subsidise restoration planting to buffer the wetland. Wetlands are a priority for protection and restoration, as Kāpiti has lost more than 97% of its wetlands since 1840, and wetlands are second only to estuaries as biodiversity hotspots. The application meets the Heritage Fund criteria, therefore it is recommended that funds are granted as requested.

7 Morrison Road, Te Horo

29 The regionally significant Te Hapua wetland complex described in paragraph 54 above extends beyond Te Hapua Road to the north, where arms of the main wetland extend between high dune ridges.

30 Following contact with Council biodiversity staff, the owner of 7 Morrison Road has decided to restore native vegetation to the margins of one of these outlying wetlands, and to the adjacent high dune, formerly grazed by livestock. This will enhance the .5ha wetland and provide 1ha of complementary dune forest habitat for native fauna.

31 Invasive willow trees need to be removed from the wetland margins to make room for local native tree species such as kahikatea and tī kōuka (cabbage tree).

32 The landowner has applied for $4,800 out of a project cost of $9,200 to subsidise the cost of tree removal and native plants to be planted this winter. As the application meets the Heritage Fund criteria, and wetlands are a restoration priority, it is recommended funds are granted as requested

34 Leinster Avenue, Raumati South

33 Key indigenous trees in urban areas are identified for protection in section 3.2A of the District Plan. To be protected trees must belong to a key indigenous species and meet specified size criteria.

34 A kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) tree at 34 Leinster Avenue, Raumati South, easily meets the criteria through being 16m tall and having a trunk more than 30cm in diameter at chest height.

35 Though in good health, the kahikatea tree is being threatened by a faster growing and larger Australian blackwood (Acacia Melanoxylon), which is growing into the kahikatea, potentially smothering it.

36 To protect the kahikatea the blackwood needs to be felled. The property owners have obtained a quote from an arborist, and have applied for $350 out of a project cost of $700 to get the job done.

37 As the application meets the Heritage Fund criteria for a management project, it is recommended that funds are granted as requested.

58 Hadfield Road, Peka Peka

38 District Plan ecological site KO61 (7.49ha) adjoins the main trunk railway line north of Waikanae and comprises Waikanae Scenic Reserve and a contiguous area of native bush extending north on privately owned land toward Hadfield Road, Peka Peka.

39 The site is classified as regionally significant because relatively large remnants of the dominant forest types (kohekohe-tawa forest, titoki-mahoe treeland) are rare between 20m and 90m above sea level.

40 The privately-owned part of the site is protected by a QE II Trust covenant, and was recently acquired by owners keen to improve the forest’s ecological health. They are repositioning stock fences to enable protective buffer planting around the forest’s edges, and following advice on how best to control weeds and pest animals such as rabbits, possums, stoats and rats. Their efforts are complementing management of the Waikanae Scenic Reserve by the Department of Conservation.

41 To fund further work the owners have applied for $4,435 out of a project cost of $8,870, to be spent on fencing and native plants.

42 Their proposal meets the Heritage Fund criteria, therefore it is recommended funds are granted as requested.

284 Rangiuru Road, Ōtaki

43 Since opening in 1872, the Telegraph Hotel in Ōtaki has been an important social hub and business in the town for more than 125 years. The current building on the site, dating from the early 1900s, is listed in the District Plan Historic Heritage Register (B58).

44 After buying the hotel at a mortgagee sale in 2011 the current owners embarked on major refurbishment, including earthquake strengthening, re-plumbing, rewiring and interior re-decoration.

45 The final stage of the project entails renewing the roof. The owner’s aim is to complete the project in time for the hotel’s 150^th anniversary next year.

46 The application is for $5,000 out of a project cost of $30,000. As the application meets the Heritage Fund criteria it is recommended funds are granted as requested.

121 Amohia Street, Paraparaumu

47 Two trees at 121 Amohia Street, Paraparaumu, are listed as notable trees in the District Plan Heritage Register. One is a rimu ( T 6 Dacrydium cupressinum), the other, a magnolia ( T 7 Magnolia grandifolia).

48 The property owner has consulted an arborist to assess the trees’ condition. The arborist has recommended removing a Phoenix palm that is growing into the magnolia, and removing dead wood from the rimu. He has also recommended removing a prominent lateral limb from the rimu, citing ‘too much weight and a bad inclusion’ (an ‘inclusion’ is where bark is sandwiched between two limbs or trunks growing together, causing weakness).

49 Resource consent is required to remove the prominent limb from the rimu, but no consent is needed to remove the deadwood from the rimu or to remove the Phoenix palm. There is provision in the Heritage Fund criteria for reimbursement of up to $500 of resource consent fees, should the applicant apply for consent in relation to the rimu.

50 The application is for $1334.00 out of a project cost of $2,168. As maintaining trees on the District Plan Historical Heritage Register meets Heritage Fund criteria, it is recommended funds are granted as requested.

313 Reikorangi Road, Waikanae

51 The owners of the farm at 313 Reikorangi Road, Waikanae, are conservationists who have a 13ha area of bush on their property protected by QE II Trust covenant, listed as ecological site K078 in the District Plan Heritage Register. For the last 14 years they have worked with Council Biodiversity staff to protect and restore biodiversity by controlling pest plants and animals and by fencing, retiring and planting the riparian margins of streams on their property.

52 Their latest project entails fencing, retiring and planting a wetland in a steep gully terminating in a farm pond. The gully contains remnant native vegetation. Restoring this gully will provide complementary habitat to the nearby ecological site, and improve the water quality in the pond, which discharges into a stream catchment that in turn discharges into the Waikanae River.

53 The restored area will improve ecological connectivity between bush remnants and restored areas on their property, and complement an evolving network of restoration and ecological sites in the Waikanae River catchment.

54 The application is for $5,000 out of a project cost of $20,000 to subsidise stage one of the project, which entails fencing the area to be retired. As the application meets the Heritage Fund criteria, it is recommended funds are granted as requested.

74 Nga Manu Reserve Road, Waikanae

55 Dactylanthus taylorii / Pua ō te Reinga is a little-known native parasitic flowering plant which is in serious decline and classified as ‘Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable’. Prior to European colonisation it would have been common and an important source of nectar on the forest floor, particularly for bats and lizards. It is rare and threatened because possums and pigs destroy it while eating the nectar.

56 In March 2020 Ngā Manu Nature Reserve staff confirmed the successful establishment of Pua ō te Reinga at a restoration site in the reserve, marking the culmination of a long history of involvement with the species stretching back to 1994, when Ngā Manu offered a John Salmon research fellowship to Avi Holzapfel to support his PhD on the “Biology of Dactylanthus”.

57 The Ngā Manu Trust has applied to the Heritage Fund for support in producing and installing large information signs that will detail the biology and ecology of the plant, and the story behind Ngā Manu becoming the first managed site where Pua ō te Reinga has been successfully reintroduced and established.

58 The application is for $896 out of a project cost of $1,791. As the application meets the Heritage Fund criteria for a research and education project, it is recommended funds are granted as requested.

Financial considerations

59 If funding is approved as recommended, the 2020-21 Heritage Fund budget will be substantially spent.

Tāngata whenua considerations

60 There are no tāngata whenua considerations.

Strategic considerations

61 Enhancing the natural environment is one of four key challenges contained in Council’s Long Term Plan 2018-38. Grants from the Heritage fund contribute directly to meeting this challenge by improving biodiversity. They also align with the plan’s 3-year focus by incentivising the protection and enhancement of local native flora and fauna as expressions of our distinct district identity, and by supporting the protection and restoration of native vegetation as a positive response to climate change.

Significance and Engagement

Significance policy

62 This matter is not deemed significant under Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy.

Publicity

63 The opportunity exists for positive publicity associated with these projects. A media release will be prepared about the funding allocations.

Recommendations

64 That the Grants Allocation Committee approves funding to applicants from the Heritage Fund as set out in the following table:

Project	Total Project Cost	Requested Assistance	Recommended Assistance
118 Waterfall Road, Paraparaumu	$2,681	$1,339	$1,339
SH 1, Ōtaki	$8,000	$3,000	$3,000
1400 Ōtaki Gorge Road	$10,120	$5,000	$5,000
234 Te Hapua Road, Te Horo	$29,000	$5,000	$5,000
7 Morrison Road, Te Horo	$9,200	$4,800	$4,800
34 Leinster Avenue, Raumati South	$700	$350	$350
58 Hadfield Road, Peka Peka	$8,870	$4,435	$8,870
284 Rangiuru Road, Ōtaki	$30,000	$5,000	$5,000
121 Amohia Street, Paraparaumu	$2,168	$1,334	$1,334
331 Reikorangi Road, Waikanae	$20,000	$5,000	$5,000
74 Nga Manu Reserve Road, Waikanae	$1,791	$896	$896
Total	$122,530	$36,154	$36,154

Appendices

1. Heritage Fund Criteria ⇩

2. Project locations ⇩

3. Project pictures ⇩

Grants Allocation Subcommittee (Heritage Fund) Meeting Agenda

11 March 2021

Heritage Fund

Fund Criteria and

Application Guidelines

Heritage Fund Criteria and Application Guidelines

Please read the fund criteria and guidelines BEFORE filling in your

application form.

Reading these will save you time!

Please note: These guidelines specify procedures and conditions

that are legally binding for successful applicants.

Aim of the Heritage Fund

“The Kāpiti Coast District Council’s Heritage Fund aims to assist and actively encourage landowners and members of the Kāpiti Coast community to manage, protect and enhance heritage features throughout the district including ecological, geological, historical and cultural sites.”

Funding Categories

Applications must fall into one of the following categories to be eligible for funding:

1. PRESERVATION

Heritage feature preservation – includes fencing and permanently protecting by covenant areas of native vegetation, heritage trees, wetlands or other heritage features.

2. RIPARIAN MANAGEMENT

i.e. retiring stream banks from farming; fencing and planting; pest animal and weed management.

3. MANAGEMENT

Heritage feature management – includes activities such as plant and pest management in protected native bush, heritage feature maintenance activities e.g. painting, restoration, pruning, planting, and reimbursement of resource consent fees for management projects.

4. RESEARCH/EDUCATION

For example historical research/ information gathering, education/promotion campaigns, signage, production of educational material like flyers, brochures or the running of presentations, seminars or workshops.

NB:

I. The Heritage Fund is contestable and each application will be assessed on its merits.

II. Funding is only available for projects taking place on land within the boundaries of the Kāpiti Coast District Council.

III. Registered sites/features (e.g. identified in the District Plan Heritage Register, Historic Places Trust Register, or similar) will have priority over non-registered sites/features.

1.
Preservation Projects

For a project to be eligible in this category it must meet all of the following criteria:

a) It is for an area of native vegetation, specific tree, a wetland or other natural area;

b) It shall not be planted with any exotic vegetation once protected;

c) Domestic stock must be excluded from the area to be protected;

d) It must have a protective covenant registered on the title of the land (or be entered into as part of the funding application);

e) It must meet the General Criteria listed in this document; and

f) It must have a heritage management plan.

Preservation is limited to those areas which require permanent retirement from forestry, farming or general land use.

A high priority for funds will be given to preservation of heritage features under this category.

2. Riparian Management Projects
(Stream Bank Retirement)

For a project to be eligible in this category it must meet the following criteria:

a) The area must be permanently retired from grazing;

b) Domestic stock must be excluded from the area;

c) It must be for a length of stream no less than 100m;

d) It must have a protective covenant registered on the title of the land (or be entered into as part of the funding application);

e) It must meet the General Criteria listed in this document; and

f) It must have a heritage management plan.

A high priority for funds will be given to projects under this category, especially in water catchment areas such as upstream of the water intake on the Waikanae River.

3.
Management Projects

For a project to be eligible in this category it must meet the following criteria:

a) Be a registered heritage feature (registered in the Kāpiti Coast District Plan Heritage Register, the New Zealand Archaeological Association Site Recording Scheme, or the Historic Places Trust Register); OR

Be any other heritage feature (including trees, buildings, wāhi tapu or wāhi taonga, heritage objects, or archaeological, historic or geological sites) BUT it must meet the General Criteria listed in this document; and

b) It must have a heritage management plan.

With respect to (a) above, the site does not have to be listed in the District Plan Heritage Register at the time the funding is applied for. It is sufficient to agree to registration in the District Plan’s Heritage Register.

Management under this category includes heritage features that cannot be easily modified through land use activities. For example, an eligible heritage feature could be an old steam boiler located in a paddock or it could be a historic building. There is no requirement to fence off or covenant heritage features under this category.

The funding for heritage features in this category may go towards maintenance of the feature. Any heritage feature recorded in the District Plan’s register will require a resource consent if they are to be modified, altered or destroyed in any way unless it is a minor work as defined in the District Plan or it is pruning in accordance with approved arborcultural practices.

4. Research/Education Projects

For a project to be eligible in this category it must meet the following criteria:

a) Involves a heritage feature listed in the District Plan Heritage Register; or

b) Involves any other heritage feature that meets the General Criteria listed in this document;

c) Will result in the protection and better management of a heritage feature that meets the criteria under (a) or (b) above; and

d) Will provide new information about the heritage feature and will assist in public interpretation and understanding of the feature.

General Criteria

NOTE: Funding is only available for projects taking place on land within the boundaries of the Kāpiti Coast District Council.

a) Ecological Sites

Representativeness*

- contains an ecosystem that is rare or under-represented in Kāpiti ecological districts*

Rarity

- contains threatened ecosystems *

- contains threatened species *

- contains species that are endemic to the ecological district*

Diversity

- diversity of ecosystems, species, vegetation *

Distinctiveness

- contains large/dense population of viable species *

- largely in its natural state or restorable *

- uninterrupted ecological sequence *

- contains significant land forms *

Continuity & Linkage within Landscape

- provides, or has potential to provide, corridor/buffer zone to an existing area *

Cultural Values

- traditionally important for Maori

- recreational values

- significant landscape value

- protection of soil values

- water catchment protection

- recreation or tourism importance

- aesthetic coherence

Ecological Restoration

- ability to be restored *

Landscape Integrity

- significance to the original character of the landscape

- isolated feature, does it stand out or blend in

- does it have a role in landscape protection

Sustainability

- size and shape of area

- activities occurring on the boundaries which may affect its sustainability

- adjoins another protected area

- links

- easily managed

b) Historical and Cultural Sites

General Values

- The extent to which the place/feature reflects important or representative aspects of New Zealand history

- The association of the place/feature with events, persons or ideas of importance in New Zealand history

- the potential of the place/feature to provide knowledge of Kāpiti Coast District and New Zealand history

- the community association with, or public esteem for, the place/feature

- The potential of the place/feature for public education

- The potential for recreation and access

Tangata Whenua Values

- traditionally important to iwi

- urupa or marae

- wahi taonga or wahi tapu

- archaeological site

c) Individual Trees

- Trees which, in the opinion of Council, are significant and worthy of protection; or

- Trees which have been assessed using the RNZIH Standard Tree Evaluation Method (STEM) for New Zealand (or equivalent) as having a score of 140 or greater.

NB: Copies of the RNZIH Evaluation Method are available for perusal at the Council Civic Building, 175 Rimu Road, Paraparaumu.

d) Geological and Soil Sites

- Listed in the New Zealand Inventory of Soil Sites of International, National and Regional Importance

- The extent to which the place reflects important or representative aspects of New Zealand geology

- The representative quality and/or a quality or type or rarity that is important to the district

Heritage Management Plans

Heritage Management Plans are generally required for Heritage Fund applications under the categories of Preservation, Management or Riparian Management Projects. Exceptions may be made for applications relating to heritage features managed under the conditions of a QE II Trust covenant deed, or in accordance with a Greater Wellington Regional Council Key Native Ecosystem restoration plan. In these cases, applicants should reference the covenant deed or the Key Native Ecosystem plan in their applications, and include an assurance that the protective management practices specified in those documents are being undertaken and will be ongoing.

The landowner must comply with the heritage management plan once an

application has been approved for funding.

A Heritage Management Plan:

a. Is a document which sets out the approach to works and/or maintenance of the feature/site for future years;

b. May have conditions (as is appropriate) that the landowner will be required to meet such as fencing, weed and pest control, keeping stock/domestic animals out of the area and restoration;

c. Will help ensure that the site is managed in a manner that protects and enhances the heritage feature;

d. Does not have to be complex and typically involves the following:

· A line drawing of the property/farm on a A4 aerial photograph (photo can be obtained free of charge from the District Planning Department) showing the area of concern and the proposed management measures;

· A description of the current problem/threats to the area (e.g. cattle grazing undergrowth of remnant forest, plant pests or animal pests like possums, goats, stoats etc which need controlling/eradicating);

· The proposed annual work/maintenance programme to be carried out over the next 3 – 5 years.

The Council can provide free advice on preparing heritage management plans.

Timing of Applications

In each financial year, there will be one round of funding under the Heritage Fund. Advertisements will be placed in local newspapers advertising the annual funding round.

Applications will be considered by Council’s Grants Allocation Committee.

Financial Details

In the application form sufficient details are required to enable the proposed project to be fully costed.

· If you are registered for GST please do not include GST in your costs

· Please attach quotes and any other supporting documentation to your application.

The following costs are not eligible:

· Project costs incurred prior to the lodging of the application;

· Any costs involved in preparing the application; and

· Debt servicing.

The purchase of equipment is generally NOT eligible for funding unless it can be demonstrated that it is essential for the project (i.e. it cannot be leased, rented/hired etc) and is a reasonable cost. Each item of equipment will be evaluated on its individual merit to the project.

It is recognised that labour contributions (and associated tools and machinery) are an important component of many projects. However, this scheme is not a subsidised employment scheme. Labour contributions are eligible as a project cost but should ideally not form more than a third of the total project cost.

What Level of Grant Assistance Can I Get?

The maximum total grant allocated under the scheme is $5,000 (excluding GST). There is no minimum grant amount.

A maximum grant of $500 (excluding GST) applies to administration costs (includes photocopying, mailouts/postage etc) and the reimbursement of resource consent fees.

All grants are allocated on the basis of a cost sharing arrangement.

The maximum grant rate for all projects is a cost sharing of 50:50, i.e. the Council will only fund up to half of the project cost. The applicant must make a contribution to the costs.

Example: Project cost $2,000 at 50% (excl. GST):

Heritage Fund Grant $1,000

Individual share $1,000

The applicant’s share of the cost can be by way of in-kind contributions (e.g. labour), or cash.

GST will be paid in addition to the grant where:

· the applicant is GST registered;

· the project is part of the applicant’s taxable activity; and

· the GST number is supplied on the application form.

How Can the Council Staff Assist Me?

Applicants are encouraged to complete the application form themselves.

Anyone experiencing difficulty in filling in the form should contact the Council’s Programme Manager Biodiversity. The Programme Manager Biodiversity or delegated Council officer can help prepare your Heritage Management Plan. (NB: Staff assistance does not imply success or preferential treatment in the approval process).

Inspections of projects allocated funding will be undertaken by Council staff.

How Will the Council Select Successful Applications?

As the number of projects and their total value may exceed the amount of grant money made available by Council each year, funding will be prioritised.

Heritage Funding will be prioritised in the following order:

1. Preservation projects, where areas to be protected will be fully fenced off with no stock permitted and a covenant entered into;

2. Riparian management projects, where the stream banks will be fully fenced off with no stock permitted and a covenant entered into;

3. Management projects for heritage features, areas or items such as restoration work, identification and on-going works/maintenance;

4. Research projects, including education campaigns or historic investigations into heritage features.

NB:

1. Funding will only be allocated for projects taking place on land within the boundaries of the Kāpiti Coast District Council.

2. Registered sites/features (e.g. identified in the District Plan, Historic Places Trust Register, or similar) will have priority over non-registered sites/features.

3. Features may be protected by a section 221 consent notice (issued under the Resource Management Act)

4. Discussion and consultation will be undertaken with other agencies such as the Department of Conservation, Greater Wellington Regional Council and the QE II National Trust, as appropriate.

How Will Applications be Processed?

Applications should be addressed to Council’s Programme Manager Biodiversity. All

applications will be acknowledged within 10 working days of receipt.

Applications will be checked to ensure they have been completed correctly and sufficient detail has been provided. Where applications are considered incomplete or deficient, they will be returned to the applicant for further information or clarification.

Where an application is referred back to the applicant for further clarification or information, the applicant will be given a set period to respond.

At the close of the application period, applications will be sorted into two categories:

1. Applications that will be reported to the Grants Allocation Committee for full consideration; and

2. Applications that are considered to fall outside the criteria and/or contain insufficient information.

Meetings of the Grants Allocation Committee are advertised and any member of the public is welcome to attend.

The applicant will be notified in writing within 10 working days of the Grants Allocation Committee making a decision on their application. Where an application is approved, the applicant will be sent a letter of approval specifying the grant.

The following conditions apply to any grants made:

1. Any expenditure on a project prior to the application being lodged will not be accepted for funding.

2. All costs associated with the project are first paid by the applicant unless another arrangement is approved in writing by Council. Receipts should be forwarded to the Programme Manager Biodiversity for processing. The grant will only be paid for approved costs.

3. The applicant must notify the Programme Manager Biodiversity once the project has been completed.

4. Any grant approval is personal to the applicant and cannot be reassigned without written approval from Council.

5. Grants must be uplifted within the time specified in the approval.

6. Grants are made subject to the Grants and Allocation Committee being satisfied that the information given is true and correct and that there has been no omission of any relevant fact or any misrepresentation given. 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.

7. In all cases, the decision of the Grants Allocation Committee shall be final and there will be no rights of appeal or review.

8. The Kāpiti Coast District Council reserves the right to visit any project or use it for promotional purposes where grant assistance has been given. In all cases the applicant will be notified of a visit.

9. The Kāpiti Coast District Council reserves the right to suspend and to refuse further grant payments if in the opinion of the Grants Allocation Committee 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.

Once I have an approved grant, how do I claim it?

All accounts are first paid by the applicant, unless another arrangement is approved in writing by Council.

Receipts are sent to the Council officer administering the grant.

A maximum claim value of $5,000 applies (excluding administration/resource consent fee costs where a $500 maximum claim value applies)

Completed projects are inspected by a Council Officer.

Can I Change the Contract?

Once the cost of a project and the grant rate has been approved by the Grants Allocation Committee that amount may not be increased or any new categories of expenditure introduced.

Progress Reporting and Notification of Project Completion

All successful applicants will be required to report regularly on progress in completing the project, particularly the completion of significant milestones.

Successful applicants must notify the Council officer administering the grant once their project has been completed.

Council Staff Who Can Help

Community Services Group

Programme Manager Biodiversity – Rob Cross

Phone: (04) 9045 653

Email: rob.cross@kapiticoast.govt.nz


AGENDA Grants Allocation Subcommittee (Heritage Fund) Meeting
I hereby give notice that a Meeting of the Grants Allocation Subcommittee (Heritage Fund) will be held on:
Date:	Thursday, 11 March 2021
Time:	9.30am
Location:	Council Chamber Ground Floor, 175 Rimu Road Paraparaumu
Janice McDougall Group Manager People and Partnerships

Cr Jackie Elliott	Chair
Mayor K Gurunathan	Member
Cr Martin Halliday	Member
Cr Robert McCann	Member