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Aquaculture Planning Fund - Guidance notes for applicants

Introduction

The Minister for the Environment, on behalf of the Ministries involved in aquaculture, has a fund to help regional councils and unitary authorities implement aquaculture reforms in their regions.  A total of $2 million is available over five years commencing 2007.

The Aquaculture Planning Fund (APF) is available on a contestable basis only and is administered by the Ministry for the Environment.

The Ministries involved are: 

• Ministry for the Environment
• Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
• Te Puni Kōkiri
• Ministry of Fisheries
• Ministry of Economic Development
• Department of Conservation

supported by:

• New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

Funding is intended to assist with a proportion of the costs¹ associated with initial information gathering, consultation and planning work, including but not limited to:

• supporting environmental studies to underpin aquaculture planning,
• Identifying land use pollution sources and solutions in areas of potential value for aquaculture,
• Developing assessment methodology for determining the natural character of the coast,
• Developing assessment methodology for determining cumulative impacts.

The fund will also consider projects that build information to support the development of land based aquaculture, which has physical connection to the marine environment and industry support.

Aims

By 2012 the Aquaculture Chief Executives’ Steering Group aims to allocate the fund to achieve the following:

• development of new aquaculture space in five regions of New Zealand
• enhanced use of existing space in three regions of New Zealand
• leverage
  • significant financial or other contribution from stakeholders in that region
  • development of practices which are nationally applicable.

Eligibility

Funding is available to regional councils and unitary authorities only.

A test of the ability of the region to fund the work itself (eg, with reference to rating base, assets and liabilities) may be applied as an indicator of the appropriateness of allocating central government funding. 

How to apply

Funding is available on a contestable basis only.

There are two funding rounds per year: in May and October.  The Chief Executives' Steering Group will announce opening and closing dates in March and September.  At the same time an announcement will be made of how much funding is available and what the strategic priorities are for that round.

Applications must be submitted on the official application form. 

Only completed applications received by the deadline will be considered for funding.

Completing the application form

Please complete the application form as fully as possible as your application will be judged on the information provided. However, the length of responses is limited.  You may provide supporting documentation eg, letters of support and copies of the forward plan – but please be sure this is relevant and kept to a minimum.

Question 1 – Applicant’s details

Please provide the legal and/or trading name of the regional council making the application.

Question 2 – Project title

The project title is the name by which your project will be known.  It should clearly describe the project and be no more than eight words, for example: ‘Assessing cultural and social impacts of aquaculture’.

Question 3 – Project description

Provide a brief description of your project (maximum 100 words). Include concise statements about what the project will do, what the outcomes and long-term results are, and how the project will help realise the benefits of aquaculture.

Question 4 – Start and finish dates of project

Please enter the dates on which the project will start and finish.

Question 5 – Funding requested

Please enter the total funding you are requesting from the Aquaculture Planning Fund.  This figure must be exclusive of GST and equal the figure shown in Section 6.2.  Please refer to the maximum funding available on this round as announced by the Chief Executives’ Steering Group,  if applicable.  

Question 6 – Total project cost

Please enter the total cost of the project. This figure must be exclusive of GST.

Question 7 – Project management

Please provide details of the person who will be managing the project.  Detail their skills and experience and any other information relevant to their ability to successfully deliver the project.  If that person has yet to be appointed please detail the skills and experience you will be seeking in a prospective candidate.

Question 8 – Indicative methodology

Please break the project down into a maximum of six stages.  Please detail what you will do at each stage, what you will deliver as a result, when you will deliver it, and how much you estimate it to cost.

Sections 1–5

The questions in these sections are the ones against which your application will be assessed.  It is important that you provide as much detail as possible to allow the assessment panel to make an informed decision on your application.  Each of these questions is word-limited so you will need to provide only relevant information.

Section 6 – Financial information

Please ensure that you fully complete this section.  Incomplete financial information may result in an application being rejected.  All figures must be provided exclusive of GST.    

Cash expenditure

Please provide a breakdown of all forecast cash expenditure on this project. Enter total cash expenditure at ‘A’. Please refer to Appendix 1 of this guide for Ministry policy on travel and expenses.

In-kind expenditure

Please estimate the time or resources which will be donated to the project and for which no cash payment will be made.  Examples may include the use of a marae for a hui or the services of an expert from the aquaculture industry.  Professional services should be charged at $75 per hour and other services e.g., administration support at $20 per hour.  Enter total in kind expenditure at ‘B’.  Enter total expenditure at ‘C’; this should equal ‘A’ + ‘B’.

Cash income

Please list all cash contributions to the project including the cash you are applying for from the Aquaculture Planning Fund.  You should attach written evidence of cash income.  Enter total cash income at ‘D’.  This must equal total cash expenditure at ‘A’.

In-kind income

Please list all donations of in-kind support that will be made to the project.  Where possible please attach written evidence to the form.  Enter total in-kind income at ‘E’.  This must equal total in-kind income at ‘B’. 

Total project income

Please enter a total of cash and in-kind income at ‘F’.  This must equal the Total Project Costs at ‘C’.

Share of costs

Please enter, as a percentage, how much of the total cost of the project you are applying for the Aquaculture Planning Fund to contribute.

Question 6.4 – Additional information

Please use this section to provide any additional information relevant to your application.  Make a list of all supporting documents you have provided here.  Do not send originals of supporting documents.

How applications will be assessed

Applications will be assessed against the criteria set by the assessment panel. The panel includes a representative from each of the six Aquaculture Ministries. Each panel member is required to be at a senior level and have expertise in aquaculture relevant to their Ministry. 

Each panel member will assess applications individually against the criteria and record a weighted score for each.  Each application will then be discussed by the full panel and a consensus score reached. 

Applications which reach the required standard will be recommended for funding to the Chief Executives' Steering Group. Confirmation of approval for funding is solely at the discretion of the Chief Executives' Steering Group and subject to funds available in that round.

Applications will be assessed against the criteria set out in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Assessment criteria and weightings

Funding decision and contracting

You will be advised in writing of the outcome of your application. If your application is approved, the Ministry for the Environment will contact you to discuss a detailed project plan which will form a legally binding contract for the delivery of the project. 

The contract will include:

• set milestones and completion dates
• the specific deliverables to be provided on completion of each milestone
• the requirement to provide a detailed account of expenses incurred in delivering each milestone and receipts where appropriate.

The Ministry for the Environment will report regularly to the Chief Executives’ Steering Committee on the progress of each project and performance against contractual obligations.

Funding calendar

Appendix 1 – Expenses and allowances

The Aquaculture Planning Fund grant covers expenses reasonably incurred in providing services or undertaking projects. Furthermore the terms and conditions state:

Use Aquaculture Planning Fund grant correctly: must only use grants for proper purposes and within the scope of the project. In particular, personal expenses with regard to travel and accommodation must be reasonable and expended by the grantee only.  Mini-bar and alcohol expenses are not covered by this grant.

The following information pertains to the reasonable use of government funds.

Air travel

The Ministry encourages non-flexible fares: often there is little or no difference between buying two non-flexible fares and paying for a fully flexible fare, making the risk of cancellation worthwhile. The Ministry encourages the purchase of the cheapest fare (unless there are valid reasons for not buying these). International air travel is not covered by the fund.  Where alternatives to travel are available, such as video conferencing or teleconferencing, please utilise these.

Travel expenses

Actual and reasonable expenses (on receipt) for meals and other incidental expenses while on out-of-town business for the purpose of the Aquaculture Planning Fund project may be claimed.

Accommodation

The Ministry allows up to $140 per night (GST-exclusive) for accommodation in New Zealand. 

Taxis/parking

Taxi costs may be reimbursed if used as part of the project. Applicants are required to provide receipts for taxi fares and/or parking costs. If supporting documentation cannot be provided, the charge will not be reimbursed. 

Phone calls

Applicants should ensure the cheapest option is used for making calls. Personal calls are not covered by the APF grant. Project-related calls are reimbursed upon receipt of supporting documentation. Calls charged to hotel bills are often extremely expensive and should be avoided where possible.

Mini-bar

Mini-bar charges are a personal expense and, therefore, cannot be charged back to the Ministry as part of the accommodation bill.

Use of private motor vehicle

You may use a private vehicle for business relating to an Aquaculture Planning fund. Mileage may be claimed at 62 cents per km, as per the ‘Mileage rates for employee reimbursement and self-employed people’ on the Inland Revenue website. Where travel is undertaken in a personal vehicle, the assumption is that the individual travelling is principally responsible for insurance coverage. The Ministry is not automatically liable for any costs incurred in the event of an accident under these circumstances.

Appendix 2 – Printed publications / New Zealand Government Web Guidelines

Websites

Any website, or content published on a website, that is developed using APF funds should be developed in accordance with the New Zealand Government Web Standards to ensure it is accessible to a wide audience. Some elements of the Standards may not be applicable to non-government agency websites, but the Standards should be considered and followed where applicable and practical. They can be found at www.webstandards.govt.nz/new-zealand-government-web-standards-2/

Information systems

It is recommended that any information system, including databases, developed using APF funds observes the standards in the E-government Interoperability Framework e-GIF - see www.e.govt.nz/standards/e-gif/e-gif-v-3-3

Following the e-GIF will allow the information system to more easily work together with systems in government agencies and other organisations that are following the e-GIF.

Any programmes, databases or spreadsheets must have instructions for their use, including the versions of software needed to run databases or spreadsheets, and the platforms on which the software will run. These instructions should be in the form of a short Word file.

On completion of your project, any written material must be provided in electronic Word format plus two hard copies be forwarded to the Ministry for the Environment. Where possible, please also publish electronic copies of written material to your website and provide us with the URL. We may link to these from the www.aquaculture.govt.nz website.

Appendix 3 – Audit / Intellectual property rights

Audit

As stewards of public resources, we have a duty to ensure that government funds are spent correctly and appropriately. As such, there is a chance that APF projects may be randomly selected for a full technical and/or financial audit. The purpose of the audit is to check compliance with the terms and schedules of the project agreement. 

We inform applicants if an audit is to be carried out and seek an appropriate date and time. Audits will be carried out by a fully qualified accountant who is independent of the Aquaculture Ministries. 

A full report of the outcome of any audit is available upon request.

Intellectual property rights

Under the terms of an APF contract, the applicant owns all intellectual property related to the project on the condition that they permit the Ministry for the Environment to use and make available any material created through the project. Applicants are required to make any material created through the project freely available to any person who wishes to use it for non-profit purposes, for example, by publishing on a website. This requirement applies indefinitely including beyond the term of your contract.

Last updated: 3 September 2009