Posted By QEII National Trust | July 3, 2025


Due to funding constraints, this financial year (1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026) QEII is unable to process as many covenants as we have in past years.

The significant reduction in new covenants this year is disappointing for us and the many landowners hoping to partner with us to protect special areas on their properties.

We’re working hard to ensure that our new process for this year will enable us to protect the highest quality areas, while also providing an avenue to protect important areas where landowner/external funding can cover the cost of covenanting.

How will the process work?

We will be able to process a limited number of new QEII covenants during the year, prioritising the protection of areas with very high open space values, with a focus on biodiversity.

New covenants will be considered in two ‘funding rounds’ (November 2025 and May 2026), where proposals will be assessed against a range of criteria, including biodiversity values, strategic values, and value for money.

Please note that areas that meet our usual covenanting threshold can be considered outside of the above process if they can be undertaken at no cost to QEII – this would require a $7k processing fee for the first covenant on a property and $1k for each additional covenant to cover QEII costs, in addition to fencing and survey.

I have a potential area for covenanting – what should I do?

If you feel you have a significant area, please let your regional rep know. We are looking for large, intact ecosystems that provide habitat for threatened species or areas that have nationally significant open space values.

As above, areas that meet our covenanting threshold can be considered if they can be undertaken at no cost to QEII. This may be an additional option for you to consider. Please contact your regional rep to discuss.

How can I help?

Since funding is our main constraint on how many covenants we can process this year, any additional funds would be welcome.

If you would like to make a donation towards new covenants, please feel free to do so here or get in touch with Mel Keith (027 295 5369 or mkeith@qeii.org.nz)