Freshwater Improvement Fund

This funding round is for projects that create employment opportunities that will improve the management of New Zealand’s lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater and wetlands.

This includes funding for:

• reduction of sediment eroding from the land
• wetland construction and restoration
• stream reinstatements
• estuary protection and restoration
• restoration of fish passage
• job creation
• building capacity and capability in freshwater management and restoration.

This funding is being made available as part of the $1.3 billion Jobs for Nature environmental funding programme. This is as per the earlier funding round held in September 2020.

Visit Jobs for Nature - Mahi mō te Taiao webpage to see what other funding programmes are available. 

Jobs for Nature - Mahi mō te Taiao

• We will review your expression of interest to ensure it is eligible for funding.
• If it is eligible an assessment panel will assess it against the assessment criteria outlined above.
• You will then be either invited to submit a full application or notified that your expression of interest has been unsuccessful.
• Full applications will be assessed by the assessment panel using the same assessment criteria used for the expressions of interest.
• The Sustainable Land Use Ministers will make funding decisions. You will be notified if your application has been approved or not.
• If your application is approved you will be invited to proceed to the next stage of the funding process. This involves developing a project plan and signing a deed of funding.
• If needed initial start-up costs can be provided, while a deed of funding is being developed, to fast-track some aspects of the project.
• Once a deed of funding has been signed, the wider work programme of the project can begin.