$25m to fight kauri dieback

Piha Village Voice tips us off to some promising  news  for Kauri Trees.  Article also on NZHerald.

Labour  got in first with  a commitment to spend $20 million on Kauri Dieback.

Todays budget,  National matches with  $25m to fight Kauri Dieback, which has been found in Northland, the Waitakere Ranges, Great Barrier Island, and recently in the Coromandel.  

The money would go towards improving Department of Conservation walking tracks, boardwalks and hygiene stations, research, surveillance, and co-ordinating a response to the disease.

So well the election heats up, nice to see the Kauri Trees come out winners.

National also allocated $20 million for  freshwater management to go to councils and communities for planning and decision making around freshwater resources. A $5 million fund would help communities to restore waterways through initiatives such as riparian planting and constructing artificial wetlands.

The sewerage in the Whau river currently is unacceptable. (Watercare  sort this out please)

Nice to see central Governement (Left and Right) dipping into their pockets to take responsibility for the environment, streams and the Kauri Tree.  Will certainly help ease the financial  burden on local budgets.