TE REO O TE TAIAO № 384 WINTER 2022 NEW ZEALAND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR NATURE • EST. 1923 MAGICAL MOKOMOKO FARMING FOR THE PLANET HEBE IN OUR HEARTS ROOM FORRivers
Forest & Bird is printed on elemental chlorine-free paper made from FSC® certified wood fibre and pulp from responsible sources. COVER SHOT Close-up portrait of a female forest gecko (Mokopirirakau granulatus) at Maungatautari, Waikato. Neil Fitzgerald www.neilfitzgeraldphoto.co.nz PAPER ENVELOPE Tītipounamu rifleman. Phototrip RENEWAL Kopakopa Chatham Island forget-me-not. Kyle Bland EDITOR Caroline Wood E editor@forestandbird.org.nz ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Rob Di Leva, Dileva Design E rob@dileva.co.nz PRINTING Webstar www.webstar.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Karen Condon T 0275 420 338 E karenc@mpm.nz MEMBERSHIP & CIRCULATION T 0800 200 064 E membership@forestandbird.org.nz Thank you for supporting us! Forest & Bird is New Zealand’s largest and oldest independent conservation charity. Join today at www.forestandbird.org.nz/joinus or email membership@forestandbird.org.nz or call 0800 200 064 Every copiesreceivesmemberfourfreeof Forest & Bird magazine a year. Forest & Bird is published quarterly by the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc. Registered at PO Headquarters, Wellington, as a magazine. ISSN 0015-7384 (Print), ISSN 2624-1307 (Online). Copyright: All rights reserved. Opinions expressed by contributors in the magazine are not necessarily those of Forest & Bird. Contents ISSUE 384 • Winter 2022 Editorial 2 Leading by example 4 Letters + competition winners News 6 Predator-free Aotearoa 7 Meet the new CEO Nicola Toki 8 Where next for nature? 10 Every wetland counts, first-inclass conservation dogs, healing the planet 12 Protecting the bush, portrait by predators, artists for conservation, marine reserve hope Cover 14 Farming for the planet 16 Central Otago-Lakes Branch’s bid to become carbon-positive Kiwi Conservation Club 18 Flying bats, sharks, top trees, Matariki, and more! Birdlife International 19 Belarus nature in jeopardy Freshwater 20 Making room for our rivers 29 Drinking water standards 46 Secret life of freshwater mussels Focus on flora 22 Hebe in our hearts 25 Lost and found Opinion 24 Get vocal down your local Marine 26 Scallop recovery 40 Save our blue sharks Community 28 Launch of EcoChurch NZ Our people 30 Kevin Hague’s highlights 14 40
Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc. Forest & Bird is a registered charitable entity under the Charities Act 2005. Registration No CC26943. PATRON Her Excellency The Rt Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO Governor-General of New Zealand CHIEF EXECUTIVE Nicola Toki PRESIDENT Mark Hanger TREASURER Alan Chow BOARD MEMBERS Chris Barker, Kaya Freeman, Kate Graeme, Richard Hursthouse, Monica Peters, Te Atarangi Sayers, Ines Stäger CONSERVATION AMBASSADORS Sir Alan Mark, Gerry McSweeney, Craig Potton DISTINGUISHED LIFE MEMBERS Graham Bellamy, Ken Catt, Linda Conning, Audrey Eagle, Philip Hart, Joan Leckie, Hon. Sandra Lee-Vercoe, Carole Long, Peter Maddison, Sir Alan Mark, Gerry McSweeney, Craig Potton, Fraser Ross, Eugenie Sage, Guy Salmon, Lesley Shand CONTACT NATIONAL OFFICE Forest & Bird National Office Ground Floor, 205 Victoria Street Wellington 6011 PO Box 631, Wellington 6140 T 0800 200 064 or 04 385 7374 E office@forestandbird.org.nz W www.forestandbird.org.nz @forestandbirdForestandBirdwww.facebook.com/www.youtube.com/forestandbird@Forest_and_BirdCONTACT A BRANCH See brancheswww.forestandbird.org.nz/ for a full list of our 50 Forest & Bird branches. Research 34 Marine heatwaves Forest & Bird project 35 Returning pōpokotea to Bushy Park Tarapuruhi Force of Nature 36 Te Ropu Tiaki Manu In the field 42 Pulling power Biodiversity 45 Godwits fly into trouble 52 26 Habitats NZ Seabirds 48 The $5 penguin 49 Counting kororā Forest & Bird reserve 50 Chapman Reserve, Fiordland National Park Our partners 56 A brolly good idea Forest & Bird branch 57 Robins return to l’Anson reserve Going places 58 Sustainable travel tips Obituary 60 Anne Hall Books 61 Nature Boy Market place 62 Classifieds Last word 64 Garden Bird Survey Parting shot IBC Koitareke, marsh crake 42 50
Kaya Freeman Te Reo o te Taiao Board member and Director of Forest & Bird Youth from 2019 to 2021 Bird Te Reo o te
EDITORIAL HOPE AND OPPORTUNITY
Kei te mihi ki a koutou.
Taiao2
Irecently spent some time in the Abel Tasman and had some incredible encounters with wildlife – being stared down by karearea New Zealand falcon, teased by popokanua dolphins, and scorned by kōtuku ngutupapa royalButspoonbills.whatsurprised and delighted me was seeing so many other walkers along the track. They ranged across every generation – school groups, families with toddlers, and grandparents – all getting out there and appreciating nature. This struck home an appreciation for what Te Reo o te Taiao Forest & Bird is doing. By protecting nature, we are helping future generations have this same experience. We may have lost a large chunk of our natural world, but what remains continues to require active protection and restoration to survive the challenging years to come. As a global community, we have stood together through the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. It’s been inspiring to see how individuals and communities, friends and strangers, have come together.Throughout history, times of upheaval, like the ones we are living through today, have presented hope and opportunity.Thefierce and formidable teachers of the past two years, while destructive, may equally have taught us how to face the climate and biodiversity crises. Our young people have started to question the status quo and its political and social limitations. I believe this will open the way to create an equitable and sustainable society.Thebottom line of dealing with our environmental challenges is through behaviour change. And behaviour change is driven by example.
| Forest &
Each of you – as members and supporters of Forest & Bird, volunteers at planting events, nonmeat eaters, or cycle-to-work commuters – are making a difference.Whetheryou are drafting policies, leading submissions, supporting campaigns, persuading colleagues, encouraging, pushing, educating … you keep the conservation wheels turning. We are all busy, and each of us has a limited resource of time to make a difference. Sometimes, this can make any kind of progress feel overwhelming. But if each of us could spend just an hour caring for nature, that equates to a whopping 115,000 hours of planet-saving behaviour – which in turn can inspire and drive further action. Like our personal to-do lists, the task sheet for protecting the planet is never complete. But with your help, and the work of our dedicated Forest & Bird staff and volunteers, we are well on our way to creating a better future for Aotearoa and our planet.Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi – with your food basket and with mine, the people will thrive.
Join acclaimed author, scientist and explorer Professor Tim Flannery as we venture into the untamed wilderness of Fiordland’s ice-carved mountains, forests and fiords. Encounter threatened native species flourishing on Stewart Island’s Ulva Island and discover the remote, rugged beauty of New Zealand’s Subantarctic wildlife havens Auckland, Campbell and the Snares Islands on this unforgettable 12-day expedition. See our website for more Subantarctic adventures! FreephoneWWW.HERITAGE–EXPEDITIONS.COM08002628873info@heritage-expeditions.com • Wade waist deep through fields of megaherbs • Explore remote coastlines only accessible by sea • Observe life at the Hooker’s Sea Lion colony • Auckland, Campbell and Snares Islands • Discover the primordial majesty of Fiordland • See up to five species of penguins • Unforgettable wildlife encounters • Rarely seen albatross ‘gamming’ courting ritual • Visit Coastwatcher’s Huts and early settlements • Travel is aboard new ship Heritage Adventurer Forest & Bird members save 5% PLUS a contribution from your fare directly supports funding Forest & Bird and their ongoing conservation efforts! Explore the remote wilderness of New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands and Fiordland with Forest & Bird, Professor Tim Flannery and Kiwi-owned Heritage Expeditions Beyond Fiordland: New Zealand’s Wildest Islands 28 December 2022 – 8 January 2023 From US$8,495pp PotterM© DISCOVER NEW ZEALAND’S SUBANTARCTIC WONDERLAND
Lynne Stewart Clyde Community and Enviroschools Ecological Restoration Group
I was intrigued to read in Dr Feldman’s letter that “More CO2 is produced by trawling than by the entire world’s aviation fleet.” Intuitively, this seems rather extreme; one would have thought that there would be many more aircraft flying at any one time than there are trawlers trawling. Also it is hard to believe that the rate of CO2 released by a fishing boat would exceed that released by an average jet aircraft. I cannot contradict the statement, however I would be interested to know from Dr Feldman on what evidence the statement is based. We know the rate of CO2 released by an aircraft, but how can one measure the rate of CO2 released by a fishing boat?
Kathy McKee Napier POWER TO VOLUNTEERS
TRAWLING TARGETS
WRITE AND WIN The best contribution to the Letters page will receive a copy of Hundertwasser in New Zealand: The Art of Creating Paradise by Andreas J. Hirsch, Oratia Press, RRP $70. A richly illustrated story of the artist and ecological activist’s life and legacy. SANCTUARIES
WINNERLETTERBEST OFFSHORE
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao4
LETTERS YOUR FEEDBACK Forest & Bird welcomes your thoughts on conservation topics. Please email letters up to 200 words, with your name, home address, and phone number, to editor@forestandbird.org.nz, or by post to the Editor, Forest & Bird magazine, 205 Victoria Street, Wellington 6011, by 1 August 2022. We don’t always have space to publish all letters or use them in full.
Nicholas Odom HamiltonMarkFeldman’s response: You’re quite right about the effects of the trawler’s engines, but that’s not the issue. The issue is all the stored carbon dioxide and methane that trawlers stir up as they drag their heavy nets across the bottom. You can Google it at trawlerscarbon dioxide. The original research was published in Nature, and the issue is explained in The Guardian at https://bit.ly/3yB6fSM
As an expat Kiwi and life member of Forest & Bird, I always read the quarterly magazine avidly. Dick Veitch, who may have been one of my Dunedin classmates, mentions something about transferring a snipe species to Hauturu. I have often wondered why the black robin, so miraculously rescued from oblivion on the Chatham Islands, Pitt Island, to be exact, can’t be transferred to an offshore sanctuary off the main New Zealand Islands. Perhaps one of your expert readers can provide an explanation, and there likely is one. I just wonder what it is. Terry Aitken Ontario, Canada.
Further to Dr Mark Feldman’s letter in the Autumn issue, there is another area in which we could control some of our emissions and that is the methane emissions from our cattle and sheep. The answer is all around us – seaweed! As well as having the fifth largest Exclusive Economic Zone, we also enjoy an extremely long coastline. Seaweed grows quickly, needs no fertiliser, can be harvested on a regular basis, and just small amounts fed to cattle and sheep as a supplement can reduce their methane emissions by 90%. Countries as far apart as Tasmania and the Faroe Islands (and just about everywhere in between) are already farming seaweed. Asia has valued its many benefits for centuries. There is a lot of knowledge and expertise already available. It’s time we started to make more use of this sustainable resource which we have in abundance.
Thanks must go to all volunteers currently weeding and growing unique trees and shrubs here in Aotearoa. On Earth Day, tūī, korimako bellbird, and riroriro grey warbler were singing as we weeded small natives below the Clyde Bridge above the Mata-Au Clutha River Track. Increasing ecological restoration everywhere means more habitat for birds, lizards, and insects. Trapping for predators means we’re likely to enjoy more birdsong as young ones are not being killed. Our birds, lizards, and numerous insects thank our trappers too. They need the expanding areas of New Zealand’s natural heritage for life.
5Winter 2022 |
GREENING GREY SUBURBS After renewing my Forest & Bird membership for another year, I was excited to get the Autumn edition in my letterbox. I really enjoyed reading “Greening Grey Suburbs” by Ann Graeme. Even with no garden to call my own (I live in an apartment), I’m lucky the neighbours around me have filled their backyards with beautiful trees, many natives included. This means in the morning I get to hear a family of fantails chirping in the trees while I prepare breakfast and at night a morepork’s calls lull me to sleep. Amazing in a city suburb. I thought the article helpful in providing suggestions for trees that work well in streetscapes and provide value for our native fauna and those that don’t. This article has spurred me on to check in with my local council to see what their plans are in this space and to make sure my local councillors can read this article if they want to learn more. As always, thanks for an informative and hopeful magazine. Erica Mangin Wellington BLACKBIRD TROUBLE Geoff Scrase is right about blackbirds (Autumn issue). They do attack skinks. They also spread avian malaria to native birds. A mohua colony at Orana Park was wiped out by the disease in the early noughties. I have also seen blackbirds attacking fantails and grey warblers, and these birds have colonised remote offshore islands. These sanctuaries are for native wildlife that cannot survive on the mainland because of invasive mammals. Blackbirds are probably disrupting the ecosystems on these islands by competing with native birds for food and nesting space, and possibly infecting the native birds there.
GIVEAWAYBOOK
Annelies Inghelbrecht
Bridie Field Dunedin SMOKE-FREE DOC As a lifetime non-smoker, I was gobsmacked to learn that our Department of Conservation-run national parks are not yet smoke free. This glaring oversight should be corrected forthwith.
Christopher Simmons Papatoetoe, Auckland It would be great to see our national parks and DOC campsites smoke and vapefree. Being in the outdoors allows you to connect with nature, be active, breathe fresh air, relax, and share fantastic moments with friends and whānau. But on busier walks and in popular DOC campsites or huts near the road end, it can be irritating to have other visitors smoking or vaping while you are trying to enjoy your dinner or simply stare at the landscape. I recently tramped through Kahurangi National Park. Unfortunately, we had some fellow campers smoking right outside Trilobite Hut on the first night of our tramping trip.
DunedinThewinners of Wai Pasifika by David Young were Diana Monaghan, of Palmerston North, and Hazel Agnew, of Ōamaru. Kahurangi National Park. Annelies Inghelbrecht
We are giving away two copies of Nature Boy: The Photography of Olaf Petersen, edited by seminalbook$59.99.UniversityHiggins,HammondCatherineandShaunAucklandPress,RRPThisbeautifulcapturesanaturephotographer and the remarkable landscape he documented – see page 61. To enter, email your entry to draw@forestandbird. org.nz, put NATURE BOY in the subject line, and include your name and address in the email. Or write your name and address on the back of an envelope and post to NATURE BOY draw, Forest & Bird, PO Box 631, Wellington 6140. Entries close 1 August 2022.
Francesca Cunningham at Long Point in 2018. Laura Keown
“It was terrible to find all these dead chicks,” said Francesca Cunninghame, Forest & Bird’s southern seabirds’ project manager. “They were in good condition and nearly ready to fledge. We had been carrying out predator control there, and the chicks had survived in their burrows since December.”
A week later, a heart-breaking 75% of the chicks, who were nearly ready to fledge, had been wiped out. The colony is on a reserve owned by the Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust, and Forest & Bird volunteers assist with predator control to protect hoiho.Since 2017, our volunteers have also increased monitoring of the tītī colony as part of Forest & Bird Dunedin Branch’s Bring Back the Seabirds project.
NATURE NEWS
A single ferret wiped out 75% of tītī chicks at one of Forest & Bird’s projects, demonstrating the urgent need for more government funding to protect our vulnerable wildlife.
HELP US MAKE AOTEAROA PREDATOR FREE
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao6
Every week up and down the country, thanks to your support, hundreds of Forest & Bird volunteer trappers are trying to hold the line against a tsunami of introduced rats, mice, stoats, feral cats, and other invasive aliens. Many of you will share our pain in reporting some grim news from one of our Otago projects. Over three nights in April, a lone ferret killed 16 tītī sooty shearwater chicks at Irahuka Long Point, in the Catlins. Examination of trail camera footage revealed the introduced predator, the largest of our mustelids, was the culprit, decapitating some defenceless chicks and leaving others with fatal bite wounds to the neck.
“We should also consider pests not covered by Predator Free 2050, like feral cats, which pose a significant threat to wildlife.”
“The loss of tītī at Irahuka shows why large-scale pest control is so necessary,” says chief executive Nic“WeToki.need to get serious about properly resourcing predator control – including landscape-scale solutions and new technologies.
At the time of writing, Forest & Bird was stepping up trapping efforts near the colony and urgently working with field rangers from the Yellow Eyed Penguin Trust to track down and dispatch the killer ferret so the remaining six chicks could safelySadly,fledge.this wasn’t a one-off incident. In April 2019, a single ferret wiped out all the chicks in
How can I help? Every year, 26 million of our precious native birds are killed by introduced mammalian predators.Byvisiting defendourbirdsforestandbird.org.nz/www. and making a generous donation, you will be helping increase trapping efforts across hundreds of Forest & Bird’s critical predator-free projects. Your gift will also help us fight for more landscape-scale pest control funding in the government’s 2023 budget. Together, we can create a future where the forests of Aotearoa are bursting with birdsong once again. another Forest & Bird tītī project on the Otago Peninsula. These deaths highlight the damage that can be done by a single trap-shy predator and the limitations of ground-based predator control.
A ferret approaches a trap at Irahuka Long Point. Trail camera footage also revealed possums and a feral cat prowling around the tītī colony.
Volunteers were heartbroken to find dead chicks when they came to check the sooty shearwater colony.
On Nicola’s second day, she travelled to Mana Island, a place of significance in Forest & Bird’s history, to attend the launch of Te Mana O Te Taiao Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy Implementation Plan with Conservation Minister Kiri Allan. In 1988, Wellington’s deputy branch chair, the late Colin Ryder, pitched an ambitious idea. He wanted to get rid of every last mouse (an estimated five to 15 Nicola Toki with Conservation Minister Kiri Allan on Mana Island during the launch of Te Mana O Te Taiao Aotearoa in April.
“I want us to be seen as an authentic, modern, and independent Society that is brim full of constructive ideas on how we can fix the problems facing our climate, wildlife, and wild places,” she says.
“People have told me they support our conservation work because they trust us to make a difference, because we are independent, honest, and credible, and because they find our work inspiring,” she said.
“For me, conservation is about building communities that work together to protect and restore nature,” she“Withsaid. its 48 branches and a network of regional managers around the country, Forest & Bird is uniquely placed to facilitate this mahi and build relationships that can restore Papatūānuku Mother Earth back to health.”
Overall, Nicola says Forest & Bird is a very different organisation to the one she left a decade ago, with a huge breadth and depth of conservation work taking place.“Istill find it amazing how much is being achieved on a daily basis by a relatively small team.
“Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu, despite being small, you are of great value. I’m grateful and excited to be walking into a society of such good hearts.”
SOCIETY OF GOOD HEARTS
7Winter 2022 |
After the eradication, Forest & Bird’s Mana Branch coordinated a long-term native revegetation programme using local genetic stock. The Society paid for a plant nursery to grow plants for the island, and more than 500,000 native plants now cover 76ha of the island, with Forest & Bird responsible for more than half of these.Nicola says Mana Island is a great example of the magic that can happen when people work together on a shared conservation goal.
Five local Forest & Bird branches supported his plan to bring back seabirds and lizards, and thanks to their mahi, and that of the now defunct Conservation Corps, supported by the fledgling Department of Conservation, Mana was declared rodent free in 1991.
She wasn’t surprised to hear some Forest & Bird supporters have been members for more than 50 years.
Our new chief executive Nicola Toki is looking forward to building strong authentic relationships with members, donors, iwi, and all our other conservation partners. million of them!) on Mana island, off the Kāpiti Coast. But this had never been attempted on an island this size anywhere in the world.
Afocus on people, relationships, courage, and hope are some of Nicola Toki’s priorities as she prepares to lead Forest & Bird into its centennial nextNicolayear. hit the ground running in her first weeks at Forest & Bird, meeting government ministers, carrying out interviews with the world’s media, and spending time meeting the Forest & Bird whānau of supporters, volunteers, and staff.
Nicola Toki worked for Forest & Bird a decade ago as a conservation advocate. Pictured here with wildlife photographer Rod Morris and former Top of the South Island regional manager Debs Martin, in 2011.
“In Environment Aotearoa 2022, we view people as part of the environment. That approach is consistent with the holistic Māori worldview,” he said.
n
A snapshot of some of the latest environment indicators show:
The indicators used in Environment Aotearoa 2022 haven’t changed since its last iteration in 2019. But there is a new focus on demonstrating how our lives –individuals, whānau, and communities – are impacted by environmental change.
Dr Dan Hikuroa, senior lecturer at the School of Māori Studies and Pacific Studies, University of Auckland, was part of the mātauranga advisory group that helped craft the report, which uses the nine stars of Matariki as the organising structure.
n Introduced land mammals such as stoats, possums, and rats are responsible for most of an estimated 26.6 million loss of native bird eggs and chicks every year.
SOBERING STATISTICS
n Three-quarters of indigenous freshwater fish species (39 of 51) are threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened.
Flowers of small white rātā provide a great nectar source for insects and birds. Neil Fitzgerald
n Nearly 70% of New Zealand’s river length had modelled nitrogen concentrations indicating risk of environmental impairment between 2016 and 2020.
WHERE NEXT FOR NATURE?
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao8
Neil Fitzgerald
“The structure of the report around Te Kāhui o Matariki further reflects that worldview and I believe is perhaps the first time an environmental report has genuinely woven together mātauranga and science, and the result is Professorexceptional.”AmandaBlack, Director of Bioprotection Aotearoa, also welcomed the report, saying it will help engage a different audience in conservation action.
n Ninety percent of seabird species (86 of 96) and 82% of shorebird species (14 of 17) are threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened.
n The total volume of glacial ice in New Zealand decreased by 35% between 1978 and 2020, and the rate of annual loss has increased.
A staggering 94% of reptile species (116 of 124) are threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened.
n New Zealand’s freshwater wetland area (including the Chatham Islands) decreased by 1498ha between 2012 and 2018.
The underside of a peripatus (velvet worm) hanging off a leafy liverwort, Whirinaki Forest Park.
Sadly, the indicators themselves paint a vivid picture of the continued degradation of our natural world (seeForestbelow).&Bird’s chief executive Nicola Toki said there is a path out of the current situation, but the government needs to put more funding and ambition into reversing biodiversity loss and climate change.
“There is a solution, and that is properly protecting and restoring all our native ecosystems, on land and in our oceans,” she said.
“If we look after nature, it will look after us.”
Amajor report about the state of our environment uses a mātauranga Māori framework to report its findings, helping us understand the link between nature and human wellbeing.
“The proof in the effectiveness of narrative framing will be in the improvement of our environment,” she added.
NATURE NEWS
Expedition Dates: Sep 26th - Oct 4th 2022 Nov 10th - 18th 2022 All inclusive price Te Anau to Te Anau NZ 6,448.00 pp Special Departure: Oct 22nd - Oct 31th 2022 with an option for kayaking. Kayaks and kayaking guide included NZ 5,680.00 pp All Expeditions are limited to just eight participants, accommodated in four twin cabins, each with private facilities.
9Winter 2022 |
with Rodney russ, founder of heritage expeditions and owner/skipper of the expedition yacht mv strannik
Day 1: Te Anau. Doubtful Sound – Dagg Sound. From Te Anau travel across Lake Manapouri and the Wilmont Pass to Deep Cove. On arrival you will be welcomed aboard the MV Strannik where we will introduce you to the team and the vessel. We plan to get underway shortly after, travelling the length of Doubtful Sound and south to Dagg Sound. Day 6: Chalky Inlet. In the upper reaches of this remote fiord are the rarely visited Edwardson and Cunaris Sounds, with opportunities for unique walks and exploration.
Day 7-8: Preservation Inlet. Again, so much to do and learn as this fiord is also in rich history with stories of feuding M!ori tribes, New Zealand’s first whaling station, gold mining relics, Puysegur Point lighthouse, the abandoned Tarawera smelter, and much more.
Day 3-5: Acheron Passage and Wet Jacket Arm to Dusky Sound. Travel through the Acheron Passage into the majestic Wet Jacket Arm and enjoy an easy walk to Moose Lake, learning the history of moose in New Zealand. Continue onto Dusky Sound, arguably one of the most exciting wilderness destinations in New Zealand because of its remoteness and richness of preEuropean and early European history, including Captain Cook, sealing gangs, New Zealand’s first shipwreck and the work of Richard Henry on Resolution Island. Add to this the k!k!po research work currently being done by DoC on Anchor Island.
SPECIAL Journeys through southern Fiordland
It is often claimed the Southern Fiords (Doubtful Sound – Preservation Inlet) are the most spectacular, they are certainly the most expansive, with multiple arms or fiords, forming a labyrinth of exciting waterways and anchorages. The further south you travel the less precipitous the surrounding hills are and the number of islands within each of the fiords increases significantly. Using the journals, maps and diaries of the early explorers, as well as reports from present day researchers and scientists, our goal is to inform and excite you about this amazing destination. Multiple opportunities for landings and zodiac cruising, and with only eight travellers you will feel like you have the place to yourself, the way it should be.
Day 9: BreakfastFarewells.aboard MV Strannik then, sadly, it’s time for our farewells, before joining a helicopter flight back to Te Anau. Book Shipstel:email:https://strannikoceanvoyonline:ages.com/info@strannikoceanvoyages.com021684055/02108635468phone:+64(0)98844181
Two nationally significant wetland fires this year have focused people’s attention on the importance of these unloved habitats for our climate security and biodiversity.
University of Otago Emeritus Professor Sir Alan Mark, who is a Forest & Bird Ambassador, says Awarua-Waituna is one of the few remaining large wetlands helping to protect Aotearoa New Zealand against climate change.
Forest & Bird’s freshwater advocate Tom Kay said it was devastating to see Southland’s Awarua-Waituna Wetlands burning so soon after Northland’s Kaimaumau fire.
Healthy coastal wetlands can store carbon 35–57 times faster than tropical forests. They also increase climate resilience by buffering communities from storm surges and floods. Forest & Bird is urging the government to properly protect wetlands by taking up the recommendations in our recently published report Every Wetland Counts at https://bit.ly/3G1HKQu
Awarua-Waituna is home to many threatened plants, lizards, and insects, and more than 80 bird species. In most years, you can see more native species in Awarua Bay than any other place in Southland.
“We need wetlands to store carbon, clean water, and help protect us from flooding, but they can’t do that if they are drained and burnt,” he said.
New Zealand’s conservation dogs are top notch when it comes to detecting rodents and mustelids, so it’s only fair they travel around the country in style to do their mahi.
NATURE NEWS
“Wetland ecosystems offer unparalleled carbon storage, and the depth of peat in Awarua-Waituna is particularly substantial.
When peat wetlands are drained or degraded, they become massive emitters of greenhouse gases, and the carbon they store can fuel raging fires.
Peat wetlands hold twice as much carbon as all of the world’s forests combined, despite only covering 3% of the earth’s land surface.
Air Chathams offered lastminute space on one of their planes when Ahu, the border terrier, and Will, a fox terrier, needed an urgent ride to check for a possible rodent incursion at Forest & Bird’s Bushy Park Tarapuruhi Sanctuary.
The pair flew down from Auckland to isfounddays.thewegoodstraightmanager.saidthisflightsChathamshadwerefamily),(thoughtdispatchOurpredator-freeaftertosanctuaryMiriamaccompaniedWhanganuibytheirhandlerRitchieandarrivedatthehappyandreadytogetwork.TheirserviceswererequestedratsmanagedtogetpastthefenceinFebruary.volunteersmanagedtotheinvadingalienstohavebeenfromonebutthedogs’keennosesneededtomakesurenoneescaped.“WearegratefultoAirformanagingtokeepgoingtoWhanganuidespiteyear’sCovid-19pandemic,”MandyBrooke,thesanctuary’s“Miriam,Will,andAhugotdowntoworkandhadalookthroughtheareawherefoundtherats.“TheyalsocheckedtherestofsanctuaryoverthenexttwoThat’salotofwalking!Theynoindicationofrats,whichgreatnewsforus.”
The aftermath of the fire at AwaruaWaituna Wetlands. Tony Jewell Rare Southland green skinks live in Awarua-Waituna.theTonyJewell
WETLANDEVERY COUNTS | Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao10
“New Zealand’s climate change plans will be a failure unless the government commits to strong rules protecting wetlands.”
HOUNDSCLASSFIRST-IN-
“It is an extremely valuable ecosystem and has unique biodiversity. It is the only place in the country with an intriguing collection of alpine wetland plants near sea level.
“Fire is the worst thing that can happen to any wetland. They are hard to put out, and the combustion converts the stored carbon to carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas.
“It will take years to recover,” he added.
In June, we made a submission to the government about specific nature-friendly actions that can help the country become more resilient to climate change impacts. These include reducing flooding by creating room for rivers to flow naturally (see page 20) and protecting the coast from storm surges and sea-level rise by restoring coastal dunes and mangroves. Global warming will impact coastal Hawke’sAbandonedcommunities.bach,Haumoana,Bay.CarolineWood
THEHEALINGPLANET 11Winter 2022 |
Locally extinct pōpokotea return home – see page 35. Miriam Ritchie with Ahu and Will next to Bushy Park Tarapuruhi’s predatorfree fence. Mandy Brooke
Thanks to your support, nature has been put at the heart of New Zealand’s first emissions reductionLaunchedplan.in May, it sets out a policy framework for how Aotearoa will drive down emissions and get to zero carbon by 2050. One of its guiding principles recognises that working with nature is key to fixing the climate crisis. This is great news because the original discussion document Te hau mārohi ki anamata Transitioning to a low emissions and climate resilient future, published in October last year, came up short on nature-based solutions.
A big Forest & Bird thank you to Air Chathams, Miriam Ritchie, and her stellar rodent dogs for helping to keep the native bird and lizard life at Bushy Park Tarapuruhi safe!
“Now the government needs to accelerate the work and get on with the job of restoring native forests, doubling wetlands, and protecting blue carbon in the ocean.
Forest & Bird immediately called on the Prime Minister to put this right and listed the major gaps that needed to be Wefilled.also made a submission, met with Ministers and officials, and published a briefing with our suggestions for naturefriendly climate solutions. After a chorus of criticism from ourselves, and others, the government agreed to include a chapter on working with nature, and a number of our asks are in there. Thank you to the thousands of you who made submissions on the issue via our website last spring –every individual contribution made a difference!
Every year, Bushy Park Tarapuruhi gets a full forest rodent and mustelid check through DOC’s conservation dog programme. These visits are scheduled well ahead of time, and usually the dogs are based closer to the sanctuary so they don’t have to travel so far. This was an additional shortnotice check in response to an incursion, so we were lucky that Will and Ahu could squeeze us in between their offshore pest-free island work.
The next step is for the government to put the Emissions Reduction Plan into action with urgency.“Forest & Bird was instrumental in making sure nature-based solutions were included in this vitally important plan,” said Nicola Toki, Forest & Bird’s chief executive.
“Putting nature first is a win for all New Zealanders, and this approach can deliver real economic and social benefits for our communities.”Meanwhile, Forest & Bird is also advocating for nature to be put at the heart of the country’s national adaptation plan –in line with the newly won commitments set out in the Emissions Reduction Plan.
In 2019, advertising company Colenso BBDO approached Forest & Bird with an innovative idea. They wanted to see what would happen if they hung baited posters of native birds in the forest. Would they suffer the same fate as our birds, bats, and lizards and be eaten by Colensorats?
fundraising Jess Winchester.
Forest &
NATURE NEWS
PROTECTING THE BUSH
Forest & Bird wants to see baseline aerial 1080 predator control grow to one million hectares over time, rather than the 600,000ha announced in the budget.
year is a start but will need to be greatly expanded if the country’s climate change and biodiversity goals are to be achieved.”
DavidNeilLynneTonyleft,Hawke’sLittletōtararimu,volunteersBirdplantingmataī,andtreesatBushReserve,Bay.FromMikeHockey,desLandes,Anderson,Eagles,andBelcher.Supplied | Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao12
Last June, Forest & Bird published a report highlighting the damage hoofed pests are doing to native forests and their carboncapturing qualities.
The pest invasion is demoralising and costly for conservationists trying to restore native habitat in theirOurcommunities.NapierBranch, for example, had to raise money to pay for a deer fence to protect its Little Bush Reserve from out-of-control deer numbers. In our Southland Lenz Reserve, we have to pay hunters to control deer that keep reinvading from neighbouring conservation land.
In May’s Budget, the government announced it would spend $145 million on native forest replanting and restoration over four years. A further $111m has been allocated for research into carbon storage in native forests and an increase in baseline predator control from 450,000ha to 600,000ha. There is $30 million for deer and goat control over four years.“Native forest restoration is a big winner in Budget 2022, but this needs to go hand in hand with more pest control to support it,” says Forest & Bird’s chief executive Nicola“Otherwise,Toki. we’re just putting on a free lunch for local deer and goats.
“The campaign helped raise vital funds for Forest & Bird’s conservation work as well as showing the public how 72,000 birds, chicks, and eggs are eaten by predators every day in Aotearoa.”
Some of you will remember the “rats ate this poster” campaign that appeared in newspapers and on billboards in 2020. Earlier this year, the Portrait by Predators campaign won two silvers at the Best Awards, New Zealand’s premier design awards.
Forest & Bird wants to see more predator control in newly planted native forests to make sure the young trees aren’t eaten to death by introduced pests.
PORTRAIT BY PREDATORS
BBDO offered to donate their expertise to Forest & Bird to create a pro bono poster campaign that would help raise awareness and rally the nation towards the ambitious goal of a predator-free New Zealand by 2050. The team created nine posters, each one featuring an endangered native bird pictured in its natural environment by Forest & Bird supporter Craig McKenzie. These weren’t your average posters. They were made of plasticridged Corflute and designed to attract predators present in the bush. And that’s exactly what happened – the rats were attracted by the lure on the posters and ... ate“We’dthem!like to thank the team at Colenso. This was a creative and interesting project to be part of, and it really connected with the public,” says Forest & Bird’s head of
“The additional $7.5 million a
Read Hannah’s blog about the fundraiser at https://bit. ly/3ytr9Dj. Her limited-edition prints can be purchased through Forest & Bird’s online shop at prints-artworkhttps://shop.forestandbird.org.nz/ or at www.hannahshandart.com. a joint applicant to the proposal. More than 1300 public submissions were received over the two-month consultation period, with more than 93% in full support. Most of those in “partial opposition” were in fact along the lines of “we love it, but it’s too“Thissmall.”issupport of an overwhelming nature, never before seen in a New Zealand marine reserve proposal,” says Alex Stone, of the Friends of the Hauraki Gulf. “It includes a who’s who list of e-NGOs, iwi, community groups, and conservation leaders around the country, including Forest & Bird.”The proposed new reserve would be the largest in the Hauraki Gulf and is important for being an ecological transition zone between the inner and outer gulf. illustrations internationally under the name of Yueko. She held an online sale of her artworks in February and raised an incredible $18,000 for Forest & Bird! “From a young age, I’ve found a lot of inspiration and solace from the beautiful natural landscapes and Snorkelling in the Hauraki Gulf. Darryl Torckler
MARINE RESERVE HOPE
Jiayue Wu is an Aucklandbased artist who sells her digital
The Friends of the Hauraki Gulf is hoping the Minister of Conservation Kiri Allan is about to approve the first marine reserve in the Gulf for 15 years. The group has been working hard to garner community support for its proposed HākaimangōMatiatia marine reserve. It would cover 2300ha and 7.5km of the north-west coast of Waiheke Island. The area has high natural values and is an important feeding ground for seabirds and marine mammals. It would also be ideal habitat to support species such as hāpuku and kōura crayfish.
In a historic first, the designated mana whenua iwi group for Waiheke Island, the Ngāti Paoa Trust Board, asked to be considered wildlife of our country,” she says. “I have countless memories of going for walks along our many coasts and appreciating the myriad of colourful birds that decorate our skies.“The environment comforted and nurtured me growing up, and it’s something that I hope can be preserved. I want to give back a little to help that.
“I feel it’s important to support Forest & Bird as you are able to have a greater impact than an individual and can hold larger entities accountable.” You can see more of Yueko’s illustrations at yueko.com
Meanwhile, Southland wildlife artist Hannah Shand recently donated $4,230 from sales of the stunning Antipodean albatross artwork that featured in the last issue.She was inspired to organise a fundraiser and offer 50% of the sale price to Forest & Bird after learning about the plight of this species during a trip to the sub-Antarctic islands with Heritage Expeditions.
Abig Forest & Bird thank you to two artists who have gone above and beyond to raise money for Forest & Bird’s conservation work.
ARTISTS FOR CONSERVATION
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Nine years later, the Ross family bought Lake Hāwea Station and introduced regenerative farming to the 6500ha property, with 10,000 merino sheep and 200 AngusTheycattle.planted 16,000 native trees, fenced off the lake and waterways, and undertook a huge amount of pest control. It went on to become Australasia’s first certified carbon-positive farm.
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Rediscovering the lost lizard population has been one of many conservation- and climate-related highlights for the Ross family over the past three years.
COVER
Once abundant, habitat loss and introduced predators had left the mokomoko hanging on by a thread in just one location – a small area of public conservation land surrounded by privately owned farms.
Earlier this year, a follow-up grand skink survey was carried out by Carey and a Forest & Bird volunteer, again funded by the Ross Family.
In 2010, the Department of Conservation decided to take the remaining individuals offsite and manage them in a protected lizard enclosure. The few left behind were expected to dwindle to nothing.
In 2019, the family commissioned herpetologist Carey Knox, of Southern Scales, to carry out a search for the “lost” lizards.
Carey enlisted the help of the couple’s son Finn and a small group of university student volunteers to look for the skinks in very challenging hill country, full of rocky bluffs, tors, and precipitous drops.
“They started seeing these large skinks straight away and counted 36 adults and juveniles over three days,” says Geoff Ross. “We were thrilled. The western skink population is breeding and has become viable.”
Geoff and Justine famously founded the 42 Below vodka company in their Wellington garage in the late 1990s and sold it to Bacardi in 2006. They spent 30 years in business before moving their family from Auckland to Lake Hāwea.
The first day they found nothing. The next day they moved location, and finally an individual was seen. In the end, total of 23 were counted over four days!
Geoff Ross and Justine Troy want to show how regenerative farming can be kind to the climate and nature as well as profitable. Supplied Lake Hāwea Station was the first in New Zealand to be certified carbon-positive. Supplied “I was hoping to find at least 20 animals to show there was something left to work with. I was really pleased to see they were still hanging on,” says Carey.
FARMING FOR THE PLANET
Geoff Ross and Justine Troy, who are Forest & Bird members, heard about the skinks’ removal and couldn’t help wondering whether some had survived in their original habitat next to their land.
The family that pioneered New Zealand’s first carbon-positive farm is also kaitiaki to a critically endangered population of lizards. Caroline Wood
Adecade ago, the last known wild population of western grand skinks was in big trouble in its high country home at Lake Hāwea Station, north-east of Wānaka.
“Soil is the unsung hero of farming,” Geoff says. “In our view, we can produce more with less impact. We don’t use mechanical tillage or synthetic fertilisers.
Check out Carey Knox’s lizard photography at https://m.facebook.com/NZlizards/
You can follow Lake Hawea Station’s conservation work on Instagram @lakehaweastationliving
The station is home to many special species, including the Southern Alps gecko and McCann’s skink, an important wild stand of cypress hebe (Veronica cupressoides), a rare tree daisy (Oleria frimbriata), and kārearea New Zealand falcon. Clutha flathead galaxiid, a native fish that shares the same nationally critical threat level as kākāpō, is also found in the station’s waterways.
Geoff Ross is letting our Central Otago-Lakes Branch plant a carbon forest on his land.
In contrast, the station’s regenerating bush, new plantings, and retired steep farmland were sequestering 55,000 tonnes per year, making the farm’s operations comfortably carbon positive. Geoff says he is delighted to be working in partnership with Forest & Bird’s Central Lakes-Otago Branch on a joint native forest restoration and carbon sequestration project (see overleaf).
Geoff, who grew up on a farm, says they arrived at farming with a “fresh pair of eyes”. They were keen to show that regenerative agriculture could be profitable as well as good for the climate and biodiversity.Heisafounding member and current trustee of Pure Advantage, a businessled charity that promotes nature-friendly economic growth that works to protect the environment rather than degrading it. The family’s vision was to practise restorative climate-friendly farming while planting regenerating native bush to bring back birdlife.
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The couple was challenged to measure the station’s carbon footprint by their son Finn, a PhD student studying carbon sequestration at Melbourne’s Deakin University.Thecalculations, carried out by independent experts Dr Debbie Care and Dr Angus McPherson, showed the station’s livestock, equipment, and energy use were emitting the equivalent of 2500 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
“We are only three years in, but the livestock gains are positive and the soil gain is obvious. We regularly test for carbon.”
The team is currently trialling a special hill country regenerative pasture seed mix to see whether it will work on the steeper paddocks.
“Agriculture isn’t great for them because farming activities can destroy their habitat and remove food sources. It’s wiped out a vast majority of their habitat, leaving them hanging on in local pockets.”
MOKOMOKO MAGICAL → 15Winter 2022 |
Big, beautiful, and highly active, grand skinks are an iconic high country lizard species for those lucky enough to spot them in the wild. Grand skinks are made up of two geographically separated forms – the eastern (found at Macraes Flat and Middlemarch) and western (Lake Hāwea and formerly the Lindis“BeforePass).human colonisation, grand skinks would have been a really abundant and conspicuous part of the high country’s fauna, but they have been lost in more than 90% of their original range,” says herpetologist Carey Knox.
Carey is impressed by Lake Hāwea Station’s efforts to protect the last truly wild population of western skinks left on “TheEarth.Ross family is doing more for conservation than any other farmer I have met,” he added.
“They are doing so much planting, and making themselves carbon positive is a real achievement. They are setting a great example for how to make a living off the land while looking after their local biodiversity.”
“When we arrived, we felt a huge responsibility to rebuild the biodiversity of this land, but we can’t do it on our own. Getting support from organisations like Forest & Bird is hugely gratifying,” adds Geoff. Even though the grand skinks’ habitat is on public conservation land, DOC is not currently funding their protection. Instead, private interests are paying 100% of the costs of managing their recovery. As well as the Ross family’s investment, some of the station’s customers are also helping out. For example, the European fashion brand Sheep Inc and the New Zealand Merino Company are co-funding a study of birdlife in the skinks’ habitat using an audio monitor calledTheyCacophony.willalsosupport the purchase of more traps and observations on this precious Otago rocky outcrop.
The plantings are within a wider area of the station protected by a Reserves Act covenant, and the carbon sequestration scheme is documented in a Memorandum of Understanding between Lake Hāwea Station and Central Otago-Lakes Branch.
“We are now into our third year of planting and record every tree that goes into the ground in Trees That Count.
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao16
Clearing the traps once a month – or once a fortnight during rat and stoat plagues – means members have to drive from the Wanaka-Hāwea area to Makarora, a round trip of up to 150km.
“We did some research and realised we could do it ourselves,” says Mo Turnbull, a retired geologist and and branch member, who helped establish the project in 2019, along with committee members Anne Steven, Evan Alty, and former chair Ben Goddard.
OUR JOURNEY
“Of course, like most branches, we plant trees in many other places as well, but this project is specifically aimed at carbon offsetting – with biodiversity enhancement and visual amenity as cobenefits.”GeoffRoss says he was delighted to be able to help the branch. TO CARBON POSITIVE
TurnbullMo
This photographic monitoring point will show how the newly planted carbon forest on Lake Hāwea Station at Grandview Creek changes over the next few decades. Mo Turnbull
The branch’s volunteers wanted to do something about the long-term climate impact of their car travel – emissions are currently estimated at seven tonnes of CO2 per annum. They decided to create their own permanent forest “carbon sink” to offset the branch’s emissions, in partnership with high country farmers Geoff Ross and Justine Troy, the owners of Lake Hāwea Station.
“We went through the process of working out our emissions, by accounting for all our driving in kilometres, totalling the fuel consumption, and converting that into tonnes of CO2
COVER
Over the past three years, branch volunteers have planted hundreds of native trees on 2ha of station land known as Grandview Creek. The long-term aim is for Central Otago-Lakes to become Forest & Bird’s first certified carbon-neutral branch.
For nearly 25 years, volunteers from Forest & Bird’s Central Otago-Lakes Branch have been looking after an important population of mohua in the ancient beech forests of Makarora.
SamuelTurnbullBlanc
Forest & Bird trappers Jessie Scurr, Jane Forsyth, and Stuart Palmer travel to Makarora in electric vehicles when they can. Mo
In time, this new permanent native forest, located next to the Department of Conservation’s Grandview Mountain Track, will sequester all of the branch’s CO2 emissions.Thebranch initially thought about buying carbon credits from a reputable third-party scheme, but that would have involved someone else doing the work.
Species planted alongside the existing kānuka include mataī, tōtara, pittosporum, tī kouka cabbage trees, olearia tree daisies, lancewood, ribbonwood, kōwhai and beech.
Anne Steven with one of the new plantings. Mo Evan Alty Mo
“Once the branch’s emissions are covered, Lake Hāwea Station will use the surplus carbon for their own carbon neutrality programme,” explains former Chair Evan Alty. “The owners are great people to work with and are very active in conservation work. We will likely end up helping Lake Hāwea Station with their trapping programme in the future.”
“Mo contacted us out of the blue, and we thought it was a brilliant idea,” he said.
All have been eco-sourced from local seeds grown by Te Kakano Aotearoa Trust and Matukituki Natives.
MOHUAPROTECTING
“The land we gave them was regenerating bush. It was scrubby and full of noxious weeds, so to get some help with it was wonderful.”
Arne Cleland, of Pukerau native plant nursery, former DOC staffer Geoff Rogers, and Wanaka landscape architect Anne Steven advised on the species selection and planting design.
Anne, Mo, and Evan hope Central Otago-Lakes Branch’s experience will inspire other branches to start tracking their own emissions.
Turnbull
Forest & Bird is keen to support other branches to monitor the climate impacts of their activities. National Office will be developing advice about suitable carbon calculators for branches, Youth Hubs, and KCC to use. If you would like to contact Central Lakes-Otago Branch, email editor@forestandbird.org.nz
It will take up to 50 years before the forest is mature enough to offset all the branch’s emissions, but our Central Otago-Lakes Branch volunteers are pleased to have made a start. Thanks to this project, the branch is on its way towards becoming carbon positive – for the benefit of the climate, its local community, and nature. It’s hard work setting and clearing traps in the remote and rugged forest at Makarora, north of Wanaka. But the dedicated volunteers of Forest & Bird’s Central Otago-Lakes Branch are more than up for the challenge. The branch has been looking after the beautiful yellow-headed mohua in these forests for more than a quarter of a century. It has steadily expanded its trapping network over the last few years and now operates 730 rat, stoat, and possum traps on 15 lines and two 100m grids. About 45 volunteers are currently on the roster to clear the traps. There are only a few hundred mohua left in the project area, but recent surveys suggest they are holding on, thanks to the trapping and DOC’s 1080 campaigns. Two volunteers have electric cars, and one has made her EV available for other trappers to use. But the project’s overall emissions were still considered too high, leading to the innovative idea of creating the branch’s own carbon-offset forest.
Turnbull 17Winter 2022 | Clear, goodhearted advice EthicalInvesting NZ Want ethical investing advice? Come to us for independent financial planning including boutique climate change aware portfolios. Our values-based approach helps you achieve your goals. n Impartial, fee-based financial planners n NZ’s only RIAA-Certified advisory firm n Committed to sustainability & conservation 09 337 0997 | ethicalinvesting.nz
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Jake Osborne
“A lot of Forest & Bird branches are planting around the country. All they need to do is go through the same carbon accounting process. Everyone could do it,” adds“We’dMo. be delighted to share our experiences with other branches, so if people want to come and talk to us we’d be happy to help.”
Our Hakuturi Toa Kiwi Conservation Club has been busy this year creating opportunities for kids and families to get involved in Forest & Bird campaigns.
Rebecca Hatch TE IWA O MATARIKI To celebrate New Zealand’s newest public holiday this month, KCC has created a fantastic new Matariki resource that also ties in with the Society’s work on climateWe’vechange.developed nine different activities that kids and families can do to honour the stars and make a difference in the face of climate change – using their eyes, hands, or voice. Each of the nine stars of the Matariki star cluster has a link to an area of our environment and/or wellbeing. This makes Matariki or Māori New Year the perfect time to choose nature. Matariki will be celebrated between 21 and 29 June in 2022. You can download the resource at kcc.org.nz/te-iwa-o-matariki-2022
MATARIKI MATTERS
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For goinformation,moretowww.kcc. org.nz
Polly has already explored beach caves, walked the hills, gone camping, picked berries, attended a bird translocation, visited other bats, explored wetlands, and taken in the sights with a cruise through the Milford Sounds. She has even flown as far as Australia’s Lord Howe Island to visit a New Zealand family involved in biosecurity there! Follow the adventures of Polly Pekapeka during the rest of 2022 at kcc.org.nz/polly-pekapekaadventures
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In March, inspired by last year’s Bird of the Year winner, our very own long-tailed bat Polly Pekapeka set off around Aotearoa to visit KCC members and go on adventures with them in nature for the rest of the year.
BE WITH A TREE 2022 We aligned this year’s Be with a Tree celebration with Forest & Bird’s climate work. Our message is that trees are climate warriors and that, by protecting and planting trees, kids and families can be climate warriors too.
Rebecca Hatch is a member of the KCC crew and Editor of Wild Things, everyone’s favourite kids’ conservation magazine for primary age children. Be with a Tree took place from 4 to 12 June.
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KCC
SHARK ART TO #SAVESHARKS
POLLY PEKAPEKA’S RAMBLES
This year, Forest & Bird has been highlighting the needless killing and ill-treatment of sharks by commercial fishers. We’ve been encouraging our supporters to advocate for stronger shark protection measures (see page 40). To help kids of all ages to have their say, we initiated our Shark Art to #savesharks activity in March and formed a tooth-rific collection of sharks ready to submit as part of the National Plan of Action on Sharks submission process.Signup to Forest & Bird’s #savesharks campaign at forestandbird.org.nz/sign-save-sharks and check out our youngest members’ sharkey-art efforts at kcc.org.nz/portfolio/savesharks
“We were shocked and distressed to learn of the recent decision to liquidate APB and urge you to re-examine the situation,” wrote chief executive Kevin Hague to President Lukashenko. “We believe an assessment error must have occurred as APB is in no way an extremist organisation. It is a non-partisan organisation that undertakes vital nature conservation work, both in Belarus andAPBinternationally.”hadbeenprotecting birds and nature in Belarus for 24 years, and its science-based work was highly regarded at home and internationally.
Our Birdlife partners in Belarus and the Ukraine have been forced to stop their conservation work by politics and war. Caroline Wood River Pripyat with its floodplain meadows wetlands and oxbow lakes is a very important site for migrating wading birds. Polesie, Belarus. Daniel Rosengren/Wildpolesia.org
In February, Forest & Bird wrote to Aleksander Lukashenko to plead APB’s case. Many other Birdlife partners did the same.
European pond turtle, Polesie, Ukraine. Daniel Rosengren
“The judge read, but did not include in the case, 51 letters of support from various organisations, including three from Belarusian state organisations,” he said. “Tears rolled in those present, and the judge was astonished with letters.”Meanwhile, in neighbouring Ukraine, Birdlife International helped the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds (USPB) as they tried to get their staff and/or families to safety at the start of theThewar.Ukraine-Belarus border region is home to Polesia, a massive forest and wetlands area known as the “Amazon of Europe”.
Polesie is one of the few breeding sites for the Azure tit. Daniel Rosengren
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Forest & Bird also made representations to the New Zealand government to take up APB’s case withHowever,Belarus.despite everyone’s best efforts, the conservation organisation was officially liquidated by a court order on 19 March.APB’s chief executive Alexandre Vitchenvski thanked everyone who wrote to the Belarusian government, saying they were heard if not heeded.
BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL NATURE JEOPARDYIN
Forest & Bird is proud to be part of a global collective of conservationists through our work with Birdlife International and its partner organisations around the world. So we were upset to hear that Birdlife Belarus (APB), the largest and oldest wildlife group in the country, was going to be shut down by the government after staff had been accused of extremist activities.Several former employees were arrested and one imprisoned for several months on suspicion of attempting to destabilise the country’s political situation under “the guise of protecting birds”.
“A massive blow to nature”. Read more about the biodiversity crisis engulfing Belarus and Ukraine in this Guardian article at https://bit.ly/3IVdjuX.
Young APB birdlovers in 2010. Alessia Pautasso/Flickr.com
“Hopefully, these nightmares and daymares will end very soon, and we will watch sky not awaiting bombs and rockets, but only watching migrating birds,” said Oleg Dudkin, USPB’s chief executive.Birdlife is fundraising to provide direct aid to the families and help rebuild conservation infrastructure in Ukraine and Belarus after the war ends. For more information, see www.birdlife.org.
The aim is to keep floodwaters away from communities and drain them out to sea as quickly as possible. While this might work for smaller floods, in other cases, including those mentioned above, these hard-engineered solutions are actually increasing the risk of flooding to our communities. When the floodwaters start to rise, these embankments increase the depth of water in the river, and when it eventually overtops or breaches the banks the floodwaters are higher and have much more energy than they would otherwise.
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Last June, an incredible 551mm of rain fell on the Canterbury foothills over three days. The waters of the Hakatere Ashburton River rapidly rose to a peak of 1794m3/s – the highest flow gauged since records began in 1956. The stopbanks held in Ashburton, but in the nearby countryside a terrifying volume of water rose up and out over the top. Three hundred residents had to be evacuated for their own safety, and the flooding cut off small towns, damaged homes, closed roads, destroyed bridges, and inundated farms. Insurance claims topped $46m, and the cost of flood recovery is likely to total nearly $20m across the region, according to Environment Canterbury. It was one of at least eight serious flooding events over the past five years that have caused huge damage and stress to communities in Tairāwhiti Gisborne, Central Hawke’s Bay, Westport, Fox River, Franz Joseph, and Canterbury. In 2017, the entire town of Edgecumbe, in the Bay of Plenty, was forced to evacuate.
Allowing rivers to move rather than engineering them into artificial channels is a nature-friendly way to reduce flooding. Tom Kay Room for the Waal River, in the Netherlands.
The consequences can be catastrophic and fatal. Traditional hard-engineered solutions provide a false sense of security. It’s given us the idea that it’s safe to build homes and communities right up to the edges of rivers.Theworks also destroy important habitat for native fish, birds, and insects. Wetlands disappear, and rivers are disconnected from their floodplains and the aquifers beneath them. These unintended consequences degrade natural “wild” rivers, ruin traditional kai gathering spots, and negatively impact our cultural, social, and economic wellbeing.
The ongoing cost of maintaining our country’s flood protection infrastructure and cleaning up after floods is (and continues to be) enormous.Butthere is another way – a nature- and climate-friendly way –that could make our communities moreInternationally,resilient. there has been a move away from traditional flood-mitigation techniques. In
FRESHWATER
MAKING ROOM FOR RIVERS
© Courtesy of HaskoningDHVRoyal
As climate change continues, we’re going to experience more frequent and intense rain events across Aotearoa. These will bring higher river flows and more flooding than ever before. Historically, we’ve tried to protect our communities from flooding by “engineering” our rivers into massive drains. We’ve used diggers and bulldozers to artificially straighten, deepen, and line them with rock groynes and stopbanks in the hope this will stabilise them.
The natural flow of the Hutt River has been constrained by urban development. Still from video. Wellington Regional Council and beaches – all of which are important to local tourism. It has also been more costeffective than constantly repairing flood protection infrastructure and rebuilding roads, bridges, and towns after large floods.
1939-1942 CURRENT 21Winter 2022 |
For example, under its Riverlink project, Wellington Regional Council is planning to lower and widen Te Awa Kairangi Hutt River, giving it more room to flow, allowing a higher volume of water to pass down the river during floods, and creating more fish habitat.Forest & Bird believes it’s time to seriously consider trialling this new Room for the River approach to protect our communities from the impacts of climate change. It’s a win-win strategy that will increase the wellbeing of our rivers, local communities, and the wildlife that depends on these special freshwater habitats.
The New Zealand Rivers Group, which is made up of key government and council experts and decision-makers, has made Making Room for Rivers the theme for its entire 2022 conference.
Dutch cities and towns experienced unprecedented floods during the 1990s that overwhelmed local flood protection infrastructure and triggered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people and a million Governmentlivestock.officials decided to do something different. In 2007, they started a nature-based Room for the River programme to restore natural flood plains in strategic places, allowing space for rivers to floodThesafely.€2.3 billion programme, which has been carried out at more than 30 locations across the Netherlands and is expected to finish this year, involves tailormade solutions for each river. Measures include lowering and widening floodplains, restricting development on floodplains, strengthening and relocating stopbanks, reducing groyne heights, and removing obstacles. Essentially, landscapes are given back their capacity to accommodate excess water during floods. A key part of the programme is improving the amenity of the surrounding river banks, benefiting nature and theApublic.study of two Dutch rivers in the programme, the Rhine and the Meuse, found that widening their floodplains to reduce river levels by 30cm during floods reduced the probability of dyke failure by two to five times. Lowering river levels by 50cm cut the risk of failure by more than 10 times. It’s a nature-based solution that has placed the Netherlands well ahead of other nations in adapting to the impacts of climate change. Making room for rivers has improved their residents’ quality of life, allowed more space for wildlife and recreation reserves, promoted housing developments in safer spaces, and better protected heritage villages, sand dunes, Upgrading flood protection infrastructure, Tūtaekuri River, Hawke’s Bay. Caroline Wood
some countries, most notably in the Netherlands, communities are making room for rivers to give them space to flood safely.
The concept is also making its way, albeit slowly, into the lexicon of a few councils, including Horizons, Tasman, and Wellington.
International engineering consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV was involved in the most challenging Room for the River projects in the Netherlands. Its global director of climate resilience, George Peters, said: “We are proud to have been part of this strategic programme which breaks with the traditional Dutch reliance on dike reinforcement in flood risk management.“Instead,we employed naturebased solutions that increased the rivers’ water-carrying capacity by opening up more room for the water to naturally flow. As a result, residents are safer, communities are more resilient, and the whole area is more attractive for recreation and tourism opportunities.”HereinAotearoa, we’ve been slow to adopt the “room for rivers” approach. The government and most councils are still spending millions of dollars raising stopbanks and engineering riverbeds. However, things might be starting to change, with some New Zealand scientists questioning the current approach.
Tom Kay is Forest & Bird’s freshwater advocate.
Hebes came to the forefront of UK horticulture following displays at RHS flower shows in London, the world-renowned Chelsea Flower Show, and, in 2019, the Hampton Court Flower Show.
“The Hebe Society has done a very good job promoting these special plants, which have now become a worldwide phenomenon,” he said. “Every corner of the UK, the Channel Islands, and indeed Europe is now blessed with hebes.
“Many members are experts on New Zealand botany, which is surprising as some have never visited New Zealand!”However, some members were able to visit Aotearoa and see hebes in their natural environment. With the correct licences, some were allowed to take seed and vegetative material back to the UK.
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao22
There are four national collections of hebe in the UK, two of which I am proud to own. Other collections include Parahebe, Pittosporum, Phormium, Olearia, Coprosma, Myrtus, Lophomyrtus, and Corokia
There were a few nurseries raising new cultivars, and as demand for these plants grew so did the society’s membership.Visitstogardens
A year later, in 1985, the Hebe Society was born. The Royal Horticultural Society gave its backing to the newly formed group, as hebes were popular in the UK but nobody was working on the genera.
The RHS undertook a trial of hebes at Wisley Gardens, near London, in 1982. The best performing plants over a three-year period were awarded the prestigious “Award Of Garden Merit”. This was because of the increasing popularity and availability of the hebe genus. In2020, plans were made to undertake a new hebe trial, and some of us were asked to decide on 130 different varieties to include. The Hebe Society provided over half of the material for one of the nurseries to grow on. Then Covid-19 interrupted everything. Two years on, and the plants are growing well. This spring, we will start the task of scoring the plants points out of 10 to find the best of the best. I’m pleased to report that, as a plant society, we are still growing after 37 years. We have members not only in the UK but also across Europe, USA, Australia, and of course New Zealand. We are on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and our website gets over 5000 hits per month. Newsletters are produced three times a year, and visits and gatherings Native hebe bushes help stabilise the shifting sands of the Rangipo Desert, on the North Island’s volcanic plateau. Neil Fitzgerald
One of the Hebe Society’s founder members is longtime Forest & Bird supporter Charles Hurford, who lives on the Channel Islands.
Nearly 30 years ago, a group of like-minded British people got together to discuss their love of New Zealand plants and hebes in particular.
and nurseries growing New Zealand plants led to the society increasing its area of interest to represent all New Zealand plants that were suitable for growing in the UK climate.
A passion for New Zealand’s native plants led to the creation of an international Hebe Society, based in the UK. Stephen Harding
There were a few cultivars being grown around Europe, and in many cases there was a different name for the same plant in different countries.
HEBE IN OUR HEARTS
The Hebe Society set itself a target of correctly naming the plants, making the gardening public aware of the plants, and most importantly letting them know how to grow them.
Several members are Kiwi ex-pats who are happy to grow a little bit of their native New Zealand here, and their knowledge is most welcome.
Conservation of older cultivars has always been an important part of the Hebe Society’s work. Here in the UK, we have a fantastic charitable organisation called Plant Heritage, which has nearly 700 national plant collections registered in its scheme.
FOCUS ON FLORA
UNWIND.DINE.WINE.HIKE.DIVEFREESNORKEL.SAIL..KAYAK
happen on a regular basis, when Covid allows. We have very strong links with organisations in New Zealand, including botanical gardens, conservation organisations, nature reserves, and nurseries and would love you to join us. If you are interested in New Zealand plants, take a look at www.hebesoc.org or, better still, join us. You are all Stephenwelcome.Harding is chair of the UK-based Hebe Society. Hebe Society founder member Charles Hurford, of Guernsey in the Channel Islands, with some of his New Zealand plant collection. Supplied
There are more than 80 native hebes in New Zealand, ranging from quite large shrubs to small prostrate plants found in coastal areas. In the wild, their colours range from stunning pure white to deep purples. Many hebes have been cultivated for the garden trade and hybridised to produce even more colours.Named after Hebe, the Greek goddess of Youth, hebes are native to New Zealand, Rapa in French Polynesia, the Falkland Islands, and South America. It is the largest plant genus in Aotearoa. All but one species occur in New Zealand, including H. salicifolia and H. elliptica, known to Māori as koromiko. With its large flower spikes, napuka or Hebe speciosa is one of the most spectacular of New Zealand’s hebe species. Kyle Bland Escape the hustle of modern life and sail into the serene on a remote, bespoke adventure into Fiordland. The Breaksea Girl your home in the wild, has all the creature comforts, a small family of expert guides and hosts a collection of multi-day adventures customised to get you closer than ever wildfiordland.co.nzINRECHARGEbefore.THEWILD
To borrow the words of the Ministerial review team: “It’s time to get vocal in your local.”
The current Review into the Future for Local Government is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise local government and democracy.
Amelia Geary is Forest & Bird’s regional manager for Wellington and Horizons. She is part of a project team engaging with the Ministerial review process and upcoming local council elections. should nature lovers care about the future of local government?
The government says it wants to create the conditions for communities to “prosper and thrive”. What better way of doing that than putting nature at the heart of all council decision-making? We all know a healthy environment is crucial for human wellbeing. In fact, nature-based solutions are some of the most cost-effective approaches to mitigating and adapting to climate change. Every wetland, river, native dryland, tussockland, and forest we have left in Aotearoa counts right now. Our unique native species can’t afford to lose any more habitat.ButForest & Bird’s decades of experience working directly with local councils has shown us the current system isn’t doing a good enough job of protecting our natural
Local government, at regional and district level, is where the rubber hits the road for residents and communities when it comes to addressing climate impacts, vanishing nature, resource management, and water
Earlierheritage.thisyear, for example, Upper Hutt City Council staff assured councillors that a developer could fell some ancient beech trees that formed part of a proposed Significant Natural Area in a road reserve.
Forest & Bird’s solicitor Will Jennings said the council also needed to take into account the possibility that forest and barking geckos were present on site. The council is now reconsidering its position.
GET LOCALDOWNVOCALYOUR Why
Yet,infrastructure.inmanyparts of the country, council responses to these issues have been piecemeal or, in some cases, woefully inadequate. But that could be about to change.
We want to see increased transparency and accountability, and a nature-first local government legislativeImagineframework.ifyourlocal council required developers to keep every native tree on their development as a matter of priority, putting the onus on developers to work with nature not against it.
Forest & Bird wrote to Upper Hutt City Council saying the developer did not have consent as required by its District Plan to remove these trees and the council and the developer had to comply with the requirements of the Resource Management Act and its own District Plan.
While the results of the Ministerial review are still a few years away, this October’s local body elections present an opportunity for us to start asking questions of our councils and candidates. What do you want to see change? Are your councillors putting nature at the forefront of decisionmaking? What are your local candidates’ positions on key environmental issues?
Amelia
OPINION
Our regional managers are out and about advocating for nature in council chambers all over the country, and we regularly see misinformation and poor decisionmaking taking place.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see every single council – all 78 of them – prioritising the restoration of native habitat, bringing back a dawn chorus to every town, district, and region? With your help, we can make that happen.
Geary | Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao24
Poor democratic processes and overuse of discretion by both councillors and council staff have resulted in poor outcomes for communities, iwi, hapū, whānau, nature, and the climate.
It’s not a forget-me-not but rather a small rosetteforming herbaceous plant 5–8cm in diameter. It has relatively robust leaves, a stout tap root, and large seeds.Itsflower and fruit characteristics confirm that is a Chaerophyllum species, which is a member of the carrot family – though this plant may not be edible.
Brian recently came across a plant thought to be new to science.
The discovery was made during an expedition at the end of January, when he was assisting Te Papa scientist Heidi Meudt in surveying for forget-me-not (Myosotis) species.Brian, who works for the Department of Conservation and is a member of Forest & Bird’s Southland Branch committee, first came across the unusual plant in 1995, suspecting then that it might be unique.Returning to the Livingstone Mountains nearly three decades later, he was pleased to see it was still there and have a chance to study and photograph it.
Brian says it is distinctive from other Chaerophyllum
FOCUS ON FLORA
“The world would be a sadder and less interesting place if species went extinct before they were even recognised or named,” adds Brian.
Forget
Ecologist Brian Rance reckons he’s found a new plant species high in the Livingstone Mountains and is thrilled by the implications of the rare find.
Brian Rance
25Winter 2022 |
Heidi Meudt
Chaerophyllum sp. ‘Livingstone’ is unusual because it grows in exposed alpine gravel habitat. because it is growing in a very exposed alpine gravel habitat on ultramafic or serpentine geology, which is unusual for that group of plants. It has been given a temporary tag name of Chaerophyllum sp. ‘Livingstone’. The “new” plant will need additional research to rigorously compare it to its close relatives before being formally considered a new species. This could take some time, but then it’s likely to be given a threatened species ranking because of its small population size and very limited geographical extent. Why is finding such a tiny plant exciting for New Zealand?“Whoknows what special chemicals or properties it may have? For all we know, a new plant could hold the cure to a disease,” says Brian. “It is exciting to think that there are still plants out there that have not previously been seen or recognised as “Anydistinctive.newdiscovery is a taonga of New Zealand. Our flora is part of what makes Aotearoa such a distinctive and special place and is part of our national identity.”Muchof our natural living world is still to be formally named, including 9% of our flora. Sadly, given the twin biodiversity and climate crises, some species may be lost to humankind without ever being Currently,discovered.49%ofour known flora is assessed as Threatened, At Risk, or Data Deficient, and 202 species are in the highest threat category – National Critical –the same as kākāpō and black robin.
Nearly 30 years after first spotting an unusual plant in the Southland mountains, Brian Rance returned to see if it was indeed a new species.
ME NOT
“Some areas are doing OK, but we know recruitment in the Sounds has been low recently compared with historic estimates. We think it’s primarily a habitat suitability problem, with fishing and land use leading to a poor quality habitat.”
“Scallops have the potential to release millions of gametes [eggs and sperm] but need to be in close proximity to spawn at the same time allowing fertilisation.
James Williams
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao26
Last year, NIWA fisheries scientist Dr James Williams and his team carried out the most extensive surveys of scallops ever seen in Aotearoa. They spent three months at sea and sampled more than 700 sites for Fisheries NZ. The surveys revealed substantive declines in commercial and non-commercial scallop beds from Spirits Bay to the Coromandel and the top of the SouthAdvocacyIsland.groups, including Forest & Bird, called for scallop bed closures following publication of the NIWA findings that showed central Hauraki Gulf scallop biomass had dropped 93% in 10 years. In March, Forest & Bird wrote to the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries David Parker, calling on him to close the Northland and Coromandel fisheries.
The following month, the Minister announced he was
“We know successful reproduction needs high-density patches of scallops, but these appear to be pretty rare now and this may be holding back recovery in some areas,” explains James.
The seabed off Great Barrier Island has lots of places for scallop larvae to attach to and for juveniles to hide in.
“The scallop fishery in the Marlborough Sounds closed in 2016, but unfortunately there has been a lack of overall recovery.
Scientists are studying the factors that impact on recruitment – the number of juveniles surviving and growing to harvestable size.
WHAT FUTURE FOR SCALLOPS?
A healthy scallop bed in Tasman Bay. James Williams
With tipa scallop fisheries in Coromandel and Northland in such a perilous state, will the recently announced closures work? Caroline Wood closing nearly all the scallop fisheries in Northland, the Hauraki Gulf, and the Coromandel to give them time to recover.Thescallop population decline is likely due to a combination of factors, including habitat loss, dredging, and overfishing, with cumulative effects. Will the closures definitely lead to scallop beds bouncing“Closuresback?will help, but scallops will only successfully recolonise areas with suitable habitat,” says Dr James Williams, speaking to Forest & Bird from his Northland home office.
MARINE
Forest & Bird’s strategic advisor Geoff Keey has been appointed to the government’s Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan Committee, which is advising on a sustainable fisheries plan for the Gulf. Thanks to a generous donation from Active Components, Forest & Bird has employed Bianca Ranson as a Hauraki Gulf coordinator to advocate for a better deal for the Gulf over the next two years.
Habitat degradation is another factor limiting the ability of scallop beds to recover quickly.
Bare mud is all that remains at this former commercial scallop fishery site in Golden Bay.
James Williams
27Winter 2022 |
CC Wikimedia
James is part of a research study looking at the feasibility of restoring scallop bed habitat at the top of the South Island, much like efforts to bring back old mussel beds in the Hauraki Gulf.
While welcoming the Minister’s decision to close most of the scallop beds from Northland to Coromandel, Forest & Bird was disappointed that two areas – off the coast at Te Hauturu-o-Toi Little Barrier Island and in the Colville Channel – were not included in the Theseclosures.relatively healthy scallop habitats, both under a Ngāti Manuhiri tikanga rāhui, could have helped repopulate devastated beds in the Hauraki Gulf.
In Northland, commercial fishers use box dredges, rigid cases with teeth at the bottom that scoop the scallops from the sand, taking chunks of habitat with it. This captures around two-thirds of the available scallops. Everything else in the dredge is chucked back into the ocean.Atthe top of the South Island, commercial fishers use ring-bag dredges. These are less efficient than a box dredge, with only 21% of available scallops caught using this method, which is also very destructive of the seafloor.Wedon’t trawl for scallops in New Zealand, but commercial fishers trawling for fish such as flounder on the seafloor can degrade scallop habitat, adding to their woes.
In Norway, where scallop beds are in shallow waters, divers hand harvest them. But many scallop beds in Aotearoa are too deep to fish this way.
“But the recovery may not be uniform, for example we found very few juveniles or adult scallops in the Bay of Islands, so those areas may not recover if the larval supply has been affected,” adds James. “It’s important to manage the fishery by thinking about both the health of the target species and the health of its supporting environment.”
James is hopeful that, in the future, new harvesting technologies may become commercially viable. He is part of a team looking at the feasibility of using an underwater drone to detect and harvest scallops, much like an automated fruit picker. This would allow sustainable harvesting without ruining the scallops’ seabed habitat
Locally caught scallops are largely off the menu until their habitats recover.
“We recommend a key focus for management is to ensure that sufficient high-density scallop patches are protected so they can reproduce.”
“The decision shows disregard for iwi leadership and efforts to protect their rohe moana,” said Bianca Ranson, Forest & Bird’s Hauraki Gulf coordinator. “It undermines what could have been a great decision.”
“Suitable habitat can be degraded due to dredging and trawling. But the impact of these fishing methods is not uniform, and it’s not the only issue impacting on scallop habitat.”Another major stressor for the scallops is goodbecausescallopfeedmicroalgaephytoplanktonsedimentationincreasedcausedbylandusechange,suchasforestryandfarming.Itcansmotherseabedsurfacesandreduceavailabilityoftheandthatscallopson.Jamesbelievesnorthernbedswillrebuildqualityhabitatwithjuvenilerecruitment still exists in some areas. These juveniles should survive and grow into an adult population while protected by the closures.
“After the fertilised eggs develop into planktonic larvae, they settle onto the seabed but need fine filamentous material to latch onto. This is a key step in the scallop life cycle, and that’s why the health of its seabed habitat is essential,” explains James.
The Society is campaigning for a commercial and recreational ban on scallop dredging because this fishing method is destructive, is indiscriminate, and seriously damages the seafloor.
HOW ARE SCALLOPS CAUGHT?
WHAT IS FOREST & BIRD DOING?
We believe low-impact hand gathering methods should be the only permitted way of collecting tipa scallops once the beds are reopened after the current closure.Forest & Bird will also continue to advocate for the Minister to approve a Ngāti Manuhiri application for a tikanga rāhui to close scallop beds off Te Hauturu-o-Toi and in the Colville Channel under section 186A of the Fisheries Act.
Conservation | Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao28
A Rocha Aotearoa New Zealand at www.arocha.org.nz, and Para Kore at www.parakore.maori.nz
The recent launch of the A Rocha Eco Church programme here in Aotearoa is opening up new possibilities for churches and their congregations to actively “care for creation” as a part of their life and mission.EcoChurch offers practical guides for nature-friendly actions, including composting, citizen science, cycling, and a newly developed carbon calculator specific to churches. A partnership with Para Kore offers a zero-waste programme. It also provides other resources, including prayers, studies, and seminars.
Kristel van Houte with an ōi grey-faced petrel chick at Karioi, Raglan.
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It’s part of an emerging groundswell of interest around climate and sustainability issues, with many churches already working in partnership with conservation organisations in New Zealand and around the world.
Marie Preston, who is part of the Eco Church group at Pāuatahanui Anglican Church, in Porirua, says her group decided to take action to lower their carbon emissions.
Supplied COMMUNITY A CHURCHBROAD
Over the past 100 years, many Forest & Bird leaders and supporters have connected a strong Christian faith with their efforts to protect and restore nature.
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“We would act, make a difference, and be a witness to others by our actions,” she says.
“One person said: ‘I will reduce my use of plastic’ and another ‘Let’s set rat traps in the church grounds.’
Eco Church is one of its projects, and she loves hearing about all the things congregation members are doing.“When a church community commits to being an Eco Church, it’s a brave step and very inspiring,” Kristel added. “I love seeing that positive transformative energy.
“We find hope even in death, and this brings new life. Being caretakers of God’s creation is our ultimate calling. People are part of nature, not separate from it, so looking after God’s people and creation is our purpose.”
Silvia Purdie is a Presbyterian church minister working in sustainability consultancy and counselling. A third generation Forest & Bird member, she has written a book about 30 Christian women leading in environmental action. Find out more about Eco Church NZ at www.ecochurch.org.nz
The arrival of the Eco Church movement in Aotearoa is providing new opportunities for environmental action. Silvia Purdie
We had people saying they wanted to find out more about solar power or making composts and growing vegetables. And all these things have Aotearoaaskactions.inspiringthatchurchconnecttoasoldliveswassustainablecommunityofthroughintegrateenvironmentalcongregationsEcohappened!”Churchencouragestocarryoutactionsandeco-friendlychoicesworship,themanagementchurchbuildingsandland,partnerships,andlifestyles.BiologistKristelvanHoute,whobornintheNetherlandsandinRaglanwithhereight-year-daughter,describesEcoChurchawaytobringpeopletogetherlookafternature.“Itcreatesopportunitiestoandre-imaginewhatisallabout.Ifeelstronglyitisnotjusttalk.It’saboutpracticalenvironmentalPeoplereachouttousandwhatcantheydo.”KristelisthedirectorofARochaNewZealand,aChristian environmental conservation organisation active in 22 countries around the world.
Earlier this year, Associate Environment Minister Kiri Allan sought feedback on proposed changes aimed at making the sources of drinking water safer. She said that the current regulations were not fit for purpose and didn’t offer enough protection, particularly for rural residents who rely on boreThiswater.was highlighted by the 2015 campylobacter outbreak in Havelock North, when an estimated 5500 people fell ill and four died.
SEEKING SAFER WATER FOR ALL
Forest & Bird has been campaigning for years to have the main causes of water pollution addressed by the government, namely the country’s overuse of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and too many dairy cows.
“We have to protect water throughout the system – from the source in our rivers, lakes, and aquifers to our taps – to look after Thehealth.”andenvironmentalbothhumangovernmentis currently considering submissions and is expected to announce updated regulations later this year.
“Recent studies suggest it is a significant factor in increasing a person’s risk of developing certain types of cancer, and it’s a wellestablished cause of blue-baby syndrome in bottle-fed babies.
Forest & Bird teamed up with Greenpeace, Fish & Game, the Cancer Society, the Environmental Defence Society, and others to submit a powerful joint submission on the National Environmental Standards for Sources of Human Drinking Water. We called for a phase out of synthetic fertiliser, stocking rate limits, and a prohibition on new dairyWeconversions.alsowantto see more support for farmers to adopt lower impact organic or regenerative farming“Nitrogenpractices.hascaused widespread degradation of freshwater ecosystems in Aotearoa but is also
FRESHWATER
In a separate submission, this time to the new water services regulator Taumata Arowai, Forest & Bird made several recommendations on specific drinking water standards. We want to see the introduction of a provisional standard for chronic nitrate exposure and a national database for water supply quality. We also called for more testing for water contaminants, including regular nitrate testing.
DRINKING WATER STANDARDS
29Winter 2022 |
one the most common contaminants in our drinking water,” says Forest & Bird’s freshwater advocate Tom Kay.
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao30
Forest & Bird continues to fight those battles today. We won last year’s tarakihi decision in the High Court, but it’s subject to appeal and the Society will probably have to fight against the fishing industy as far as the Supreme Court. Thanks to this case, when the Minister of Fisheries makes a decision about catch limits in the future, they will have to put sustainability – with a conservation lens – in front of permanentlybeforeawin.years,politicalForestfisheriesonandbeencatch-limitreverseconsiderations.commercialIt’stheofthewaythosedecisionshavemadeupuntilnowwillhaveabigimpactthethehealthofourinthefuture.Somanycampaigns&Birdwinsatalevelcantakeevendecades,toSometimes,ittakeschangeofgovernmentacampaigniswon.Ithinkofourlegalandadvocacy work to end mining on conservation land, in places like Denniston and Te Kuha on the West Coast, where we have seen progress but still have a way to go before this campaign is permanently won. Some of the government’s policy decisions have
Former Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague, who retired in April, reflects on some of the Society’s wins during his time and the work that still needs to be done to restore nature. councils did in fact have the power under the Resource Management Act to protect coastal conservation values, and that decision opened up a whole new avenue for protecting nature along our coastlines.
OUR PEOPLE
In the legal arena, I think about the Ruataniwha decision, in 2017, when we went to the Supreme Court and won a really important decision against the government. I remember feeling a sense of triumph, relief, and pride, sitting in the back of the court watching our legal team performing in that forum. The stakes were high. If we had lost, we would have seen the Department of Conservation selling off public conservation land. To win there, and prevent that happening, was very important.
The Motiti decision in 2019 was a case that set another very important legal precedent that regional
Motiti Rohe Moana Trustees received Forest & Bird’s inaugural Kōtuku Award for tiakitanga ahurei (outstanding guardianship) in 2018. Caroline Wood Forest & Bird lawyers Peter Anderson and Sally Gepp, with barrister Davey Salmon QC, at the Supreme Court in 2017.
When I look back at my five years at the helm of Forest & Bird and think of some of the wins we’ve had togther, thanks to your support, there have been many, too many to list here. But these are some of my personal highlights.
MY ANDHIGHSLOWS
The government’s Jobs for Nature programme has been a game changer for conservation.
One of my personal favourites is the story of the world’s first rat eradication on an offshore island accomplished by Alistair McDonald, a Forest & Bird member and school teacher at Blackpool School, →
Forest & Bird has helped protect many native species in its 99-year history, including the North Island kōkako. Terence Davidson
31Winter 2022 |
been real highlights for me. The massive increase in conservation funding that Forest & Bird secured in the 2018 Budget is enormously important because for such a long time conservation funding, in real terms, had beenThedeclining.Jobsfor Nature funding the year before last has been a game changer too. It was the right approach for the government to take in dealing with the impact of Covid-19 on the economy. This programme will see $1.2bn going into environmental restoration and conservation work. I thought it was a tribute to all of us – members, donors, and staff – and the amount work we put into presenting the case to the government while the pandemic raged around us. Working in the nature protection space can be quite wearying and depressing, so my visit last March to the huge Pureora Forest, west of Lake Taupō, was another highlight because it was the chance to celebrate a good news story, the recovery of North Island kōkako following more than 20 years of conservation efforts. To hear about some of that history of kōkako recovery and hear Forest & Bird mentioned again and again, to know we were were part of the restoration of such an iconic species, was heartwarming. We said we should invest in nature and use this to switch the direction of the New Zealand economy. The areas that Jobs for Nature are being invested in are pretty much exactly the areas that we proposed that the government put money into. It did exactly what Forest & Bird asked it to do, and that was enormously satisfying. I think that’s going to have really positive impact down the road. Some of my highlights are not about wins, and some of them are highly personal. For example, I particularly enjoyed the time I spent visiting Forest & Bird branches around the country. One of my favourite memories was going to see the South Otago and Southland branches. I would normally stay with a branch for the day, but the tiny South Otago Branch, based in Balclutha, said they couldn’t possibly show me all the conservation work they do in a day. They said it would take FIVE days. So I spent five days there, and they were right. They had so many different conservation projects to show me. Our branches are what makes Forest & Bird unique. The extraordinary amount of nature restoration work they are doing is inspiring and humbling.
Kevin Hague with South Canterbury committee members Fraser Ross, Ines Stäger, Win Parkes, Joy Sagar, and Margaret McPherson.
The History Project has been a real highlight for me too. As you know, next year, we will be celebrating 100 years of Forest & Bird, and as part of this work we have been sorting through our paper archives, boxes of them, and they are full of stuff that no-one knew about. Some of the treasures that have come out of that have been absolutely amazing.
A lot of my time at Forest & Bird has beeen about pushing that restoration message. Sure, hold the line, don’t lose any more nature, but to start turning the ship around we need to be in the restoration space. That’s why the work of our branches is so important. They are replanting and restoring all kinds of ecosystems, and some are even rewetting wetlands.
A pair of light-mantled sooty albatross at Perseverance Harbour, Campbell Island. Hannah Shand →
That’s one of the things I like about Jobs for Nature. It provides paid roles for multiple years, so we’ve created a platform where it’s possible for restoration to be done at scale. For a year, I had the privilege of sitting on advisory group for Ministers on Jobs for Nature, and I know there are a lot of projects starting to get under way now that will last for years and Ministers have
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao32
Tiny Maria Island made conservation history in 1959 when Forest & Bird’s junior members helped get rid of all the rats that were killing nesting seabirds. Courtesy of the Neureuter family Pigs are threatening the survival of species in the subAntarctic islands. Rockhopper penguins, Auckland Island. Tobias Hayashi
on Waiheke Island. The work on Maria Island was accomplished with his junior section of school children and supported by a young officer from the Wildlife Service, by the name of Don Merton. Look at where that has led us, to know we are on the cusp of Predator Free 2050 being achievable. Some of the stories the history project is uncovering are amazing, and I look forward to those stories being told next year. In my time at Forest & Bird, one of my absolute highlights has been to go with Heritage Expeditions to the sub-Antarctic islands, particularly the Auckland and Cambell Islands. It’s a privilege not many peope have had, and I’m grateful to have been not just once but twice. The light-mantled sooty albatross is my favourite bird, and I look forward to it winning this year’s Bird of the Year competition!
OUR PEOPLE
We used to have a Prime Minister that talked all the time about balance. They would say protecting the environment was important but so is economic activity. I tell people we passed the point of balance 100 years ago. We’ve lost so much of our ecoystems and habitats that our species have been pushed to the very brink of oblivion. To return to balance, we need to restore nature and not sacrifice any more of it.
I remember walking on Campbell Island through fields of megaherbs that are out of this world, past cliffs where albatross parents are teaching their young to fly. It’s an extraordinary once-in-alifetime experience, and I’ve been twice!
But this experience also reminded me about the fragility of nature. Fragility is the word I’d use most often to describe the state of the environment at the moment. It’s a point I made during the conservation lectures I gave on both expeditions. The first year, we went to an eastern rockhoppper penguin colony on Auckland Island and saw maybe 150 birds there. Many photographs were taken. But the following year, there were only about 10 penguins. I don’t know for sure the reason for the decline in that colony, but I suspect it was predation by pigs. There was a plan to eradicate them on the Auckland Islands, but it cost too much and DOC put it on the backburner.
Former staff member and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage with Kevin Hague with members of Forest & Bird Youth at a 2018 Budget briefing for e-NGOs hosted by National Office.
commited to funding these. This will see restoration being done at scale all over the country, and that’s really exciting.Looking to the future and what’s important, clearly continuing to hold the line and pushing more restoration is critical. I feel great that Forest & Bird has established those directions. The thing we haven’t cracked, despite being on the verge of doing so two years ago, is a step change in the way Ministers think about the economy. In 2020, the pandemic was forcing the government to think outisde the square, and people were saying we can’t return to how things used to be and need to start planning a different kind of future –one that is restorative of nature rather than extractive from it. I saw this internationally as well, with countries like Costa Rica really embracing the possibility of changing things. The UN environmental programme was looking towards what New Zealand was doing, and I was appearing in international forums talking about resetting the world economy. That was extraordinary. It had never happened to me before, but the hope I had at that time has receded significantly because of the power of the status quo and the strong natural human desire to clutch onto the familiar and what feels normal. I think our response as a country to the pandemic has been exceptional, but the other edge of that sword is the platform for change has not been so strongly created. So we need to work harder on that. We need to advocate for a switch in the direction of economic travel. While the government has invested in conservation and restoration and the heroic recovery of iconic species, actually that’s just a drop in the bucket. There’s a whole lot more that has to be done. The government continues to allow economic
decisions that drive degradation – just recently, it stopped scallop dredging in most parts of the fishery but left open the last remaining healthy beds. Bottom trawling is still allowed, and it looks like freshwater standards will not include a limit on inorganic nitrogen. That’s our battleground for the future, to get the government to stop allowing economic activities that will drive the further degradation of nature to mitigate the twin crises threatening humankind – vanishing nature and climate change. I’ve been privileged to lead Forest & Bird over the past five-and-a-half years. It’s been really affirming to have positive messages coming through and feeling like I’ve made a contribution, working alongside our incredibly hard-working staff. Of course, none of Forest & Bird’s work would be possible without you – our members, volunteers, and supporters. I’d especially like to thank all the people who carried on making donations during the first Covid-19 lockdown. It really made a difference and allowed us to continue our conservation mahi during a difficult time. It’s an oversused idea to describe Forest & Bird as a whānau, but it really does feel like a family and I’ve been proud to have been a part of it. I look forward to my successor Nicola Toki bringing her passion and expertise to the Society’s next chapter as I continue to support the Society’s work as a proud West Coast member.
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“We’re just coming off the back of one of our most intense marine heatwaves, like what we experienced in 2017. Our work indicates that this will start to become the norm as time goes on,” said research lead and NIWA ocean modeller Dr Erik Behrens.
“These projections also tell us we need to start adapting to our changing climate now,” she says. “Organisations, iwi and hapū, councils, and communities up and down the country are experiencing these impacts already. We need to really focus on how we can support their adaptation planning today.”
Scientists warn that New Zealand could experience long and “very severe” marine heatwaves by the end of theMarinecentury.heatwaves occur when water temperatures Marine heatwave conditions today (left) and by 2100 (right). Credit NIWA/Deep South Challenge.
“It’s hard to see current fisheries being resilient enough to withstand increases between 80% and 100% of median marine heave wave intensities by the end of the century,” he added.
“Marine heatwaves can have significant impacts at sea and on land. They kill off corals, disturb ecosystems, and can also pose a problem for fishing and aquaculture, as well as contributing to land heatwaves and climate extremes across the country.”
Research like this can give locally relevant, even coastal, insights into climate impacts in our oceans, says Kate Turner, Climate Change Knowledge Broker at the Deep South Challenge.
New Zealand King Salmon warned the number of dead fish would seriously impact their 2022 earnings result, and so it did. The company reported a loss of $73m, and the stock price tanked by 45% over one week in April.
NIWA’s analysis drew on the New Zealand Earth System Model. It helps scientists understand smaller-scale ocean processes (as opposed to vast oceanic currents), making more accurate regional assessments possible.
This is one example of the potential impact of warming coastal waters on our aquaculture industry and fisheries. And it’s only going to get worse, according to new NIWA-led research released earlier this year.
watchdog Guardians of the Sounds reported huge numbers of fish suffered from oxygen depletion. It said hundreds of tonnes of dead fish were scooped up out of their cages, shipped to shore, loaded on to trucks, and dumped at the Blenheim landfill.
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao34
RESEARCH
MARINE HEAT
Some coastal areas are predicted to experience a much bigger intensity, frequency, and duration of warming seas than others.
Tony Craig, a partner with marine consultancy Terra Moana, says industry and recreational fishers are already noticing changes in the kinds of species that are caught and where.
Caroline Wood stay in the warmest 10% of historical observations for at least five days. The 40 or so marine heatwave days we currently see in a normal year will increase to between 80 days (low emissions, best-case scenario) and 170 days (high emissions, worst-case scenario) by the end of the century.
We need to get ready for more marine heatwaves, including adapting our fisheries to build resilience to the warming climate.
Large numbers of salmon died in Marlborough Sounds fish farms over the long hot summer. The shallow coastal waters warmed up, and with so many fish in one place there wasn’t enough oxygen for them to Environmentalbreathe.
FOREST & BIRD PROJECT
“To be able to provide a safe predator-free habitat for pōpokotea and other rare species to survive, thrive, and repopulate is a credit to the many volunteers and expert input and advice from all involved.”
The predator-free sanctuary is a partnership between Forest & Bird, Bushy Park Trust, and local iwi Ngaa Rauru“ProvidingKiitahi.
Pōpokotea are only found in the North Island, where they inhabit the canopy of tall dense forest.
Over a one-week period in May, 52 pōpokotea whiteheads were moved in small groups from Waitahinga, part of the Whanganui Water Catchment Reserve, and released into their new home at nearby Bushy Park Tarapuruhi, within the same rohe.
Wendy Bainbridge, Senior Parks Manager at Whanganui District Council, which owns the Waitahinga Reserve, says the council was delighted to support the project. An additional capture site was lined up in case it was needed, thanks to Palmerston North City Council and local iwi Rangitaane.
Neil Foster
a home for these delightful birds has required a careful and concerted effort by many partners and experts,” said Forest & Bird’s sanctuary manager Mandy Brooke. “This was an incredible opportunity to re-establish a species at Bushy Park Tarapuruhi, which would once have been found in their hundreds in this area.”
TIMETRANSLOCATION
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The translocation was funded by Horizons Regional Council, which saw it as an opportunity to boost biodiversity in the Whanganui region. “We are incredibly lucky to have a predator-proof asset like the Bushy Park Tarapuruhi Sanctuary for this reintroduction,” said Nick Heslop, Horizons Community Biodiversity Advisor.
Kevin Parker from Parker Conservation, the translocation specialist, led a 12-person catching team. The team captured the birds in fine mist nets and recorded their weight and measurements before banding and releasing them to their new home.
“The birds were caught and released as quickly as possible to minimise the stress,” Kevin explained.
More than 50 pōpokotea whitehead have been returned to Forest & Bird’s Bushy Park Tarapuruhi Sanctuary, thanks to a huge community effort.
Returning a long-lost species to its ancestral home must be the highlight of any conservationist’s life. Decades of hard work by Forest & Bird volunteers carrying out predator control and habitat restoration at our Bushy Park Tarapuruhi Sanctuary, near Whanganui, has paid off.
The tiny forest birds are part of an exclusive club of ancient species found only in Aotearoa. Vulnerable to being killed by rats and stoats, and habitat loss, the new arrivals have an unusual set of skills that could benefit local“Whiteheadscuckoos.
are babysitters for koekoeā long-tailed cuckoo eggs and chicks, so if we’re lucky we’ll also have some koekoeā decide to move in too,” added Mandy.
Nearly a century ago, Forest & Bird’s founder Val Sanderson considered what he called a “campaign among the Māori” to be a vital part of the newly minted Society’s work. In 1923, when the Society was founded, he referred to the indigenous sense of the careful conservation of resources in articles and letters. “The Maori knew the value of the birds and how to foster them when necessary,” he wrote in the Temuka Leader on 11 December 1923. But Māori methods of conservation, including the “old time laws” and the “strict manner in which they were enforced has never been remotely approached by the white man”. Sanderson believed Māori had much to teach Pākehā about the natural conservation of birds and forests. By contrast, Pākehā had lost touch with the forests, the land, and all that sustains him, and he had become a “vandal white man”, he wrote in a letter to Te Kūiti
Elsdon Best watches Tairāwhiti Gisborne man Aporo playing a nose flute in 1923. Alexander Turnbull Library Val Sanderson at Waiorua, Kāpiti Island. John Barrett collection journalist Rore Josephs (Ngāti Maniopoto), who was a supporter of the Society’s goals.
HISTORY PROJECT
TE TIAKIROPUMANU
We know some of what Sanderson was thinking after discovering a cache of his original letters, written between 1923 and 1928, in Forest & Bird’s paper archives at the Alexander Turnbull Library. Together with Gyle Bascon, a history graduate from Victoria University, we analysed the letters, researched the identities of the writers, and made some interesting discoveries. They illuminate how the Native Bird Protection Society, later to become Forest & Bird, sought to win the support of Māori for its early “objects” to “advocate and obtain the efficient protection and preservation of our native bird life, unity of control of all wildlife, and a bird day for our schools”.
Ethnologist
In the early part of last century, Māori were experiencing the ongoing loss of their traditional lands following colonisation, as forests were felled and burnt, cities expanded, introduced predators killed local wildlife, and roads reached ever deeper into remote corners of New Zealand. The rapid loss of habitat and mahinga kai as Pākeha settlement took hold promoted a demand for conservation from some Māori leaders, according to historian David Young. In the late 1920s and 30s, Sanderson expanded his campaign to raise awareness among Pākehā of what we would call the Māori world view of nature, a deep connection between the land and the species that inhabit it, a natural world that all New Zealanders cherishSanderson,today. who led the Society from 1923 until his death in 1945, was the master of publicity, an exceptional communicator, and a prolific letter writer. In the days before television, he wrote newspaper articles, published posters and journals, commissioned films, gave radio broadcasts, and gave lectures illustrated by lantern slides and accompanied by a live orchestra.
A treasure trove of letters and other archives has shed new light on the fledgling Society’s efforts to engage with Māori on shared conservation goals. Michael Pringle
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao36
The Weggery family, who farmed in the Waikanae area, wrote to the Society in 1925 asking for posters in English and Māori, which they planned to erect on their land, saying “We are very anxious to protect the native birds.”
Lantern
He was supported by the Society’s well-connected Presidents and Vice Presidents. These passionate founding members, all of whom supported the Society as volunteers, included former Prime Minister Sir Thomas Mackenzie, the owner of the Otago Daily Times, Sir George Fenwick, well-known bird author and ornithologist Perrine Moncrieff, and leading botanist Dr Leonard Cockayne. Sanderson viewed posters as an efficient way of reaching the public about the Society’s campaigns. He used donations to pay for the creation of colourful posters featuring conservation messages like “New Zealanders! Protect your native birds. They are unique and wonderful beyond compare.” These were put up in railway stations, post offices, government buildings, and outdoors, for example at the Cape Kidnappers gannet colony and at the entrance to Egmont National Park.
Tāhiwi was a well-known interpreter of the times, who went on to translate for Michael Joseph Savage, New Zealand’s first Labour Prime Minister, and visiting members of the royal family. Tāhiwi added phrases that, as he put it, created “the real Māori atmosphere”.
Forest & Bird Archives
Forest & Bird Archives 37Winter 2022 |
Sanderson also wrote in te reo to other Māori members, including PH Takarangi, who lived at Pūtiki → Hona Webber feeding ducks on Kāpiti Island, early 1900s. slide,
The Society’s pānui poster was first published in 1924 and distributed all over the country.
“The Māori before the advent of the white man knew how to conserve his birds and forests and it is to be feared Pakeha past ignorance in these matters has been much at fault,” Sanderson said to Otene. He went on to say he had hope for the future and would keep in touch withLaterprogress.thesame year, in an article in the New Zealand Herald, Sanderson wrote that Otene had “worked hard among his followers, with the result that some hundreds of acres of forests are to be set aside as bird sanctuaries. The report of the sportsmen’s guns has been stilled and the pigeons can be seen serenely preening themselves within a few hundred yards of Rangihua township.”
In early 1924, the Society published its pānuitanga or poster in te reo Māori. It was printed on paper for inside use, with 500 on calico for outside display. They were distributed to anyone who wanted one. Members put them up all over the country, including the Hokianga, Kāpiti Coast, Whanganui, Taranaki, and the Bay of Plenty.
Nopera Otene (left) taking Ngaronoa Otene and Pane Aperahama by cart to get flax for mats in Mangamuka, circa 1940s. Violet Otene Harris. Sourced from the Mangamuka School 1879-1979 centenary book.
In June 1928, after receiving Otene’s annual membership subscription, Sanderson wrote thanking him for his work promoting the cause of bird protection. This time, he called on the services of Kīngi Tāhiwi, an interpreter at the Native Department in Wellington to translate his letter into te reo.
Elsdon Best, the famous ethnographer and chronicler of the Tūhoe people, is understood to have translated the text for the pānui. It noted how “descendants of Tāne Mahuta and Tane-i-te-rere have been diminished by accidental killings, deforestation, or by hunting for food”. It went on to emphasise the benefits of birds without which “mankind will die”.
The Native Bird Protection Society was referred to as Te Ropu Tiaki Manu, and the publisher’s address was care of Paaka No 631, Poneke, a post office box number Forest & Bird still uses to this day!
The cache of letters in Forest & Bird’s archives also includes correspondence with one of Forest & Bird’s first Māori members, Nopera Otene, an influential tribal chief from Hokianga, who was worried about the loss of birdlife in the great kauri forests of the Far North. Assisted by James Murray, a Pākehā schoolmaster at Mangamuka, Otene, who spoke little English, joined the Society in 1923 and campaigned among his people for the setting aside of areas of native forest as sanctuaries for flora and Sandersonfauna.metOtene on a visit to the area in June 1924. He later wrote to Otene, noting his conservation efforts on behalf of native birds and advising him that the Society was having notices printed in te reo and that he would send a supply.
Pā, on the Whanganui River. We believe WT Hooper, a Methodist minister, translated the letter on Sanderson’s behalf. The new Society soon captured the attention of Te Akarana Māori Association, an educational organisation based in Auckland with a focus on fostering Māori knowledge. Its founder, George Graham, offered to supply Sanderson with the names of many Māori to write to about his new Society. Te Akarana Māori Association joined the Society in 1927, and its secretary Patrick Smyth (Ngāpuhi), a teacher at St Stephen’s Native Boys’ School in Parnell, enclosed a five shilling note with his letter by way of aIndonation.thesame year, Smyth wrote to Sanderson expressing hope the Native Bird Protection Society would also campaign for the protection of the forests, as they were the natural food supply of the native birds, as well as their most suitable habitat. He also told him that some people were thinking of importing nightingales.
In 1927, Harold Hamilton, an ethnographer at the Dominion Museum, wrote an article for the Society’s journal called “The Maori as a Conservationist”, asking “could we not adopt that beautiful conception that the trees and birds are our living relatives?”
In 1931, George Graham wrote an article called “Native Bird Life in Ancient Maoriland”, in which he explained to the Society’s readership how Māori had a “a recognised set of game and forestry laws”, including rāhui, to protect trees and birds from “indiscriminate slaughter”.Thedeep knowledge Māori had of “nature lore” was the outcome of close observation over generations, he said. Then the new ideas of Pakehadom arrived, and “All the old respect for the rahui and tapu restrictions was set aside, nor did effective European laws take theirEdwardplace.”Henry (Ted) Nepia, a teacher and Māori war historian, contributed a supplement to Graham’s article that explained the prominence given to birds in Māori proverbs and symbolic references.In1938,Elsdon Best supplied the Society with a list of Māori names for native birds, including different tribal names for the same species. It was so long it had to be published over three successive issues of the bulletin from August 1938 to February 1939. We believe Sanderson was using these articles to increase his predominantly Pākehā indigenousunderstandingmembership’softhepeople’sancient connections to the land and its wildlife. He wanted to promote a sense that native birds should be protected because they were found nowhere else in the world and had such an intimate, timeless relationship to tangata whenua.In1934, the indomitable Cecilia O’Rorke, a Life Member of the Society and an influential leader in the Girl Guiding movement in New Zealand, wrote Te Puea Herangi was asked to display the Society’s posters at the opening of her new wharenui meeting house, at Ngaruawahia, in 1929. Alexander Turnbull Library
That year, the total print run of the bulletin was 5000 copies, and it was distributed to 133 Ngā Kura Māori Native Schools.
→ HISTORY PROJECT
“It seems to us that it would be far better to make a determined effort to preserve the native birds than to countenance any suggested importation which may be invidious,” he added.
Te Akarana LibraryPatrickAssociationMāoriSecretarySmythin1930.AlexanderTurnbull ValForestSanderson.&Bird archives | Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao38
In 1929, Graham suggested Sanderson send posters in te reo and English to Te Kirihaehae Te Puea Hērangi, a leading figure in the Kīngitanga (Māori King movement) to put up at her new wharenui meeting house at Turangawaewae, Ngaruawahia. It would “make known your work to a 30s,1920stoldassembly”,bigheSanderson.OvertheandSanderson educated his members about what today we would call te ao Māori through the Society’s popular bulletin Birds, the forerunner to Forest & Bird magazine. He recruited Rore Josephs, who had written to Sanderson in 1924 expressing interest in the Society, as an advocate to bridge the gap between Māori and Pākehā perceptions of nature protection.
Michael Pringle is an archivist and researcher working for Forest & Bird’s Te Aumangea o te Ao Tūroa Force of Nature history project. Thank you to the Stout Trust for its generous grants that helped document and digitise Forest & Bird’s archives, including the Māori letters and pānui, at Alexander Turnbull Library.
Articles about te ao Māori and conservation appeared in the journal in the 1920s and 30s. This 1934 cover features a korimako bellbird painted by Lily Daff. Forest & Bird Archives
to the Executive pointing out a major omission – that there wasn’t one Māori name among the Society’s Vice Presidents.
“I feel this is a great mistake and I would be glad if you bring up the point at your next meeting,” sheSandersonsaid. asked Kīngi Tāhiwi for suggestions for someone who could represent Māori on the Society. Kīngi suggested his cousin Utauta Webber, the wife of Hona Webber, who lived on Kāpiti Island. The couple were friends with Sanderson and supporters of the Society’s work. He also suggested Te Tāite Te Tomo, MP for Western Māori, and New Zealand’s first Bishop of Aotearoa, Frederick Bennett. The Society wrote to all three. In 1935, Frederick Bennett (Ngāti Whakaue) accepted and became Forest & Bird’s first “Representative of the Maori Race”. By 1936, he was also listed as a Patron of the Society, alongside the Governor-General Viscount Galway, on the Society’s official letterhead and in its journal.Theestablishment of the role, while largely ceremonial, suggests the Society was anxious to reach out to Māori and demonstrate it understood and valued tangata whenua perspectives and knowledge of the natural world. In 1950, Bennett made a radio broadcast in te reo appealing for the protection of native birds, which was heard throughout Aotearoa. After his death, in 1951, the second Bishop of Aotearoa, Wiremu Pānapa (Ngāti Ruanui and Te Rarawa), became the Society’s second Māori Representative in 1952. He was also asked to honour the Society as its Patron, serving alongside the Governor-General of the day until 1968. The minutes of 13 November 1951 show that Pānapa protested the cutting of miro trees for timber all over the country, saying their fruits were needed for kererū. The matter was taken up by the then President and renowned mountaineer Arthur Harper, who wrote to the Minister of Forests Ernest Corbett expressing Bishop Pānapa’s “great concern” for the miro and kererū.
In 1968, Manuhuia Bennett, Frederick Bennett’s son, took over as Bishop of Aotearoa and served as Forest & Bird’s third Māori representative and Patron until at least 1977, when the magazine stopped listing the Society’s Patrons and Governors-General. Bishop Manuhuia retired in 1981, but no mention can be found in the magazine or Executive minutes of a new Bishop taking over. Our research has revealed that, at the beginning of Forest & Bird’s history, its founder Val Sanderson believed indigenous knowledge, expressed through kaitiakitanga guardianship and protection, could lead to better management, balance, and a more hopeful future for the country’s wildlife. Today, conservationmodernisshifting to embrace mātauranga and te ao Māori to better protect nature. As Forest & Bird embarks on this journey with the rest of Aotearoa, it’s been fascinating to look back and discover these new stories about the early Society’s efforts to engage with Māori. In 1928, the Māori journalist Rore Josephs wrote: “Every boy and girl in this fair land of Aotearoa can do a little towards helping to bind the cords of protection round the unique bird treasures of our country.” These beautiful words resound today as clearly as they did 100 years ago.
The first Bishop of Aotearoa Frederick Bennett represented Māori on the Society from 1934. Alexander Turnbull Library
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Kīngi Tāhiwi. Alexander Turnbull Library
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao40
In one case, sharks were thrown overboard alive with their jaws hanging loose after being cut through to the gills, just so the fishers could retrieve the $1 hook.
“These reports that cover a five-year period make clear this is not an isolated incident.”
“Sharks that aren’t intended to be caught and eaten should be released back to the sea alive and unharmed by cutting the line,” added Geoff. Forest & Bird is urging the fishing industry to end the practice of killing bycatch blue sharks that are not being landed for eating. We will also make a detailed submission on this issue when the Minister publishes the upcoming draft National Plan of Action on Sharks. We want to see the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries David Parker banning the horrific practice of ripping out the hooks and throwing maimed sharks back into the sea. A white pointer shark killed as bycatch. MPI If you aren’t going to eat it, then don’t kill it
Earlier this year, we discovered a series of worrying incidents involving staff on commercial fishing vessels brutally maiming or killing sharks that had been caught on the longline hooks as bycatch.
Blue sharks are being cruelly killed by New Zealand fishers working in the longline fishery, according to observer reports released to Forest & Bird under the Official Information Act.
Forest & Bird is calling for an end to the needless slaughtering of blue sharks caught as bycatch in Aotearoa waters. Ellen Rykers Forest & Bird believes the equivalent of 1500 large adult mako, blue, and porbeagle sharks a year were killed and thrown overboard from 2015 to 2021.
Blue shark. Richard Robinson
Other shark species that are sometimes caught as bycatch and discarded included Porbeagles and smaller mako. From the weight of reported discards,
MARINE
SAVE OUR SHARKS
Blue sharks are not generally caught for food in New Zealand, but it’s clear from the reports that some fishers want their hooks back even if this means an agonising –and totally unnecessary – death.
Geoff Keey, Forest & Bird’s marine spokesperson.
“It’s shocking to hear of fishers swinging sharks by their tails, throwing them in the air, or cutting ‘the jaws through to the gills and guts’.
In another observer report, the skipper urged his crew to kill every blue shark that they can to “reduce the population size”. Some fishers also think that killing top predators like sharks will mean more fish in the sea.
“New Zealanders will be as horrified as we were about what is happening on these fishing vessels,” said Forest & Bird’s marine spokesperson Geoff Keey.
TRIP ➍ “I heard the skipper, [redacted], tell a crew member that with the quota he leases, he is also allocated [a blue shark] quota. He was given the quota and told to use it by killing as many BWS [blue sharks] as possible to reduce the population size. Basically even if a [shark] is alive the crew are enticed to kill it and return it to the sea.”
“All sharks discarded, 10% brought on board to kill then thrown back. Every shark had jaw cut to get hook out.”
CRUELTY The following verbatim reports were written by official government observers who accompanied longline fishing vessels on monitoring trips between 2016 and 2021.
TRIP ➊ “Crew have also become impatient with small blue sharks that come on board alive. Rather than try and unhook them one crew member stabs them to death, removes the hook then throws them back.”
TRIP ➌ “Crew have been hauling some smaller ones onboard to retrieve the hooks. The handling of these [blue] sharks is brutal as they stand on them and cut the jaws through to the gills and guts at times to get the hooks back then discard the dying body. No effort is made to kill them first.”
TRIP ➋
OBSERVERS REPORT
“Just to clarify, all small BWS [blue sharks] are hauled on board and there [sic] jaws cut to free hook. There [sic] jaw appears to be hanging off. Observer doubts they will survive.”
“Crew member who stabbed sharks needlessly is now swinging them by their tails and throwing them as high as he can.”
“Today all eight dead BWS [blue sharks] that were returned to the sea under Schedule 6 [of the Fisheries Act] were killed deliberately and it was not necessary to do so.”
Thanks to pressure from Forest & Bird’s supporters like you, we will have more observers and cameras on boats. They will make sure our fishers are following regulations and collect vital evidence that will help convict the minority in the industry that don’t follow the rules and are hurting our marine life.
The tricks plants play to get themselves pollinated are quite wonderful and in the case of orchids a little bit saucy. Ann Graeme such as the grasses and coprosmas use it. But the wind is casual and capricious, and most of its pollen cargo is wasted. To compensate, wind-pollinated plants must produce billions of tiny pollen grains to ensure any reach their destination. The wind disperses tiny pollen grains from this Imagespollination.ensuresseparateHavingcoprosmamaleflower.plantsofsexescross-NgāManu
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao42
Sex is easy in the sea. A swimming sperm can find an egg. It’s a different story for land plants. For them, sexual reproduction was a formidable challenge, but over the course of 500 million years plants have cracked it in a variety of ingenious ways. Mosses and ferns, pioneer plants on land, sidestepped the issue by remaining reliant on dew or rain drops to transport their tiny, swimming sperm. This hugely restricted their domain. It would be the later seed-producing plants that would solve the problem and conquer the dry, inhospitable land. Naked sperm were out for land flora. Male cells became protected in a structure called a pollen grain. The challenge for these plants, now tethered to the ground, was to get their pollen transferred from male stamens to female stigma. Pollen couriers were needed, and the most desirable outcome was cross-pollination with another plant of the same species. Wind was the first courier. All the earlier conebearing plants such as kauri and some flowering plants
Pulling
IN THE FIELD
This tūī is doing its bit for plant Dominicpollination.Scott
POWER
→
In a remarkable example of co-evolution, new families of flowering plants exploited the opportunity offered by this growing diversity of insects. Insects became their courier service for the transfer of pollen. To reward their insect couriers, flowers developed sweet nectar and larger, more nutritious pollen, then scent and colourful petals to advertise this food. Nectar and pollen became an important source of food for the insects, encouraging them to recognise and seek out more flowers and, in their foraging, to accidentally transfer pollen grains from flower to flower. Most flowering plants today depend on insect pollinators. Bees are the stars in many countries, but not initially in New Zealand. Our native bees are solitary and short lived, but we have a great diversity of moths, flies, and beetles. For them, scent is a better lure than bright colours. That’s why many native flowers are small and white or cream, colours that are particularly visible to nightflying moths, and they have scent that carries far in the cool, moist night air.
A Mokohinau gecko licking pollen from its eyes as it crawls over pōhutukawa flowers, a rich source of sweet nectar.
Neil Fitzgerald Yellow admiral on hebe. Sally Phillips
The tiny white flowers of putaputawētā marbleleaf attract moths, butterflies, and beetles. Steve Attwood New Zealand was also a land of birds and lizards, and they too have a taste for nectar. That’s why our pohutukawa, rātā, and flax have scarlet flowers while kōwhai spills its golden showers. It is for geckos that flax, fuchsia, and kōwhai have deep flowers to suit their lizard tongues, and their flowers are curved to fit the beaks of tūī, korimako bellbird, tīeke saddleback, and hihi stitchbird. One might imagine this mutually beneficial relationship between animal pollinators and flowering plants could not be bettered. But there was room to improve the accuracy of pollen delivery, and this was the spur for plants to evolve new strategies – using deception and fraud!
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Time passed. Insects appeared on land. Several major insect groups, including bees, flies, butterflies and moths, and beetles, evolved in the Cretaceous period (between 145 and 65.5 million years ago).
To make sure the pollen courier gets it right, each greenhood orchid species mimics the pheromone specific to just one species of gnat. They don’t want riffraff gnats wasting their pollen and misdelivering it to other greenhood species!
→ → | Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao44
The most accomplished fraudsters of all are in the orchid family. Instead of offering nectar, which is expensive for the flower to produce, why not just pretend to offer food? Better still, why offer food at all when you can appeal to baser instincts?
THE
IN FIELD
→ species of insects. In New Zealand, it seems the hapless fungus gnat is often the fall guy. We have 50 native species of these tiny, insignificant insects. Their larvae eat fungus growing on the litter of the damp forest floor.
The gnat on this pollinateinadvertentlyspider15mm-highorchidmayhelpthespecies.MichaelPratt
This entices amorous male gnats to come from far and wide to mate with the flower, and during their lusty bouncing the orchid’s pollen balls become stuck to theirAfterbodies.awhile the gnat, frustrated but undaunted, tries his luck in another flower and will likely transfer the pollen, thus ensuring the orchids’ reproduction.
Yes, bizarre as it may seem, the flowers of our native greenhood orchids pretend to offer insects sex. They exude a chemical cocktail mimicking the sex pheromone of a fungus gnat.
These are just two of the tricks in the orchids’ pollination handbook – tricks that have enabled their plant family to become one of the biggest and most widespread on Earth, with more than 25,000 species.
Spider orchids emit a mushroom aroma that attracts both male and female gnats. They cluster on the flower thinking it’s a source of food and mate. Then the female, searching for the phantom fungus on which to lay her eggs, inadvertently picks up the orchid pollen. She may even lay her eggs on the orchid flower, but eventually she will visit another flower and deliver the pollen to the right address.
Over the millions of years since the first fragile plants managed to get a foothold on land, they have evolved into the diverse and dazzling flora that clothes the Earth Pollinationtoday.was one of the most difficult of the many challenges land plants faced, and the prize for the most bizarre, elegant, and inventive solutions must surely go to the orchids.
Worldwide, many orchids play this trick on different Greenhood orchid. Gael Donaghy A fungus gnat with two balls of orchid pollen attached.
Georgina Upson
“Kiwis love the outdoors, and we all want to protect the biodiversity which makes our country so special,” he said.
JohnKeithOatesWoodley.LukeAppleby
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As tens of thousands of bar-tailed godwits left Aotearoa for their annual long-distance migration earlier this year, one expert warned their habitats continue to be under threat from human practices.
“The mangrove zone is expanding on to the mudflats, and with sea-level rise gradually occurring on the seaward side tidal flats will diminish and the area of foraging available for the birds will diminish.”
GODWITS FLY INTO TROUBLE
Keith said godwits were also being pushed out of their habitats in East Asia.
The trust monitors godwit numbers here and around the world – even organising several trips into normally closed North Korea to count birds there! But educating people is also key – and that begins at Pūkorokoro.
David Bricklebank, of the ANZ Staff Foundation, praised the inspirational work being carried out by the Miranda Shorebird Centre.
45Winter 2022 |
Human activities are threatening kuaka bar-tailed godwits as their habitats continue to shrink in Aotearoa and abroad.
“The overall health of the Firth of Thames, as part of the Hauraki Gulf, is not good,” said Keith Woodley, Manager of Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre.
Luke Appleby
Check out a video of Keith Woodley being interviewed about godwits at tiny.cc/godwits
One of New Zealand’s largest and most important godwit habitats is located at Pūkorokoro Miranda on the low-lying western shores of the Firth of Thames, southeast of Auckland. Sea-level rise, fuelled by climate change, and habitat loss caused by human land use are beginning to put the squeeze on the area available to shorebirds for grazing.
“The mangrove expansion at the southern end of the Firth over the last few decades has been very unnatural. It’s a response to what we’ve done in the catchment –land use practices, excess sediments, nutrients, stop banks – all that sort of stuff.
“Reclamation for development, industry, building, big aquaculture operations, deep sea ports, oil drilling – there’s a lot of activity around the Yellow Sea coast which has impacted on tidal flats.
Shore guide Hera Clark with a oystercatcher.variableLukeAppleby Kuaka are nature’s long-haul air travellers, undertaking incredible non-stop flights each year between New Zealand, East Asia, and the Russian and Alaskan tundra, with their longest flight coming in around 12,000km.
BIODIVERSITY
“The habitat loss in the East Asian area where they stop, on the coasts of China and Korea, has been colossal in the last few decades,” he said.
“We are responsible – us people – we’re responsible for almost all of it.”
Last year, the Trust received a $16,000 grant from the ANZ Staff Foundation to help fund a new shore guide.
The Pūkorokoro Miranda Naturalists Trust was established in 1975 and a visitor centre completed in 1993. Today, thousands of people visit during the summer and autumn for a first-hand view of the birds.
During the godwit season, Hera Clark, a former park ranger and kauri dieback advocate from Kaiaua enjoyed meeting visitors and helping them understand more about our incredible shorebirds.
Kākahi can be smothered by freshwater weeds. Warrick Powrie
My research shows that mussel populations undergoing prolonged and repeated periods WITH THE FLOW
Freshwater ecologist and kākahi expert Tom Moore shines a light on the secret underwater world of freshwater mussels.
FRESHWATER
The freshwater weed problem at Lake Karāpiro. Warrick Powrie
Dr Tom Moore. Warrick Powrie
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao46
My PhD research has shown kākahi (Echyridella menziesii) are threatened by invasive freshwater weeds, particularly in lakes where low flow can exacerbate weed impacts on water quality. Introduced to Aotearoa by aquarium traders, some freshwater weeds, including egeria (Egeria densa) and hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), have become invasive and now dominate the near-shore areas of many hydroreservoirs, including in my study area, Karāpiro.
While efforts are being made to restore kākahi beds in parts of Aotearoa, targeted conservation action in the past was hindered by the sparse knowledge of their intricate life cycle and juvenile mussel habitat.
To find out whether the kākahi in Karāpiro have been evicted by their new, invasive landlords, we conducted a dive survey to compare near-shore areas inside and outside weed beds over the summer of 2019. As with terrestrial plants, freshwater weeds produce and consume oxygen. However, in dense beds, their high respiration rate can produce overnight low oxygen events where mussels live. Furthermore, when freshwater weeds die off at the end of summer, their mass decomposition extends low oxygen events – a process that can also be initiated by herbicide application for weed biocontrol.
These nuisance weeds can reduce the oxygen content of the water overnight, increase ammonia levels near the lakebed, and trap sediments that potentially smother our native downstreamKarāpirobivalves.isthemosthydro-reservoir of the mighty Waikato River and is home to a large kākahi population, but over the last 50 years invasive weed beds have encroached into the neighbourhood.
GOING
Traditionally an important food source and cutting tool, kākahi freshwater mussels are now widely valued throughout Aotearoa as water filters that help clean our waterbodies and maintain ecosystem health. The service kākahi provide in improving water quality can also help other animals live in lakes and rivers, and makes the water safer for human recreational activities and food Despiteharvesting.beingataonga for Māori, kākahi are in trouble, and many populations are declining in Aotearoa and worldwide. Their other te reo names include kāeo and torewai.
Host JuvenileAdult Glochidia Kākahicyclelife Maturation 47Winter 2022 |
The future management of freshwater ecosystems needs to consider the context in which invasive freshwater weeds – and their biocontrol – impacts on the life-supporting conditions for freshwaterFortunately,mussels.flow management, at least in hydro-reservoirs, can offer part of the solution.
First, the adult mussels release parasitic larvae (glochidia) that attach onto suitable fish hosts, including kōaro and pōrohe smelt, using specialised hooks. Once safely attached to their host, the larvae become enclosed in a cyst for a couple of weeks, usually on the fish’s fins and gills, before dropping off as juvenile mussels. At this point, the juveniles become vulnerable to introduced weeds. As they mature, they are also vulnerable to being eaten by predators, including rats and pūkeko, as documented by Dr Bridgette Farnworth. Overseas, freshwater mussels are consumed by wild pigs. Another barrier to successful breeding is the loss of native fish in a water body, reducing the number of hosts available for its larvae. Scientists believe increasing water flow can help freshwater mussel populations survive. Linton Miller with low oxygen may become adult dominated as sensitive juveniles die and are not replaced year after year. Adult mussels can wait out low oxygen events and filter feed from freshly mixed water. But pedalfeeding juvenile mussels live within the sediments and cannot avoid low-oxygen conditions, making them vulnerable to aquatic weeds.This difference in residence exposes juveniles to another threat – smothering from sediments that accumulate around the roots of freshwater weeds, an efficient trap for suspended particles.
The loss of juveniles will lead to population declines in the long term. The timing of freshwater weed impacts is most pronounced in summer, which coincides with mussel reproduction that may cause further complications for their life cycle (see right).
FertilisationSettlement
For example, increasing the amount of water mixing within a lake can reduce prolonged low-oxygen events at key times, including overnight in summer and during mass weed decomposition
Juvenile freshwater mussels are especially vulnerable to introduced weeds. Michéle Melchior Dr Tom musselsandnativebetweeninteractionshisconductedMoorePhDonnon-speciesfreshwaterattheUniversity of Waikato. He communicates science through various outlets, including his personal website: www.mooreecology.com. events, which, if herbicide induced, could be managed concurrently.
There is still much to discover about the detailed life cycle of kākahi, but it’s known that native fish play a vital role.
Interestingly, hydro-generation reservoirs that provide ideal conditions for invasive freshwater weed growth may also offer solutions to reduce their impact through the management of the overarching hydrology (water flow).
LIFE CYLE OF A MUSSELFRESHWATER
In addition, increasing flow could dislodge or prevent sediment build up in some areas, leading to an improvement in near-shore habitat for juvenile mussels. This was found during my Karāpiro research in areas exposed to water release by the upstream Arapuni hydropower station. Higher densities of juvenile mussels occurred beneath invasive freshwater weeds in areas where faster flows were frequent, which promoted reduced sediment build up and anoxic conditions.
Although a tradeoff with hydropower generation, this can be implemented now to protect freshwater mussels – the unsung heroes that clean our waterways.
Infestation
Kororā on Mana Island. John Cockrem
The $5 note was found in a nest box on Mana Island, where a penguin was incubating two eggs. John nicknamed the bird his “$5 penguin”.
“It’s important to find out as much as we can about kororā. The health of the little penguin populations reflect the overall health of the marine environment,” he adds.
SEABIRDS
Plastic found in one kororā nestbox on Mana Island. John Cockrem
Kororā are also facing the impact of climate change, which is changing the penguins’ feeding, nesting, and breeding habits.
The tatty $5 note and plastic coffee cup lid
Professor John Cockrem carries in a sealed plastic bag are not beachcomber’s treasure. He keeps them in his office to show people what he finds in the nests of the kororā (little penguin) colonies he Thestudies.items are symbols of his concern at the plight of kororā in the face of plastic waste proliferation.
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao48
“The presence of rubbish in penguin nests on an offshore island shows the importance of reducing the use of disposable plastic,” he said.
$5 PENGUIN Penguin ProfessorscientistJohnCockrem is concerned at the amount of plastic being washed up on our shores and ending up in the nests of penguins.
The Professor of Comparative Endocrinology in the School of Veterinary Science at Massey University, John specialises in seabird conservation and has been studying Aotearoa’s kororā and other penguin species forHedecades.hasestablished a kororā study on Mana Island, a predator-free scientific reserve off the coast of Porirua, Wellington, where he has found plastic washed up onshore and in nests. Penguins may mistake the waste for shells or nesting material and use them in constructing nests.
“The danger is that straps and cord in nests can result in penguin adults or chicks becoming tangled in theJohnplastic.”has been monitoring the health of kororā around Aotearoa for many years and has a collection of photos showing plastic ending up in their habitats. He urges the public not leave plastic and other waste behind when they are out in nature.
“If parents can’t get enough food for their young, it can result in abandoned nests and more chick deaths,” he Researchingsays. penguins’ breeding success and foraging provides insight into what is happening to them far out at sea.
Professor John Cockrem with a $5 note and a coffee cup plastic lid – just some of the litter he’s found in penguin nests on Mana Island, north of Wellington.
John’s research includes tracking penguins when they are out foraging in the ocean, and he’s discovered many are swimming much further from Mana Island than expected in search of food. He suspects this may be linked to warmer sea temperatures, which can affect the food chain and the availability of food sources.
$5 note in kororā (little penguin) nestbox on Mana Island. John Cockrem
THE
To find out more, contact Andrea at andrea. westphal@eli.org.nz or go to https://www.nzpi.nz
Andrea Westphal and Brittany Florence-Bennett checking nest boxes at Forest & Bird’s Places for Penguins project in Wellington.
The New Zealand Penguin Initiative wants to hear from you if you run a kororā conservation project or are interested in establishing a new group.
Everyone loves kororā, but how much do we really know about our lovable little blue penguins and the impacts of global warming, fishing, and other threats on their lives? New Zealand may be the seabird capital of the world, but most of our penguin populations are in trouble. They are facing numerous risks, including warming oceans, habitat loss, plastic pollution, and climate change.TheNew Zealand Penguin Initiative (NZPI), established in 2019, is on a mission to turn this around by finding out more about kororā and supporting the many dedicated volunteers working to protect penguins in their local area. Through practical advice, resources, and research, including investigating diet and diseases, NZPI aims to be the country’s one-stop shop for community groups with a passion for penguin conservation.
Andrea Westphal shows Keith Bowie how to microchip a kororā chick on the capital’s south coast.
. Counting SEABIRDS 49Winter 2022 |
NZPI, which is part of the Environmental Law Initiative, is working with Forest & Bird’s Places for Penguins project in Wellington and our Warkworth Branch’s Kororā Little Penguin project at Leigh. It is also supporting our South Otago and Southland branches’ new kororā project at Tautuku, in the Catlins, which includes monitoring the penguins with trail cameras.“Wecan help link up different groups around the country as well as providing the equipment, resources, support, training, and data they need to do their jobs well,” says Andrea Westphal, who manages NZPI’s community conservation programme.
“We’d love to hear from any Forest & Bird branches already working with kororā or who want to start a penguin project and need some support to get it off the ground,” says Dr Hiltrun Ratz, NZPI’s lead penguin scientist.“Ouraim is to make a real difference for our penguins by supporting the community groups working to protect them and their habitats. We want to help them become more resilient.
KORORĀ
Caroline Wood
“We are also coordinating population data across groups to help us understand nationwide trends. In parts of Aotearoa, we know nothing about the local
penguin population, and we are hoping Forest & Bird members will help us fill in the gaps.”
“We don’t know how they are doing nationally because no-one’s been looking. The first step is to ask people to monitor and count penguins to give us a clearer picture of how many there are and where they live.”Andrea is also a volunteer for Forest & Bird’s Places for Penguins project, which carries out predator control and monitoring of kororā along the capital’s southern coastline.NZPIsupports Places for Penguins by providing microchipping equipment and data readers, assisting with DOC permits and record-keeping, and helping with“Localadvocacy.groups keep the copyright to their data, and it is only analysed and published with their consent,” adds Hiltrun.While aimed predominantly at kororā little penguins, NZPI would also love to hear from anyone involved in the conservation of other species, such as hoiho and Fiordland crested penguins.
Nearby lies the Chapman Reserve, a 20ha parcel of land owned by Forest & Bird. The reserve lies at the northern end of Lake McKerrow next to the Hollyford River as it heads out to the ocean at Martins Bay. Cloaked in kamahi, rātā, kōwhai, and abundant ferns, the reserve is visible to walkers as they approach the coast from a day tramping the Hollyford Track. It forms a part of the magnificent forest backdrop that draws those seeking wilderness, tranquillity, and remoteness to enjoy the abundant nature in the area.
LOST WORLD OF MOA
Gifted to Forest & Bird to stop future development, the Chapman Reserve in Fiordland has an intriguing history. Michael Pringle
FOREST & BIRD RESERVE
Looking down the Hollyford Valley to the Tasman Sea. On the left, Wakatipu Waitai Lake McKerrow and, on the right, Wawahi Waka Lake Alabaster. Hollyford Wilderness Experience www.hollyfordtrack.com
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao50
While researching Forest & Bird’s 100-year history, I discovered some fascinating facts about how the Chapman Reserve came to be gifted to Forest & Bird in the 1980s.
The land was originally purchased by the Victorian artist Ernest Chapman, a New Zealand pastoralist born in Wellington in 1847. He was not a successful farmer, however, and is better known for his landscape painting. During the 1870s, attempts were made to open up Lake McKerrow’s shores for timber milling and gold prospecting, and a small settlement called Jamestown was built on the northern side of the lake. It proved to be a failure, with the logistics of landing ships at Martins Bay and ferrying supplies over to the small town being too difficult.Thecommunity struggled on, with frequent talk of a road being constructed from Queenstown, up the Hollyford Valley, and out to sea keeping hopes alive. Perhaps it was with this in mind that Ernest Chapman bought his parcel of land in 1877, hoping that one day the shipping port would be built at Martins Bay, bringing prosperity to the area. Fortunately for those lucky enough to walk into this isolated piece of paradise, it was never to be – although the idea of building a road through the area connecting Otago with the West Coast continues right into the 21st century.
Lake McKerrow painted by Ernest Chapman in 1924. Alexander Turnbull
VictorianLibraryartist Ernest Chapman. Alexander Turnbull Library
Thanks to the foresight of the Chapman family and others, you can only walk into Martins Bay via the fourday Hollyford Track, a roadless wilderness that connects the Fiordland mountains to the sea. This area in the north of Fiordland National Park used to be moa country. Just a century ago, Martin’s Bay was the scene of a small blue moa sighting, the veracity of which has never been completely disproved – although it was probably a takahē!
04 801 2212 or email j.prestwood@forestandbird.org.nz
In 1878, Ernest transferred his interest in the land to his brother Frederick Chapman, who was a lawyer, an ethnologist, and the country’s first New Zealand-born Supreme Court judge. He must have had some interest in conservation as he had been appointed a wildlife ranger for the Dunedin district in 1876. During a sailing excursion the same year, Frederick was to enthuse in his diary that the Fiordland area was extraordinarily beautiful, “a glorious sight unsurpassed perhaps on Earth”. Later knighted, Sir Frederick accepted an invitation in 1934 to become a Vice President of the Society, an honour that recognised his work to protect the country’s forests and
Frederick and Clara Chapman (centre) with daughter Clara (Vera) Eichelbaum and three grandchildren (Mary, Margaret, and Ann). Supplied
A corner of Chapman’s Reserve can be seen in this photo taken by Rachel Patrick, Frederick Chapman’s great-grand daughter, in 1987. • ChapmanReserve Fiordland
Find out more about Forest & Bird’s conservation work at www.forestandbird.org.nz A gift to Forest & Bird can make your wishes come true.
Close your eyes and imagine New JoincludinginvestingIfyounaturalZealand’sworldaswanttoseeityou’dliketotalkinconfidenceaboutinnatureinyourlifetimeoragiftinyourwill,pleasecallPrestwood
itthatEichelbaumEncumbrance1986,towaylandgranddaughters1980s,otherProperty.seriouslyInexpressedsuccessivethroughpayingupgrandfatherTheyAnn,handswhenEichelbaumtoinNationalpartundisturbed,Frederick’sbirdlife.landremainedeffectivelybecomingofthenewlyformedFiordlandParkin1904.Onhisdeath1936,ownershiptransferredhisdaughterClaraVera(knownasVera).Itwasheldintrustuntil1957,itpassedintothecollectiveofVera’sfourdaughters–Mary,Margaret,andCatherine.wouldlaterrecallhowtheirFredericksignedthemasjuniorForest&Birdmembers,theirdues.Threatsofaroadcontinuedthe1970sand1980s,whentourismministersenthusiasticsupport.2013,theroadproposalwasrevivedbyWestlandSensitivetotheroadinganddevelopmentthreatsintheFrederickChapman’sfourmovedtohavethesafeguardedforever.Thebesttodothis,theyconsidered,wasdonateittoForest&Bird.TheownershipwasgiftedinwithaMemorandumofsignedbetweenthefamilyandtheSocietybindsForest&Birdtoprotectinitsnaturalstate.
The Chapman Reserve was, and remains, a privately held block within the Fiordland National Park. In 1989, the Society entered into a Protected Private Land Agreement with DOC, which ensures the land is properly looked after as part of the conservation estate.Crucially, it also gives the Society special standing if new roading plans or other development is ever contemplated in the Now,future.andwe expect forever, visitors can enjoy the same sublime view down Lake McKerrow from the land that moved Ernest Chapman to paint it so beautifully in 1924.
Wetlands once spanned the entire length of the Kāpiti Coast and beyond, a distance of 100km from Paekākāriki. For thousands of years, rain ran from the hills to the dunes, soaking deep into the land behind them, along with layers of leaves, moss, and other organic fragments carried with it. The wetland became a rich storehouse and taonga for Māori who paddled its ancient watery laneways, gathering harekeke and kai. For Europeans, though, it was “The Great Swamp”, an obstacle to the new life they were creating. In the centuries since, it’s been drained, dried, fenced, farmed, and built over so that now only 2% remains, even less than the 10% across New Zealand. Today, desirable beach communities hug the coast. Its boundary is a northbound expressway from Wellington and a commuter line carrying people to and from the capital. The little left is hard to find. I imagine it seen from above, a scattering of tiny jewels.InJune, when Claire and I visited, a dull morning had given way to a low wintry sun as we finally chanced upon the restored wetland we’d been searching for all day. Its dark glimmer perfectly reflected the sky’s blue brilliance, rows of tī kōuka guarded its edges, flurries of pīwakawaka swooping around us as we approached through mānuka hollows. The elusive wetland felt like a secret finallyThattold.evening, I spoke to Russell Bell, a key figure in the Kāpiti wetland restoration. He likened dried peatland to a boiling furnace, releasing 29,000 tonnes of stored carbon per hectare per year. Rewetting, a relatively straightforward and cost-effective process, he explained, not only turns it off, but sucks carbon dioxide out of the air too, two tonnes per hectare per year, 35–57 times faster than a tropical forest. After such a day, these numbers gave me hope. With their power to sequester carbon, to cool, filter, clean, absorb, and protect, in their role as habitat for rare native birds, fish, invertebrates, and plants, wetlands are our superpower, a precious gift be treasured, not an obstacle in our way. They are the way.
For more information, see https://www.26.org.uk/projects/26-habitats
BIODIVERSITY
WRITER Jayne Workman ARTISTIC PARTNER
In the third of our 26 Habitats NZ series, four leading New Zealand writers contemplate the power of restoring nature for people and planet. Each writer/artist pairing had to write a centena, essay, artwork, and pledge inspired by their chosen habitat.
LOST Now we know, a ‘Great Swamp’ once ran the length of this Kāpiti Coast, down to its windswept dunes, soaking up storms’ surge and mountains’ flow, before beach houses, tarmac, fences and farms. Fluid edges, ebbing with the absorbing,seasons, filtering, cooling, spiky tī kōuka and harakeke perfectly mirrored in its glimmer. Ancient alchemy buried deep, secretly, silently locking away in its peaty storehouse, the carbon we’re leaching, protecting us, from the future we’re creating, holding in its tiny jewelled remnants more than all the world’s forests ever could, There’sleft.littlesowitheven no excuse, now we know.
A GREAT SWAMP | KĀPITI COAST
Claire Bell
TOO PRECIOUS TO LOSE
PERSONAL PLEDGE Kaitiakitanga: to make an impact on climate change by finding a local wetland project and donating my time and energy to restoring it to full health.The Great Swamp. Claire Bell
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao52
MY PLACE | LAKE PUPUKE WRITER AND ARTIST Richard
From the shore see Heldwater.byheart-shaped land, a cradle for life, for WaterThirstWhose?lives.slaker.forurbanites past. Coloniser’s children. Exploiters, users, Polluters, kayakers, imprinters on Pupuke and mana. A centuries old pool centred – no feeding streams. Formed they say after tupua –children of fire gods –upset fire goddess Mahuika. How dare they? Her ire – white hot and furious, Sated by Matahoe, god of earthquakes and eruptions. Destruction leaving the pit for water a geographic deduction. A lava forest left as molten rock Rangitotosurfaced. rose. And beckons. A counterpoint inflection strong. Seen from the shore. talk about how Lake Pupuke was dangerous.Therewas talk that it was bottomless and, if you fell out of a water craft and got tangled in the weeds, the lake would swallow you and hold you for its own. That alone was enough to scare me (and my siblings) to make sure we never sailed without a lifejacket. More importantly, as I learned more about this marvellous in-themiddle-of-a-city lake, I began to see it as a taonga, a treasure not just for Takapuna, or the North Shore, but as a precious item for all in Aotearoa New Zealand. Lake Pupuke was once a source of water for Auckland, and its pumphouse has been re-purposed into a theatre and performance venue. As we recognise its recent history under European settlement, and try to grasp at its pre-contact past, we are left (or I am left) with recognising how important it is on a number of levels. The lake is a precious body of fresh water and thereby a figure that enables us to ponder care. Care not only for the environment it sits within, but by extension care for the broader environment and naturally for each other.
For as long as I can remember, Lake Pupuke and its relationship to Rangitoto in the Waitematā Harbour has been part of my everyday life growing up in Milford.Everyday, I passed what locals called “the lake” on the way to school on the bus, riding my Raleigh 20 bike, or walking. It was an everchanging yet constant something one had to go around to get anywhere south. It was where I learned to sail in a marine blue wooden sunburst yacht that would be towed behind my parents’ yellow Mini Clubman to the boat ramp. It was a lake inevitably full of other little yachts, kayaks, and then windsurfers. The park was where I would walk our Airedale terriers, where some young people would gather to smoke cigarettes and where picnickers would lay down mats on a fine day. On another level, it was a site of mystery and foreboding energy. From a young age at St Joseph’s Primary, in Takapuna, and then at Rosmini College, there would be Pamatatau
PERSONAL PLEDGE Lake Pupuke is like a person needing to be cared for, and I will do what I can to let that notion be known to people I engage with.Lake Pupuke. Richard Pamatatau
53Winter 2022 |
Given the lake’s degraded but not irreversible state, it provides us with an opportunity to think deeply about the place and space we inhabit in the natural and changing world.Nothing happens by accident, and I want following generations to be able to engage as I have with the lake, as something to go around, to walk beside, to sail on, to be with.
WHAT REMAINS
Blake Li
On this trip, I realised the importance of our wild places. How we function differently in these environments. How they remove the business of our modern world. Allowing our brains room not to turn off but to breath. It’s akin to meditation.Beingin these places, in these states of mind, it’s important for our stability and connection. We can’t lose them. We need to cherish the place that birthed us.
WILD PLACE | WAITOMO WRITER Chris Bowring ARTISTIC PARTNER Blake
BIODIVERSITY
PERSONAL PLEDGE I pledge to occasionally escape the modern world, to seek out spiritual rejuvenation in the wild places we take for granted and to protect them passionately. Waitomo cave.
Anormal day. The suburbs. I wake up and without a second thought my brain latches onto its digital tether. Thousands of posts, thoughts, irrelevant and addictive. Do I feel anxious or do I always feel like this? I meet with Blake, photographer/partner.myIt’s a threehour drive to Waitomo. I hope we have enough to talk about, enough in common. I don’t want it to be awkward. We get on just fine. We talk about photography, games, tv shows, storytelling, advertising, friends, studying, what comes next. Am I talking too much? We drive past multiple billboards. Maybe I do need an Apple watch? We arrive at the caves and commence the tour. I take notes. There’s too much information to remember. I’m trying to derive what I’m feeling emotionally in response to this place. What if I don’t come up with anything? Next, a tramp through the surrounding bush. I hope it doesn’t rain. Drenched, I take in my surroundings.Competing sounds: the crunching of stones and dead leaves beneath my feet, the growing momentum of a river’s surge, the soft pummelling of water droplets on my bag. Rain at home feels like a hail of bullets, a racket atop my roof, a barrage of gunfire on the concrete slabs. Here it feels friendly. It bounces off the leaves and coats lichen-absorbed trees before finishing its adventure to the soil. It feeds the hungry, a giver and friend. There are no bright lights, decorative signs, or desperate grabs for attention. The entire world is painted in the same fluffy green.Blake and I don’t talk. We silently follow the path, clambering through crevices, huffing as the track steepens, taking pictures of limestone structures along the way. I lookThereup.is a patchy quilt draped over the sky, letting in puzzle pieces of sunlight but not its whole picture.Idon’t think or feel. I have no commentary. I’m just noticing. I’m just being. Li WHAT ONE WAS AND CURRENTLY IS, WAITOMO I hunger for adventure. The entrance devours light. Its darkness definitive. Mystery invites; Witness stone in Seamotion.beds of different millennia. Tunnels dug with natural rage. What indomitable hydra or defining challenge will you face? A command to explore, to live. A yearning from my soul. I’m Suddenly,starving.floodlights reveal the cave. I see its innards, stretch marks, Thewrinkles.silence sharp. I hear nothing inside me. No call. Land claimed and seen; That makes it Theless. experience dulled, tailored and WhatWhatWhatTheneutered.tourbegins.Iseekisgone.Ineed.Ihungerfor.
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao54
WRITER Paul White ARTISTIC PARTNER Peter Gilderdale
MOTUIHE (A STORY OF NEW ZEALAND) Rare footprints here were once the human ones. Bare Māori feet came first then Brits in boots buying land with blankets hoes and iron pots where money made no sense. But even then the thieving rats had trampled through the forest and found feasts of gecko, skink, and tuatara eggs, tīeke’s too. The hooves arrived, cow, sheep, pig, horse, but no one knew outcasts were on their way, the sick and war-torn stumbled on. Time came to make a stand. Kahikatea now take root, korimako roost again, while step by step wētāpunga and the Duvaucel make delicate rare footprints here.
We found a living example of the Māori proverb “Ka mua, ka muri”walking backwards into the future. Motuihe is on a path of restoration that some determined human beings have made a reality. They were able to use seeds from the mature trees that survived to plant hundreds of thousands of “old” trees. We walked among them, heard the tīeke saddleback that thrives here now, and saw a whopping great kererū on a branch. We searched crevices in gnarly bark for signs of Aotearoa’s largest gecko, the Duvaucel, and we found those signs. We spent hours seeking out the shy, nocturnal wētāpunga – New Zealand’s giant, scarylooking, flightless cricket, and one of the heaviest insects in the world. We never found it but saw its tracks, and we know that it’s there, alive and well. Motuihe is not what it once was. After all it’s been through it can never be. Humans turned this island into a derelict place, overrun by weeds and vermin. Humans are now turning it into a sanctuary for birds, insects, reptiles, and, yes, people to share. This story of an upside-down comma floating in the ocean could give us all pause for thought. Can’t what is being achieved on Motuihe, be achieved on the rest of the planet too?
Regeneration. Peter Gilderdale
RESTORATION
The jetty was crowded. A couple of hundred tara white-fronted terns were there to greet us. Sitting like sentinels in two lines as we walked between them from the boat to the shore. That was the first surprise. The second was how narrow the island is at the top, a long thin strip jutting into the ocean and the rest of it fattening out below, a sort of upside-down comma floating in the sea. It wasn’t until after we had been there, on a cold, grey winter day, that I discovered Motuihe is uncannily similar in shape to the North Island of New Zealand. And it’s not just the shape, we discovered; the whole island echoes the history of habitation since humans first set foot in Aotearoa. Deforestation, farming, war, disease, and “progress” all made what might have seemed like their indelible marks on Motuihe too. More than carbon footprints have taken their toll. But we found Motuihe far from on its last legs (although we were nearly on ours after we had walked its length and breadth).
TIME | MOTUIHE ISLAND
Te Ika-a-Māui (left) and Motuihe Island (right).
PERSONAL PLEDGE I will heed Christina Rosetti’s words: “Tread softly! All the Earth is holy ground.” And I will join the Motuihe volunteers as often as I can.
55Winter 2022 |
“The Blunt team loves working on collaborative projects like this that have a deeper purpose and a greater good,” added Greig.
The Blunt Umbrella canopy provides the perfect canvas to showcase New Zealand’s incredibly special birdlife, says Forest & Bird relationship manager Jo Prestwood.“It’sapleasure to partner with a creative New Zealand-based company with a strong sense of responsibility to its customers and the“Keepenvironment.youreyes peeled for some special Blunt Umbrella giveaways in the run up to New Zealand’s most hotly contested bird election of the year.”
The idea to develop a better umbrella first came to him while doing his OE in London in 1999. The tall Kiwi was navigating a crowded and rainy Regent Street, dodging poor-quality umbrellas and the risk of being poked in the eye.
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao56
We recently caught up with Greig Brebner, the founder of Blunt Umbrellas, to find out why his company is supporting Forest & Bird’s work.
Greig and his team deeply value responsible consumerism and caring for the planet. These values led them to work with Forest & Bird.
Many of us have misplaced or replaced an umbrella in our life, but a new Bird of the Year brolly from Blunt Umbrellas is one you will definitely want to hang on to. The limited edition umbrella combines engineering excellence with a vibrant canopy design by one of New Zealand’s leading native bird artists, Melissa Boardman. The stunning design (under wraps for now!) features the last five Bird of the Year winners, and a proportion of the proceeds from sales will go to Forest & Bird. It will be launched ahead of this year’s Bird of the Year competition in October.
Blunt Umbrellas founder Greig Brebner, an engineer with a lifelong passion for design, wanted to create a long-lasting brolly and change the perception of umbrellas as cheap throwaway items.
“I knew it would be difficult, and that’s what appealed to me. I felt if it was easy to come up with a better umbrella everyone would be doingAfterit.”a number of years of experimentation, Greig came up with a design that allowed the umbrella to resist the fiercest of weather events. Revolutionary and patented rounded umbrella tips prevent potential eye injuries and ensured a distinctive shape. Sales started in 2009, and today Blunt Umbrellas are sold in New Zealand and Australia and around 28 other countries. It was a hard road to disrupt what is a very traditional industry, and Greig acknowledges the key contributions of early partners in getting the company off the ground.
“People are better to spend more money now and know they’re going to have an amazing experience for many years with that one product rather than have a bad experience with a multitude of throwaway products,” he said. “It’s really about that buy-for-life mentality.”
As part of Blunt’s commitment to maintaining a life-long relationship with customers, the company offers a two-year guarantee, as well as a full repair and spare parts service globally.
OUR PARTNERS BEAUTIFULBROLLY
FOREST & BIRD BRANCH REWILDING TE PUNA
“Potential species that could be using the site but haven’t yet been seen are the cryptic pūweto spotless crake, koitareke marsh crake, and mātātā North Island fernbird,” adds Paul.
Toutouwai North Island robin. Paul Gibson
The data covers 87% of Forest & Bird’s branches, major projects, KCC, and Youth. 24,000Check traps and bait stations 48,000haRestore of nature 37,000Grow trees and plants to donate 64,000Plant plants 8000Weed hours 2021, more than 3400 Forest & Bird volunteers gave 124,000 hours to: Student volunteers at l’Anson Bush Reserve last year. Michele Beatson
A group of dedicated volunteers meet at the reserve every third Thursday of the month to undertake animal and plant pest control, but feral cats are still a threat as toutouwai spend time on the forest floor foraging for insects.
Toutouwai North Island robins have been absent from the Te Puna landscape, west of Tauranga, probably since the native forests were cleared in the 1800s. So a recent sighting of the friendly little bird at l’Anson Bush Reserve was very exciting for local reserveTheconservationists.regionallysignificantwaspastureuntilthe late 1980s, when the land was donated to the QEII Trust by locals Takiko and Keith l’Anson. They wanted to see it developed into an area for wildlife and people to enjoy. An intensive planting programme began, supported by many locals, including the Tauranga Branch of Forest & Bird. The result of their efforts is an outstanding and magnificent miniature native forest that the Waikaraka Stream passes through on its way towards Tauranga Harbour.“Thereserve offers well over 20 species of birds and can potentially be a sanctuary for many more,” says local bird enthusiast and volunteer Paul Cuming. “This is due to the increasingly mature stands of rimu, kahikatea, kānuka, and mānuka, and the pest-control efforts currently being employed there.” Other less common bird species of note are the presence of pārere pure grey ducks and kererū.
In 2018, The Friends of l’Anson Bush Reserve was formed, supported by Forest & Bird’s Tauranga Branch, the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, and the QEII Trust.
Volunteers have been reclaiming the reserve from the many invasive weeds over the last three years.
“We can literally feel the reserve beginning to thrive. The mauri of the land is returning. It is almost as if the weeds can feel that their efforts are futile. They are getting our message – you are not welcome here!” adds Kate. The reserve is open to the public, and all are welcome. Check out the Friends of l’Anson Bush Reserve Facebook page for a video of the toutouwai and for details of upcoming conservation activities or email tauranga.branch@ forestandbird.org.nz
WEEKVOLUNTEERSNATIONAL2022
“Thank you to all the passionate Forest & Bird volunteers who gifted their time last year to help protect and restore nature. Whether it was through advocacy, trapping, planting, weeding, supporting our KCC kids, working with our history project, or volunteering at national office, every hour you gave made a huge difference to our conservation work. Ngā mihi nui!” Nicola Toki, Forest & Bird’s chief executive. If you want to volunteer with Forest & Bird, contact Claire Shepherd at forestandbird.org.nzc.shepherd@
During
More than 30 years of volunteer efforts have helped restore the dawn chorus in the Bay of Plenty. Kate Loman-Smith
57Winter 2022 |
As New Zealand opens its borders and we adjust to the new normal, exploring our world and reconnecting with loved ones is an exciting reality. Whether you choose to travel locally or further afield, now is a good time to make your travels more sustainable. It can seem daunting, but it’s easy to make eco-friendly travel choices when you know what to do.
n Moana Road bamboo cutlery set – go to https:// www.moanaroad.com n stainless steel straws and bamboo toothbrushes by Go Bamboo – go to https://gobamboo.co.nz n Ethique solid hair, body, and skincare products – go to https://ethiqueworld.com.
Staying at eco-friendly accommodation is one of the easiest ways to be a sustainable traveller. There are forward-thinking companies around the world that are carbon neutral, support their local communities, and minimise their impacts on the surrounding environment. We also have some great eco-resorts, environmentally friendly lodges, and sustainable Airbnb accommodation here in New Zealand. Simply do a quick search on the internet for eco-accommodation at your chosen destination and have fun choosing a place that suits your needs. Once you’ve got your accommodation sorted, ask your host for some local activities and tours you can join that have great ecocredentials.
We all love a far-flung adventure, but travelling locally can be just as much fun. It is a great idea during Covid times when travel plans can change abruptly, and it helps you to be more sustainable by reducing your travel miles. Grab a map of New Zealand, drop a pin, and start exploring our diverse towns, cities, and wild spaces!
GOING PLACES
Here are some ideas for how to tread more lightly on the planet while travelling. Kathryn Curzon
Sustainable TIPSTRAVEL | Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao58
EXPLORE CLOSER TO HOME
DITCH THE SINGLE-USE PLASTICS
It’s easy to slip into bad habits when you go on holiday and fill your luggage with plastic travel minis and disposable items. But with a bit of preparation, you can make better choices for the environment and avoid the need to use single-use plastics when you travel. These are some beautiful nature-friendly items made by New Zealand companies to add to your luggage: n reusable water bottle by Sol – go to https://www. solcups.co.nz n ceramic coffee cup and bowl by Westcoast Stoneware – go to https://www.westcoaststoneware.com
CHOOSE ACCOMMODATIONECO-FRIENDLYANDTOURS
n checking out WWF’s sustainable seafood guides for some popular overseas destinations – go to https:// wwf.panda.org/act/live_green/out_shopping/ seafood_guides/ n not eating shark, skate, or rays n buying organic local produce whenever possible n choosing meat-free meals to reduce your carbon footprint.
It’s tempting and easy to visit the most popular destinations when you travel, but your curiosity will be rewarded if you venture off the beaten path. Visiting quieter destinations decreases the resource burden on tourism hotspots, and it helps spread the benefits of tourism to local communities. It’s also a great way to avoid crowds.
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There are stunning protected parks, rainforests, and marine reserves at home and all around the world. These natural spaces play an important role in protecting the planet’s biodiversity and help reduce the impacts of climate change. Entry fees to protected areas are used to ensure their survival and are also often also used to educate others about conservation, conduct environmental research, and employ local people. Next time you travel, find the protected natural areas at your chosen destination and make it a priority to visit and support them. It will boost your wellbeing, and you will get to explore some of the world’s last wilderness areas.
EAT
HELP PROTECT THE OCEANS FROM HARM
n Kiwi artist Nikki McIvor’s Wild Grey Fox organic cotton bags for groceries and beach gear – go to https://www.wildgreyfox.com
VISIT DESTINATIONSLITTLE-KNOWN
Clean, thriving oceans are vital for the health of our planet. Whether you like to hang out beachside or take part in water sports, there are a few things you can do to ensure you’re not inadvertently damaging the oceans. Reef-safe sunscreens are a must to help protect our fragile ocean ecosystems – check out our article about them in the Summer 2021 issue. While many chemical sunscreens contain ingredients that are thought to cause coral bleaching, reef-safe sunscreens do not. As tempting as it is to collect beautiful shells that remind you of your holiday, make sure you leave them where they belong – on the beaches and in the oceans. Many marine species use those shells for essential shelter. Make sure you also avoid souvenirs made from natural materials such as shark teeth, shells, and starfish. These are often collected unsustainably in ways that damage ocean habitats and marine life.
Make sure you calculate your carbon emissions from your travels and offset them. If you travel with Air New Zealand, you can offset the carbon from your flight when you book your tickets. You can also calculate your carbon footprint online – go to https://www. toitu.co.nz/calculators – and donate to overseas tree planting schemes such as One Tree Planted – go to https://onetreeplanted.org
MAKE A GIFT TO PROTECT NATURE
CONSERVE WATER AND ENERGY Minimise your water and energy use on holiday to boost your sustainability credentials even more. It’s as easy as doing the following: n switch lights and TV off when not in use n turn off the AC or turn the AC thermostat up when you’re out n minimise laundry by hand washing and reusing your towels for multiple days n say no to changing your bed linen each day n take short showers instead of baths.
A good set of togs and a quick-drying beach towel are essential for any summer holiday, but some products are more sustainable and ethically made than others. Here are some top swaps to make your beach gear eco-ready: n quick-drying, organic cotton Turkish towel by New Zealand-based Ottoloom – go to https://ottoloom. co.nz n swimwear made from recycled ocean plastics in Wellington by Nisa – go to https://nisa.co.nz – or ethical wetsuits and swimsuits from New Zealand-based Gemma Lee – go to https://www. gemmaleeland.com
SUSTAINABLY Eating sustainably at home and on holiday helps to protect our oceans and land from harm. You can do things like: n choosing sustainable seafood at home by using Forest & Bird’s Best Fish Guide – go to https:// bestfishguide.org.nz
OFFSET YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
Please consider making a donation to Forest & Bird’s conservation work before you set off on your travels. We have more than 300 nature restoration projects all over the country that are making a positive difference for New Zealand’s climate. Last year, for example, our volunteers restored more than 48,000ha of nature, grew 37,000 trees and plants to donate to other conservation groups, and planted nearly 65,000 plants ourselves – go to www.forestandbird.org.nz/donate
EXPLORE NATIONAL PARKS AND MARINE RESERVES
BUY SUSTAINABLE BEACH GEAR
(21 December
KEEPING A PLACE WHERE BIRDS CAN LIVE
For more about Anne Hall’s incredible life, see her Stuff obituary by Harry Broad at https://bit.ly/39xO71G.
From many parts of the country come appeals to do something to save this swamp from being drained or that mud flat from being reclaimed, to do something about the pollution of this stream or that river. Looking into the future we must also be concerned about drainage which pours into our lakes, causing eutrophication, and which if unchecked, might ultimately cause death to the living communities in the lakes and finally cause the lakes to become dry land.
Anne Conyngham was born in Auckland, went to Epsom Girls Grammar, and studied at Auckland University before moving to Otago for medical school. She worked hard and played hard too while developing a great love of the mountains. She climbed many peaks in the Southern Alps during her university days, mostly with male companions. There were few women mountaineers at this time, but Anne held her own and commanded respect. Anne returned to Auckland, where she eventually gained the highly competitive position of Medical Registrar of Auckland Hospital. She married fellow doctor John Hall in 1958, and they had four children: Trish, Martin, Margot, and Kate. The whole family moved to London so both John and Anne could study psychiatry. On returning to Wellington, Anne became a consultant psychiatrist in private practice, and head of the mental health unit at Wellington Hospital. She was head of the postgraduate training programme and an associate professor at the medical school. By the early 1990s, she headed back to the mountainous region she loved, working as a psychiatrist at Seaview Hospital, in Hokitika, until she was 72. For her retirement, Anne built a lovely little house at Okarito where she could view her favourite mountains from her bedroom. She put her energy into conservation to protect and manage the places she loved. She was an active member of Forest & Bird for 30 years, a generous donor who also kept abreast of the issues and got stuck in with planting out seedlings, as well as protecting wetlands and wild rivers. At 93, Anne was adamant a new coal mine on Te Kuha must be stopped and made a gift last Christmas to support Forest & Bird’s legal case against the mine developer.
MOUNTAINS A tribute
Moving | Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao60
OBITUARY
Forest and Bird, Issue 184, May 1972 Anne Hall in front of Chancellor Hut, Westland National Park. Andris Apse to Dr Anne Hall, psychiatrist, mountaineer, conservationist 1929–8 March 2022). Kathy Gilbert
Anne served two terms on the West Coast Tai Poutini Conservation Board, with one term as Deputy Chair. She had a passion for conservation and passed this on to newer members of the Board. She was happy to argue on behalf of nature, she was well read on all the issues, and her sharp intellect made her a formidable force.The West Coast Branch of Forest and Bird extend our sympathy to Anne’s family. We loved working with Anne ans will miss her energy, enthusiasm, and friendship. Anne, your memory inspires us.
61Winter 2022 |
A new exhibition and book celebrate the work of Olaf Petersen, one of New Zealand’s most talented but relatively unknown nature photographers.
Petersen was born in Swanson, near the Waitākere Ranges, to a Swedish mother and Danish father. His photographic career lasted for 50 years, from Documenting1933.landscape changes that have taken place over the past 70 years, Petersen’s images connect with global concerns around climate change and disappearing ecosystems that will register strongly with New Zealanders. In 1988, he gifted his archive of more than 50,000 images to Auckland War Memorial Museum.
It’s the first exhibition dedicated solely to Petersen’s work, which was recently added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Register in recognition of its significance for documentary heritage. The exhibition is accompanied by a book Nature Boy: Photography of Olaf Petersen, published by Auckland University Press and edited by Auckland Museum’s Catherine Hammond, Head of Documentary Heritage, and Shaun Higgins, Curator Pictorial.
BOOKS WILD
In April, Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum unveiled a new exhibition Nature Boy: The Photography of Olaf Petersen, which will run until March 2023.
Gannet colony at Te Kauwae-a-Māui Cape Kidnappers, Olaf Petersen, 1965. Auckland Museum/Olaf Petersen Estate OUT WEST
Late Afternoon, Olaf Petersen, 1970. Auckland Museum/Olaf Petersen Estate
Me & Pop, Olaf Petersen, 1956. Auckland Museum/Olaf Petersen Estate
Known as “Nature Boy”, award-winning photographer Olaf Petersen (1915–1994) spent a lifetime creating images of the outdoors, especially on the west coast of Auckland. His images often include people in the frame, crossing the boundary between nature and humanity. Seabirds and children feature on windswept sandhills and beaches, and morning mists cling to trees as sunlight breaks through.
“He presents an environment that in some cases may be at risk or off-limits today, such as toheroa shellfish beds at Muriwai,” says ShaunAlwaysHiggins.ready with a camera at hand, Petersen’s images capture fleeting moments in time, reminding viewers of the beauty and fragility of nature.
Petersen also took photographs while tramping with the Auckland University Field Club in the company of botanists, zoologists, geologists, ecologists, and archaeologists, creating an extraordinary illustrative scientific record.These trips took him all over the country, from the Far North to Rakiura Stewart Island and to many offshore islands, including the Poor Knights, Red Mercury, and Aotea.
FOREST & BIRD’S WILDLIFE LODGES Forest & Bird members can book all of these lodges at reasonable rates. Join today and feel good knowing you are making a difference for New Zealand’s nature. See www.forestandbird.org.nz/joinus Arethusa Lodge Near Pukenui, Northland Sleeps 03herbit@xtra.co.nz62191337 Ruapehu Lodge Whakapapa Village, Tongariro National Park Sleeps 04office@forestandbird.org.nz323857374 Mangarākau Swamp Lodge North-west Nelson Sleeps http://03mangarakauswamp10@gmail.com5248266www.mangarakauswamp.com Tai Haruru Lodge Piha, West Auckland Sleeps 09hop0018@slingshot.co.nz5+48128064 Tautuku Forest Cabins Owaka, Otago Sleeps 0273764120tautukucabins@gmail.com16 PHILPROOF PEST PRODUCTSCONTROL WIPE OUT: Possums, Rodents, Mustelids, Rabbits Standard & Mini Possum Bait Stations & Timms Traps • Rodent Bait Stations and Block Baits • Rodent Snap Traps • Fenn Traps (MK4 & 6) • Trap Covers • DOC 200 trap and lightweight cover. Also available: Monitoring Tunnels, Flagging Tape, Rabbit Bait Stations. PHONE 07 859 2943 MOBILE 021 270 5896 PO Box Hamilton43853247 WEB www.philproof.co.nz: EMAIL philproof@gmail.com: MARKET PLACE • Heaphy Track • Abel Tasman • Old Ghost Road • Cobb Valley ‘Carry less, enjoy more’ Come explore with www.kahurangiwalks.co.nzus! Phone: 03 3914120 | Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao62 0800 925 www.glaciervalley.co.nz586 Join our knowledgeable local guides on walking tours in the stunning Glacier Country region. Learn about glaciology, flora & fauna, geomorphology, geology & history of this world renowned landscape. We cater for all ages & abilities, with 2 hr, half day & full day tours in our small groups, at your pace.
Advertise to Forest & Bird readers here Please contact Karen Condon PHONE 0275 420 338 EMAIL karenc@mpm.nz and reach 80,000 people who are passionate about nature and the outdoors. The trust provides financial support for projects advancing the conservation and protection of New Zealand’s natural resources, particularly flora and fauna, marine life, geology, atmosphere, and waters. More information is available from the Trust at PO Box 10-359, Wellington. Ron and GreenwoodEdnaEnvironmentalTRUST Grey Ghost is a limited edition artwork by Tara Swan ($60+p&p). Just 300 prints are available and all profits go to Forest & Bird. SHOP FOR NATURE We have lots of other beautiful New Zealand-made gifts in our online shop. Every sale raises funds for Forest & Bird’s conservation work. See https://shop.forestandbird.org.nz A different birdsong every hour vikingsevenseas.co.nz New Zealand Birdsong Clock $149.95 ONLY Stunning new design 63Winter 2022 |
Kim Triegaardt works for Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research, which runs the annual New Zealand Garden Bird Survey.
4 For ONE hour on that day, look and listen for birds.
1 Visit the NZ Garden Bird Survey website at landcareresearch.co.nzhttps://gardenbirdsurvey.
3 Choose any ONE day between 25 June and 3 July.
This year, the Garden Bird Survey runs from 25 June to 3 July 2022. Here’s how you can get involved:
LAST WORD
n Tūī continue to increase nationally (30% over 10 years) and increasingly in Canterbury, Marlborough, Otago, and the West Coast.
The dawn chorus is returning thanks to habitat restoration across the motu.
5 For each species, record the HIGHEST number seen or heard at one time.
CAN OUR BIRDS COUNT ON YOU?
Survey founder Dr Eric Spurr says the results are very encouraging and show the value of long-term citizen science monitoring.“Thesurvey does not attempt to determine the causes of changes in bird counts, but it is tempting to suggest the increases in counts of native birds reflect the results of increased predator control and habitat restoration activities around the country.”
| Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao64
BIRDLIFEGARDEN
The New Zealand Garden Bird Survey has been collecting vital data over the past 15 years, and scientists have noticed a gradual uptick in the numbers of native birds people have seen. This is encouraging and suggests that habitat restoration and predator control initiatives are having a positive effect on our bird life.
Birds keep our gardens vigorous, reflect the state of our environment’s health, and encourage people to get involved in conservation.
6 Submit the results online at the NZ Garden Bird Survey website.
n There’s good news for the tauhou silvereye. The data shows its slow decline is lessening, with a moderate increase in numbers since 2016.
2 Select a garden, local park, school grounds, or marae.
Kim Triegaardt Things are not looking so good for starlings. Numbers continue to decline over both the five- and 10-year period, although their rate of decline has slowed compared to lastNumbersyear. of song thrush, house sparrows, dunnock, chaffinch, and korimako bellbirds show little change over the past five years. There has been little change to myna counts nationally, except in Wellington, where they have shown a rapid increase – 202% over the past 10 years. This image won last year’s Garden Bird Survey tauhou.competition.photographyPairofPaulSorrell.
The State of New Zealand Garden Birds | Te āhua o ngā manu o te kāri i Aotearoa report shows how bird counts have changed across Aotearoa over the past five and 10 Datayears.analysis of the 2021 survey results showed positive signals emerging for four native species: n Kererū counts show a 102% increase over 10 years, while pīwakawaka fantail counts were up 47% over the same time frame.
Fantail Friends by Hannah Shand. Also available in A4, A3, and A1 sizes from www.hannahshandart.com.
file and
Jeremy Sanson
in to
magazine. WILD ABOUT NATURE PHOTO
Share your
A waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers were essential!
The prize: The winner will receive this limited edition Hannah Shand fine art print Fantail Friends (A2 size, RRP $380). Hannah composed this scene of two friendly little pīwakawaka perched together on an unfurling fern frond from four of her photos from various locations. She then created the original drawing using fine-tip black pens. Fantails are often found in pairs, and this exquisitely detailed artwork is a symbol of friendship, regeneration, and peace.
. The best entry will be published in the next issue of Forest &
This issue’s winner Jeremy Sanson says he had a lot of fun photographing koitareke marsh crake at Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere. Koitareke are difficult birds to find and photograph, as they are very secretive and seldom venture into the open. They are also crepuscular – active at dawn and dusk. What you can’t tell from the image is how small they are – approximately half the size of a blackbird. He had to lie down on the ground to capture them at their eye level.
to
Send your high-res
How enter: images of native birds, trees, flowers, insects, lizards, marine animals, or natural landscapes, and be win. digital brief details about your photo to Caroline Wood at org.nzeditor@forestandbird. Bird
PartingCOMPETITIONshot
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