Hill Country Erosion Programme (HCEP)

Jointly funded by MDC and Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the programme supports farmers to plant trees and combat erosion on marginal farmland. The fund provides advice and financial support to landowners, and provides assistance for retirement of high-risk forestry land. This can be done through retiring eroding land from grazing, pole planting and native reversion planting.

Marlborough has a large and diverse land area (over 10,000km²) with 89% classified as hill country in land use classes 6, 7 and 8, much of which is erosion-prone or actively eroding. Protecting this from erosion is a mammoth task, but one that is extremely important, given that freshwater quality and productive land are both essential for our rural economy.

There are a range of planting options available under the Hill Country Erosion Programme to landowners to manage erosion:

• Exotics - Space planting poplar and willow poles is appropriate action for erosion mitigation if stock grazing is still desired and an appropriate land use for the site (Exotic species such as Eucalypts or oaks are also an option as a woodlot once fenced off from stock).
• Native afforestation - Retiring an area from grazing by fencing it off and planting natives is the best option when there is marginal grazing benefit with a very high erosion risk. This option has a medium to high cost but is highly effective.
• Natural regeneration - Fencing for reversion excludes stock from an erosion prone area with an existing native seed source nearby (within 2km) to enable natural seed dispersal by birds and wind. It is most effective on slopes that are east or south facing aspect (cooler).

Planting of poles, exotics and natives takes place in the winter period. Native plantings must be permanently fenced prior to planting and stock kept out of the area.

The Hill Country Erosion Programme has been operating in Marlborough since 2018. To date the programme has assisted in funding over 15,000 poplar and willow poles for space planting on eroding pastoral land and over 172,000 native plants for erosion control on permanently retired farmland. More than 50 hectares of exotics was also funded, mostly for erosion control woodlot trials in particularly challenging areas. Eighteen kilometres of fencing was subsidised to permanently exclude stock from retired unsuitable grazing land.

Council’s next application to MPI for funding over the next four years will take place in 2026. If successful, the Hill Country Erosion Programme will continue in Marlborough from July 2027 to June 2031.

If you are interested in finding out whether your property qualifies, please contact Jenny Buck jenny.buck@marlborough.govt.nz