A Central Southland catchment group will use a grant to continue its work to reduce feral pig and deer numbers in the Hokonui Hills.
Makarewa Headwaters Catchment Group co-chairman and dairy support farmer Mark Thomson, of Lora Gorge, said the group was "absolutely elated" to be given a $10,000 grant from the latest funding round of the Westpac Water Care Project, a joint initiative between the bank and the New Zealand Landcare Trust.
"It is awesome."
The group had been given the same grant once before to launch its Makarewa Headwaters Revival Project in 2022.
An aim of the first phase of the project was to understand the impact of the feral animals in the catchment’s side of the Hokonui Hills.
The findings included red deer, fallow deer and feral pigs were "running rampant" in the catchment and damaging the environment.
"The threat is, it is going to collapse on itself because it isn’t naturally regenerating."
The latest grant would be used in the second project phase to reduce pest numbers, a move supported by the hunting community, he said.
To reveal if the pest control was working, funding would be used to build several "exclusion plots", 20m by 20m deer-fenced areas, in the hills.
Fencing would exclude the pests so native bush could be compared to outside the plots to measure effectiveness.
All the exclusion plots would be installed by February next year.
Mr Thomson acknowledged the support of Thriving Southland and praised the work of charities Deer to Care and We Hunt Food Charitable Trust.
About 90% of landowners in the catchment supported the project.
"We have a very clear mandate to get stuck in and do this."
