Tukituki Land Care launches major erosion project under Land for Life partnership

Central Hawke’s Bay farmer-led catchment collective Tukituki Land Care (TLC) has launched a major new project to tackle erosion-prone hill country in the Tukituki catchment, as part of the Hawke’s Bay Land for Life initiative - a partnership between Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC), the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and The Nature Conservancy Aotearoa New Zealand (TNC NZ).

The TLC High Risk Erosion Action Plan targets four key sub-catchments - Mangamahaki, Mangarara, Makara and Hāwea - identified as priority areas for erosion control. The two-year project is supported by a $75,000funding grant from  Land for Life and will run until late-2026.

Land for Life is a regional initiative designed to create a climate-resilient and nature-positive future for Hawke’s Bay hill country. It focuses on practical, farmer and community-led solutions that address erosion, improve freshwater health and enhance biodiversity while supporting productive, sustainable farming.

TLC launched the project in October with a workshop attended by farmers from the four priority sub-catchments. The session provided an opportunity to discuss erosion challenges on farm and share ideas for where demonstration projects could have the greatest impact.

“We have engaged landowners in these high-risk areas who are ready to take action,” said TLC Chair Richard Hilson. “This project is about focusing our energy where it will make the biggest difference — combining science, local knowledge and practical steps on the ground.”

The High Risk Erosion Action Plan builds on TLC’s 2024 Big Picture Project, which developed science-based plans for each of the 17 Tukituki sub-catchments. Those plans identified environmental priorities and mapped highly erodible land, riparian zones and water run-off pathways - data that now sits within the TLC Toolbox at www.tukitukilandcare.org/toolbox.

Analysis from that work shows the Mangamahaki, Mangarara, Makara and Hāwea sub-catchments are among the most erosion-prone in Central Hawke’s Bay. These areas lie within the Silver Range, which sustained extensive damage during Cyclone Gabrielle.

By June 2026, TLC aims to move from planning to demonstration, working with landowners, HBRC and iwi to establish on-farm sites that showcase effective erosion-control methods such as hill-country planting, riparian protection and the creation of ecological corridors.

TLC acknowledged Rachel Agnew (Land for Life) and Matt Highway (Environment, Innovation and Strategy Ltd) for their presentations at the launch and thanked the farmers who attended and contributed valuable insights.

Next, TLC will review the information gathered from landowners - including expressions of interest to be involved - and begin shaping the detailed action plan for delivery.