Thursday 13 October 2011

Coast and estuary care groups to benefit from new fund

A fund is being established to help community groups care for Bay of Plenty’s coast and estuaries, following the grounding of the ship Rena.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Councils have joined forces to set up the Care For Our Coast Fund.

Any donations to the fund will be put towards Coast Care and Estuary Care work not covered by the official recovery response.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council chairman John Cronin said local communities put a great deal of effort and commitment into caring for their special areas.

“We’re lucky to have such committed and caring communities around our coast and harbours, and setting up this fund is something positive we can do to help support them,” Mr Cronin said.

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby said Tauranga people were passionate about their beaches and estuaries and would be looking for support in the future.

“We’re so lucky to live here and we all enjoy the outdoors. This is one way the community can be supported directly by those wanting to help,” he said.

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Ross Paterson said the beaches and estuaries of the western Bay of Plenty were iconic and a key part of what attracted people to live in the district.

“Hundreds of volunteers have worked over long periods to protect and enhance their beaches and estuaries. We felt it was important to work together and do something that will benefit our communities,” he said.

How you can make a donation to the Bay of Plenty Care For Our Coast Fund
You can make a donation over the counter at any National Bank or ANZ branch or via internet banking to:
• National Bank: Account number: 06-0489-0094734-50
• ANZ: Account number: 01-1839-0256313-00
Details of how donations can be made and how the Fund will operate will soon be on the Councils’ websites. The Fund will benefit the islands, including Mōtītī, as well as the mainland.

About care groups

Coast Care Bay of Plenty is a community partnership programme which uses local knowledge and enthusiasm to restore the form and functions of dunes in the Bay of Plenty.

There are about 30 Coast Care groups throughout the region, made up of about 900 community members who care about their coastal environment and want to be involved in protecting and managing that environment. They work with the Councils to plant and protect the dunes at their beach.

Coast Care volunteers planted more than 180,000 native coastal dune plants during the past couple of years, and held more than 200 Coast Care events, on top of individual landowners doing their own plantings.

About 500 people participate in 12 Estuary Care groups across the region – 10 on Tauranga Harbour and two on Ōhiwa Harbour. These groups have formed to maintain estuary values such as open water, clean and clear water, abundant fish and shellfish, estuary margins free of plant and animal pests and rubbish, and to promote native estuarine plant and bird habitats in their estuaries.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council works in partnership with Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty, Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne District Councils and the Department of Conservation on the Coast Care and Estuary Care programmes.

ENDS

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