Forest & Bird Magazine Issue 377 Spring 2020 by Forest & Bird

N E W Z E A L A N D ’S I N D E P E N D E N T VO I C E FO R N AT U R E • E ST. 1 92 3

TE REO O TE TAIAO

№ 377  SPRING 2020

Who will heal the

HAURAKI GULF? FINDING FOREST

Ringlets

#NONEW

MINES

WHITE GHOST WATCH

Contents ISSUE 377

• Spring 2020

Editorial

2 Alien invaders 4–5 Letters + Bird of the Year

News

6 Double Your Gift 7 Supreme Court win 8 Zero bycatch hope, ending

tenure review, moa bones, Paparoa plan challenge

10 New hope for rare dolphins, backyard birds

12 Kaitorete taonga, tahr cull, Vote for Nature 2020

Cover 14 16 18 19

Hauraki Gulf’s barren waters 30% safe seas please A whale’s tale Tarakihi legal case

Biodiversity

20 Birdcall chronicler 28 Saving forest ringlets 38 Mokomoko dryland lizard sanctuary

Climate

22 Tim Brown on making climatefriendly shoes

24 What next for fishing and farming?

No new mines

26 Horohoro mountain

Force of Nature history 30 10 fascinating finds

Forest & Bird project 32 Bats discovery South-East Wildlink

34 Sandymount success

COVER SHOT Snapper.

Economy

Rob Suisted

Thank you for supporting us! Forest & Bird is

PAPER ENVELOPE White-capped albatross.

Renewal: Yellow-eyed penguin.

Gregory “Slowbirdr” Smith Mike Ashbee

New Zealand’s largest and oldest independent conservation charity.

EDITOR

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Freshwater 35 Bloomin’ algae 47 Riverwatch

Predator-free NZ 36 Trouble with tahr 64 Tom won’t mind

Community

40 Forest & Bird’s new Strategic Plan

56 Hoiho rescue

Year of the Seabird 42 Secret life of flesh-footed

KCC

46 For the love of nature

Books

59 Invasive Predators in New

Zealand: Disaster on Four Small Paws

Award winners 2020 48 Sophie Handford, Waitākere Branch

50 Pat Heffey, Liz Carter + Queen’s Birthday honours

Biosecurity 54 Wilding pines

Birdlife

Going places 60 Ōkārito

Market Place 62 Classified

Parting shot IBC Ruru

58 White fantail wins hearts 52 Headless wonders

shearwaters

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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 Patsy Reddy, Governor-General of New Zealand CHIEF EXECUTIVE Kevin Hague PRESIDENT Mark Hanger TREASURER Alan Chow BOARD MEMBERS Chris Barker, 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, Alan Edmonds, Gordon Ell, 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

EDITORIAL

ALIEN INVADERS

he law is clear: introduced plants and animals “shall as far as possible be exterminated” from our national parks, according to the National Parks Act. Why then do we have more than 32,000 Himalayan tahr, and large numbers of wallabies, roaming across national parks, high country, and native forests? Tahr are munching on – and destroying – rare alpine plants, herb fields, and tussock lands that have no natural defences against these voracious feeders. Wallabies eat native trees and plants in the undergrowth of forests and compete with native wildlife for food. At the time of writing, the government had all but eradicated Covid-19 from New Zealand. It would be wonderful to see the same intention – and ambition – when it comes to invasive aliens in our national parks. Last year, Forest & Bird successfully raised awareness about the extent of New Zealand’s wallaby problem. Our campaign received a huge boost recently when the government pledged to give $27m to control wallaby populations in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Canterbury, and Otago. Without this, these forgotten pests have the potential to become as damaging as possums, as well as a growing threat to agriculture. We need urgent action to eradicate – not just control – them before it’s too late. Even more dire is the plight of our mountainous central South Island. Three decades ago, tahr numbers were already out of control and posed a huge threat to flora and fauna in Aotearoa. The window of opportunity to eradicate them was missed, and tahr numbers have quadrupled despite some efforts at control. Our two highest-altitude National Parks – Westland Tai Poutini and Aoraki Mt Cook – provide legally protected havens for key endemic plant species. The

Department of Conservation is required to keep introduced grazing mammals at the lowest possible levels within these two parks. Yet visitors to these “protected” mountains may encounter tahr herds of 30–40 or, in some cases, several hundred. Last month, the High Court reaffirmed the law requires tahr to be removed immediately from the two national parks – about 21% of the defined feral range of tahr. It also upheld the validity of the 1993 Himalayan Tahr Control Plan, along with a 10,000 maximum tahr limit. The High Court determined there is nothing in law to say that DOC must consider the interests of commercial hunters. However, 79% of the tahr feral range, plus all the animals found on non-conservation land, remain available for tahr hunters. Importantly, DOC can now get on with the job of starting the cull immediately. It’s time to stop playing lip service to tahr and wallaby control, and make decisions based on sound evidence. Emotive and inaccurate statements have no place in determining the biodiversity security of Aotearoa. Ngā mihi nui

Mark Hanger Forest & Bird President Perehitini, Te Reo o te Taiao

FOREST & BIRD GATHERINGS 2020 North Island Gathering 7–8 November 2020. Location: Napier.

South Island Gathering 20–22 November 2020. Location: Marlborough.

For more information, see www.forestandbird.org.nz/events.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

Westland Tai Poutini National Park.

DOC

GALAPAGOS OF THE SOUTH

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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 November 2020. We don’t always have space to publish all letters or use them in full.

WRITE AND WIN The best contribution to the Letters page will receive a copy of Nature Stilled by Jane Ussher, Te Papa Press, published October 2020, RRP$70. From huia and kākāpō to vivid x-rays of fish, gloriously coloured butterflies, and lichens collected in Antarctica, this book pays tribute to the glories of our natural world.

Saving Manapōuri

Water fowl

The article in the Winter issue of Forest & Bird brought back many memories for me. In 1979, I was a junior teacher of biology, and my sixth form (year 12) and I were involved in signing the petition to save Manapōuri. We had many interesting discussions on the merits of saving the lake, the rights of the government, and conservation issues. I did not coerce my class to sign – those that did had thought about the issue and wanted to sign. I recall going to a Save Manapōuri meeting in Wellington and explaining to a woman sitting beside me who Dr Alan Mark was (I had climbed the Mangatuas with him on a botany field trip). She was horrified that he had a beard and was wearing shorts! Somewhere I still have my “share” certificate for Manapōuri. Finally, in 1999, I got to see Manapōuri and had my photo taken with my grandchildren. I pointed out to them that “I saved Manapōuri.” Thanks for the memories.

Great to see Forest & Bird supporting predator control. We’ve been involved with trapping since 1990 with good success. We’ve removed 8000 predators, including ferrets, feral cats, stoats, possums, hedgehogs, and rats, from Gretel Lagoons, in the Wairarapa. The result has been very healthy numbers of water fowl and bush birds. Over the last decade, at least 95% of the control programme has been managed by Greater Wellington Regional Council, with more than 30 trapping stations.

Pat Bird Wellington

BEST LETTER WINNER

Dawn chorus mystery In response to Chris Belcher’s concern about the disappearing dawn chorus in Auckland, he might like to check his local possum population. In suburban Torbay, I have trapped (and killed) 14 possums in the last 10 months. The fact that so many are present helps explain the plant and tree damage that we have been seeing and the decline in the presence of native birds. Unfortunately, we now have a new challenge. A huge colony of mynas have now established themselves in the Long Bay Regional Park. At sunset, they flock in what seems like thousands. During the day, they spread out, and it is common to see groups of between 10 and 15 mynas in local gardens, not just one or two. They can be extremely aggressive, and they seem to have driven off many native birds, apart from the tūī. It would be great if this invasive bird pest was managed in some way. Paul Spoonley Auckland

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

Neil Hayes, QSM Wairarapa

Rescue networks It was with great interest reading the article about wildlife rescue in your Winter magazine (I love the paper quality too). It is often a surprise to the public what we do and what can be achieved in our rescue centres around the country. The other immensely important aspect is that we are strongly connected to each other, either personally or through WrenNZ (Wildlife Rehabilitation Network of NZ, www.wrennz.org.nz). We give each other support, ask advice, get together at conferences, and often take birds from each other for more direct treatment or care. Without this network, our rehabilitation centre (the only one on the Coromandel Peninsula) couldn’t function properly. We are learning a great deal from each other and therefore have a better outcome for the birds. Annemieke Kregting Kuaotunu Bird Rescue Trust www.kuaotunubirdrescue.org.nz

Climate hot air In your article “Counting Carbon” (Winter 2020), I’m sorry, but I see red, and probably shouldn’t do, when I read that “We can do this [become carbon neutral] by reducing greenhouse gas emissions using tools such as the Emissions Trading Scheme.” The only mechanism for

this that I can think of is that it allows us to produce hot air, without using carbon-based fuels. Chris Pope, Dunedin.

Rat baiting record Thanks for the Maria Island article in the Autumn issue. Very enlightening. I visited there and laid rat baits with Don Merton. I was not aware that others had also been doing that work and our published data attributes the eradication to Don. Possibly because other published material at that time did not have a name for the Forest & Bird leader. Our first published reference to this work was Moors 1985, which does include reference to Forest & Bird. I was also part of the team that did the first translocations from Taukihepa. I can assure you that we did no rat control work on that expedition. We went to the southernmost parts of the island where there were no rats at that time. The rats were there when Brian Bell and others returned the next year, a and rat bait may have been used then. Dick Veitch Auckland

BOOK GIVEAWAY We are giving away two copies of Always Song in the Water by Gregory O’Brian, Auckland University Press, RRP $45. Beginning in Northland and heading into the blue beyond, this book is a metaphorical dinghy ride through New Zealand’s oceanic imagination. To enter, email your entry to draw@forestandbird.org.nz, put SONG 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 SONG draw, Forest & Bird, PO Box 631, Wellington 6140. Entries close 1 November 2020. The winner of a mixed selection of superb Toi Toi wines worth $130 was Jannette Wouters, of Auckland.

Scandals, controversy and shameless pleading for votes. That’s right, Bird of Year is just around the corner with polls opening between 2 November and 15 November. Last year, hoiho broke the feathered ceiling by becoming the first penguin (and seabird) to win the title. Will the ever popular kākāpō use its charm to claim the title for the second time? Or is there a new champion waiting in the wings? Your vote will decide. Head along to www.birdoftheyear.org.nz to find out more. Don’t forget to share your top pick #BirdoftheYear.

Jake Osborne

Spring 2020

NATURE NEWS

DOUBLE YOUR GIFT

An incredibly generous couple from Auckland is supporting Forest & Bird’s legal efforts to defend nature – if you donate today, they will double your money, up to $80,000!

orest & Bird’s small in-house legal team punches way above its weight. Just this year alone, they have won a landmark decision in the Supreme Court, presented Forest & Bird’s first over-fishing legal action in the High Court, and successfully defended New Zealand’s rare alpine plants against introduced tahr in two national parks. Taking these legal cases to court doesn’t come cheap, even with pro bono work supplied by some of New Zealand’s top lawyers and expert witnesses. But we need to do this important work to protect nature for future generations. With the backing of its members, Forest & Bird has a long and proud history of taking on big, seemingly unwinnable legal cases. Look at the 13-year campaign to save Lake Manapōuri. This victory was only possible because of the generosity of donors who, by 1972, had given the equivalent of $400,000 to defend lakes Manapōuri and Te Anau. The lion’s share of the cash went on lawyers’ fees and expert opinions to bolster the conservationists’ case. And the result? The protection of two of the most beautiful and ecologically important Fiordland lakes in New Zealand. Over the next 12 months, Forest & Bird has some important legal cases coming up. For example, the Trans-Tasman Resources case has made it to the Supreme Court, where we are defending the South Taranaki Bight, and its blue whale population, from destructive ironsand mining. We are also in the Environment Court seeking new marine protected areas in Northland, following on from the landmark Motiti marine protection case in the Court

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

of Appeal last year. Back on land, we have joined forces with Federated Mountain Clubs to protect nature in Paparoa National Park. In September, your favourite independent conservation charity will launch an appeal to make this upcoming legal work possible. For every $1 you give Forest & Bird up to Christmas, a generous couple from Auckland will match your gift, dollar for dollar, up to $80,000. The pair who want to remain anonymous, are long-time Forest & Bird supporters who we will call Graeme and Fran. They work as volunteers in frontline conservation projects, support their local branch, and make legal submissions on important issues like Te Kuha (see right). “Forest & Bird’s legal team has been very successful. They are motivated, they do rigorous work, and their legal cases are backed by science,” says Graeme. “Winning the Motiti case last year set a precedent and has implications for the whole country. It’s a win for nature and all New Zealanders. If we get environmental legislation right, it can achieve transformative national change.” The couple say that supporting Forest & Bird financially was an active decision. “We wanted to see the difference it makes for nature and know we played a small part in that change,” says Fran. “We also enjoy seeing how our donation is being put to good use in our lifetime. That’s why we are gifting this money to Forest & Bird now.” Donate to defend nature at www.forestandbird.org.nz/defendingnature.

Fernbird.

Oscar Thomas

SUPREME COURT WIN Nature reserves all over New Zealand are better protected following a landmark ruling in the Supreme Court.

for all,” adds Kevin. “Today’s ruling will make reserves all over New Zealand safer from mining. “Councils around the country hold a considerable amount of reserve land. This makes it very clear the Crown Minerals Act does not override protections under the Reserves Act. “New Zealanders love nature. We know people want to protect the few remaining pristine natural areas we have left, not prop up sunset industries such as coal mining.”

It’s time for a KiwiSaver that cares about our environment

Photo by Jan Kaluza on Unsplash

orest & Bird has won an historic legal case against a coal mining company trying to push through an opencast mine on the West Coast. Supreme Court justices agreed with the Society that the Reserves Act trumped the Crown Minerals Act when it comes to protecting nature. It’s a precedent-setting decision that follows three years of legal action to protect the rare coal-measure ecosystem at Te Kuha, overlooking Westport, from being destroyed. Thanks to our generous donors, we have been able to carry on defending nature at Te Kuha through the courts, appeal after appeal, right up to the Supreme Court – and WIN! The proposed mine site at Te Kuha is home to greatspotted kiwi, South Island fernbird, West Coast green gecko, the forest ringlet butterfly, and 17 rare plants. “This is absolutely wonderful news for nature, particularly for the plants and animals threatened with extinction that live in this area,” says Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague. “Even if New Zealand needed new coal mines right now, the last place you should put one is on kiwi habitat in an outstanding natural landscape, within view of the iconic Buller Gorge.” The vast majority of the proposed 150ha coal mine site is a local purpose reserve, administered under the Reserves Act by Buller District Council for water conservation purposes. The Supreme Court case hinged on whether the Crown Minerals Act overrides council obligations to protect the natural features of the reserve. In July, five Supreme Court justices unanimously dismissed Stevenson Mining’s appeal, concluding the council must comply with its obligations under the Reserves Act. “The mining company has suffered legal failure after legal failure. We’re calling on them to withdraw this climate-damaging mine proposal once and

We don’t invest in fossil fuels, animal testing or environmental exploitation. We do invest in renewable energy, water, forestry and companies that care about our environment. Switch to us and you’ll also be supporting Forest & Bird – see caresaver.co.nz.

Visit caresaver.co.nz for a Product Disclose Statement. Pathfinder Asset Management is the issuer.

Spring 2020

NATURE NEWS ENDING TENURE REVIEW

ZERO-BYCATCH

WIN

housands of people, including many of you, spoke up for New Zealand’s seabirds in the last year. Together, we called for a zero-bycatch goal and put a massive spotlight on the fishing methods that killed up to 14,000 birds every year. And, together, we made a difference. In May, the government released its National Plan of Action on Seabirds 2020, with the goal of working towards “zero seabird mortality”. We did it! All commercial fishers now have to work towards not killing any seabirds. This is amazing progress. There is more to celebrate. The new policy requires fishers to create specific plans to reduce seabird bycatch, and every year the government will have to report back to New Zealanders on progress.  And if they’re not doing well enough, Forest & Bird will let them know! Up until now, often what happens at sea stays at sea, unless Forest & Bird and other e-NGOs dig up information from fishing contacts or through the Official Information Act. Your support for Forest & Bird helped us take a strong case to the government and achieve this important step forward. There is still more to do to protect our seabirds. The Fisheries and the Marine Reserves Acts and their regulations need reform. We need cameras on boats. Our critically endangered hoiho yellow-eyed penguins need set nets and other dangerous equipment to be phased out of areas they live. But for now, let’s take a moment to acknowledge what we have accomplished together and to know that our birds are safer today than they have been in a very long time. Thank you.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

orest & Bird is calling for stronger biodiversity protections in the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill, which had its first reading in Parliament in July. It is a significant opportunity to improve the management of 1.2 million hectares of Crown pastoral lease land in the high country. The Bill ends tenure review, which has seen huge swathes of Crown pastoral lease land converted into private ownership. “The end to tenure review is long overdue. It has seen the privatisation of some of our rarest and most threatened ecosystems,” says Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague. “We strongly support the intention of the Bill. But the outcomes as written are likely to perpetuate the loss of significant biodiversity, and landscape and cultural values. “We’ve lost so much of our high country already with agencies making bad decisions, leading to unsuitable development and intensive dairy farms in places they shouldn’t be located.” Crown pastoral lease land still makes up about 5% of New Zealand’s land area and is located in South Marlborough, through the Mackenzie Country, and into Otago and Southland. Tussock drylands are among our least protected ecosystems and home to many threatened plant and animal species. Forest & Bird seeks a number of changes to the Bill. We’d like to see it prioritising inherent natural values and give the public a say on discretionary consent decisions.

Jewelled gecko live in places like the Mackenzie Basin, which urgently needs more protection from dairy conversions and other development. Carey Knox

PAPAROA PLAN CHALLENGE

NO BONES ABOUT IT Upland moa.

Te Papa

oa bones and the remains of other extinct species could soon have improved legal protection following new proposals to prevent the trade in extinct species. In 2016, Forest & Bird magazine highlighted the lack of legal protection for moa bones and eggs, and revealed examples of how they were regularly put up for sale on sites like Trade Me. Since 2010, museum scientists have documented more than 350 instances of moa bones and eggshells being offered for sale, and in many cases they have identified that these items had been recently removed from protected sites. Now a plan, drafted by the Department of Conservation with assistance from museum scientists, intends to tackle the problem of moa bones and other sub-fossil remains being removed from protected sites and sold. It is proposed to create regulations under the Wildlife Act to prohibit the sale of moa bone and other remains of extinct species. A discussion document setting out the proposals for public comment was released for public comment in July. Submissions are open until 28 September. “We have lost too many of our native species, but these lost species, such as moa, remain an important part of our country’s heritage, including for Māori, whose traditions and whakapapa include moa and other extinct birds, and for science. This plan closes the gap in regulations to protect them,” said Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage. “Aotearoa New Zealand’s extinct species are part of our past. They speak to who we are, and there is much we can learn from them. Banning the sale of their remains will help protect this precious part of our heritage.”

Forest & Bird and Federated Mountain Clubs are taking court action over the management of Paparoa National Park. In July, a judicial review filed in the High Court challenged a New Zealand Conservation Authority decision to approve the Paparoa National Park Management Plan, which now allows helicopter landings. “The West Coast Conservation Management Strategy clearly sets down the undesirability of aircraft in Paparoa National Park,” says our Canterbury and West Coast regional manager Nicky Snoyink. “It is one of the few parks where natural quiet predominates,” Paparoa National Park is a sanctuary for a diversity of nationally and internationally important geological features and indigenous plants and animals. Conservation planning documents have a clear hierarchy, with the National Park Act at the top, then regional conservation management strategies, then other more local plans. Forest & Bird says the National Park Management Plan should not deviate from higher-order planning documents. The case will be heard at a future date.

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Spring 2020

NATURE NEWS

NEW HOPE FOR WORLD’S

Māui dolphin.

DOC

RAREST DOLPHINS

Stronger protections for Māui and Hector’s dolphins have been announced, but will the government tighten up some worryingly large loopholes? The Hector’s and Māui Dolphin Threat Management Plan, which was released in June, contains some good news, with stronger protections against death or injury from commercial fishers, seabed mining, seismic ocean surveying, and toxoplasmosis disease. The government has proposed stronger restrictions on fishing methods, including set netting and trawl fishing, and released a plan to tackle the deadly dolphin disease toxoplasmosis, which is caused by cat faeces washing down rivers and into the ocean. With only 63 mature Māui dolphins left on Earth, this nationally critical species is at imminent risk of extinction, and the death of every dolphin is a huge blow to New Zealand’s conservation efforts. Last year, Forest & Bird’s marine advocacy team went into bat for these tiny dolphins, making a detailed submission about the measures we wanted to see the government and commercial fishers take to protect both species. We called on our supporters to make individual submissions as well. “A massive thank you to those of you who made a submission supporting our proposals for stronger, legally enforceable, and meaningful protections. It made Hector’s dolphin caught in a fishing net.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

MPI

a difference,” says Forest & Bird’s strategic advisor Geoff Keey. In July, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage followed through on the Threat Management Plan, proposing the following: n Extensions to the West Coast North Island and Banks Peninsula marine mammal sanctuaries n Bans on seismic surveying and seabed mining in all five of New Zealand’s marine mammal sanctuaries, with exemptions for existing exploration and mining permits n Any exempt seismic surveying inside the five sanctuaries required to comply with the 2013 Code of Conduct for Minimising Acoustic Disturbance to Marine Mammals from Seismic Survey Operations n A ban on seabed mining within Te Rohe o Te Whānau Puha/Kaikōura Whale Sanctuary. While the measures are welcome, Forest & Bird remains concerned about some major loopholes in the government’s proposals. While seismic surveys and other activities related to oil, gas, and other marine mining activities have been banned in the five marine mammal sanctuaries, exempting 21 current oil and gas permit holders in Māui dolphin habitat means the ban won’t really come into effect until 2046. “This is a major loophole. Māui dolphins could be extinct before the ban even takes effect,” says Geoff. “Expanded restrictions on set netting are welcome, but for dolphins to survive and flourish they need to be protected from trawling and set netting out to 100m ocean depth thoughout their range,” adds Geoff. “If even one Māui dolphin is caught, the trawl fishery in Māui habitat should be closed immediately. It’s fine to go fishing, just not in ways that catch dolphins. “We need to tackle all of the threats caused by

BIRDS IN OUR BACKYARDS humans. This is our last chance, and half measures will not do enough to ensure Māui dolphins will still be here for future generations to look after.” Marine mammal expert Professor Elisabeth Slooten, of the University of Otago, agrees. She warns that New Zealand’s two smallest dolphin species could soon become locally extinct. “With the proposed protection measures, what’s likely to happen is that we will lose the dolphins on the east coast of the North Island, and from areas like Otago and the Catlins,” she says. “What’s needed is consistent protection for these dolphins, throughout their range, from gillnet and trawl fisheries. For Māui dolphins in the North Island, that means all the way around to East Cape. Hector’s dolphins need protection all around the South Island, except for Fiordland.” Prof Slooten says the proposed protection measures need to be simplified. They are currently a “complex jigsaw puzzle”, with different regulations for gillnetting and trawling, and different distances offshore where fishing activity can and can’t be carried out. “The regulations around Banks Peninsula are so complex you need a map to describe them. The regulations for most of the South Island have not yet been outlined and will be based on more consultation.”

A potentially game-changing biodiversity strategy was launched by the government in August. Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020 envisions Aotearoa as a place where ecosystems are healthy and resilient, and people embrace the natural world. There are three key themes: getting the system right, empowering action, and protecting and restoring. The strategy has specific objectives and goals for 2025, 2030, and 2050 to ensure plants, animals, freshwater and marine species are thriving in 30 years’ time. “As New Zealanders, we all want to see kiwi in the wild, but wouldn’t it be even better to have them in our backyards? These are sorts of aspirational goals that could become a reality if we work together on this,” said the Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage, when she launched the strategy. Over the past 18 months, Forest & Bird has been helping develop the strategy working alongside iwi, scientists, and groups ranging from Federated Farmers to Fisheries Inshore New Zealand. “This strategy now needs backing from all political parties,” says Forest & Bird’s chief executive Kevin Hague.

Forest & Bird

NEW ZEALAND

Conservation

Conservation Diary 2021

CALENDAR 2021

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Featuring superb photographs of our extraordinary wildlife and wilderness habitats taken by some of our leading nature photographers. Weighs less than 200g for economic postage. Envelope included.

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Every week brings a new photograph of our unique landscapes, plants and wildlife. This quality week-to-view diary features public holidays, and a lay-ﬂat spiral binding.

Order at www.forestandbird.org.nz and click on ‘shop’.

Spring 2020

NATURE NEWS

KAITORETE TAONGA An urgent court order has been granted to protect a highly significant ecosystem at Kaitorete Spit, a narrow stretch of ecologically significant land between Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere and the sea. In April, Forest & Bird successfully applied to the Environment Court for the interim enforcement orders, in a joint action with the Director-General of Conservation and Te Taumutu Rūnanga, Wairewa Rūnanga, and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. The order prevents certain activities, including grazing cattle, herbicide spraying, cultivation, or removal of native plants in some paddocks at Wongan Hills farm, on the Kaitorete Spit. The land owned by the farm is ecologically and culturally unique. Formed about 6000 years ago, by gravels drifting north from the Rakaia River, the spit is home to rare and threatened species of grasslands and shrublands, as well as invertebrates, lizards, and birds. Kaitorete Spit also has the country’s highest concentration of Māori archaeological and sacred (wāhi taonga/wāhi tapu) sites. “Kaitorete is a culturally significant area for Te Taumutu and Wairewa Rūnanga and has been for many generations,” Te Taumutu and Wairewa Rūnanga said in a joint statement. “As mana whenua of Kaitorete, we have been working

VALDER

AWARDS

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

This aerial photo shows how farmland is encroaching on the Kaitorete Spit, threatening its ecological and cultural treasures.

extremely hard with Forest & Bird, the Department of Conservation, Christchurch City Council, and Environment Canterbury to find solutions to the current issues on the farm and prevent any further damage. “We will continue to uphold our kaitiakitanga values and ensure that further destruction of very rare and atrisk flora and fauna does not occur.” The vast majority of New Zealand’s wild population of Muehlenbeckia astonii, or shrubby tororaro, is found on this one farm. “While we’re relieved that the remaining shrubby tororaro will be safer, for the moment, significant loss has already occurred,” says Forest & Bird’s chief executive Kevin Hague. “This is the best that could be made of a bad situation.” In 2018, Forest & Bird sought enforcement orders against Wongan Hills farm after discovering nearly 30% of wild population of shrubby tororaro had been lost following clearance, spraying, cultivating, and oversowing. The case then moved to mediation. “We’ve seen unjustified and environmentally damaging removal of native vegetation time and time again, especially in Canterbury. This is a particularly stark example, but it’s by no means the only one – the rules and definitions are just not adequate,” added Kevin.

There’s still time to apply for a Valder Conservation Grant, and appplications are welcome from individuals or conservation groups nationwide. The Forest & Bird Waikato branch awards, which are granted annually in memory of Lilian Valder, are usually from $1,000 to $2,000. For more information and an application form, email waikato.branch@forestandbird.org.nz, download a pdf from the Waikato branch page on www.forestandbird.org.nz, or write to Secretary, Waikato Branch Forest & Bird, PO Box 11092, Hamilton 3216. The closing date for applications is 30 September 2020.

TAHR CULL WIN In late June, the Tahr Foundation filed an urgent High Court injunction to halt the Department of Conservation’s planned tahr cull from taking place the following day. It claimed hunters have not been consulted about DOC’s 2020/2021 operational plan, which proposes culls at three times the level of previous years. In a win for conservationists, the High Court ruled that DOC could begin its planned cull without delay and was not allowed to leave bull tahr in national parks for trophy hunters to kill. “This July ruling confirms that tahr control is well overdue, and they must be removed entirely from national parks, in accordance with the law,” says Canterbury and West Coast regional manager Nicky Snoyink. Forest & Bird has been warning for many years that the South Island’s Himalayan tahr population is out of control. In March, Forest & Bird sought a declaration from the High Court that DOC’s 2019/2020 operational plan to control tahr did not comply with the 1993 Himalayan Tahr Control Plan or the National Parks Act. The Himalayan Tahr Control Plan allows for a population of 10,000 animals overall and none in national parks, including Aoraki Mt Cook and Westland Tai Poutini. “The Act and the National Park Management Plans are unequivocal that populations of tahr in national parks should be zero,” adds Nicky. “There will still be plenty of tahr for hunting, just not in our national parks, which exist for native species, not for bull tahr or trophy hunters.” While the tahr cull continues, DOC will have an additional period of discussion with the Tahr Liaison Group, which includes a Forest & Bird representative, about its 2020/2021 operational plan. DOC estimated there were 34,292 tahr on public conservation land in 2019, there are many more on pastoral leases or private land. “Most of New Zealand’s alpine plants only live here in New Zealand, but they’re just a quick snack to these hungry goat herds,” adds Ms Snoyink.

VOTE FOR NATURE Please help us encourage other New Zealanders to #VoteforNature. Our aim is for all political parties and politicians to hear loud and clear that New Zealanders want strong action to protect nature. Here’s how you can help: Activate your friends! Share our Vote for Nature election video on Facebook to show your friends you care about the environment. Meet your local candidates. If you’re attending election meetings, check out the questions we’ve prepared for your local candidates.

Kevin Hague, Forest & Bird chief executive

Compare party policies. Go to our website and send a quick letter to party leaders telling them why you’re voting for nature. Download and share Policies for Recovery. Forest & Bird has drafted a practical three-year plan for the next Parliament. It sets out key policies in five domains, including climate, economy, land, freshwater, and oceans.

Tahr impact on alpine herbfields, see page 36. →

Ron and Edna

Greenwood Environmental

TRUST

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.

Donate to Forest & Bird to defend nature. Having an independent voice for nature has never been more important – see www.forestandbird.org.nz/donate. See www.votefornature.co.nz to find out more about why it’s vital to vote for people and planet in the 2020 general election.

Spring 2020

COVER

Marine life in the Hauraki Gulf is in crisis. Where is the political will to heal it? Caroline Wood

ext March, sailing fans the world over will sit down to watch a livestream of America’s Cup yachts lining up in Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour to compete in one of the most prestigious and hotly contested sailing races in the world. Who couldn’t fail to marvel at the sparkling blue waters of the Hauraki Gulf as the high-tech boats take off on their way to Waiheke Island, flying past protected predator-free Rangitoto Island, in an all-or-nothing contest to win the coveted Auld Mug. From the boats, the islands and ocean look healthy, “100% clean and green”, as Aotearoa’s tourist brochures proclaim. Efforts to restore nature on islands in the Gulf have been encouraging, but under the surface it’s a different story. Many visitors won’t realise that, beneath the sleek hulls of the Challenger and Defender boats, lies an increasingly barren underwater world. One that only scuba divers, snorkellers, and spearfishers can see. People like award-winning marine photographer and writer Darryl Torckler, who has been diving and snorkelling in the Gulf over the past 50 years.

“It’s really hard for people to see what’s going on under the water. It’s not Darryl Torckler. like a forest that you can walk through Lauren Hahn and see the decline in birdlife,” he says. “As a kid in the early 70s, I would fish off Rakino and Rangitoto Islands. I took a little boat out there. Big schools of trevally and kingfish were common in the summer months. I doubt you would see one now. “There has been a general decline in schooling fish in the Gulf. If you take out species like pilchards, you are emptying the pantry for whales, dolphins, and seabirds that used to be prolific but are now in decline.” Darryl’s observation that there has been a steady decline in the ecological health of Gulf is backed up by science. In May, the State of our Gulf 2020 report warned that little improvement had been made over the past two decades. For example, the commercial fish catch in the Gulf is 30% higher than before the marine park was established 20 years ago, and 22% of seabirds are threatened with extinction.

BARREN STATE OF THE GULF Wildlife in the Hauraki Gulf is in big trouble, with some species sliding towards extinction.

Kōura crayfish

Kūtai mussels

Tohorā Bryde’s whales

Thought to be functionally extinct in parts of the Hauraki Gulf and have declined by about 20% since 1945.

Once populated large areas of the Gulf and Firth of Thames, but most mussel beds were dredged in the 1950s and 60s and never recovered.

Still nationally critical and no longer found in the numbers seen a decade a go (see page 18).

Darryl Torckler

frustrating talkfest about them. “It’s an absolutely no brainer. They preserve and allow fish do what they do best – that is, grow big and spawn. The eggs and juveniles drift out of the marine reserve and repopulate adjacent coastlines, replenishing the fish stocks.” The Hauraki Gulf Forum is a statutory body set up in 2000 to promote the protection and enhancement of the Gulf. It is administered by Auckland Council. In May, the Forum adopted a new set of goals for the Gulf, including at least 30% marine protection (up from the 20% goal established in 2019). “Science shows that we need to protect at least 30% of our moana in a way that respects biodiversity and habitats,” said co-chair Pippa Coom. But the Hauraki Gulf Forum doesn’t have the legislative power to compel change – only government ministers can do this. 60

This graph shows how kina barrens are increasing at the Mokohinau Islands, in the Hauraki Gulf, which have no marine reserve. In contrast, kina barrens are retreating at the Poor Knights Islands, which are fully protected from fishing.

%reef <15m depth

Kelp forests are being eaten by advancing kina (sea urchin) barrens caused by a catastrophic drop in crayfish and snapper populations that would otherwise keep the kina under control. Population growth, coastal developments, and climate change will make an already dire situation worse. But there is hope. With more marine protection and less overfishing, our fish stocks, marine mammals, and birdlife can bounce back. For example, if the balance of fish and crayfish on the reef is restored, the kelp grows back and life returns to the kina barrens, as scientists have documented at the Poor Knights Islands. Dr Nick Shears, a marine ecologist from Auckland University, has been monitoring the extent of kina barrens in the Hauraki Gulf since 1999. “The cover of barrens fluctuates but is particularly high at the moment,” he says. “There is a lot of research that demonstrates this is due to fishing of snapper and crayfish, and that longterm protection can reverse this trend.” Darryl Torckler wants to see an end to commercial fishing in the Hauraki Gulf and new marine reserves in biodiversity hotspots, including parts of the Mokohinau, Great Barrier, and Little Barrier Islands. “The Hauraki Gulf desperately needs many more marine reserves. For years, there has been a very

Mokohinau Island Poor Knights Island

40 30 20 10

WATERS 0 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

30% safe seas, see overleaf →

Tāmure snapper

Tara iti New Zealand fairy tern

Tāiko black petrel

Overfishing has led to serious declines of 83% on historic levels.

The Hauraki Gulf is a key habitat for the country’s rarest bird, with just 40 birds left on Earth.

At risk of being being hooked by the snapper longline industry. Efforts are under way to work with fishers to protect this nationally vulnerable species.

30% SAFE SEAS COVER

No new marine reserves have been established in the Hauraki Gulf over the past 15 years, despite Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage saying more are needed.

n 2000, the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park was established and gazetted a “National Park” of the sea. It was a beloved jewel at the heart of the City of Sails. Six small marine reserves – Pollen Island beside the north-western Boundary of Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Nature Reserves – NO LANDING without permit motorway, Te Matuku at the bottom end of Waiheke, Long Bay, two reserves near Marine Reserves – NO FISHING Goat Island, and Cathedral Cove on the Coromandel Peninsula – lie within its boundaries. Each is important, but together they cover only 0.3% of the marine park, and Poor Knights Islands scientists say none of the reserves is large enough to have an impact on the declining health of the Gulf. Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve The Hauraki Gulf Forum, Forest & Bird, and many other organisations want to see at least 30% of the marine park protected from overfishing. There have been numerous and sustained efforts by many organisations, iwi, and individuals who love the Gulf to bring about a much-needed “sea change” in attitude towards its long-term protection. There have been some recent marine wins, including Forest & Hen and Chickens Bird’s landmark Motiti legal case that could lead to coastal marine Group Mokohinau Islands reserves being established around the country, including in the Hauraki Gulf. Our successful campaign to persuade the government to adopt a zero-bycatch goal will also help Aotea or Great seabirds in the Gulf. Barrier Island New marine reserves, including at the Mokohinau Islands (see right), were proposed in the ground-breaking Hauturu or Little Barrier Island Sea Change Marine Spatial Plan, released in 2016, thanks in part to advocacy by Forest & Bird’s former marine advocate Kat Goddard. Cape Rodney-Okakari Pt Marine Reserve But progress stalled, seemingly blocked by political and fishing industry interests, as well as a reluctance HAURAKI GULF by some recreational fishers to change their fishing Curvier Island Kawau Island practices. “We want to see the next government overhaul New Zealand’s outdated marine protection laws and improve the monitoring of bycatch and Mercury Islands Tiritiri-Matangi I. overfishing,” says Geoff Keey, Forest & Bird’s Long Bay-Okura marine spokesperson. Marine Reserve “Over the next three years, Ministers Rakino Island Motutapu Island must accelerate the pace of change. They Waiheke Island Rangitoto Island Te Whanganui-a-hei need to reform marine laws, create new Marine Reserve Te Matuku Marine marine reserves, implement a zeroMotu Manawa (Pollen Island) Reserve Marine Reserve bycatch programme, and roll out 100% observation (people or cameras) on AUCKLAND Alderman Islands commercial vessels.” Firth of COROMANDEL It’s not too late to restore the health Thames PENINSULA Manukau of the Hauraki Gulf. The science is Harbour clear, we know what we need to do, and the declines can be reversed. What is lacking is the political will and Whangamata Islands Only 0.3% of the Hauraki Gulf marine park is coordinated government action to make fully protected within no-take marine reserves. significant change happen. 16

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

A sheltered channel at Hokoromea Island, in the Mokohinau Islands, reveals the changes happening underwater in the Hauraki Gulf.

Darryl Torckler

JANUARY 2014 Healthy kelp forest supports a myriad of marine life, including snapper and crayfish.

DECEMBER 2018 Most of the kelp in the channel has gone. Note the rocky bottom that used to have stands of Ecklonia kelp just four years ago.

DECEMBER 2018 An eagle ray where the kelp used to flourish.

The underwater treasures of the Mokohinau Islands are well on their way to becoming a barren landscape. The Moks, as they are affectionately called, are being overfished. This tiny set of islands, in the far north of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, is managed by the Department of Conservation. On land, DOC controls human visitors, who are only allowed to land on Burgess Island. The other islands are fully protected as regenerating sanctuaries for nature. But the underwater world surrounding the Mokohinau Islands is going in the other direction, as you can see from these photographs taken by Darryl Torckler. In 2014, Darryl was diving and snorkelling among healthy kelp forests that supported a myriad of fish, manta rays, bronze whalers, and other marine animals.

About two years ago, Darryl noticed the kelp beds at some of his favourite snorkelling spots were disappearing. Despite being a biodiversity hotspot, the waters around the Mokohinau Islands are not protected by a no-take marine reserve. Overharvesting has removed the snapper and the crayfish that would otherwise keep the kina (sea urchins) under control. Without this predator pressure, the voracious kina population has exploded. They’ve eaten their way through the kelp forests, leaving the reef barren of life. Darryl says the Moks have been a mecca for spearos (spearfishermen) and recreational fishers for decades. Unfortunately, it looks like they have loved the place too much – the big snapper are disappearing and kina barrens are growing.

MARINE RESERVES REVERSE DECLINE

increase significantly over time in both the fished and partially protected locations. “Only the no-take marine reserve showed a clear decline in urchin barren extents over an almost 40-year time frame,” says Kaitlin. However, urchin barrens did remain prevalent in shallow reefs outside the marine reserve. “These findings further demonstrate the effects of fishing on reef ecosystems ... and that these effects can be reversed inside marine reserves. “Importantly, it also highlights that partial protection does not achieve similar conservation efforts as no-take reserves.”

In 2019, Auckland University Masters student Kaitlin Lawrence mapped marine habitats at three locations in north-eastern New Zealand – a fully fished site (Mokohinau Islands), one with partial marine protection (Mimiwhangata), and a no-take marine reserve (Leigh). All three had previously been mapped in the 1970s, which provided a unique opportunity to examine the long-term response of reef habitats under different fishing management regimes. The extent of kina (sea urchin) barrens was found to

A whale’s tale →

Spring 2020

COVER

Bryde’s whale in the Hauraki Gulf. Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safari.

WHALE TALES Tour guide Andy Light has has seen a decline in whale numbers over the past 20 years.

decade ago, it was common to see four or five whales in a day, but now you are more likely to see a solitary animal searching for food in the outer reaches of the Hauraki Gulf. About a fifth of New Zealand’s total Bryde’s whale population are resident year round in the Gulf, along with common dolphins. Visitors may also be lucky enough to see pygmy blue or sei whales, and, in the migration season, humpback and southern right whales come into the harbour, along with orca and bottlenose dolphins. Aucklanders are incredibly privileged to have these charismatic whale species living in their blue backyard, but overfishing is threatening their future – and changing their natural behaviours. Andy Light, long-time Captain of Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safari, says he has seen a lot of changes over the past two decades. “I feel there’s been an overall decline in our permitted area. The number of whales and dolphins has dropped. “We used to find Bryde’s whales feeding with common dolphins in winter, big groups of dolphins and three whales in the middle, feeding on pilchards. We hardly observe this any more. “Just five or six years ago, you would see 500 to several thousand dolphins in [fish] work-ups, with gannets flying in, and we would sit there and watch them for an hour. “Dolphins seem to be in smaller groups now. If you find 500, it’s a big group, and the work-ups don’t last very long. It seems there aren’t the pilchards aggregating like they used to be,” says Andy. “We’re also observing fewer whales overall, and they are further out, sometimes too far for our boat to get to.” Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safari supports conservation efforts in several ways, including helping

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

marine scientists undertake their research by carrying out population counts, krill and planktom sampling, Captain Andy Light and whale scat collection. Commercial fishing, including trawling, is allowed in the marine park for species like pilchards and snapper. No-one knows how many fish recreational fishers are removing. “Whales are eating more krill and plankton because fish stocks are low, and they have to move further out in order to find food,” explains Andy. He supports Forest & Bird’s goal of 30% marine protection in the Gulf. “The Hauraki Gulf should be an example to the world. It’s all very well saying fishing is our right, but actually it’s becoming more of a privilege.”

WHAT DOES FOREST & BIRD WANT? To heal the Hauraki Gulf, and all of New Zealand’s coastal and deep-ocean habitats, we need: n New Zealand leading the world with an ecosystembased management of fisheries and aquaculture n At least 30% of our Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Sea protected with a meaningful representative network of no-take marine reserves n Bycatch of endangered, threatened, or protected species reduced to near zero levels by 2030 n All of Aotearoa’s marine waters protected from the impacts of non-fishing threats – for example, seabed mining. You can read Forest & Bird’s detailed policies for restoring Aotearoa’s ocean environment in our Policies for Recovery at www.forestandbird.org.nz/ vote-nature.

VANISHING FISH STOCKS

Forest & Bird’s legal team has gone into bat for New Zealand’s disappearing tarakihi fish stocks – the first time the Society has challenged a Minister’s decision under the Fisheries Act.

n July, our lawyers and expert witnesses went to the High Court to argue that Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash’s decision in 2019 to allow East Coast tarakihi stocks to remain overfished for the next 25 years was not environmentally sustainable – or legal. The East Coast tarakihi fishery covers a huge area of ocean from Northland to Southland and includes the Hauraki Gulf. “It has been fished down to a shocking 15% of its natural population,” says Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague. “There is clear government policy that any fish depleted to this extent must be allowed to rebuild. In this case, tarakihi stocks must rebuild within 10 years. “But Minister Nash’s 2019 decision to reduce the commercial catch by only 10% means it will take at least 25 years for the stock to rebuild, if it ever does. “The Minister’s decision should concern anyone who makes their living from the sea, recreational fishers, and tangata whenua. “Tarakihi are a key coastal species, and many jobs depend on there being healthy stock levels.” Forest & Bird says the case shows how the current Quota Management System and Fisheries Act, which are supposed to stop fish stocks plummeting to unsustainable levels, are not fit for purpose. “The Fisheries Act is far from perfect. Forest & Bird believes it needs a significant overhaul to bring fisheries management

into the 21st century,” adds Kevin. “But even under the current system, fish stocks should be managed sustainably.” Forest & Bird says it is also concerned that the Minister relied on a voluntary Industry Rebuild Plan provided by the fishing industry to halt the declining stocks. This plan contained actions such as “further research” and rules where commercial fishing boats would temporarily move on from an area if they were catching too many undersized fish. “This plan should not be used in place of an appropriate catch limit. There is no way to determine what impact the industry plan will have because it is voluntary,” adds Kevin. The Minister of Fisheries, together with industry representatives Fisheries Inshore New Zealand and Te Ohu Kai Moana Trustee Ltd, opposed Forest & Bird’s challenge. At the time of writing, we were awaiting the High Court’s decision. In the next issue, the Future of Fishing – why the next government needs to overhaul the current Quota Management System and replace it with truly sustainable fisheries legislation. Map showing the east coast tarakihi fishery area shaded in blue

TAR 10

TAR 1

TAR 8 TAR 2 TAR 7

Forest & Bird’s team outside the High Court in Wellington. From left, Sally Gepp, Kat Goddard, Madeleine Wright, and Peter Anderson.

TAR 4 TAR 3

TAR 5

Spring 2020

BIODIVERSITY

Don’t let Les McPherson’s cuddly jumpers fool you, he has negotiated with Soviet leaders and the French military to obtain bird calls for his legendary birdcall collection. Val Clemens

BIRDCALL CHRONICLER

Les McPherson has spent 50 years collecting the bird calls of every single New Zealand bird, including a couple of extinct ones. David Brooks.

ot everyone will be familiar with Les McPherson’s name, but if you listen to Radio New Zealand or are enthusiastic about New Zealand birds you will know his work. For more than 50 years, Les has been accumulating our country’s largest collection of bird calls. It all started with an interest in tape recorders and a decision to experiment with recording the chirps of sparrows in his back garden in 1969. The experiment was a success, and recording birds quickly became a passion. Today, his collection includes every species found in Aotearoa, as well as many from the Pacific Islands.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

His recording work has taken him all over New Zealand, including some of our more inaccessible spots, including the Chatham Islands and the Kaikōura mountains. Les has fond – and sometimes not so fond – memories of scrambling up remote cliff faces with his bulky reel to reel tape recording gear to reach nesting sites. His first major trip was to the Titi/Muttonbird Islands at the invitation of one of the traditional Māori muttonbirders. He remembers the difficulty of getting on to the islands. “I also discovered I’m not a good sailor,” he says, recalling the loss of a dental plate

off the side of the boat during the rough return journey. He encountered a nesting northern giant petrel on a trip to the Sisters Islands in the Chatham Islands group to record northern royal and Buller’s albatrosses. “They’re quite accurate when they’re regurgitating at you,” he says of the bird nicknamed the stinker or stinkpot for their distinctive stench of putrid flesh. Les is backing toroa to win this year’s Bird of the Year. He describes albatrosses as one of his favourite birds, in part reflecting the effort required to capture their calls. His other favourites are the pīwakawaka for its friendliness and the kōkako for its rarity and beautiful, haunting call. Les, who is a long-time Forest & Bird member from Ashburton, is the definition of an enthusiastic amateur. Before retirement, he worked at packing and dispatching lingerie and nightwear in Christchurch, so his recording work was confined to annual holidays and the occasional long weekend. “Once or twice, I got caught in remote places by a change in the weather, and my employer was not very pleased.” Despite health issues preventing him getting out into the field himself these days, Les’s collection continues to grow. The day we spoke, he had just finished adding 19 recordings from the Pacific island of Nauru to his collection. He has developed good relationships with scientists and other archives around the world to acquire or swap recordings. Russian scientists in the Soviet era provided him with recordings of some of the wading birds that migrate to New Zealand every year. “When they found out I was working on my own, they sent

Les McPherson making a bird recording in his younger days. Supplied.

me everything they had,” he said. “It put some noses out of joint at this end talking to the Soviet authorities, but I found them quite good to deal with.” Just after the French nuclear testing in French Polynesia ended, he also received from the French military a series of recordings of birds from the test region. After contacting a French journalist doing his military service on the atolls where testing was being done, he received no reply until

a package of bird calls arrived without warning on his doorstep. Over the years, Les has sold packages of his recordings to the public, first on seven inch records, and later on cassettes and compact discs. His recordings have been incorporated into soft toys of New Zealand birds and other commercial ventures, including recently the New Zealand feature film Bellbird. The most likely contact many have with Les’s recordings is hearing the bird calls before the news on RNZ’s Morning Report each day. His collection allowed RNZ to greatly expand the number of bird calls it used, which had previously relied on recordings by conservationist and Forest & Bird Old Blue award winner John Kendrick. The bulk of the bird calls on the NZ Birds Online website have also been provided by Les. Looking back, he is amazed how quickly his half century of collecting bird calls has flown by. He says the vast collection owes much to the contribution of others, and he has no intention to stopping yet.

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Les is backing toroa to win Bird of the Year 2020.

New Zealand’s native birds need a safe place to feed. The Peka Power Pack provides the perfect spot for them to drink in, eat up and sing out.

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C L I M AT E

Disclosing the carbon emissions of products would allow us to identify bad actors and reward the changemakers.

WALKING THE TALK Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown is working with other global brands to make shoes that have a smaller carbon footprint. David Brooks.

ustainability and simplicity were key goals of former All Whites and Wellington Phoenix soccer star Tim Brown when he came up with the idea for Allbirds sneakers. Neither are words usually associated with sports and leisure shoes, which generally involve synthetic materials, loud colours, and fussy, frequently changed designs. “The goal should not be to make sustainable products, but to make great products with the understanding that today, for a product to be truly great, it must also be sustainable,” Tim says. This philosophy quickly found favour with buyers, including Silicon Valley tech heads, New York hipsters, and Hollywood film stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, who also became an investor. Just two years after Tim and co-

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founder Joey Zwillinger launched Allbirds shoes in 2016, the San Francisco-based company achieved a reported market valuation of $US1.4 billion ($NZ2.1 billion). The pair had also sold their millionth pair of Allbirds shoes. Wellington-raised Brown first came up with the idea of developing a new line of sneakers as a professional footballer after receiving free shoes from a sponsor. The shoes were “overdesigned, over-logoed, and changed all the time for no reason,” Tim says. “Being from New Zealand, I was certainly familiar with the miraculous properties of merino wool and had a general appreciation for the importance of caring for the environment.” In 2015, a year after raising $US120,000 in a Kickstarter campaign, Tim teamed up with Joey, a US biotech engineer and

renewables expert, to create woollen sneakers. Today, Allbirds has expanded its range to include running shoes, slip-ons, boat shoes, underwear, and socks, all using merino wool or eucalyptus fibre, which was adopted for new lines of shoes in 2018. Other natural or recycled materials introduced to the range include sugar cane, which is transformed into the company’s SweetFoam used in its shoe soles and jandals. The move away from synthetics to sustainable materials is a model the company would love to see followed by the rest of the sneaker industry, which is worth about $90 billion a year. “For example, rather than keeping the carbon-negative, green EVA material at the heart of our SweetFoam soles to ourselves, we saw that it could have far more

impact if it was used by a whole host of brands,” says Tim, who is co-chief executive of Allbirds and based in San Francisco. “So we open sourced it, and more than 100 global brands are in the process of using it today.” Earlier this year, Allbirds announced a partnership with Adidas to create a highperformance product with as close to net-zero carbon impact as possible. “My hope is that we are showing the industry that the challenge of creating more sustainable products should not be fought alone.” In April this year, Allbirds started labelling all its products with the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent emitted during their production and use. “Measuring and, perhaps more importantly, disclosing the carbon emissions of products and services would allow us to identify bad actors and reward the changemakers,” he says. Allbirds says the average carbon footprint of its footwear is 7.6kg of CO2 equivalent, compared with 12.5kg for a standard sneaker. “Now more than ever, consumers are aware of the ways their personal health is connected to the wellbeing of our planet, and they are using their purchasing power to support businesses who are acting with both interests at heart.”

Allbirds has open-sourced its carbonnegative SweetFoam soles so other brands can use it in their shoes too.

The carbon footprint of an Allbirds’ shoe 7.6kg of CO2 equivalent, compared with 12.5kg for a standard sneaker.

The company is carbon neutral, investing in offsets such as reforestation and wind farms. But it is also looking for ways to reduce its initial carbon footprint, for instance looking to regenerative agriculture as a way of bringing down its raw materials’ footprint. This includes working with New Zealand Merino and its growers to adopt regenerative farming practices. Tim sees the Covid-19 crisis as an opportunity to take bolder steps towards tackling climate change. “The long-term economic impact of Covid-19 has been profound, but amid the struggle we find hope in the collective action taken by the global community. “This moment offers us a blueprint for how we can also come

together to tackle climate change and underscores how important it will be for the public and private sectors to be united in finding solutions.” The company is truly multinational, sourcing the bulk of its merino wool from New Zealand, sugar cane from Brazil, and eucalyptus fibre from South Africa. The shoes are assembled in South Korea and China. “Allbirds has come a long way from my apartment on Cuba Street in Wellington and the simple idea for a shoe made from wool,” adds Tim. “I think ever since we created and filmed the Kickstarter campaign on my family friend’s farm in Pauatahanui, it’s become clear that the world has been looking for an alternative to wearing synthetic materials on their feet.”

Allbirds is supporting Bird of the Year 2020 and will be unveiling a special “Hoiho” limited edition line of shoes inspired by last year’s competition winner. The previous “Kereru” and “Kea” limited editions both sold out within days, and this year is likely to be no different, so keep an eye out and get in quick! Allbirds will donate a portion of the hoiho shoe sales to Forest & Bird as it has done over the two past years. Tim Brown says Allbirds is thrilled to be supporting the biggest birdie election this year. He said: “As a brand that was dreamed up in New Zealand and focuses on protecting our natural world, we’re happy to be able to support the important work Forest & Bird is doing for indigenous wildlife. It’s a great fit for us.”

→

Bird of the Year takes flight on 2 November 2020.

Spring 2020

ECONOMY

Pakiroa beach and farmland near Punakaiki, West Coast. David Wall

WHERE NEXT FOR FARMING & FISHING?

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

The primary sector holds the key to a successful green economic recovery in New Zealand. Geoff Keey.

ransforming the way we do farming, forestry, and fishing to benefit people and the planet requires a major shift in primary sector thinking. In recent times, we have seen primary sector interest groups campaigning against rules to protect significant natural areas on private land and against government proposals to improve water quality. We have seen resistance to cameras on boats and complete hostility towards marine reserves and more effective regulation of fishing. All too often, Forest & Bird has had to fall back on the Environment Court to protect nature. This needs to change. The Covid-19 crisis has encouraged many of us to rethink our priorities. As the country heads towards the general election, people will be thinking about the kind of economic recovery we want. Forest & Bird believes the mood is for a recovery for people and planet. That’s why a new sustainable vision for the primary sector jointly announced in July by the government and the Primary Sector Council is a good step forward. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern released Fit for a Better World Roadmap – Accelerating our Economic Potential, a 10-year plan aimed at increasing primary sector exports by $44bn. In the plan, the Primary Sector Council, which is made up of agri-business leaders, has committed to “Meeting the greatest challenge humanity faces: rapidly moving to a low-carbon emissions society, restoring the health of our water, reversing the decline in biodiversity and at the same time, feeding our people.” It’s about time. Recent State of the Environment reports from Statistics New Zealand and the Ministry for the Environment have highlighted the serious decline in our natural environment from the impact of the primary sector, which includes farming, fishing, forestry, and mining. But the tide is turning. Consumer power is working to make some business leaders rethink their previous economic path, which was to put short-term profit above nature and long-term economic viability. For example, New Zealand’s fishing industry risks facing a trade ban from the US over the perilous state of the critically endangered Māui dolphin. In July, Kiwibank announced its new Responsible Business Banking policy following lobbying by Forest & Bird and others. After the general election, a new government will be

responsible for driving New Zealand’s Covid recovery plan. Forest & Bird hopes they will deliver a stronger, more productive, and higher value primary sector that puts nature at the centre of everything it does. But this approach needs to be backed up with strong environmental rules, meaningful support, and a change of attitude from industry laggards.

The answer is not to hide the problem but to fix it. One of the main reasons fishers have opposed cameras on boats is that they don’t want to see footage of dead dolphins and seabirds on TV. It’s bad for the brand. The answer is not to hide the problem but to fix it. We need honest reporting of accidental bycatch deaths and fish discarding, and this will lead to a high-value, trusted, and sustainable fishery. Those in fishing, forestry, and farming who want to lead this change deserve support, encouragement, and assistance. Laggards need rules and enforcement. Everyone needs technical and financial assistance. With these elements in place, we can make fast positive change that can protect and restore nature as well as strengthening the economic value of our international brands. Progress needs to be real and measurable. Symbolic gestures and clever branding aren’t enough. We need to see a demonstrable primary sector commitment to stronger rules on freshwater, protecting significant natural areas on private land, zero bycatch, and more marine reserves. Forest & Bird does have concerns about some of the details in Fit for a Better World Roadmap. We should be fixing existing pollution from irrigated farmland before talking about more storage. New plant varieties must not become new weeds, and where aquaculture gets put is something that needs enormous care. But we share the Primary Sector Council’s vision that the future should be grounded in te taiao, a deep relationship of respect and reciprocity with the natural world. This will ensure the long-term viability of farming, forestry, and fishing, and the wellbeing of future generations. We need nature and nature needs us. That’s surely a Covid recovery we can all support. Geoff Keey is Forest & Bird’s strategic advisor. Spring 2020

NO NEW MINES

HOROHORO MINING PLAN

An Australian mining company wants to search for rare minerals on iwi and conservation land at Horohoro Mountain, a prominent landmark near Rotorua. Dominic Scott

Companies continue to prospect for gold, rare minerals, and coal despite the government’s 2017 pledge to stop new mining operations on conservation land. Caroline Wood.

s conservation land truly closed for mining? That’s the question being asked by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara, a hapū based south of Rotorua. In May, the Rūnanga received a request from the Department of Conservation for Australian mining company Mineralogy to prospect for lithium, rare earth minerals, and gold on conservation land in their mana whenua area, including on sensitive cultural and ecological land. Mineralogy International Limited is owned by prominent Australian businessman Clive Palmer, who has an estimated net worth of $2.6bn. The company recently moved its operations to New Zealand and applied for minerals permits to look for gold, lithium, and rare minerals in Northland, Waikato, and the West Coast. One of the places it wants to go prospecting is on public conservation land at Horohoro Mountain, a prominent landmark in the Rotorua area. The flat-topped maunga with its sheer cliffs and native forest towers above the surrounding farmland, 15km south-west of Rotorua. The application area includes a number of public conservation reserves, as well as iwi land (see map). “Why is DOC supporting Mineralogy’s request for activities involving access to 21 conservation areas?” asks Eru George, Chair of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara. “The Rūnanga has a Conservation Protocol with DOC, and we share a boundary on Horohoro Mountain. We have invested in predator-free projects

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

to bring back the native bush and birds, we work to protect the Matahana Basin Ecological Reserve, we have a micro-hydro dam to generate renewable energy, and we have a native tree nursery.” The Rūnanga says it should never have reached this stage. It asked New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals (the government agency that manages mining permits) to exclude these areas from the permit. “We support regenerative, biodiversity, and sustainable development. We also actively engage with New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals and respond to prospecting and exploration applications,” adds Eru. “They ignored our concerns and failed to uphold their Treaty obligations in the process. Now DOC is doing the same. “We urge hapū, iwi, and community groups interested in biodiversity in surrounding Bay of Plenty areas to check if conservation land in their area has been approved for activities which will lead to mining.” Forest & Bird’s regional manager for Waikato, Rebecca Stirnemann, says Horohoro Mountain is home to kākā, karearea New Zealand falcon, and pekapeka long-tailed bats, with kōkako living nearby. “The company won’t tell the Rūnanga what it is looking for. We believe it is gold, and that means hardrock mining and chemicals will be needed to extract it. This we know is very damaging to the environment.” Want to know if a mining company is prospecting on conservation area near you? Members of the public can search for mining permits and maps at www.nzpam.govt.nz.

PROMISED POLICY STILL NOT ENACTED Three years ago, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced there would be “no new mines on conservation land”. Since then, the government appears to have failed to convince its coalition partner New Zealand First to support strong new legislation that would make mining illegal on all kinds of public conservation land. That means the Department of Conservation must operate under existing legislation when it comes to assessing new applications to prospect, explore, or mine for coal, gold, or rare minerals, such as lithium. The number of applications received since Ardern’s Speech to the Throne in 2017 gives an indication of how many new mines could be coming to a piece of conservation land near you. There were 58 access arrangement applications on conservation land between November 2017 and April 2019 – with 36 approved (see table below). Meanwhile, other companies continue to mine on conservation land using existing access arrangements. New mining permits continue to be granted by the government too. In August, OceanaGold was granted a 40-year permit to mine gold on conservation land at Wharekirauponga, in the Coromandel. The forest park is home to critically endangered Archey’s frogs. See our Spring 2017 cover story at www.issuu.com/ forestandbird. Type of activity

Number of applications received

Number of applications approved

Prospecting

Exploration

Mining

Number of Crown Minerals Act 1991 applications on public conservation land from 8 November 2017 to 8 April 2019.

Forest & Bird has submitted an Official Information Act request to DOC asking for all mining permit applications between April last year and July 2020. Kataraina George, environment and nursery manager at Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara, checks predator traps in the Horohoro forest. Miria George

Mineralogy International wants to prospect for lithium, rare earth minerals, and gold in a huge area south-west of Rotorua.

WHAT DOES FOREST & BIRD WANT? The Crown Minerals Act is an outdated piece of legislation that desperately needs updating. Forest & Bird would like to see the Act amended to prohibit new coal mining throughout New Zealand and to end all mining on public conservation land. We’d also like to see more protections for private landowners and iwi to give them more power to stop mining happening on or under their land. DOC should also be given stronger controls so it can say “no” to new mining activity on high-value conservation land. We understand substantial work has been done to find a way through on the “no new mines” policy, and we are hopeful that the next government will implement it. Conservation land should be protected for conservation – not mining. Find out more in our Policies for Recovery – a Three-year Plan for Nature – see www.forestandbird.org.nz/vote-nature.

Spring 2020

BIODIVERSITY

Forest ringlets need help or they will vanish from our planet. Mike Reid

Finding

FOREST RINGLETS Our most beautiful butterfly is in serious decline, and New Zealanders are being urged to report sightings. Lynley Hargreaves.

early 40 years ago, Norm Twigge set out into the bush to find his first forest ringlet butterfly. “I was all geared up to sight this wonderful butterfly,” he says. “But I traipsed all over Mount Ruapehu without finding a single one. I went home very dejected.” The next year, Norm spotted several butterflies, and the Tauranga-based conservationist and entomologist began a lifelong hobby of studying the forest ringlet, often considered the most beautiful of New Zealand’s dozen or so endemic butterfly species. Now Norm is part of the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust’s project to raise awareness and prevent extinction of New Zealand’s only forest butterfly. The forest ringlet (Dodonidia helmsii), also known as the Helms’ butterfly, was once found in many areas of native forest from Northland down to northern Westland. Butterfly But today it is disappearing – noconservationist one has seen one in the Waitakere Norm Twigge Ranges for 30 years, and it has also in his Tauranga retreated from the Auckland and garden. Wellington regions. Supplied

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

Some suggest it may be limited to relatively untouched alpine areas, like Te Kuha near Westport, having disappeared from lowland sites altogether. But while declining numbers were first noticed in the 1990s, data is sparse. It is estimated that fewer than 100 people have seen and identified this butterfly in the wild. There are huge gaps in New Zealand’s environmental data collection, as pointed out by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment last year. This is especially true of a cryptic species such as the forest ringlet. That’s one reason why the Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust is calling on New Zealanders to report sightings of the butterfly. It has designed and published a poster, free with this issue of Forest & Forest ringlet Bird magazine, to help larva on gahnia. members of the public Mike Reid identify and record sightings of the butterfly. The best advice on how to spot a forest ringlet? In the height of summer, look up. The forest ringlet flies above shrubs but below the treetops, prefers

the edges of forest glades, and has a flight path that is described as rapid and erratic. The butterflies appear in January or February, with the timeframe varying depending on how far south you are. “They are only on the wing for three to four weeks. That’s a very short season, because they overwinter for so long,” says Norm. Finding out more about the forest ringlet’s distribution and better understanding its life cycle are key to figuring out its decline. Threats are thought to include deforestation, predatory wasps, flies, and introduced birds. Ultimately, the Trust would like to set up a foundation colony, but breeding the butterfly in captivity has proved difficult. Norm has reared them from several stages, but nobody has evidence of successful captive breeding. “A hobbyist can only go so far,” he says. At 81, Norm still gets out into the bush, although it’s harder than it used to be. “My only regret is that I didn’t start the serious study of forest ringlets a bit earlier.” There may never be another day like the one, a decade or so ago, when he saw 29 forest ringlet butterflies in one day.

BUTTERFLY POACHING It may come as a surprise, but our endemic butterflies are not fully legally protected under New Zealand law. Norm says it is legal for butterfly collectors to sell specimens. “The forest ringlet is very sought after from collectors. Specimens have been found on a German insect website, and they fetch prices up to 100 euros for a single butterfly,” he says. This means it is important to keep quiet about where butterflies and caterpillars are spotted, only reporting them to reputable places such as the Moths and Butterflies Trust. Jacqui Knight, editor of Butterflies magazine, and founding trustee of the Moths and Butterflies Trust, adds: “We know there are people in New Zealand who catch and kill this butterfly, selling the framed butterflies overseas. “While this (sadly) is not illegal, it is a very selfish act, to the detriment of the species.” Jacqui hopes raising awareness of the forest ringlet will help Kiwis take ownership of this very special butterfly that has become locally extinct in some areas. “Its demise is linked to the decline in the overall health of our natural environment,” adds Jacqui. “We hope Forest & Bird members will help spread awareness about this treetop species and help us identify more locations where it is found.”

Typical habitat for New Zealand’s treetop-loving forest ringlet butterflies. Norm Twigge

How can you help? Put up the poster that comes with this magazine and report any sightings this summer to www.mb.org.nz. Find out more about why forest ringlets are not protected under the Wildlife Act at https://bit. ly/39sf2YU.

Tiritiri Matangi Island

RECHARGE YOUR SOUL

Take a guided walk through the bush, serenaded by the sound of our magnificent native birds. See New Zealand’s oldest working lighthouse, or simply immerse yourself in the peace and solitude that is Tiritiri Matangi Island.

tiritirimatangi.co.nz | Ferry bookings: fullers.co.nz

Spring 2020

F O R C E O F N AT U R E

FASCINATING FINDS

Force of Nature archivist Michael Pringle shares 10 of his top discoveries. Over the past year, I have been a regular visitor to the Alexander Turnbull Library, in Wellington, which holds more than 1000 folders of Forest & Bird’s paper archives. The Force of Nature history project team has also searched letters, petitions, photos, films, and maps in regional archives and museums, Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision, and Archives New Zealand. These fragile paper records have allowed us to discover a wealth of new facts showing the huge diversity of Forest & Bird’s work since it was established in 1923. Some of these fascinating stories will be published in a legacy book to mark our 100th birthday. In the meantime, here are some fascinating (and quirky) finds from the 1920s and 1930s. Protecting Poor Knights Pigs first arrived on the Poor Knights Islands in the 1780s, laying waste to the flora and fauna, including a rare native snail Placostylus. William Fraser, the Harbour Master for Whangārei, was a keen conservationist and member of the Native Bird Protection Society (later Archives NZ Forest & Bird). In 1924, Fraser led an expedition to the islands to exterminate the wild pigs, accompanied by local Māori who were expert pig hunters. He took this photo of his expedition, which was mostly successful, although it took a further government expedition in 1936 to kill the last holdouts. In an exciting further discovery, we have found a series of letters that show Forest & Bird successfully lobbied to increase legal protections for nature on Poor Knights Islands during the 1920s. Lucky Bird Lottery In 1931, the Society organised an Art Union Lottery, the equivalent of today’s Lotto, to raise funds for the Society. The lottery had a first prize of £2000 paid in alluvial gold – approximately $230,000

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

Alexander Turnbull Library

in today’s money! The lottery raised the equivalent of $1.5m today, which was invested into a trust fund that returned between £450 and £600 per annum. The money was tagged for special purposes, including education on conservation matters. Captain Sanderson’s rat trap Forest & Bird was established in 1923 by the charismatic Captain Ernest “Val” Sanderson, who lived at Paekākāriki, north of Wellington, in view of the island sanctuary of Kāpiti. It was this island to which he devoted much of his time and boundless passion. His conservation efforts flowed into his own home and garden, where he planted endemic trees, encouraged the birds, and trapped rodents. Many decades later, his grandson Justin Jordan found this rat trap, modified with weights to make it more sensitive, placed by his grandfather in the garden shed – still tightly clamping an ancient rat! Glimpses of Wildife film In Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision Archive, we discovered a home movie, made by Captain Sanderson in 1939. Filmed on his beloved Kāpiti Island and in the garden of his Paekākāriki home, the moving images give us a glimpse into Sanderson’s friendships towards the end of his life. The movie shows a number of people feeding kererū, tūī, tauhou, and ducks. We have discovered that one of them was Rangi Webber, who appears at the end of the film with a kererū sitting on her hand. The Webbers, who lived on Kāpiti, were great friends of Sanderson, according to Nancy Jordan, Sanderson’s daughter. The film is available to view on the Ngā Taonga website (Film number F7900). Letters and posters in te reo Māori Writing on behalf of the Society, Sanderson went to the trouble of getting some of his letters translated into te reo. In the Turnbull Library, we located letters from an early member, Nopera Otene of Mangamuka, in the

Hokianga, dated 1928, expressing his support for the goals of the Society and enclosing his subscription fee. Sanderson arranged to reply in te reo, noting that the Māori “knew how to preserve his birds and forests” before the Alexander Turnbull Library arrival of Europeans and advising that Society posters in Māori and English were to be displayed in the Far North. Sanderson himself had met Otene on his trip to the Far North in 1926. Save New Zealand for Your Children This was the theme of a poster campaign run by the Society in the late 1930s. Sanderson was highly successful in obtaining cooperation from government departments in placing Society posters in railway stations, post offices, government offices, and in some local municipalities. The Department of Internal Affairs took 100 copies of this poster to display. A consistent theme of the Society’s work was the “preservation of our bush for the sake of our children” and the education of children on the importance of conservation. Does anyone recognise the little girl in this poster? Archives NZ Moncrieff’s musical scores Perrine Moncrieff was a giant among New Zealand’s conservationists, founder member, and a major force in the Society for much of her life. Not only was she a great lover of bush, bird, and landscapes but also a writer and a composer. In the papers of the Forest & Bird supporter Arthur Leigh Hunt at the Turnbull Library, we found a musical score by Perrine, Arbor Day Song, to which she composed both the music and words. “Our trees we cherish lest streams no more should flow,” she wrote. Perrine also composed a symphony on the birds and bush, and took it to Wellington to be orchestrated. We are trying to find a copy of it. Nelson Provincial Museum

Kākāpō feather Mr Dalrymple, of Bulls, wrote to Sanderson in June 1925 reporting that he had just returned from a visit to west Otago, where he reported seeing traces of many kākāpō on the mountain slopes.

In the letter, and still in the Turnbull, perfectly preserved, is the kākāpō feather he sent. “Feathers were plentiful,” he wrote, and “it was remarkable how ... they resembled the colour of the moss which covers the ground ... Note the double part of the feather, Nature’s way of protecting the bird from the cold.”

Alexander Turnbull Library

Edward Phillips-Turner and his “fotos” Phillips-Turner was an early Society supporter and the government’s Director of Forestry from 1928 to 1931. At Archives New Zealand, we found an album of what he called his “early NZ fotos”, some of which show scenes of red beech in the Tautuku area of the Catlins, Southland taken in the period 1915–1920. Today, Tautuku is home to one of Forest & Bird’s important Archives NZ restoration projects. Coloured lantern slides At the Mavtech Museum in Foxton, we found a collection of Forest & Bird lantern slides in their original wooden box. Lantern slides, often hand coloured, were fixed directly on to glass and projected on to a screen. They were used by Society representatives in the 1930s to illustrate talks on birds and New Zealand wildlife. The first slides explained how New Zealand forests had stood for many thousands of years with no predators, but they now faced huge degradation from introduced species such as deer. We have digitised all 52 slides, thanks to Mavtech’s Jim Harper and Maynard Johnson. The Force of Nature team would like to thank the Stout Trust, National Library of New Zealand, and Victoria University for supporting Forest & Bird’s centennial history. Documenting and digitising these fascinating historical archives is a labour of love. If you would like to make a donation to support this work, please go to https://bit.ly/3114nll or contact Caroline Wood c.wood@forestandbird.org.nz. Spring 2020

FOREST & BIRD PROJECT

Predator control in the South-East Wildlink Project area makes life safer for long-tailed bats.

BAT DISCOVERY Pekapeka have been recorded for the first time at Forest & Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s South-East Wildlink Project in South Auckland. Naomi Harrison.

he nationally critical longtailed bat has been recorded for the first time inside Forest & Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s South-East Wildlink conservation project area, causing much excitement among residents, volunteers, and staff alike. Forest & Bird carried out longtailed bat monitoring at the project site, which is located between Manurewa and Clevedon, from November 2019 to April 2020. The area is primarily pasture lifestyle blocks peppered with remnant native bush stands. I have been working with the local community to protect and restore natural habitats on private land in the project area. I also support our South Auckland branch, which manages two Forest & Bird reserves, Olive Davis and Ngaheretuku, also located in the project area. This includes giving advice and supplies for pest animal and plant

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control, including possums and rats, as well as monitoring local populations of birds and pekapeka, the long-tailed bat. Auckland Council last recorded bats in the Clevedon Scenic Reserve in 2013 and on a private property in Redoubt Road in 2014. To reconfirm their presence in our

Bat monitor at one of the 35 monitoring sites.

project area, I carried out monitoring for long-tailed bats using automatic bat monitors to pick up the sound bats make as they fly by. We used AR4s designed by Department of Conservation and Bat Loggers borrowed from Auckland Council. Both automatic devices were left out for seven nights at each location. They pick up the sound of bats as they fly by looking for food. We carried out monitoring at 14 properties, with a total of 35 sites, totalling 98 nights of monitoring. Some sites were checked more than once over the period. We recorded long-tailed bats at one property on the Papakura end of Hunua Road. We think this may be a bat that travelled from an established population within the nearby Hunua Ranges. The aim of the South-East

Wildlink Project is to provide a safe corridor of natural habitats for birds and bats travelling across the greater Auckland region. Long-tailed bats are capable of flying up to 50km in one night looking for food and roosting sites. It’s a wonderful discovery and testament to the hard work of everyone carrying out predator control in the South-East Wildlink Project area. This summer, our staff and volunteers will be out again looking for the elusive, but very welcome, long-tailed bat. If you would like to help with the next long-tailed bat monitoring programme from November 2020 to April 2021, please contact me at n.harrison@forestandbird.org.nz. Naomi Harrison is Forest & Bird’s South-East Wildlink’s project manager. Forest & Bird is grateful to Foundation North, Auckland Council, Transpower, and DOC for funding Naomi’s work.

NATIVE BATS NEED OUR HELP Bats are very special because they are New Zealand’s only native land mammal. There are two sub-species – the long- and short-tailed bat. Both species are at risk from predators and habitat loss and are locally extinct in many parts of the country. The long-tailed bat is “nationally critical” on New Zealand’s threat classification list, while the short-tail bat is “nationally vulnerable” to “recovering” depending on its location. Both species of bats need human help to recover. To assist and encourage bats back into your backyards, you can do lots of things, including: • Carry out pest control – the main predators of bats are stoats, rats, possums, and cats. • Leave mature trees standing. Bats use these Female long-tailed bat. to roost in old cavities or under loose bark. Colin Donnell • Plant more natives to create links between remnant bush patches. • Turn outside lights off when not in use. Bats are sensitive to light and prefer it dark. It would be wonderful to have bats throughout South-East Wildlink. If you live in the project area and would like any assistance with pest animal control or planting natives, please get in touch. Sandymount success, see overleaf →

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Spring 2020

FOREST & BIRD PROJECT

SANDYMOUNT SEABIRD SUCCESS

At least 30 chicks fledged from Forest & Bird’s tītī seabird project in Otago, thanks in part to you, our generous supporters! Caroline Wood.

ast year, a single ferret wiped out all the sooty shearwater chicks before they managed to fledge from the colony at Sandymount, on the Otago Peninsula. It was devastating news for local volunteers led by Forest & Bird’s project manager Francesca Cunninghame and Dunedin branch’s seabird expert Graeme Loh. But, following our story about the fearsome ferret, several readers came forward in response to a plea for funds. Their generous donations allowed the team to buy six new burrow cameras that were installed for the 2019/20 breeding season. The new cameras are vital in the ongoing battle against predators that live at Sandymount, be they possums, ferrets, stoats, rats, or hedgehogs, all of which like to feast on the defenceless tītī chicks in their sandy clifftop burrows. All was going well last summer, the sooty shearwaters returned to Sandymount to breed, and, although some chicks were lost to predation early on, others grew fat and were getting close to fledging. Then March’s Covid lockdown came along, and the Forest & Bird project team had stop its field trapping and important monitoring activities until Level 3, when Graeme Loh was able to get back out and find out how the chicks were doing. He discovered plenty of healthy

chicks and was able to band several individuals, while confirming there were chicks in other burrows ready to leave. Graeme checked more than 40 burrows and didn’t see any evidence of predation. Franny said: “It was wonderful to have confirmation that chicks fledged this season. There is at least one stoat in the colony that we are trying to trap (we can only assume it is eating mice), but the end result has been really positive, with around 30 chicks fledging. “I’d like to thank all the individual donors who gave us funds for the new trail cameras last year. They really helped.” Forest & Bird’s Sandymount seabird project began in 2016. No chicks fledged in the 2017/18 or 2018/19 season, predominantly because of predation. It’s unclear what happened during 2016/17 as the project didn’t have burrow cameras installed at that point. “This year, all the chicks Graeme handled have been a good weight, which is encouraging for their initial post-fledging survival,” added Francesca. Tītī are in decline. Predators, including feral cats, rats, ferrets, stoats, feral pigs, and dogs, in combination with land use changes, have left most mainland sooty shearwater colonies deserted. Tītī is one of the seabird species most frequently observed killed in the New Zealand fisheries. For more information or to volunteer to help with this year’s breeding season, email f.cunninghame@forestandbird.org.nz.

Graeme Loh with one of the tītī chicks at Sandymount.

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Mapping tītī burrows using a camera on a pole is challenging on the windy Otago Peninsula. Debs Martin

F R E S H WAT E R

Fertiliser run-off and the subsequent pollution of rivers and oceans is a worldwide issue. At Lake Erie, between Canada and the USA, record torrential spring rains washed fertiliser into the lake, producing record algal blooms in 2011. Photo: taken from orbit, NASA.

BLOOMIN’

ALGAE

We should be doing better when it comes to controlling pollution in our waterways. Tom Kay.

any countries, including China, have a nitrogen pollution “bottom line” of around 1.0 mg/l of DIN in their rivers, but New Zealand’s government has put a similar limit for our waterways in the “too hard” basket. Almost all of New Zealand’s lowland rivers and lakes are polluted—with pathogens, sediment, and nutrients. Pathogens are things that make humans sick – think E. coli, campylobacter, and cryptosporidium – while sediment is the fine soil that smothers riverbeds and makes them unliveable for fish and macroinvertebrates. The good news is that pathogens and sediment are being dealt with under the recently enacted 2020 National Policy Statement (NPS) on freshwater management, which Forest & Bird has campaigned hard to achieve. The “can that’s been kicked down the road” by the current government is nutrients – the chemicals that make plants grow. We generally talk about nitrogen and phosphorus, which are the main components of agricultural fertilisers, because these cause the main problems in our rivers and streams. On land and in our gardens, fertilisers are useful. But if they are allowed to run off into waterways, they feed weeds and algae, choking rivers and sucking up the dissolved oxygen that native fish need to breathe. At very high levels, nitrogen also has toxic effects on fish. We usually measure nitrogen as Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) and phosphorus as Dissolved Reactive Phosphorus (DRP). Setting limits on how much DIN or DRP pollution we should allow in our waterways has always been a contentious issue.

Forest & Bird has been advocating for years for the government to introduce stronger limits on the amount of nitrogen allowed in our rivers, lakes, and streams. Interestingly, some regions have gone it alone and imposed stronger pollution controls using local regulations, usually as a result of staunch advocacy from groups like Forest & Bird in regional planning processes and Environment Court hearings. For example, the Manawatū catchment has a nitrogen limit of 0.44 mg/l, while in Hawke’s Bay’s Tukituki catchment the limit is 0.8 mg/l. Any new limit on nutrient pollution is perceived as a brake on agricultural activity and growth, which makes imposing national standards for lowering nitrogen pollution a politically tricky proposition. Earlier this year, instead of listening to the science, our government folded to political pressure from industry. While the 2020 NPS on Freshwater Management does include a slightly lower nitrogen “toxicity” limit, it does nothing to reduce the limit on the actual problems nutrients cause in our rivers. Despite 14 out of 19 experts on the government’s freshwater Science and Technical Advisory Group recommending a DIN “bottom line” of 1.0 mg/l, ministers have pushed ahead without it, arguing that the scientists simply couldn’t agree. But it’s not over yet. With a promised review of the DIN and DRP nutrient limits in 12 months, Forest & Bird will be pushing hard to ensure they make it into the regulations next time around. Tom Kay is Forest & Bird’s freshwater advocate. Spring 2020

P R E D AT O R - F R E E N Z

TAHR THE TROUBLE WITH

Bull tahr grazing on the Lambert Tops, Upper Wanganui River, Hari Hari, South Westland, May 2020.

New Zealand alpine plants found nowhere else in the world are at risk from grazing by Himalayan tahr. Dr Gerry McSweeney.

ew Zealand’s endemic alpine plants have evolved here over hundreds of thousands of years. By way of contrast, tahr were introduced into the New Zealand mountains in 1903. Since then, they have been eating their way through some of Aotearoa’s most precious alpine ecosystems – including some that are supposed to be legally protected inside national parks. New Zealand plants rarely have chemical or physical defences against the grazing mammals of other countries.

Alpine plants like scree pea Montigena novae-zelandiae are attractive to Himalayan tahr. Without protective chemicals or thorns, it is utterly vulnerable to grazing mammals. Gerry McSweeney

Westland Tai Poutini and Aoraki Mt Cook National Parks should provide a safe haven for many of the rare alpine plants that are restricted to the highest parts of the South Island. We rely on recreational and commercial hunters to control the tahr population in these national parks and other alpine areas. But they haven’t been able to kill enough of them over the last 27 years, and consequently tahr are out of control in some parts of the country, including Westland Tai Poutini National Park. 36

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You can see the damage wrought by tahr on the alpine plants, soil, and ecosystems in the 2020 Lambert Tops photos accompanying this article. Here a mob numbering hundreds have killed the tall tussock (Chionochloa) and alpine herbs, including buttercups. Clumps of dead stumps are all that remains. Tahr herds camp in an area and eat all the palatable vegetation to ground level. Under severe grazing pressure, tall tussocks will die. In comparison, the Upper Otira Valley, in Arthur’s Pass National Park, lies north of the feral range of Himalayan tahr. It is protected from the grazing pressure of introduced browsers. Here you can find extensive alpine grasslands rich in buttercups (Ranunculus) and prickly carrot (Anisotome pilifera), another plant species that is immensely attractive to grazing tahr. Compared to areas like the Lambert Tops, there is a great diversity of plant species, and they are growing taller because they are not being hammered by large numbers of grazing mammals. The Upper Otira Valley is now a showcase of New Zealand alpine plants. The endemic Penwiper plant Notothlaspi rosulatum is very attractive to browsing mammals, including tahr. Euan Brook

Godley’s buttercup Ranunculus godleyanus is a classic example of a highaltitude alpine endemic that is at risk of extinction because of tahr and chamois grazing.

Nature discovery tourists explore the Upper Otira Valley, where giant buttercups (Ranunculus lyallii) grow among abundant tall snowgrass and other palatable plants that are abundant here in the absence of tahr. Gerry McSweeney

There are a number of New Zealand’s native plants whose stronghold is our highest mountains. Some like Veronica birleyi and Ranunculus grahamii, which can grow as high as 2900m altitude, are found nowhere else in the world. Global warming also poses a serious long-term risk to the future of these alpine plants. Some high-altitude species may already be growing near the summits of our mountains, so they cannot grow higher up the mountain as the climate warms. We have to protect these precious alpine plants where they are growing now. Mammalian grazing, particularly by tahr and chamois, poses an immediate risk to these species only found here in Aotearoa.

INSECT MAGNETS

Pollinating insects are dependent on native plants threatened by tahr grazing. Veronica, Celmisia, Ranunculus, Anisotome, and Aciphylla all have very showy flowers, which are magnets for pollinating insects, and also lizards, during the short alpine flowering season. Although our butterfly fauna is restricted compared to alpine zones in the rest of the world, we have an extraordinary diversity of moth species, many of which rely on nectar from alpine flowers. Invertebrates are vital food for threatened native bird species such as alpine-loving rock wren and other birds, such as New Zealand pipit.

Tall tussock (Chionochloa) grasslands cropped by tahr right to ground level. Heavy grazing has removed most of the alpine herbs, including buttercups. Lambert Tops, South Westland.

BERRIES FOR BIRDS

Alpine and subalpine plant fruits are also important as bird food. Studies of kea, korimako, tūī, and kākāriki show that all these native birds will feed on fruit in the sub-alpine and alpine zone. In autumn, fruit is a vital bird food source. We need to ensure as best we can that these food sources are not reduced by mammalian grazing. Snowberry fruits , for example, are a magnet for kea in the autumn in the tahr-free Upper Otira Valley alpine grasslands and herb fields. Within the tahr feral range, snowberry is heavily grazed.

Spring 2020

BIODIVERSITY Baby skinks hit the ground running, being fully independent from birth. Newborn grand skink in Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary. Anna Yeoman

NEW LIFE IN THE DRYLANDS

A community trust is returning endangered skinks and geckos to the Central Otago drylands, but is it time to declare this pioneering sanctuary a success? Anna Yeoman.

gleaming curve of black and gold launched itself from the tussock. Totally unaware that it was being watched, the newborn skink leapt again, in pursuit of an insect it had spotted in the grass. “It was like a puppy, going for everything that moved near it,” recalls Grant Norbury, Manaaki Whenua wildlife ecologist, his eyes sparkling. “A feisty little thing.” Norbury loves animal behaviour. But that wasn’t all that was making Norbury happy that February morning. The animal he was watching was the first evidence that these nationally endangered grand skinks were beginning to breed at Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary. Grant leads the Central Otago Ecological Trust (COET), a community group who for the last 15 years has been working towards a vision – to restore a slice of the

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local drylands habitat and, in particular, to bring back the lizards. In the hills near Alexandra, the Trust has created New Zealand’s first predator-proof dryland sanctuary. In 2018, lizard species lost to the area through predation and habitat loss began to be returned. So what has it taken for the Trust to get this far? And with the birth of young skinks this year, how close are they to declaring their bold project a success? “Translocations are inherently difficult,” explains Lynn Adams, leader of the national lizard Technical Advisory Group. Globally, a large proportion of them fail. “And the Mokomoko Coprosma propinqua is an important food for lizards.

team are the first to attempt translocations for some of these species.” Problem solving has featured heavily in the Trust’s work. The harsh Alexandra winter proved the first hurdle, as they found their population of captive-bred Otago skinks literally freezing to death in the raised wooden cages that elsewhere were best practice. So the team designed winter retreats with PVC pipes extending 1m underground to simulate the schist rock cracks the animals use in the wild. Next, they tested the feasibility of their sanctuary concept by creating the smallest predatorproof sanctuary in the country. This 0.3ha pilot project was prime lizard habitat, full of schist outcrops and the fruiting dryland shrubs Coprosma, Corokia, and Melicytus. The first releases of captive-bred skinks looked to be surviving well, until mice breached the fence. Otago skinks grow to 30cm

long, so observers were stunned to twice see mice attacking the adult skinks, leaving visible bite marks. Monitoring showed skink survival dropping off. Although a setback, it provided a valuable lesson. The Trust’s intensive monitoring of skink survival before and after the mouse incursion allowed them to publish a research paper on the impact of mice on a translocated lizard population. Two years ago, the 1.6km mammal-proof fence around the 14ha sanctuary was ready. While all their preparatory work had been with grand and Otago skinks, it was 80 jewelled gecko who were first reintroduced in autumn 2018, with the help of Carey Knox from Wildlands Consultants. Thirty-six Otago skinks and 33 grand skinks followed in the spring. These were populations rescued from the wild by DOC because they were threatened by intense predatory pressure. They were being held in captivity but weren’t breeding well, so DOC decided to release them into Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary. It was test time for the sanctuary, and trust members held their collective breath. Each lizard has a unique colour patterning, so they can be monitored by photo ID – as long as they can be found. On the steep, vegetated bluffs, this isn’t easy, as the skinks only emerge to bask on the schist rock ledges in mild,

Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary.

sunny conditions and are easily startled. After a nervous first year in which only three of the 36 Otago skinks were sighted, monitoring during last spring and summer has picked up good numbers of all three species. Young skinks are particularly difficult to detect, so the sighting of three grand and three Otago skink babies suggests there are more out there. “It’s a real eureka moment to get babies. It’s fantastic,” Norbury grins. “It’s so far so good, with some trepidation. “There’s still a large portion of animals we haven’t seen. But is that just because they’re very shy? Or have they actually died?” Norbury wonders. This is more than idle speculation. An important aspect of a translocation is having enough founding animals survive to ensure genetic diversity within the ensuing population. Over the coming summer, DOC and the COET team will continue their monitoring efforts – looking for new young, seeing whether last summer’s babies survived, and hopefully finding more of the original founders. If all this goes well, the final proof will still take time. Ultimately, they need to show an increasing population over a number of years that maintains itself at consistently large numbers, to be deemed a “success”. “There’s still some hurdles for

Manaaki Whenua

the Mokomoko team,” says Lynn. “But the early signs are really promising.” Further encouragement comes from recent research by Masters student Samantha Turner showing that pre-existing common lizards in the sanctuary are also benefiting. Before fence construction, schist gecko numbers were similar inside and outside the sanctuary area. Today, there are three times more inside the fence.

Native dryland plants are beginning to re-establish themselves around Mokomoko’s schist outcrops. Anna Yeoman

The Central Otago Ecological Trust started out with the aim of restoring the biodiversity of their local environment, but it’s now more than that. “It’s become an important site nationally,” says Lynn. New Zealand’s dryland environments, with their unique and diverse plant and animal life, have been long mistreated and neglected. “Mokomoko’s real point of difference has been their focus on lizards from the outset. And it’s led to the protection of a shrubland and grassland ecosystem rather than a forest,” says Lynn. “Their work will finally allow us to see that lizards really did once rule New Zealand’s drylands.” To learn more, visit www. mokomokosanctuary.com. Spring 2020

S T R AT E G I C P L A N

TIME TO ACT A new strategic plan will guide Forest & Bird’s conservation work for the next five years.

Poor Knights lily. Euan Brook

I’m delighted to introduce Forest & Bird’s new Strategic Plan 2020–2025. The plan builds on the many gains the organisation has achieved for nature over the past five years and indeed over nearly a century of hard-fought conservation battles. While our last strategic plan had climate resilience as a key goal, the new version puts climate safety at the heart of all our conservation work. It will be central to everything we do. We have a new focus on developing a sustainable green economy that supports nature rather than trashing it. This recognises that our long-term economy is dependent on a healthy environment. Working with mana whenua – in particular, focusing on developing deeper iwi and hapū relationships – is another key strategic goal. Finally, there is a

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strong emphasis on campaigning generally and helping branches become more involved in Forest & Bird’s national advocacy work. The organisation is currently undertaking a staffing restructure to support the new strategic plan. There will be some changes as we realign our work to meet an expected reduction in income in 2021, a result of the Covid crisis. We will rebuild as resources and the national economic recovery allow. As Aotearoa’s oldest national environmental charity, we are committed for the long haul. Our donors, supporters, branches, and staff are driven by a flaxroots love of nature. Together, we are resolute in working hard to make a better world for everyone – for people and the planet.

Mark Hanger, Perehitini Te Reo o te Taiao, Forest & Bird President

ST R AT E G I C P L A N 2 02 0 – 2 0 2 5 OUR VISION

OUR PURPOSE

Aotearoa New Zealand working together for nature

We protect and restore nature in a climate crisis

WHAT WE WILL ACHIEVE Climate safety – ensuring our country does everything it can to keep the climate safe for all life on Earth. Mitigating the impact of climate change will be at the heart of everything we do. Economy that supports nature – encouraging communities to appreciate nature for its intrinsic and life-giving values. Recognising our long-term economy is dependent on a healthy environment. Vibrant landscapes – advocating for stable healthy ecosystems full of native animals and plants. Energised water, rivers and wetlands – making sure our rivers and streams run clean, are healthy, and are teeming with life. Oceans alive – protecting and restoring our marine life and ecosystems.

HOW WE WILL DO IT Standing together – empowering and working alongside communities throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Supporting local efforts – equipping and enabling Forest & Bird branches to grow and strengthen. Nurturing green shoots – supporting and empowering young conservationists to ensure their voice for nature is always heard. Partnering with tangata whenua – creating enduring relationships focused on securing nature’s future. Backed by science – underpinning every policy decision made with the best-available science. Working efficiently – spending our energy and resources wisely. Walking the talk and ensuring environmentally sustainable business practices.

OUR MISSION

We stand, speak, and act for nature

orest & Bird is our nation’s environmental defender – proudly founded in 1923 by New Zealanders who were as passionate and dedicated about protecting the country’s disappearing native flora and fauna as you are. Every day, our supporters and staff speak up for nature and put in the mahi to protect it – through our local and regional conservation work, and in Parliament, council chambers, and court rooms. In today’s world, New Zealand’s environment is facing uncharted waters and unprecedented challenges in the face of a global climate crisis. As the country’s oldest independent e-NGO, funded solely by the generosity of Kiwis, we have a collective purpose to protect indigenous biodiversity without government assistance, free from fear or favour. Working together and with others, we can create change at all levels to protect and restore our precious native wildlife. We are able to do this because of the huge number of Forest & Bird supporters who donate their time, hardearned dollars, and expertise, to take action protecting the environment for everyone to enjoy. Nature looks after us and provides us with safe, clean air and fresh water. If people are to thrive, nature must thrive too. But our environment is in big trouble, and our voice needs become louder and our resolve to protect it stronger than ever before. During the next decade, environmental pressures, habitat loss, and nature’s ecosystem services will be degraded if we collectively fail to change the trajectory that is driving thousands of native species to extinction. New Zealand’s vanishing nature is not unique. In every country around the world, species are being lost – they are becoming extinct on our watch. We can do something about it. We need to tackle the twin threats of the climate crisis and unfettered economic development to protect our precious landscapes, ecosystems, and wildlife. The time to champion big ideas is now. There is still time. All of us can be game changers, but we must do it today, and not tomorrow. Spring 2020

SEABIRDS

SHEARWATER

Delight

This night-time shot of a flesh-footed shearwater shows one of the study birds with a metal identification band on its leg and a temporary white marker on its head.

Visiting some of Northland’s predator-free islands offers a rare glimpse into the secret life of flesh-footed shearwaters. Kaila Ritchie.

ecently, I accompanied a small group of ecologists as part of a long-term study to monitor and better understand a nationally vulnerable seabird, the toanui or flesh-footed shearwater. We travelled to protected predatorfree islands off the north-east coast of New Zealand to visit their breeding colonies. The rustic camping conditions on these remote islands provided an amazing opportunity to live alongside the colony. I had the privilege to witness the secret life of these seabirds and to appreciate first-hand the efforts being made to preserve these

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amazing ocean navigators. Ohinau Island, which is just off the Coromandel Peninsula, contains the second-largest fleshfooted shearwater breeding colony in New Zealand. Thousands of shearwaters will nest here each year, burrowing into the forest floor to lay their eggs. Arriving on the island, visitors may be unaware that a massive seabird colony occupies the landscape. During the day, the dry native forest is deceptively quiet and calm. The occasional korimako or pīwakawaka may sing as they flutter through the foliage. But, as we get acquainted with the island’s

natural rhythms, it becomes clear that the island is most active at night. As the sun starts to fall, the songbirds tuck themselves in for the evening and the island becomes momentarily silent. Soon after, a new world awakens as the night starts to unfold. First, the leaves start to rustle with the presence of the nationally critical Duvaucel’s geckos. They emerge throughout the forest seemingly from nowhere yet suddenly everywhere.

As the sky continues to darken, it fills with swooping shadows. It is the shearwaters returning from sea. They encircle the island, letting out a harsh and nasally cry announcing their arrival. Just as the sky becomes a swarm of activity, the birds start to descend. Rustlerustle-thud. Rustle-rustle-thud. The shearwaters start dropping from the sky, diving through the trees, and crash landing into the forest floor akin to a fleet of kamikaze pilots. On land, they appear awkward and clumsy as they scurry about with their heads held low to balance out their seaworthy form. Some are here to get to their burrow so they can tend to their egg or chick, while others, mostly youngsters, are here to socialise, inspect real estate opportunities (i.e. burrows), and attract future mates. Shearwaters are widely recognised for their flight skills. They glide just inches over the rolling waves, cutting into them with their wing tips as if shearing the water. They spend most of their life in this realm, and this is where they excel. However, birds cannot successfully lay an egg on the

Flesh-footed shearwater chick and egg (right).

ocean. So, they must return to land in order to reproduce, which creates its own unique challenges. They need to balance rearing their young on land while still relying on the sea for sustenance, making it clear that successful breeding for these colonies extends beyond the protection of the islands and into the ocean. We are here on our own mission, as ecologists, to collect demographic data about the breeding colony and to track the birds at sea throughout the breeding season. Seabird capture rates suggest

that flesh-footed shearwater is one of the most common bycatch species in New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commercial longline fisheries. But little is known about this species and the threats it faces at sea. Ecologists need only a small group of birds to obtain insight into their foraging habits during breeding. Together, these study birds are providing extraordinary information that may be crucial in extending conservation beyond the protected offshore islands where they raise their chicks. Capturing and tracking these birds can be a challenge. After

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The birds nest in underground burrows like this one.

Ohinau Island, off the Coromandel Peninsula, supports thousands of nesting shearwaters.

Spring 2020

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selecting specific breeding burrows, we need to reach into the earth, often shoulder deep, in order to retrieve an adult shearwater. These birds are tough and have a reputation for their strong bite and aggressive behavior. The birds will bite at the intrusion of our hands, allowing us to grab them. Carefully, we remove the bird from the burrow, place them in a safe position in our laps, and quickly attach a GPS tracker to their back. As soon as the device is on, we swiftly put the bird back into its burrow, careful to minimise disturbance and handling time. Then the bird carries on business as usual. When these birds return from their trip at sea, we repeat the process to carefully remove the GPS tracker and return the birds safely back underground. With the GPS device retrieved, we can learn where the bird went when it left the island as well as when it was flying, foraging, and rafting. We are also able to observe foraging changes throughout the different stages of parenthood. The distance at which some of these birds travel for a feed is truly remarkable. Some made round trips as far as 7000km into open ocean, likely to a known feeding ground. During the incubation period, one parent may leave for more than two weeks in order to put on enough weight so that it can complete its lengthy incubation shift. During this foraging trip, the other parent must remain on the island incubating, unable to feed itself. While attempting to raise their young, the parents go through extreme weight fluctuations. Sometimes more than 20% of their body weight is lost or gained as they push their bodies to their limits.

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John Woods

MASTERY OF THE SEA

Seabirds live within an incredibly challenging ecosystem. In order to have a chance at successful breeding, mastery of the sea is essential. The first five years of each bird’s life are a chance for the chicks to gain the skills required to become masterful enough in an unforgiving environment that they can then raise and care for young in it. Once the chicks fledge from the island, they will not return to land for several years straight. During these years, they will travel the ocean on a quest to become excellent navigators and efficient foragers. Only once a young bird has strengthened these essential skills can it attempt to earn a place in the breeding colony. As parents, each pair will lay no more than one large egg each year. If that single egg fails, they will not try again until next season. It takes two strong adults to juggle burrow upkeep, incubation, chick feeding, and maintaining their own individual

health. Parenthood will test everything they have learned during their first years at sea. Raising shearwater chicks is no easy task. But the buzz of life that exists on these islands is inspiring. So much native flora and fauna can thrive because these islands are protected and predator free. As we make our nightly rounds through the clamour of activity, we routinely dodge determined shearwaters or step past massive tusked weta or geckos. Sometimes the shearwaters step over our feet or stumble into our legs. Other seabirds often join the party as well – Pycroft’s petrels, sooty shearwaters, little blue penguins, and little shearwaters are also partaking in the island night life. All together, the birds create a cacophony of sounds that I can only describe akin to attending a wild party with all guests hooting and howling away full-blown through nothing but kazoos.

The continual flush of seabird life clearly impacts the island in many ways. Once the breeding season is complete, the flesh-footed shearwaters return to the open ocean, migrating as far as Japan or North America. They leave behind their burrows that now aerate the soils and may then be occupied by other seabirds or possibly reptiles and insects. The guano produced by these large colonies brings an abundance of nutrients from the sea to the forest floor where it can nourish the native flora. It is evident that the seabirds play a large role within these native ecosystems, linking the ocean to the land. With more than 70% of Earth’s seabirds lost since the 1950s, conservation efforts are more important than ever. Our limited exposure to life beyond the coastline has allowed this loss to go unnoticed for many. As the seabird capital of the world, New Zealand is an incredibly important place for an abundant diversity of seabirds. The information we learn from research trips like this can help bridge the gap between land and sea. It can help direct conservation efforts to maximise the positive impacts while protecting these important ecosystems. Rustle-rustle-thud. As the shearwaters crash through the trees on the island, they make a transition from elegant masters of the sea into forest gremlins of the night. Nonetheless, they barrel their way through the obstacles that the forest floor presents, ungraceful but also unfazed. These birds are tough, and each one is here to complete its role in the web of life. Just before dawn, the crescendo peaks at impressive decibels. Once the sun starts to rise, the birds vanish, retreating underground or back to sea. The island once again becomes still and quiet as if the nightly party had never occurred.

Island inhabitants include little blue penguins, sooty shearwaters, Pycroft’s petrels, and Duvaucel’s geckos (pictured above). Kaila Ritchie

Kaila Ritchie is a Canadian field ecologist specialising in avian research and conservation. She was drawn to New Zealand to work within the country’s world-renowned bird conservation efforts. She shares her incredible experiences by acknowledging the beauty and wonder found within the avian world through her writing, photography, and art. Follow her journey with the birds at wildplumes.ca.

NATURE’S NAVIGATORS Toanui are medium- to large-sized dark seabirds with long powerful hooked bills. They nest on offshore islands around northern New Zealand and in Cook Strait. Flesh-footed shearwaters are attracted to boats and are commonly observed over inshore seas, especially in the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty. They often sit behind recreational fishing boats and dive to retrieve bait and discarded fish scraps. Their persistence in taking bait from fishing lines puts them into conflict with both recreational and commercial fishers, often with fatal consequences. After breeding, the birds migrate to the North Pacific Ocean, where they spend the northern summer in the seas off eastern Japan. The return migration is through the central Pacific Ocean. Source: nzbirdsonline.org.nz.

Spring 2020

KCC

GROWING YOUNG CONSERVATIONISTS A Bay of Plenty family have been teaching Kiwi kids about nature for nearly 60 years. David Brooks. Passing on a love of nature to New Zealand children has been close to the hearts of Carmel Richardson’s family for three generations. Carmel and her daughter Sky Smale worked together for years teaching children about nature in pre-schools and at various events. Now they are looking forward to doing it regularly by volunteering with Rotorua’s Kiwi Conservation Club. The pair have joined existing KCC coordinators Judy Gardner and Teresa McCauley as the Rotorua group spreads its activities and reach into lower decile schools. This work has been enabled thanks to grants from the Margaret and Huia Clarke Trust and the Grumitt Sisters Charitable Trust, managed by Perpetual Guardian.

Carmel Richardson and Sky Smale

Carmel is an ecologist and kiwi keeper at the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa at Rainbow Springs in Rotorua for more than 15 years. Her other conservation activities include being a trustee of the Kaharoa Kōkako Trust since it was founded 22 years ago. The trust has succeeded in increasing a remnant population of kōkako in forest near Rotorua by tenfold, to about 180. 46

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A love of conservation was nurtured by Carmel’s parents, who, as well as bringing up nine children, cherished the bush. They were also long-time Forest & Bird members. Her mother, Beatrice Richardson, taught children in the local junior Forest & Bird section, a forerunner of KCC. She died in 1977, aged 54. “In the mid-1960s, my mum began teaching junior Forest & Bird with Miss Violet Rucroft (Briffault after marrying). Miss Rucroft was way ahead of her times, including campaigning for Te Urewera to become a national park, and she established thousands of native trees around Whakatane,” Carmel said. “I also remember she was quite scary because she didn’t take any nonsense.” Carmel’s family and up to 25 junior Forest & Birders would go for week-long summer camps at the Lions Hut, in Te Urewera, learning about wildlife, plants, rocks, and shells as part of a training scheme. “There was a strong feeling that knowledge about conservation should be passed on and kids encouraged to learn about nature,” adds Carmel. A lingering memory from Carmel’s early childhood is her

mum pointing out a piopio, a native thrush-like bird. It is now extinct, although unconfirmed sightings were recorded in Te Urewera until the early 1970s. She also found out later that her father knew about kōkako living on the ridges above the Lions Hut. Carmel and Sky are looking forward to using KCC’s kidfriendly digital resources. Carmel’s experience as an ecologist and former teacher of nature studies, combined with Sky’s background as an artist and early childhood educator, will be invaluable in nurturing a love of nature in a whole new generation.

Family camp at the Lions Hut, Te Urewera.

Supplied

F R E S H WAT E R

RIVERWATCH Farmer Grant Muir and his son James have invented a clever floating device that checks for pollution in rivers. David Brooks. Riverwatch founder James Muir’s daughter Ophelia with her dad’s innovative device that measures water quality in real time.

ne of the issues with improving the health of New Zealand’s rivers and streams is the gap in real-time information about the amount of pollution in our waterways. That’s a problem that James and Grant Muir set out to address. Their innovative hydrodynamic wakashaped device is designed to gather and communicate water quality data in real time. “RiverWatch is about giving a voice to the river. The river is telling you how healthy or unhealthy it is or what needs to be done to make it healthier,” says James. James, a Forest & Bird Board member between 2017 and 2019, started thinking about water quality when the Pahaoa River flowing through the Wairarapa farm of his father Grant “literally died before our eyes” because of the actions of other farmers. James turned the story of the river into the award-winning short film River Dog in 2010, and this experience led to James and Grant devising the idea of RiverWatch. RiverWatch is a hydrodynamic floating device. A hard plastic shell made from recycled milk bottles contains sensors that measure temperature, turbidity, pH, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen. The device samples the river every 10 minutes and transmits data to a nearby box, which in turn sends the James Muir information to computers or mobile phones via the mobile network.

Inexpensive satellite transmission will later enable RiverWatch’s use in more remote areas. Its software helps users interpret the information. Current freshwater monitoring covers few rivers and streams, and doesn’t provide information on changes in quality at regular intervals in real time. James says events like drought, heavy rain, or pollution can cause rapid changes to water quality, and RiverWatch can record those changes and act as an early warning system. “We’ll be able to learn how weather patterns, geology, and land-use influence water chemistry like pH and dissolved oxygen that can determine fish survival,” he said. The units will cost between $4000 and $5000, and likely customers include farmers and landowners, community organisations such as catchment care groups, forestry companies, and councils. James says RiverWatch will allow landowners to demonstrate the positive changes they are making to water quality and provide them with the information they need to make the changes. He also sees it as a valuable tool for improving water quality outcomes in towns and cities. The first RiverWatch prototype was awarded the WWF Conservation Innovation Award in 2016. The project is also supported by Callaghan Innovation. The Muirs have been taking pre-orders and plan to start deliveries to customers in October 2020. For more information, see https://riverwatch.nz. Spring 2020

AWA R D S 2 0 2 0

A STANDING UP FOR THE PLANET From shy school student to climate strike organiser, Sophie Handford scoops Forest & Bird’s top youth award.

Tim Onnes

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

year is a long time in politics as 19-year-old Sophie Handford knows only too well. Last year, she led New Zealand’s first School Strike 4 Climate movement and then topped that by being voted onto her local Kāpiti council, becoming one of the youngest local body representatives in New Zealand. Sophie is also a member of Forest & Bird’s Wellington Youth Council. She co-organised an Environmental Summit for Youth in her region in 2018 and is a Student Volunteer Army co-coordinator in Kāpiti. For her leadership in climate and environmental issues, Sophie was named winner of Forest & Bird’s Te Kaiārahi Rangatahi o te Taiao youth award at June’s AGM and Conference. Sophie described herself as shy in her early high school years but became involved in environmental issues and projects because of a desire to make a difference. “These experiences inspired me to step up and rally a team together for the school strike. I’ve always had a real passion and drive to do all I can for people and this planet that we all call home. I like to work hard and get things done,” she said. As national co-ordinator of the School Strike 4 Climate movement last year, Sophie wanted to highlight the failure to tackle climate change. In September, many tens of thousands marched throughout the country to demand urgent action. That sense of urgency is something all people need to share as we confront climate change. “The next 10 years will determine the fate of future generations and the fate of our natural environment,” she said. Last October, Sophie won a seat on the Kāpiti Coast District Council, where she holds the climate and youth portfolios. “I think people realised at the council elections the importance of this moment in time and making sure we have voices speaking up for our planet. I really hope people will have that in mind at the national elections this year too,” she added. The government’s Covid-19 recovery programme offers a unique opportunity to reset the economy towards a low-carbon future, and it is more important than ever to maintain the momentum of climate activism. Forest & Bird’s chief executive Kevin Hague said Sophie’s sense of justice, energy, and determination were inspiring. “Sophie’s advocacy for the environment and social justice in the last year has been incredible. She is an inspiration for Forest & Bird Youth members and all New Zealanders. “She has helped give young Kiwis a voice and an ability to raise their concerns about the climate crisis at the highest level and demand change from the government.”

WAITĀKERE WONDERS

Waitākere volunteers Geoff Davidson, John Staniland, Annalily van den Broeke, and John Sumich at the Matuku Link reserve.

Forest & Bird has named Waitākere Branch as the winner of its annual branch award for outstanding work in protecting and advocating for nature.

aitākere Forest & Bird members have been prime movers and shakers in restoring nature close to New Zealand’s largest city for several decades. Branch volunteers founded Ark in the Park , an ambitious restoration project in the Waitākere Ranges. They also look after two important Forest & Bird reserves, participate in several conservation projects, and advocate for nature locally and nationally. Richard Hursthouse, Forest & Bird’s Board member on the Auckland Regional Chairs group, said the branch was successfully undertaking a number of major conservation projects. “They’re a very high-performing branch, and they have a very solid core of very enthusiastic individuals,” he said. The branch co-manages Ark in the Park with the Auckland Council. Predator and weed control over nearly 2200ha in the Waitākere Ranges have allowed the re-introduction of locally extinct bird species, including kōkako, toutouwai North Island robin, and popotakea whitehead. Waitākere branch members also manage Forest & Bird’s 120ha Matuku Reserve in the hills behind Bethells Beach and the Colin Kerr-Taylor Memorial Reserve near Kumeu. They run Forest & Bird’s Tai Haruru lodge at Piha and undertake predator control at Orangihina Harbourview Park on Te Atatu Peninsula. Members reach out to their local community with a stall at markets and local events. They hold monthly

conservation-related talks and raise all the funds for their projects. The branch works closely with other organisations, the community, and politicians to advocate for the local environment. For example, the branch has recently been the voice for nature on Auckland water company Watercare’s proposal to destroy 3.5ha of native bush for a new water treatment plant. It has also advocated to Auckland Council for a feasibility report for the use of 1080 in the Waitākere Ranges to better protect native birds. Waitākere branch chair Annalily van den Broeke said the branch’s success is partly due to the great experience of longstanding members John Staniland, John Sumich, and Chris Bindon. Important contributions have also been made by current and former committee members such as Dave Allen, Robert Woolf, Liz Anstey, Raewyn Michael, and newest member Janette Fawcett. “There’s a huge amount of institutional knowledge, energy, and time represented by our team,” she said, adding that the work of sub-committees and other members was also vital. “We’re lucky to be close to New Zealand’s largest city, which means there is a large pool of volunteers to draw on. “What works really well for us is our communications through social media, and electronic and printed newsletters, so we can reach out to everyone.” Spring 2020

AWA R D S 2 0 2 0

HEAR OUR VOICES Pat Heffey, of Northland, has won an Old Blue for making an outstanding contribution to Forest & Bird’s conservation goals for more than 50 years.

atricia (Pat) Heffey, of Kamo, battled for decades to save the ecologically and culturally important Ngunguru Sandspit from development, culminating in the area being added to the conservation estate in 2011. Pat was awarded an Old Blue in June for her exceptional 50+ years of service to Forest & Bird and conservation, including 25 years on the Northern Branch committee. Former Forest & Bird Northern Branch chair Jack Craw said Pat had never sought the limelight, but her love of nature and of fairness motivated her half century of involvement in Forest & Bird. Her passion for nature was also evident in her prolific letter writing to local papers and in her work as a teacher. “She’s a humble person who thinks nature has its own rights, and she hates to see it laid to waste,” Jack Craw said. “She’s determined, but I’ve never seen her lose it. She’s very dignified.” Pat has been involved in many conservation activities with Forest & Bird, including the revegetation and restoration of Matakohe Limestone Island. She ran

FOREST & BIRD MEMBERS WHO WON QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS 50

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field trips and served as the Northern Branch chair for a period during her 25 years as a branch committee volunteer. The long-running campaign to save Ngunguru Sandspit became one of her main issues after she and her late husband moved there in the mid-1980s. The sandspit is an important site for coastal wildlife and plants, and has great cultural significance for local Māori. “I worked like a lunatic on saving the sandspit for about 20 years,” said Pat. “Things were happening, but nobody was doing anything at that stage, so I got to work. I was surprised how many people really cared.” The efforts of Pat and other campaigners paid off in 2011 when the government bought the sandspit and added it to the conservation estate. Pat said her activism came from a determination from a young age to think for herself and the realisation that many people did not have their voices heard. “I’ve been able to meet lots of wonderful people over the years, and it’s been lovely to know there has been that backing from all sorts of people.”

WILLIAM (WILL) RICKERBY

DR DAVID (DAVE) BUTLER

New Zealand Order of Merit for services to conservation

Queen’s Service Medal for services to conservation

Will Rickerby has been actively involved in efforts to improve New Zealand’s biodiversity and to eradicate pests from the natural environment within the Tasman District.

Dave Butler was the founding Chairperson of the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Charitable Trust established in 2004 to restore a functioning ecosystem in Nelson’s Brook Catchment.

LIPSTICK AND STICKY BUNS Liz Carter, who has been a strong voice for nature in Napier for three decades, has been awarded an Old Blue for her outstanding service to Forest & Bird and conservation.

only ever had one farmer refuse permission.” She said she puts her hand up when there’s work to be done, and this included getting her bus driver’s licence for a few years from the mid-1990s for branch trips. Former branch chair Neil Eagles added that Liz played a vital role in many of its activities. “Part of it is due to her character. She is a person who everybody wants to work with. We’re pleased she’s got some reward for all the years she’s put in. We all love her to bits,” he said. “I appreciate all the help and support the members have given me. We have a wonderful group of members, and some of them are like family to me,” adds Pat.

iz has been a committee member of the Napier branch for an incredible 30 years, cheerfully taking responsibility for many roles, including organising field trips and other outings, and editing the branch newsletter for 10 years. She has also taken part in many of the branch’s frontline conservation projects. Napier branch chair David Belcher praised Liz’s skills and her contribution to the branch. “Liz’s loyalty, knowledge, and ethics are unsurpassed, and she is a cheerful and caring person who is highly regarded by the Napier branch members,” he said. Liz was brought up on a farm in the Tararua district and spent a lot of time playing in the adjoining bush with her siblings. As well as learning to love the bush, Liz’s rural experience gave her an understanding of farming and farmers. This proved useful for working with the farming sector and winning the permission of landowners to go on their farms for branch field trips. “I tell people when I go out to meet a farmer or to do a recce for a trip, I usually put my lipstick on, take a sticky bun for their morning tea and a big smile. I’ve

ROBERT MCGOWAN

MARIE TAYLOR

ROGER WILLIAMS

Queen’s Service Medal for services to conservation

Queen’s Service Medal for services to horticulture and native revegetation

Queen’s Service Medal for services to conservation

Robert McGowan is one of the foremost authorities on rongoā Māori (traditional Māori medicine) and has helped to restore the practice in New Zealand over the past 25 years.

Marie Taylor established Plant Hawke’s Bay Ltd, a native plant nursery that grows more than 150,000 native plants annually and has contributed to the survival of rare native species.

Roger Williams has been a conservation volunteer for more than 20 years and helped design and construct a wide variety of features in nature reserves across Auckland and Waikato. Spring 2020

IN THE FIELD

HEADLESS

WONDERS

Pātangaroa or reef stars on the West Coast.

Ann Graeme has been studying the extraordinary lives of New Zealand’s sea stars.

starfish, now more appropriately called a sea star, doesn’t have a head. All the other mobile animals – even burrowing worms – have heads. For an animal, the head is mission control. It houses the sense organs that guide it and the mouth that feeds it.

Hundreds of “cushion stars” lie scattered underwater at Whangapoua Harbour. Ann Graeme

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Along with a head comes bilateral symmetry, with limbs arranged on either side of the body to respond to commands from the head. Evolution has favoured this body plan, and it has been adopted by all animals with backbones, by worms, molluscs, and all the arthropods, including insects and spiders. The sea star is an astonishing anomaly. It has no head, no ‘brain’, no centre of control. But it doesn’t start out this way. It starts out conventionally as a larva with a head and tail end. Yet it abandons this plan to reassemble itself like a doughnut, with arms radiating from a central disc. To us big-brained, bilaterally symmetrical animals, this looks a retrograde step, even one that should be punished with extinction. But the sea star’s phylum, the Echinodermata, has survived for more than 500 million years. Living a mobile life without a head is

clearly possible, even if the ways are extraordinary. Take, for example, the predatory spiny sea star. It is big and fast – for a sea star. With its many arms spread wide, it glides along the sand. Its arms touch and feel and taste the substrate. When an arm tip encounters a whelk or a pipi, the sea star changes course and envelops the shellfish, hugging it in a deadly embrace. Without a head or brain, how did that spiny sea star “decide” to chase and capture the whelk? It seems likely that its arms acted like members of a committee. The arm receiving the strongest touch and chemical stimulus over-rode the other arms and led the sea star to its prey. Now it proceeds to eat the whelk. The sea star has a mouth on the underside of its central disk, but it does not have teeth or jaws to eat with. Instead it ejects its stomach and digests its food outside its body.

But the whelk resists being eaten alive and so does the pipi. The whelk withdraws into its shell and closes its door – its horny operculum – and the pipi clamps its shells together. But the sea star’s tube feet breach the whelk’s operculum and part the pipi’s shells. The sea star’s stomach slips inside and pours out its digestive juices. Hours or days later, replete with shellfish soup, the sea star glides away. It is not just their way of feeding that sets sea stars apart. Their way of moving is unique too. Waterfilled canals extend down each arm and connect to hundreds of tiny hollow feet. Above each flaccid foot is a muscular,

Tony Wills

The common cushion star Patiriella regularis is endemic to New Zealand and comes in a range of colours, including red, orange, pink, yellow, green, and blue. While five arms are usual, four, six, or seven are not uncommon. Ann Graeme

water-filled bulb. When this bulb contracts, the foot swells like a balloon. It extends, grips the substrate with its sucker tip, and then contracts. In this way, an army of tiny tube feet, each independent yet coordinated, pulls the sea star along. These feet can also pull shells apart (see right), as the hapless pipi found out. Each tube foot is weak, but there are so many of them, all powered by water pressure, and they do not tire like muscles do. These same canals have another function. Most animals use blood in arteries and veins to carry nutrients and oxygen around the body. The sea star uses seawater and carries food and oxygen around its body in its water canals. This multi-use hydraulic system of piped seawater is characteristic of the echinoderms and unique in animal design. It is just one of the features that make sea stars and their relations so different from all other animals on Earth. For 500 million years, sea stars have been following the road less taken. Not for them the opportunities of a head and bilateral symmetry. But they and their relations have survived an extraordinary length of time, through catastrophic extinctions and warming and cooling climate events. Our present-day climate changes may make scarcely a blip in their long history.

A close-up look at the multi-coloured tubercles on the upper surface of a firebrick seastar (Asterodiscides truncates) from the Bay of Islands. Rob Stewart/NIWA

A blue mussel being forced open by the tube feet of this predatory sea star. The mussel’s body will be digested insitu and then eaten. Jon Sullivan

There are 185 sea star species in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone, a significant tally according to NIWA, when compared to the 36 sea star species of Britain and surrounding seas. Sea stars belong to the group of spiky-skinned animals called Echinodermata, from the Greek words echinos meaning hedgehog and derm referring to skin. There are about 7000 species, including sea stars, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea lilies, and feather stars. Sunstars.

Peter Marriott/NIWA

BIOSECURITY

WILDERNESS OR New research suggests that invading wilding pines can destroy whole ecosystems to the point where they can never recover. Rowan Sprague.

or many decades now, landowners, conservation managers, Forest & Bird volunteers, and other community groups have been out in all weathers controlling wilding pines. They are New Zealand’s no 1 pest weed, and we’ll need to keep pulling them out of the ground for years to come before we can win the battle with this destructive invasive alien. We know how to control them effectively, but it isn’t enough to just remove these trees from an area. They need to be prevented from springing up in the first place. This is because wilding pines leave a legacy, but not in a good way. Wilding pines are self-seeded pine trees that are growing where we do not want them to grow. They are the wrong tree in the wrong place. If unmanaged, wilding pines could spread to cover 25% of New Zealand’s land area by 2050. About three-quarters of New Zealand’s rare ecosystems, including alpine herb fields, coastal dunes, and wetlands, are threatened by the spread of wilding pines.

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Ecosystems invaded by wilding pines experience drastic changes in their soil nutrient cycling, hydrology (including water yields), and biodiversity. The trees also have detrimental effects on the economy and production by taking up space on valuable farmland. Professor Ian Dickie, Dr Sarah Sapsford, and PhD candidate Joanna Green, of the University of Canterbury, are exploring the impacts and legacies of wilding pines as part of the MBIE-funded Winning Against Wildings research programme. The team are exploring the “tipping points” of wilding invasions – when pines impact on an ecosystem to the point that it may never recover. “We’ve found that the presence of even a small amount of pine changes the soil dramatically from that of an uninvaded grassland,” says Joanna. “This means that the tipping point could occur much earlier than we previously thought. Any presence of wilding pines in a tussock grassland could tip the ecosystem.”

Ian has found that the impacts of wilding pines leave a legacy in the soil. Wildings increase nutrient cycling rates. The availability of nitrogen (as nitrate nitrogen) and phosphorus in the soil increases, which leads to an invasion of exotic herbs and grasses following wilding removal. “Even after wilding pines are removed from an area, it can take a long time for soil nutrients to recover to their original state before wildings invaded,” adds Sarah. Importantly, even after these invasive trees are removed from an area, the ecosystem is still affected by wilding pines. “Removing pines above ground is relatively easy, but the changes that pines make to soil function are much harder to tackle,” says Ian. The research shows that we need to focus on protecting rare ecosystems from any encroaching wilding pines as early as possible. Once invaded, these habitats may be difficult (or impossible) to

WILDINGS? restore, having been irreversibly altered by the wilding pines. While the impacts and legacies of wilding pines can paint a grim picture, there are reasons to be positive. The recent announcement of $100 million from central government for wilding pine control will go a long way towards protecting ecosystems threatened by wilding pines. Communities across the country are doing their bit to stop the spread of wilding pines. Many groups run regular volunteer days to pull up wilding pine seedlings, including Forest & Bird’s Dunedin branch. Graeme Loh, who runs the Dunedin group, says it’s a way that city-based members can get outside

and do really important work to save their local landscapes from being destroyed by invading pines. “Forest & Bird members in Otago have been tackling wildings for many years.” Waiting for the seedlings to grow isn’t an option. The group knows it has to get in early in their life cycle. “If we wait until the pines grow larger, they will have destroyed remnant native vegetation, and their hulks and slash are a blight for many years, alienating the land from nature and accessibility,” adds Graeme. Rowan Sprague is the coordinator of the NZ Wilding Conifer Group.

Forest & Bird’s Dunedin branch volunteers Laura Solbeck, Mathew Sole, Alice Prior, and Ian McLennan pulling up wilding pine seedlings in the upper Manuherikia Valley.

Wilding seedlings growing near Lake Pearson Moana Rua in Canterbury. Rowan Sprague

WHAT IS FOREST & BIRD DOING? In February, Forest & Bird wrote to the Prime Minister and every Cabinet Minister asking for $100m of increased funding for essential wilding pine control. We were delighted to see the money being allocated in May’s budget. We hope that more money will be allocated as part of the post-Covid green recovery and that every political party will include strong policies for controlling wilding pines in their election manifestos. Unmanaged, they present a $4.6 billion threat to New Zealand’s economy and impact iconic landscapes, including Tongariro’s Central Plateau and the Mackenzie Basin. If you are interested in joining the fight to protect your backyard from wilding pines, talk to your local Forest & Bird branch. Alternatively, check out www.wildingconifers.org.nz to find a community group near you.

Spring 2020

WILDLIFE RESCUE

This tawaki and hoiho were treated by vets at Dunedin Wildlife Hospital before being discharged into the care of the Penguin Place’s rehab unit on the Otago Peninsula.

PENGUIN REHAB In the second part of our wildlife rescue series, Alex Stone meets some of the vets and volunteers looking after hoiho in Otago. Lesley Stone.

ast year, hoiho was crowned Bird of the Year, the first time a penguin has taken out top honours. Kiwis love yellow-eyed penguins – they even appear on our $5 notes – but their fame is a fragile thing. In reality, hoiho are far rarer than their presence on New Zealand’s legal tender might suggest. “They’re going extinct” is the blunt assessment of Lisa Argilla, senior vet at Dunedin Wildlife Hospital. Lisa should know. Her MSc thesis was on the yellow-eyed penguin, specifically looking at a cause of mortality affected by the blood parasite leucocytozoon. In the 20 years that Lisa has been studying the birds, their known population has halved. Now there are around 400 breeding pairs left on the mainland. Their nesting sites are on the south-east coast of the South Island. The

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main colony, with around 25% of the total mainland population, is at Katiki Point near Moeraki. There are more hoiho on Campbell and Auckland Islands, with a total population estimated to be around 1700 breeding pairs. I ask if it would be possible, in extremis, to save the hoiho by means of a captive breeding programme. Lisa gave me a definite “no”, as hoiho have never been known to breed in captivity. Like so many threat-of-extinction stories, this one encompasses a wider habitat scenario. Survival will be assured only by looking bigger – by protecting the natural habitat of the species. But to date, there are no New Zealand marine reserves with hoiho protection a priority. On the day we were there, we photographed Francesca Brown, the head of vet nursing at the hospital, feeding two fluffy little hoiho chicks. Hoiho will usually have two chicks in a nest, and as is usual in many bird species one more-assertive chick hogs the incoming food supply from the parents, while the other chick stays smaller, becoming malnourished and often dying.

When this happens on the Otago Peninsula nests, the practise is for human volunteers to remove the more vulnerable chick and bring it in to the hospital for hand-feeding. The success rate is not encouraging. The week before, there had been four chicks in the hospital, but two had died. Dunedin Wildlife Hospital is often the first port of call for sick or injured critically endangered species living in South Island, including kākāpo, takahe, and kakī black stilt. But their most challenging patients are New Zealand fur seals and sea lions. The wildlife hospital is based and supported by Otago Polytech, which also provides a stream of vet nursing students willing to volunteer at the hospital. It also has close contact with Penguin Place, a unique tourism venture out on the Otago Peninsula.

PENGUIN RESCUE, MOERAKI

Research into the hoiho population has identified five factors contributing to their decline – disease (malaria and diphtheria bring the most common); predation at sea by sharks, sea lions, and barracuda; starvation; loss of habitat (shore nesting sites); and uncontrolled tourism. This latter issue is a cause for great concern for Rosalie Goldsworthy, who pretty much singlehandedly manages the Penguin Rescue trust at Moeraki, south of Oamaru. Rosalie lives in what was the lighthousekeeper’s house. She bought the place from Bob and Janice Jones, a retired farming couple who had devoted their time to helping the hoiho. Rosalie retired from a career as a high school teacher and principal to take over their work. Now the home has become the HQ of her efforts in helping hoiho. Her lounge is a laboratory. The shed outside has been converted to an infirmary. Access to the hoiho nesting areas on the beach below the lighthouse is theoretically restricted to visitors.

50 years ago

There are signs saying please keep off the beach, and fences holding tourists to a track that leads to a convenient lookout. But when we visited her, Rosalie showed us photos of the fence flattened and the beach strewn with visitor footprints that very morning. This is a critical problem because a hoiho coming ashore to feed its chicks will be deterred by people in its way. It may try to step past them. The ignorant humans will think the cute penguin is coming closer out of curiosity. If visitors get in the way of its route up the beach to the nest, the bird will return to sea, the food in its body will be digested (and therefore not be available to be regurgitated for the chick), and the chick could starve. Hoiho will abandon their nesting site in the face of repeated human obstruction. Rosalie is incensed by the general visitor ignorance and lack of empathy towards hoiho. “Why can’t they just read the signs?” she says. Moeraki is a testament to the perils of uncontrolled visitation to sensitive spaces. Here the demands of the tourist industry and the imperatives of conservation of endangered species clash. The more tourists who want to see the birds, the worse it could be for them. In her time with hoiho, Rosalie has become a self-taught expert and has developed ground-breaking management and treatment techniques. Her method, as far as possible, is to monitor and treat the birds in situ, in their nest boxes on the hillside. Sometimes, she will swap chicks from one pair to another. Other times, she will enlist help from a gay penguin couple, who are happy to rear the new chick in their nest. When she does this, Rosalie will take the bigger, stronger chick to the new nest – a different approach than that used by the Dunedin Hospital. Like all the other wildlife hospitals, Rosalie holds the appropriate DOC permits to allow handling of the birds. In our next issue: Alex and Lesley head to the North Island to meet the wildlife rescue teams at Auckland and Wellington Zoos.

The important role of children in conservation We should ensure our children have the chance to learn and appreciate what has been lost sight of: That the sea is not a vast septic tank capable of handling any problem of pollution, that human life continues and is sustained only in the good earth, that man can alter and despoil this good earth, and that he has already gone too far. Because soon the responsibility will be theirs not only for themselves but for those who follow them. Forest & Bird magazine, August 1970

Spring 2020

WHITE GHOST WATCH Earlier this year, a cheeky pure white pīwakawaka captured the nation’s heart during the Covid crisis. Guy Vickers. I have been a passionate photographer for decades. During lockdown, I decided to start photographing birds – a difficult but rewarding subject as many of you know. I live in scenic Stratford township under our maunga Taranaki. One day, I was sitting quietly beside our local Patea stream when three pīwakawaka flew overhead. One of them was almost pure white! I had no idea what I had just seen but knew it was definitely different. Once I knew we had a rare white fantail in our local forest, I knew I had to work fast to win the bird’s trust while it was still young and feeding near the nest with its two pied siblings. I walked back and forth to the river each day during the Covid-19 lockdown, and that gave me time to reflect on the “white ghost’s” behaviour. I picked several strategies that I knew other bird photographers were using and decided to put them to the test. I wore earthy coloured clothes and a camouflage baseball cap with camouflage buff and sat quietly in the shrubs near the birds’ feeding area. After the first 10 days, the birds were curious and accepting of me and would come in close to feed around me. Their behaviour indicated that they had 58

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accepted my presence – they were happily preening, singing, and drinking within three metres of me. I switched to my shorter Canon 135mm f2 lens. This allowed me to get sharp photos in low light and create nice background blur. The white bird would come in close to tell me something, chirping happily for a few seconds, before flying off to a new feeding area. This was the chance moment that yielded many of the best photos. As the autumn faded away and winter began to set in, the insects reduced in number down at river level, and the pīwakawaka family travelled further from their nest area to feed higher in the trees. One day, in May, I was out taking photos and someone asked me if I had seen the white fantail. I decided to post some of my photos on Facebook. Then everything went crazy. The media saw them, and before I knew it I had been invited to appear via Skype on a breakfast television show to talk about how I befriended and photographed the white pīwakawaka. It’s been an amazing journey for me as a photographer and amateur ecologist to follow this beautiful little bird. I’ve enjoyed seeing the happiness on people’s faces when they first see the white ghost of the Patea stream. Check out Guy Vickers’ nature photography at www.facebook.com/clickvickers.

BOOKS

ALIEN ARRIVALS

Andrew Veale reviews Invasive Predators in New Zealand: Disaster on Four Small Paws by Carolyn King. New Zealand’s terrestrial ecosystems are unique, in part because of 80 million years of evolution in isolation, but also because most vertebrates that now inhabit the country were brought here by humans. The minds and ships of people sculpted a novel ecosystem, bringing together species from across the world that would otherwise never have interacted. The results of these introductions were often surprising and also devastating. The introduction of exotic species is an ongoing issue, with border security fighting stowaways daily. A recent petition supporting the introduction of koalas to New Zealand to protect them from the fires raging across Australia was signed by thousands of wellmeaning people. All of this makes the publication of Invasive Predators in New Zealand: Disaster on Four Small Paws by zoologist Professor Carolyn King particularly prescient. Professor King combines meticulous historical and scientific research, along with a lifetime of experience in ecology, into an extremely readable account of a complex history. Who were these people that introduced these species? Why did they do it? What were the effects of these new species, and what can we learn from this history to help us plan for the future? While the book is a historical review, Professor King

intermingles ecological theory and cutting-edge research, making the book both a fascinating historical journey and a detailed textbook highlighting how New Zealand’s ecosystems function and how pest control works (or doesn’t). The book begins with a description of New Zealand prior to human arrival, showing how it came to be so special and highlighting what we have lost. Then, combining shipping records and modern genomics, Professor King plays a detective, tracing the history of invasive mammals, piecing together tiny details into complex and compelling stories. Several chapters detail the history of stowaways like rats and mice. Professor King also traces the release of rabbits, ferrets, stoats, and weasels and reveals the animals that we almost had but that fortunately never arrived or failed to establish. For instance, both foxes and mongooses were released in small numbers, but luckily did not establish. There were also serious discussions about the potential for introducing Scottish wildcats, Patagonian foxes, pine martens, quolls, and burrowing owls. The book finishes by looking to the future, asking what we can learn from this complex past to assist us in navigating into a future of New Zealand ecology. For me, a scientist specialising in the topic, this book will become an invaluable resource, such is the detail and scholarship. However, it’s written for a general audience and will be a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of New Zealand, our ecosystems, and the possible futures we can strive for. Dr Andrew Veale is an ecologist specialising in invasive species management, based at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. Invasive predators in New Zealand: Disaster on Four Small Paws by Professor Carolyn King, Palgrave MacMillan, NZ$140, see www.palgrave.com.

Photo: Banded mongoose. Mathias Appel Wikimedia

Spring 2020

GOING PLACES

BEST OF THE WEST

The ancient rainforest, wetlands, and wild beaches of Ōkārito are pulsing with wildlife. David Brooks.

The Ōkārito forest was once a major conservation battleground. It was saved from logging in 1982. David Brooks

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

fernbird fossicking in a roadside ditch caught my eye as we drove into the West Coast settlement of Ōkārito. Seeing such an elusive bird was a cheering sight as the rain hammered down and seemed a good omen for the coming days based in the quiet village located north of Franz Josef. The West Coast is one of the prime regions to experience nature in Aotearoa, and Ōkārito is right at the top of the list of the best the area has to offer. There you will find the largest unmodified natural wetland in New Zealand, a wild driftwood-strewn beach, and rainforest fringing the Tasman Sea. If the temperamental weather is obliging, there are stunning views of the Southern Alps. To the south of Ōkārito lagoon, the South Ōkārito forest is home to New Zealand’s rarest kiwi, the rowi. The magnificent lowland forest was saved from logging in 1982 and added to the Westland Tai Poutini National Park following a campaign by Forest & Bird, the Native Forest Action Council, and other conservation groups. Other areas to the north and east of the lagoon were later added to the national park, ensuring the human footprint in the area is relatively light. With the habitat secured, work has focused on controlling the predators that decimated the rowi population to an estimated low of around 160 in the 1990s. The recovery programme has paid off, with the population now estimated at more than 600. A powerful symbol of the campaign to save the Ōkārito forests was the kōtuku, or white heron. Their only New Zealand breeding site is beside a stream just north of Ōkārito, which can be visited on a guided jetboat tour between September and early March. Although their numbers nationally are estimated at just 150 to 200, the population is believed to be stable. The numbers of kōtuku feeding in the Ōkārito lagoon rise during the breeding season, but a few can be seen there year round when others have dispersed around the country. We visited just after the breeding season and saw several feeding in the lagoon or resting on its fringes. The best way to see the birdlife of the lagoon is either to hire a kayak or take a tour with Swade Finch of Ōkārito Eco Boat Tours. Using a 12-seat flat-bottomed boat, Swade provides his guests with an expert commentary and seems to know every nook and cranny of the 3000ha lagoon. Morning mist was lifting off the rainforest as we set out, and the Southern Alps soon came into view, only slightly obscured by patches of cloud clinging to the snowy peaks. Cameras and phones were whipped out of pockets amid gasps to capture a view that truly was awesome. The still lagoon waters reflected the white peaks and blue sky, and the morning light highlighted the texture of the dense podocarp rainforest that separated the lagoon from the mountains. The first kōtuku we saw strode elegantly and

Ōkārito is the only known breeding site for kōtuku white heron. Bernard Spragg

purposefully in the shallow water searching for prey, its long neck extended to full height. A flock of black swans flew past in formation as shags waited for passing fish on half submerged logs. As we approached the entrance to the Ōkārito River, Swade said: “We’re lucky. For the last couple of weeks, we’ve had these guys in residence.” He pointed to about 30 royal spoonbills roosting in large kowhai trees on the edge of the river. Most preened or slept, while a few kept a casual eye on our boat as we slipped past. Swade pointed out a kōtuku resting quietly on a branch within half a metre of a spoonbill. “The kōtuku are very solitary, but they’ll happily sit among a group of spoonbills.” As the boat glided slowly up the river, the kowhai and cabbage trees gave way to mighty kahikatea, and the calls of bellbirds and tūī became more noticeable. A kererū watched warily from a nearby branch as we stopped in the primeval surroundings for a hot drink and Swade’s home baking. On a walk the next morning, the silence on a wetland boardwalk was broken by the calls of wellhidden fernbirds. Cobweb-covered rushes and shrubs glimmered with dewy diamonds in the early light. The boardwalk is the start of a rewarding hourand-a-half walk to a trig on a ridge overlooking the expanse of the Ōkārito lagoon to the north and Three Mile Lagoon to the south. Fantails and bellbirds offered a musical accompaniment as we stopped to inspect fungi with fantastic shapes and colours, and trees sheathed in kiekie. Rātā vines, both red and white, were in full flower, covered by native bees, adding to the sense of a place that pulsated with life. Looking south from the trig over the magnificent bush, it was sobering to think this was almost lost to the chainsaw just a few decades ago. Ōkārito has been an important seasonal food gathering site for Māori for hundreds of years. The discovery of gold in the black sands of the area’s beaches in 1865 brought an influx of miners, traders, and pubs for just a few years. Little of this history is evident today, although the Donovan’s Store building, originally constructed as a hotel in 1865, is reputedly the oldest remaining commercial building on the West Coast. Today, the boom and bust gold mining and logging industries are gone. Thanks to the efforts of Forest & Bird and many other passionate groups and individuals, nature again takes centre stage at Ōkārito. Spring 2020

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Spring 2020

P R E D AT O R - F R E E N Z

Tom won’ t mind

A dedicated group of conservationists head into Arthur’s Pass every six weeks to check DOC traplines and enjoy the local birdlife. Bruce Newland.

“

hat have we here?” were my first thoughts as I quietly reached for my camera, while the little ball of fluff flew from branch to branch around me. It was a very cold late autumn morning when I saw the young female South Island tomtit in its subdued winter coat. We are all familiar with the male South Island tomtit, with its black head and yellow breast, who is very bold and inquisitive. However, the female and young with their less-striking brown and white coats, are shy and rarely seen. These alpine versions are even rarer still. The meeting with Mrs Tomtit was the highlight of my day checking a trapline in the Hawdon beech forest in the southern part of Arthur’s Pass National Park. I’m part of a 10-person Rangiora Tramping Club group that monitors 300 traps every month (barring a deep-winter freeze) for the Department of Conservation.

Our group covers the Mt White Bridge flats and forests from the lower Hawdon to Andrew creek. DOC handles the interior. This was a beech mast year, and we have seen rat numbers exploding – from a normal 20 rodents per 300 traps to peak at 150 rats per 300 by early summer. That’s a lot of rats to clear. It’s also very hard on our birds. We also have a feral cat problem. Our traps catch the small ones. However, DOC is yet to move on a serious solution for the bigger felines that are dining out on our native birds. Since last December, we have seen rat numbers return to below normal following DOC’s control programme. Our traps also catch small numbers of stoats, weasels, and hedgehogs. Birds have to be very tough to survive the predators and climate in Arthur’s Pass. On doing a bit of research, I found the tomtit to be a hardy little bird, with five variations occurring across New Zealand in bush, scrublands, exotic forests, and offshore islands. On Little Mangere Island, tomtits saved the Chatham Island black robin by cross-fostering Old Blue’s chicks, with a bit of help from the late Don Merton and his team. So, if you’re looking for a success story in these unsettling Covid times, how about a vote for the female tomtit in Forest & Bird’s upcoming Bird of the Year competition! Forgotten in name and fame. I’m sure Tom won’t mind. Bruce Newland is a Forest & Bird member from Canterbury. Female South Island tomtit, Arthur’s Pass National Park. Craig McKenzie

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

Parting shot Lynne Anderson took this photo of a young ruru morepork in Forest & Bird’s Blowhard Bush Reserve, in the Hawke’s Bay. The 63ha reserve is rich in natural and social history and is home to numerous bird species. The forest contains many limestone caves, fascinating rock formations, and water-cut passages. Forest & Bird created the reserve after the land was donated by the Lowry and Masters families in 1962. Today, our Hastings-Havelock North Branch volunteers care for the land and its wildlife.

PHOTO COMPETITION How to enter: Share your photos of native birds, trees, flowers, insects, lizards, marine mammals, fish, or natural landscapes, and be in to win. Send your high-res digital file and brief details about your photo to Caroline Wood at editor@forestandbird.org.nz. The best entry will be published in the next issue of Forest & Bird magazine.

The prize: This issue’s winner will receive a Kiwi Camping Pukeko Hiker Tent (RRP $229). This dual pitch tent/bivy can be used with or without the mesh inner and is ideal for trampers and hunters. It’s lightweight and compact, compressing down to fit in a backpack. The vestibule helps keep packs and wet boots separate and dry. Strong aluminium poles and durable 75D, 185T double-coated polyester with 4000mm aqua rating ensure the Pukeko will stand up to the rigours of the outdoors, all year round, boasting a threeyear warranty. The prize is courtesy of Kiwi Camping. For more details, see www.kiwicamping.co.nz.

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