Envirolink Scheme
The Envirolink Scheme funds Crown research institutes, universities and private research organisations to provide regional councils with advice and research on environmental projects.
The aims of the Envirolink scheme
The Envirolink scheme aims to:
- improve science input to the environmental management activities of regional councils
- increase the engagement of regional councils with the environmental research, science and technology sector
- contribute to greater collective engagement between councils and the science system generally.
The funding available
Funding of $1.6 million (excluding GST) is available each year through two funding mechanisms - Advice grants and Tool Development grants.
Advice grants
Advice grants comprise:
- Small advice grants of up to $10,000 excluding GST. These grants aim to help identify information needs, receive advice on science techniques or meet training requirements.
- Medium advice grants of up to $40,000 excluding GST. These grants are for more detailed advice, or to help support the second phase of an initial small grant project.
- Large advice grants of up to $80,000 excluding GST. These grants are for consolidated advice involving more than one regional council.
The following regional councils and unitary authorities are currently eligible to apply for Envirolink support through Advice grants:
- Northland Regional Council
- Gisborne District Council
- Taranaki Regional Council
- Hawkes Bay Regional Council
- Horizons Regional Council
- Nelson City Council
- Marlborough District Council
- Tasman District Council
- Otago Regional Council
- West Coast Regional Council
- Environment Southland.
For more information on the application and assessment process for Advice grants see the Envirolink Grants webpage.
Envirolink Grants webpage(external link)
Tool Development grants
Tool Development grants provide funding to develop or adapt new and/or existing resource management tools for use by more than one council.
All regional councils and unitary authorities are eligible to apply for the Tools development grants.
Tool Development grants are initially assessed by the Envirolink governance committee. The final assessment and funding decisions are made by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Assessment criteria
We engage external assessors to assess final Tools Development proposals against the following criteria and score them from 1 (Low quality) to 7 (High quality).
Benefit criteria: Environmental benefits to New Zealand (30% weighting)
- Size of the likely benefit: If the tool is developed successfully, what is the nature, scope and scale of the environmental benefit to regional councils and to New Zealand? For example:
- Enhanced decision making for all new urban coastal developments.
- Improved allocation of groundwater resources for over 70% of the South Island’s lowland plains
- Reduction in regional council spend on air quality monitoring in small towns by $X dollars per year.
- Timeframe: When might the benefits come about (i.e., short, medium, or long-term)?
- Building capability: Will it stimulate a positive change in how more than one regional council operates?
- Durability: How will councils and research institution(s) ensure the benefits of the tool endure into the future?
Benefit criteria: Science and technology benefits (20% weighting)
The proposal should describe:
- The nature and scale of change that might occur as a result of the tool development project (in the context of science and technology benefits and capacity).
- Any initiatives that will be incorporated into the project to improve science-related capacity in regional councils.
- How these activities will increase the ability of regional council staff to engage with researchers in the future.
- Any initiatives to ensure that science capability built up through the proposal will be sustained into the future across regional councils and not lost through natural staff turnover (loss of institutional knowledge).
Risk criteria: Ability to deliver research, science and technology outputs (20% weighting)
The Proposal should describe:
- The methodology/approach is scientifically and technically sound.
- The team has the relevant capability, skills, and resources required to develop the tool successfully.
- The team has a relevant published and applied research track record.
- The team has the freedom to operate, (e.g., where an overseas patented tool is being adapted to local conditions).
- The proposed tool development/adaptation can be feasibly developed within the proposed budget and timeframe.
- The team is well aware of potential scientific and technical risks that might arise during the life of the tool development project, and mechanisms are in place to mitigate these.
- The team can describe recent national and international developments in the field, to ensure there is no duplication in the tool’s development.
Risk criteria: Implementation pathway (30% weighting)
The proposal should describe a clear implementation plan and address the following:
- Provide evidence that regional councils have an ongoing role and demonstrated commitment to ensure the proposed tool is implemented successfully.
- Who will take it up and has anyone made any commitment to its use, including other regional councils who are not involved in the project or other organisations?
- Have future users made any commitment to using the tool and are they aware of it?
- Will others be trained in application of the tool? If so, how will this training be rolled out?
- What happens next, once the tool is developed? What and who will it influence? What might it lead on to?
- If there are barriers to implementation, how are these being overcome, and are you confident they can be overcome? (e.g., a new system might need extensive or very expensive data collection before it becomes workable).
For more information on the application and assessment process for Tool Development grants see the Envirolink Grants webpage.
Envirolink Grants webpage(external link)
Last updated: 07 March 2023
