Rates rebate gets nod

Ka¯ piti landowners who play an important role in protecting and managing the special natural heritage features of the district will get just over $29,000 of rates support from the council.

The council’s operations and finance committee approved this support for 102 properties across 664 hectares of land last week under its rates remission policy.

Committee chairman Michael Scott said council’s policy played an important role in recognising ratepayers’ conservation efforts and the positive impact their work makes to the district’s cultural and biodiversity values.

This includes activities like pest and weed control to maintain and restore ecological health of our region’s signature land features, like our wetlands, bush remnants and swamp and dune forests.

“We are lucky in Ka¯ piti to have property owners who are prepared to voluntarily protect and manage their environment, where these have a close connection to some of our unique and special land features.

“Whether its fencing off bush to protect it from stock intrusion or removing other pressures on the land like noxious pests, we are making a contribution to just a small part of the actual costs to those landowners.”

Some of the properties have legal protections through the District Plan and the policy also offered an added incentive for these to be respected.

Landowners who receive the rebate are required to have a Heritage Management Plan for the heritage feature of their property.

Council regularly reviews the plan with the landowner.

The total number of recipients is up from 99 last year with three new properties approved this year in Otaki, ¯ Waikanae and Paraparaumu.