Taranaki Regional Council media release
26 February 2009

Riparian Planting: Think Big As Contractors Dig

When it comes to putting down roots, it pays to be organised.

Doubly so if those roots are attached to thousands of native trees, like the 300,000 that in a few months will be ready to be planted alongside the region’s waterways as part of a long-running Taranaki Regional Council programme.

To help landowners get this year’s planting organised, the Council is again offering a contractor co-ordination service to farmers with Council-prepared riparian (streamside) management plans.

“We trialled the contractor service last year and the feedback has been good,” says the Council’s Land Services Manager, Don Shearman. “Using four contractors, we got 25,000 plants into the ground in five blocks spread across 30 properties. We did all the organising for the landowners, who paid the contractors directly.”

The new service enhances a programme that since the late 1990s has seen more than 2,000 riparian management plans prepared, covering around 11,000 km of streambank. The plans cover the fencing and planting of waterways and are drawn up for landowners at no cost by the Council, which also supplies the plants at cost.

“Good riparian management is essential for protecting and enhancing freshwater quality and we believe farmers should see valuable potential in this new contracting scheme,” says Mr Shearman.

“Previous feedback has suggested that time constraints are a major barrier to getting the plants in the ground, and this service can prevent a lot of hassle.”

The Council is now taking riparian plant orders for this year. Fonterra suppliers with riparian plans who order 300 or more plants by 1 April will go into a major Fonterra-sponsored draw for plants and contractor labour worth $3,500, or $2,500 worth of goods from RD1. The first 80 landowners who order 400 plants or more will each receive an RD1 voucher worth $50.

Hillcountry farmers with Council-prepared farm plans or agroforestry plans can also be in to win, thanks to sponsorship by Revital Fertilisers. Those who order 300 or more plants by 1 April go into a draw for $1,000 worth of plants and $2,000 worth of Revital Fertiliser.

Riparian management is a key part of the Taranaki Regional Action Plan drawn up under the Dairying and Clean Streams Accord.

Effective riparian buffers enhance water quality by filtering agricultural run-off, and reducing the speed of run-off, which moderates stream flows, reduces flooding and increases baseline flows.

Riparian buffers also provide food and shelter for wildlife and corridors for plants and birds. Streamside vegetation also reduces water temperatures and supplies food for aquatic insects that in turn provide food for fish.

Land owners interested in any aspect of riparian management can call the Taranaki Regional Council on 0800 736 222 and ask to speak to a Land Management Officer.

ENDS

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