Heritage Fund grants awarded to protect special heritage places across Kāpiti
21 Sep 2026
Fourteen projects across Kāpiti have been awarded funding through Kāpiti Coast District Council’s 2026/27 Heritage Fund, supporting landowners and community-led mahi to protect and enhance special heritage places across Kāpiti. The Heritage Fund is part of Council’s wider environment restoration funding.
The successful recipients will share more than $47,000 for projects including pest animal and weed control, native planting, fencing, arboriculture, wetland restoration, and research that records local Māori histories and place names.
The Heritage Fund helps protect ecological, geological, historical, and cultural sites on private land, including historic buildings, significant trees, wāhi tapu whenua, bush remnants, and other important heritage features.
Council Environment and Communities Committee chair Deputy Mayor Martin Halliday says this year’s successful projects reflect the diverse heritage values found across the district.
“These grants help turn good intentions into practical conservation, restoration, and heritage protection work,” says Deputy Mayor Halliday.
“Each project helps safeguard our natural, cultural, and historic heritage for future generations.”
Team Leader Environment and Ecological Services Andy McKay says the range of applications shows the commitment of landowners and community groups caring for important heritage sites.
“We’re really grateful to the landowners and community groups putting time and effort into caring for these special places and taonga,” says Mr McKay.
“We look forward to seeing these projects take shape and the contribution they’ll make to protecting the rich heritage of Kāpiti.”
The successful 2026/27 Heritage Fund recipients are:
Ōtaki
$1,500 - Tree maintenance on a large notable tree.
$5,000 - Pest animal control, environmental weed control, and track maintenance at a property with a QEII Trust covenanted wetland.
$3,750 - Pest animal and pest plant management in an Ōtaki Gorge bush block, including goat and possum control and environmental weed control.
$5,000 - Ongoing pest animal and environmental weed control across forest and wetland areas on a property containing an ecological site and wāhi tapu whenua.
$880 - Design and printing of an information booklet about the listed heritage Ōtaki Rotunda.
Waikanae
$1,200 - Pest animal control, environmental weed control, and enhancement planting in a listed ecological site.
$2,191 - Environmental weed control and arboriculture work at a property with numerous listed key indigenous trees.
$4,500 - Environmental weed control supporting an ongoing ecological restoration project that connects an existing ecological site with newly planted native revegetation.
$5,000 - Further fencing, pest animal control, and environmental weed control in an expanding QEII-covenanted wetland that is also a listed ecological site.
Paraparaumu
$1,986 - Long-term pest animal and environmental weed control in a listed ecological site bush remnant.
$3,955 - Ongoing pest animal control and environmental weed control in a listed ecological site.
Paraparaumu/Waikanae
$4,049 - Research documenting oral history recordings of local kaumātua, collecting traditional Māori place names and associated histories, and connecting them to the rohe.
Peka Peka
$5,000 - Native planting in a coastal wetland area following significant weed control near a key native ecosystem and listed ecological site.
Te Horo
$5,000 - The next stage of the Parahamuti Wetlands project, including a constructed wetland to improve water quality, create habitat for flora and fauna, and provide space for mahinga kai and rongoā.