Environment Southland’s existing weed control programme in the Te Anau area has received a boost, which will help to protect the Fiordland National Park from invasive species while also providing jobs in the local community hard hit by the impact of Covid-19. 

Last December the Department of Conservation (DOC) allocated $690,000 from the government’s $200 million Jobs for Nature fund to the Fiordland Buffer Zone project in order to help businesses affected by the closure of New Zealand borders to overseas tourists. After consultation with local businesses to identify those who might benefit from this initiative, the project kicked off in February.

Environment Southland Pest Plant Officer Dr Becky Goodsell said the project was about weed control along the margins of Fiordland National Park, creating a 1km buffer zone, from Manapouri in the south to Milford Sound in the north. The aim is to stop invasive species like Cotoneaster and Darwin’s barberry from entering the park, protecting its biodiversity values for future generations.

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“We are focusing on these two species because they are more of a threat for the bush in Fiordland National Park, as they can spread under the canopy of native trees,” she said.

Both Cotoneaster and Darwin’s barberry produce large amounts of highly viable seed, mature quickly, are very long-lived, and form dense stands, outcompeting native shrub species in a wide range of habitats. They are extremely hardy and shade tolerant plants.

 “The objective is to help businesses affected by the loss of international tourists in the region by topping up their staff wages to keep the workforce in place. We are not offering full-time positions. It’s part-time work in small groups and it’ll be up to the employer to allocate people to work. Some teams have already begun, with further teams joining them in March and April,” Dr Goodsell said.

Over the next two years Te Anau and Manapouri residents can expect a visit from a Fiordland Buffer Zone project worker to check their property and remove the offending pest species free of charge.

Ivan and Kylie Krippner, from Wings and Water in Te Anau, out controlling Darwin's barberry and Cotoneaster near the Marakura Yacht Club. PHOTO: Becky Goodsell

The Fiordland Buffer Zone project is expected to create more than 30 jobs in Fiordland in the next two years, which helps, but is just a drop in the ocean of unemployment. 

Glyn Saunders, Fiordland Employment Skills and Resource Co-ordinator for Great South is working to identify and implement redeployment opportunities in the Fiordland community in response to the impact of COVID-19 on Fiordland’s tourism industry. Based on talking to the local businesses, he estimated that about 1000 people had lost their jobs as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.

“Most of them would’ve been overseas seasonal workers, many of whom have left the area,” he said.

According to Mr Saunders tourism previously made up 75 percent of the available jobs in the region and there was an estimated 200 to 250 people now unemployed or underemployed in the area. There is no official data to confirm these figures (neither Statistics NZ nor MSD could provide these details), but if these numbers were correct they would represent about a 10-fold increase in unemployment compared to the 2018 census figures reported by Statistics NZ, when unemployment was at 0.9%, affecting just over 20 Te Anau residents. 

Warren Jensen, from Milford Sound Tourism, learning to identify problematic weeds in the Fiordland National Park. PHOTO: Becky Goodsell

To assess the magnitude of the problem, Mr Saunders is planning to conduct a population survey in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

Looking at the bigger picture, DOC Director of Operations for Southern South Island, Aaron Fleming said he believed the department was making good progress with the Jobs for Nature funding that it manages. 

His office reported that “Of the 6,000 employment opportunities we (DOC) committed to creating for New Zealanders between 2020 and 2024, we have successfully made nearly 1000 of those jobs. In the Southern South Island we are continuing to assess as quickly as possible project proposals for conservation employment projects across the region”. 

To inform decision making on proposals, DOC is working in partnership with nominated iwi representatives, together with the chief executives of the two regional councils, Otago and Southland.

Bev Thorne, from Bev's Tramping Gear Hire, eradicating weeds in the Fiordland National Park "buffer zone" near Te Anau. PHOTO: Becky Goodsell

In Fiordland, so far only the Fiordland Buffer Zone project submitted by Environment Southland has been approved and has started. DOC is currently supporting the development of 12 project applications including helping several potential applicants shape up their project ideas in Fiordland.

CLICK HERE to see the map showing projects funded by Jobs for Nature.