Mainpower Hurunui Natural Environment Fund
The purpose of the fund is to encourage and assist with voluntary work that benefits the natural environment. The focus is on work that improves, benefits, enhances, restores or reinstates indigenous natural resources – in particular, land, vegetation, wetlands or bird habitat.
The fund is open only to residents and ratepayers of the Hurunui District – individuals or groups – for work relating to either private or public land.
It is a contestable fund, in which there is $10,000.00. Of that sum, $7,000 is earmarked for projects that are protecting existing areas, and $3,000 for projects creating new areas. The Hurunui District Council thanks MainPower New Zealand Ltd for its generous support.
Applications will be assessed by decision makers who are wholly independent of Council.
The fund is not available:
- For work that there is a legal obligation to do;
- To compensate for work already done. It is intended to assist with the cost of future work;
- For the entire cost of a project. It will complement the applicant’s contributions;
- For beautification projects, or to support those driven primarily for financial gain; or
- To past recipients of the fund.
The application must be a signed original of the application form. The form can be handwritten, or it can be downloaded from here and typed. We encourage applicants to attach any supporting documents, such as plans, diagrams, maps, photos. But please limit this to no more than about 15 pages.
Mainpower Natural Environment Fund - Applicaton form 2012
Applications without any supporting documents will still be considered, but applicants may be asked for more information.
2006 recipient: F & J Wilding, Looking westwards up Ploughman's Creek, Hawkswood Range beyond
The decision makers assessing the applications are likely to request to see the sites. No Council employees will accompany them onto private property without the prior approval of the landowner.
The Council hereby undertakes to all applicants that information concerning private property supplied in the application, or obtained when assessing it, will be used by the Council for no purpose other than for assessing the application, or for the publicity purposes referred to below.
By lodging the application, the applicant agrees that if funds are given to the applicant, the amount received and the applicant’s name and photo may be publicised, and used for publicity purposes.
Applications will be assessed during April. It is intended to distribute the funds at a function in May.
The money granted is to be spent by the successful applicant within two years of the grant. The recipient will be required to complete a signed “accountability form” when the funds have been spent, confirming that they have been spent in the way set out in the application.
Assessment Criteria
- The degree to which the work improves, benefits, enhances, restores or reinstates indigenous natural resources – in particular, land, vegetation, wetlands or bird habitat.
- The indigenous natural values of the area to which the work relates, including such things as representativeness, distinctiveness, rarity, and long term sustainability.
- The long term benefits or the work funded, including how it will be maintained.
- The degree of current risk to the natural values being restored, enhanced, protected or maintained.
- The efficiency, economics and feasibility of the project.
- If part of a long term project, evidence of the applicant’s commitment to it.
- The likely ecological outcomes.
- The degree of ongoing protection for the work funded – for example, if new planting, that it is protected from stock.
For further information see Mainpower Sponsorship Pages