Heritage Fund opens for applications to protect special places across Kāpiti

Kāpiti Coast landowners with heritage features on their properties are being invited to apply for financial support to protect and restore them for future generations. 

The Heritage Fund, now open for applications, provides matched funding to help landowners care for historic buildings, ecological and geological sites, significant trees, and wāhi tapu. 

Andy McKay, team leader Environment and Ecological Services, says applications must fall into one of four categories: preservation (either physically or by covenant), riparian management, heritage feature management (like planting or pest control), or research or education projects that help tell Kāpiti Coast’s heritage stories. 

"We have some truly special places on the Kāpiti Coast," says McKay. 

"This fund is about working together to make sure landowners can preserve and maintain them for generations to come." 

The fund operates on a matched-funding basis, meaning applicants must contribute an equivalent amount, either financially or through in-kind contributions such as labour. 

“Through the Heritage Fund and alongside Greater Wellington and the Department of Conservation, we’ve supported the Kotukutuku Ecological Restoration Project. 

“This project involved forest restoration and pest control, which led to the translocation of 51 titipounamu/rifleman to the Kāpiti Coast, a milestone for native bird recovery in the region.” 

Other past recipients include Waikanae Golf Course members who used the fund to plant 600 natives along the fairways and waterways to improve biodiversity and water quality. Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai also received funding for a research project documenting the oral histories of local kaumātua, collecting traditional Māori place names, associated histories and connecting them to the rohe (landscape). 

"These projects are reminders of what long-term investment in heritage can achieve, and that it isn't just about buildings or boundaries; it's about ecological heritage too," says McKay. 

"We're excited to see what this year's applicants will bring forward." 

Applications for the 2026 Heritage Fund close on Monday 13 July.