Jobs for Nature boost for South Westland
By local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:
Underspend on a $1.2 billion dollar conservation programme means work in South Westland is to be extended until the middle of next year.
Jobs for Nature has funded nearly 11,000 hours of community conservation in the three years to the end of June.
The multi-agency programme which was due to finish this winter will now run until June 2024.
Department of Conservation Western South Island director Mark Davies said the extension had been made possible due to an underspend of about $850,000 from the original allocation for the region.
Davies said the focus of the programme was to support the communities in South Westland however the quicker return of visitors to the Glaciers post-covid meant the project funding had been underspent, enabling the extension.
"Visitors came back a bit faster."
It effectively enabled a good opportunity to extend the programme timeframe beyond that envisaged which was "a great outcome".
The $1.19b Jobs for Nature programme set up in the wake of Covid-19 managed funding across multiple government agencies as an economic stimulus to benefit the environment, people and the regions - with South Westland a big beneficiary from 2020 onward.
A report to the West Conservation Board on August 25 noted the South Westland Conservation and Tourism Jobs for Nature Programme had the green light for a fourth year.
This effectively enables its business partners to continue to contribute towards conservation outcomes in conjunction with DOC and support the retention of employees throughout the winter low season.
"In the final quarter of the 2022-23 year, 19 of the business partners carried out a further 1515 hours of conservation work," the report said.
"This means that year three of the programme ended in June with over 10,900 hours of work completed in total."
Thoughout the past year business partners in the programme had contributed to track and amenities upgrades, species monitoring, weed and predator control, digital archiving, and biodiversity assets support.
"This has been an asset to conservation in South Westland and we look forward to continuing this collaboration with our business partners into 2023-24."
A reminder this hunting season
As thousands of hunters are making their plans for autumn – the Roar – recreational firearms groups are urging hunters to always be 100% sure of their targets.
Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority NZ, which chairs the Recreational Firearms Users Group, has begun a public information campaign reminding hunters everywhere of Rule #4 of the Firearms Safety Code: to identify their target beyond all doubt.
Director Communities and Corporate, Mike McIlraith, says there is an estimated 50,000-60,000 New Zealanders involved in big game animal hunting each year, and the Roar is the key event for many hunters each year.
“The Roar is a fantastic time of year for hunters to get out into the hills after a trophy animal but hunting safely and making sure everyone gets home in one piece, still must be the most important goal of every trip,” says Mike McIlraith.
“The consequences of not fully identifying your target beyond all doubt can be catastrophic. Our message to hunters is a really simple one: If you are not sure, then don’t shoot.”
Mike McIlraith says while hunting fatalities are thankfully rare, research has shown that misidentification of the target is the largest firearms related risk to New Zealand deer hunters, and 80% of the time this involves members of the same hunting group.
The Authority says hunters should not feel pressured to take a shot: “Instead, hunters should take the time to analyse their target, wait and see if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how many points does its antlers have? Identifying your target means never firing at sound, shape, colour or movement alone.”
Mike McIlraith says good hunters will slow down, and run through some simple mental checks:
- Can I see the whole animal, or could this be another hunter?
- Where are my hunting companions – could this be them or someone else?
- How much of the animal can you see, if it is a hind or stag, how old is the animal, how - many points does its antlers have?
“Taking a little extra time to identify your target and check the firing zone is the key to safer hunting. No meat or no trophy is better than no mate,” he says.
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