Starting & Maintaining a Community Project

You may find it useful to speak with others who already have a kiwi group up and running, to learn from their experiences. Reading about other groups and what they have learnt along the way may also be helpful.

Once a group is up and running, several things need to be in place to help it work effectively, including:

• delegated roles and people to fill them
• project management
• access to technical information
• systems to ensure good governance
• access to funding
• the ability to monitor work and review progress

The How to Save Kiwi DVD also provides useful information about the suite of challenges and opportunities groups face.

Useful resources:

• Community Resource Kit
• Long-term Sustainability of Community Biodiversity Protection Projects
• Not Just Trees in the Ground: The social and economic benefits of community-led conservation projects
• Biodiversity Technical guidelines
  
  

Community Resource Kit

The Department of Internal Affairs has developed a practical hands-on resource to help organisations to get started and to develop good practice in the voluntary sector environment.

The Community Resource Kit covers how to begin, the stages of development, strategic planning, project management and planning, operational planning, different legal structures, governance, financial management, raising funds, employing people, meetings and record keeping.

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Long-term Sustainability of Community Biodiversity Protection Projects

Community-based catchment restoration or species protection projects are increasing the community’s contribution to enhancing New Zealand’s indigenous biodiversity. This report documents a range of projects and funding sources, identifies the challenges and threats community groups face, and some solutions. It was written by Wendy Sporle and published by the NZ Landcare Trust. Download the Long-term Sustainability of Community Biodiversity Protection Projects, or copies are available from Wendy Sporle (Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

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Not Just Trees in the Ground:

The social and economic benefits of community-led conservation projects

In 2007, WWF-New Zealand released the "Not Just Trees in the Ground:The social and economic benefits of community-led conservation projects" report about how New Zealanders lives improve when they begin caring for their environment. Produced by Corydon Consultants, it provides a qualitative analysis of the social and economic benefits of community-led conservation projects. The report examines three community-led conservation projects that have been part-funded by WWF-New Zealand’s Habitat Protection Fund, and documents exactly what the benefits have been to people’s livelihoods and to their social networks.

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Biodiversity Technical guidelines

A series of technical advice guidelines has been developed for community projects by the NZ Landcare Trust, with funding from the Biodiversity Advice Fund. Topics include fencing, animal control, planting, fire control, health and safety and fundraising.

The guidelines are to help you with operational planning, and draw on and adapt best practices developed in Northland. It will often be possible to apply the information nationally, taking into account regional differences in management and projects.

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