A South Island tourism operator says he could have prevented redundancies if wasn't for delays to a nature-based job creation scheme.
More than $1 billion was earmarked for the Jobs for Nature programme in May as part of the government's cross-agency Covid-19 recovery package to run over four years.
Today, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced an extra $19.7 million for kiwi conservation aimed to reverse the decline of the species.
While the funding has been welcomed, some applicants have been waiting months in limbo unsure if they'll get a green light.
Tourism reporter Tess Brunton has more.
