A boost for Hauraki Gulf
Solutions to the declining health of the Hauraki Gulf may be on the horizon with a multi-million dollar upgrade.
The $5 million, five year funding project is an initiative of the Foundation North. Rather than ‘‘business as usual’’ solutions, the philanthropic foundation will be running an innovation lab for groups and individuals on September 14. It hopes this will kick start completely new possible solutions for the gulf.
With the the upcoming release of the Sea Change - Tai Timu Tai Pari marine spatial plan, the timing of the initiative may seem counter-productive. However, project manager Kim Collins says the foundation has been working closely with the stakeholder working group and iwi.
‘‘There are no guarantees the plan will be released this year and we are ready to go. This is the early stages of the fund, which will run for five years, and we are working in with Sea Change,’’ she says.
It was the State of the Environment report in 2011 that put highlighted the continuously deteriorating state of the Hauraki Gulf. The document became a catalyst that lead to the development of the marine spatial plan, which has been three years in the making and is due to be released in late 2016.
The Firth of Thames is also part of the focus of a major new $5 million, four year coastal acidification project.