Forest & Bird Magazine Issue 378 Summer 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

№ 378  SUMMER 2020

NATURE & WELLBEING Drylands KEEPING

DRY

DEEP-SEA CORALS

NOAH'S KIRIHIMETE KERFUFFLE

Contents ISSUE 378

• Summer 2020

Editorial

2 Dedicated to conservation 4–5 Letters + Echoes of Gondwana

News 6 7 8 9 10 11

Cover

12 Healing nature: Why a walk in the woods is good for you

Economy

Ban cats for bats

16 Natural capital

Ngaruroro appeal

Freshwater

See no evil Hope blooms for kākābeak Vanishing albatross Car club sound-off and other fund-raising fun

18 New Zealand’s estuaries: taonga or toilet?

Forest & Bird projects

19 Millie the Mouse Hound 24 Wife-swapping kiwis in Taranaki

Vanishing nature

20 Keeping our drylands dry 22 Time for a Mackenzie Heritage Park

Climate

26 The Max Quinn interview:

Eyewitness to climate change

52 Five reasons to keep chickens

Youth

29 New Rotorua hub + Oscar’s birding book

COVER SHOT Kererū.

John Parker Maddox Photography NZ Gregory “Slowbirdr” Smith Renewal: Yellow-eyed penguin. Mike Ashbee

Thank you for supporting us! Forest & Bird is

PAPER ENVELOPE White-capped albatross.

New Zealand’s largest and oldest independent

EDITOR

Caroline Wood E editor@forestandbird.org.nz Rob Di Leva, Dileva Design E rob@dileva.co.nz PRINTING Webstar www.webstar.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Karen Condon T 0275 420 338 E karenc@mpm.nz MEMBERSHIP & CIRCULATION T 0800 200 064 E membership@forestandbird.org.nz

Join today at www.forestandbird.org.nz/joinus

ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER

or email membership@forestandbird.org.nz

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Forest & Bird is published quarterly by the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand Inc. Registered at PO Headquarters, Wellington, as a magazine. ISSN 0015-7384 (Print), ISSN 2624-1307 (Online). Copyright: All rights reserved. Opinions expressed by contributors in the magazine are not necessarily those of Forest & Bird.

copies of Forest & Bird magazine a year.

Forest & Bird is printed on elemental chlorine-free paper made from FSC® certified wood fibre and pulp from responsible sources.

Future of fishing

30 Deep-sea corals 33 Would you eat a 100-year-old fish?

Community

A year in review

Books

Kiwi Conservation Club

Conservation history

42 Forest & Bird’s highlights 2020 46 Kirihimete kerfuffle

34 Gifts for the conservation-

Going places

40 Covid family fundraiser 41 Parid Basha, a Forest & Bird

Marine

Biosecurity

In the field

36 Myrtle rust risks + solutions

54 The nature of viruses

Predator-free NZ

Wildlife rescue

minded

hero

39 Don’t forget ferrets

48 Off the beaten track 51 Beach not highway

58 Our round-up of summer reads 60 The battle for Dunedin’s Town Belt

Market Place 62 Classifieds

Forest & Bird branch 64 Manawatū marvels

Parting shot

IBC New Zealand fur seal

56 A tale of two zoos

CONTACT NATIONAL OFFICE Forest & Bird National Office Ground Floor, 205 Victoria Street PO Box 631, Wellington 6011. T 0800 200 064 or 04 385 7374 E office@forestandbird.org.nz W www.forestandbird.org.nz

CONTACT A BRANCH See www.forestandbird.org.nz/ branches for a full list of our 50 Forest & Bird branches.

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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

DEDICATED TO CONSERVATION

s I write this, we farewell Sue Maturin, who is retiring after spending nearly 30 years of her life at Forest & Bird fighting for what we as members hold so dear. I thank Sue for her dedication, determination, purpose, and passion for the environment. One of her legacies will hopefully be the establishment of the first no-take marine reserves in Otago, including on the doorstep of her home town of Dunedin. We are incredibly lucky that so many of our staff share the same passion and values as our members and supporters. We would be lost without them. Now, more than ever before, Forest & Bird is involved in tackling a huge range of complex environmental issues. For nearly 100 years, thanks to generous donors and the continuing support of members, our Society has risen to the challenge – winning one battle after another. Saving indigenous biodiversity, Sue Maturin in 1991 protecting our oceans, and ensuring when she first joined we have fresh water to drink and air Forest & Bird’s staff. to breathe are challenging spaces to be operating as an e-NGO. The opposing forces are highly adept and almost always better resourced. Yet, thanks to your support and donations, Forest & Bird wins more often than not. Evolving from a core membership and a couple of paid staff to a large national organisation with more than 40 expert staff spread throughout the country brings its own pressures.

Members, branches, and the public place high expectations on staff to win every conservation battle from Rakiura to Te Rerenga Wairua. It is easy to forget that they are human too and the toll this takes on each of them. This year, Covid-19 added a further layer of stress, as all staff worked from home during the lockdowns, with many continuing to do so. They are of course paid for their efforts, but one does not get rich working for an environmental non-profit organisation! Our staff give so much more. They stand above the parapet – at hearings, at public meetings, in court, in a whole range of demanding and stressful situations, supporting and assisting all of us within Forest & Bird. Luckily, like Sue, they all believe in what they do and in what they are trying to achieve on our behalf. They are devoted to our cause, and they drive themselves relentlessly, often at a cost to their own health and even threats to their safety. This has been a year like no other, the Covid crisis, a major organisational restructure resulting in the departure of several much-loved colleagues, and a general election. But Forest & Bird has many highlights and achievements to report this year, as you will see on pages 42–45 of this magazine. We must carry on working together – donors, volunteers, branches, and staff – to do what has to be done to slow and halt the decline in our natural environment. Have a happy and restful holidays. Ngā mihi nui

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

Second Beach with St Clair’s Beach and Dunedin. Bernard Spragg

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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 February 2021. 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 Tamatea Dusky by Peta Carey, a remarkable story of conservation and history in Fiordland, Potton & Burton, RRP $69.99.

Making a difference I’m an old guy now. I got my ideas of Forest & Bird back in the 1950s. Those impressions came from a favourite aunt and were of old ladies strolling along bushy paths admiring tūī on flax bushes. The magazine then was interesting but not really inspiring, and the yearly sub was more than I wanted to pay. That impression stayed with me until 2019. They were good guys with their hearts in the right place but not really going anywhere. A year ago, a friend quite spontaneously gave me half a dozen of her old Forest & Bird magazines. I was amazed. Did this organisation really confront the laws of the land and achieve the legal successes described? Did they really make such persuasive representation to governments which were failing in their duties to the environment, promote regenerative agriculture, confront lazy-thinking councils on their environmental blind spots, and advocate on ocean acidification and cleaner rivers – and actually win their cases consistently – and establish case law better than a statute? Those magazines changed everything. Here was an organisation deserving of the best support. As a trustee of a not insignificant charitable trust with a brief to support the interests of children in New Zealand, I had no difficulty in persuading the other trustees that, without a biodiverse and liveable planet, the children will certainly suffer. If all we can present children with is a dying planet, the kids themselves might well prefer not to be born. The Board therefore decided unanimously to donate tens of thousands to Forest & Bird immediately and continue these donations. Who I am is not important, so I am just signing this letter “Jack” because its real point is that,

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without publicity, without telling folk about what’s being achieved by Forest & Bird to help the natural environment, how can they be inspired to come on board and contribute the best they can? Your old mags could well, as they did for me, change the mind of someone who, while supportive of environmental action and with access to money, is not aware of the tremendous work Forest & Bird is doing to ensure we don’t all go down the plughole of environmental collapse. Or for some folk now unable to wield a spade, an organisation to donate to which feels right in a way that hasn’t before. Six Forest & Bird magazines changed the way I thought of saving our natural environment, but I needed someone to give them to me. If people don’t know what’s going on, they can’t respond and do something about it. “Jack’s” real name and address has been withheld at his request. See pages 42–45 for our 2020 round up of Forest & Bird’s wins and highlights – all made possible by you, our generous donors and volunteers.

Teamwork

BEST LETTER WINNER

There are times when I feel discouraged about our chances of protecting the wild spaces of New Zealand. But after reading the Spring issue of Forest & Bird, I felt elated! Three wins for nature – the Supreme Court decision that the Reserves Act trumps the Crown Minerals Act protects Crown land from mining companies, the government releasing a plan to stop seabird bycatch, and the High Court ruling that tahr must be culled from conservation lands immediately. These wins are thanks to the work of our wonderful Forest & Bird team, supported by all of us members. So go on, give yourself a pat on the back. Together, we make a difference! Kate Jenson Kāpiti Coast

Human responsibility Climate change is a hot topic in today’s social climate. Some people react zealously, with apathy, or are in denial. These outlooks stem from one’s world view, whether anthropocentric, biocentric, or ecocentric. I believe humanity has surpassed the natural world. The products of millions of years of geological processes can be destroyed in seconds. We have dramatically altered the climate and are on track to cause an event rivalling the Cretaceous mass extinction. While some may be upset at the notion that humans are superior to the rest of life on earth, I think that this gives us a responsibility of stewardship of earth’s beautiful biota. Just because we are superior, we don’t have to exploit and degrade our planet. Spencer Potbury Auckland

Tropical forest tragedy Congratulations on all your efforts on climate change and ecology conservation but particularly your decision to seek a judicial review of tarakihi catch limits and the efforts to stop coal mining. I worked as a surveyor in tropical rainforests, and my heart bleeds at the destruction of these magnificent homes and the fantastic variety of life they contain. The media refer to them in thousands of km2 of deforestation, but I believe most of the public have little concept of even 100km² let alone the percentage of the remainder of the original. The fact that world governments appear to ignore deforestation

BOOK GIVEAWAY We are giving away two copies of A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of New Zealand by Oscar Thomas, RRP $29.99, John Beaufoy Publishing. A handy photographic guide and checklist of all 238 birds that can be spotted in Aotearoa. To enter, email your entry to draw@forestandbird.org.nz, put BIRDS 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 BIRDS draw, Forest & Bird, PO Box 631, Wellington 6140. Entries close 1 February 2021. The winners of Always Song in the Water by Gregory O’Brien was Alex Dobson, of Palmerston North, and Karen du Fresne, of Nelson.

as being too difficult to address must be partially due to the public’s lack of understanding about its disastrous effect on climate change. I would like to see information published at least annually to show how much CO₂ is absorbed by tropical forests versus any savings from using solar panels, windmills, and electric vehicles. Max Watkins Auckland

Join Forest & Bird on an incredible nature journey

ECHOES OF GONDWANA TOURS DEPART FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2021

The first three fundraising tours organised by our President Mark Hanger sold out like hotcakes, prompting these new journeys. Starting in the Far North, you will meet our conservation advocate Dean Baigent-Mercer and hear about marine conservation challenges while visiting the spectacular Northland coast, Poor Knights, and Leigh marine reserves. Then discover the wonderful ecological value of Bay of Plenty’s mangroves and take a special boat charter to Motiti and the Rena wreck site with Forest & Bird’s Te Atarangi Sayers. Then begins the Echoes of Gondwana core trip – taking in the incredible dinosaur forest of Pureora, Tongariro National Park, and the Mana Island sanctuary near Wellington. Travelling south, you will visit Forest & Bird’s Pelorus bat recovery project before heading into Kahurangi National Park. Then explore the ancient forests of the West Coast, including Paparoa and Okarito, with an overnight stay at Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge with conservation icon Gerry McSweeney. A further optional marine segment takes in hoiho, sea lions, the Catlins, and Rakiura. Mark is a professional tour guide and naturalist who specialises in small-group nature journeys. This trip will have a maximum of 15 people. For dates, details, and pricing, email m.hanger@forestandbird.org.nz. All tour profits go to Forest & Bird’s conservation work.

NATURE NEWS The Waikato River runs through the heart of Hamilton. Logan Voss

BAN CATS FOR BATS Forest & Bird’s legal team has won an important legal case protecting pekapeka in Hamilton. David Brooks Critically endangered long-tailed bats can still be found in Hamilton, and Forest & Bird and its allies have been fighting to ensure they have a healthy future in our fourthlargest city. A new housing development is encroaching on one of their last homes in the city – the site of a proposed 800+ home subdivision on the banks of the Waikato River. The Environment Court has released its decision on appeals related to consents for the planned development at Amberfield in the south of the city – and it’s a win for local bats! Hammond Park, which is on the opposite side of the river from the development, is home to a population of pekapeka that fly around the subdivision site and sometimes feed and roost within it. Late last year, the development was given the go-ahead, with conditions aimed at protecting the bats. These included a ban on cats being kept in the subdivision, new plantings, and restrictions on lighting aimed at minimising disruption to the bats when they are active at night. Forest & Bird lawyer William

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

Jennings said evidence provided to the hearing commissioners last year also resulted in the scope of the development being slightly reduced. This was to ensure important sites for the bats, including river margins, shelter belts, and other vegetated areas were maintained. The long-tailed bat has a nationally critical threat ranking. Once common, they have disappeared from most parts of the country. William says the ban on cats is an important condition for protecting the bats – and may be one of just a handful of consents in New Zealand to include such a restriction. “Experts provided reasons about why having a cat prohibition would be good a way of protecting the habitat of a significant species.” Following last year’s decision, the Department of Conservation, supported by Forest & Bird and the Riverlea Environment Society, challenged the consent conditions, saying they needed to be further tightened to better protect the bats. But the developer, Weston Lea Ltd, also appealed, saying the conditions were too strict. This

resulted in Environment Court hearings of the appeals in late August and early September. In November, the court released its decision recommending a cat ban to protect the bats, saying the logic for doing this was “almost irresistible”. “This is a great result. It is critical we get the conditions right for this subdivision because that’s going to set the precedent for the rest of the developments planned for the area,” says William. Thanks to this legal win, future generations will be able to see pekapeka, New Zealand’s only land-based mammal, flying along the forest edges, hunting for flying insects in the heart of Hamilton.

NGARURORO APPEAL

Forest & Bird’s legal team is attempting to overturn a decision that threatens all of New Zealand’s braided rivers. In February 2021, our tiny in-house legal team will be facing up against a regional council, two district councils, Federated Farmers, Horticulture NZ, and several large commercial wineries. Their pockets are deep. Ours are not. That’s why we are trying to raise a fighting fund of $160,000 before Christmas. We are trying to secure a Water Conservation Order (WCO) for the lower reaches of the Ngaruroro River, in Hawke’s Bay. Five years ago, Forest & Bird and other e-NGOs applied to the government for a WCO to protect the whole river. In 2019, a Special Tribunal panel recommended a WCO for the upper river – but not the lower. Forest & Bird was surprised by the decision. We believe the lower reaches of the river meet the criteria of “nationally outstanding for indigenous birds”. It’s home to the largest population of tūturiwhatu banded dotterel and black-fronted dotterel in New Zealand. It’s also important for endangered matuku bittern and has the only population of tōrea South Island pied oystercatchers in the North Island. The Special Tribunal agreed. They said that the lower

This case is about one river. But the outcome will set a precedent that will either protect or threaten other braided rivers in New Zealand. Peter Anderson, Forest & Bird’s legal counsel

river was nationally outstanding for birds, but they disagreed it was threatened. This makes no sense. Forest & Bird is concerned the lower Ngaruroro – the section that is braided – may come under the same agricultural pressure that is killing other braided rivers. Even if it’s not threatened today, it might be tomorrow. That is the point of having a Water Conservation Order on a river – to protect it from what may happen in the future. We believe the tribunal’s decision is illogical. More importantly, our legal team believes it is also legally flawed. We have lodged an appeal. It is due to be heard by the Environment Court in February 2021. Help us defend New Zealand’s braided rivers. To make your donation today, please visit www.forestandbird.org.nz/defendingnature.

URRide ry HO er

Coromandel Peninsula

YOUR ROAD TRIP PLAYLIST? OCEAN SOUNDS Start your weekend of adventure by Ferry

Summer 2020

NATURE NEWS

SEE NO EVIL

here have been hundreds of cases of deliberate destruction of native habitat on private land over the past three years. Forest & Bird’s report See No Evil: Biodiversity Loss on Private Land, which was released just before the general election, shows many of the landowners responsible for the damage face little or no consequences. Even the worst cases – including a dam built on a wetland, the unlawful removal of endangered geothermal kānuka, and aerial poisoning of areas of regenerating native bush – prompted little more than a warning from council authorities. Forest & Bird is calling on the new government to do more to stop unauthorised native vegetation clearance on private land – as councils are clearly failing to do the job. In particular, we want to see a new independent environmental monitoring and compliance agency that will take action against private landowners who flout the rules. Forest & Bird asked New Zealand’s 78 regional and territorial councils whether they had discovered any unauthorised native habitat clearance over the last three years and what they had done about it. They responded to our request with 220 confirmed cases of the destruction of native habitat in their local area. These are likely just the tip of the iceberg, as 11 councils didn’t respond and 25 claimed to have no reported illegal vegetation clearance. “New Zealand is currently doing a terrible job of looking after nature on private land,” says Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague.

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Geothermal kānuka. Sophie Kynman-Cole/iNaturalist

“It is telling that, in three years, there have been less than 10 prosecutions for native habitat destruction, despite there being hundreds of instances of known unauthorised clearance. “Equally concerning is that a nearly a third of New Zealand’s councils have no records of any unauthorised vegetation clearance in three years.” More than a third of the 14m hectares of native vegetation remaining in New Zealand is on private land, with many threatened species depending on it for survival. “There is easy money to be made in harming the natural environment and little meaningful deterrent. This is undoubtedly a calculation made by some landowners and farmers, as our investigation indicates,” adds Kevin. The report also highlights large discrepancies in how councils respond to unlawful habitat destruction. An instance of vegetation clearance that may go to court in one area may just receive a warning in another. Forest & Bird is calling on the new government to implement the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity, which covers private land. We also support the findings of the recent review of the Resource Management Act, which recommends the creation of an independent environmental monitoring and enforcement agency to protect nature on private land. Download a copy of See No Evil at https://bit.ly/34wvypS.

HOPE BLOOMS FOR KĀKĀBEAK

The discovery of new specimens of incredibly rare wild kākābeak on farmland in northern Hawke’s Bay has sparked new hope for the species. Ngutukākā, with bright red flowers reminiscent of the beaks of kākā, is in big trouble. Earlier this year, only 123 individual plants were known to exist in the wild. Enter goat culler Wayne Looney. In September, he was carrying out pest control on a Pāmu farm in the Wairoa area when he spotted the plant across a gully. He reported his findings to the Department of Conservation. “Ngutukākā is a difficult species to protect in the wild because it’s on the menu for so many introduced pests,” says DOC Biodiversity Ranger Helen Jonas. “With such a small population base, this discovery could mean a lot for the nationally critical species and it brings us real hope.” The discovery increases the known genetic diversity of the species. DOC has taken seeds to grow, which will allow more seed to be harvested and eventually returned to the wild. A few seeds have been kept in storage. Although kākābeak can be found in home gardens, habitat loss and pests like goats and deer have placed

Wayne Looney with the recently discovered wild kākābeak. Pāmu

it at risk of extinction in the wild. Pāmu’s Environment Manager Gordon Williams says every effort will be taken to protect these new specimens. “We are committed to fencing the site and placing the wider surrounding area under a QEII covenant area to provide long-term protection,” he said. “Immediate protection from species like goats and deer will continue with a commitment to the same kind of pest control work that led to the ngutukākā discovery.”

E UTide INy R

M er r

Rotoroa Island

DISCOVER A HIDDEN SECRET THE REST IS HISTORY Closed for 100 years - OPEN NOW Summer 2020

NATURE NEWS

VANISHING ALBATROSS

ore than 35,000 critically endangered Antipodean albatross have “disappeared” since 2009 – many thought to be the victims of longline fishing trawlers. One of the most at-risk seabirds in the world, the Antipodean albatross only breeds on the Antipodes Island, in the Southern Ocean. Researchers Kath Walker and Graeme Elliott have documented a catastrophic population decline over the past 15 years. Over the past decade, there have been 35,000 unexplained deaths, over and above the normal mortality rate for Antipodean albatross, according to their recent Department of Conservation study. The causes of their mortality are not known but include fisheries bycatch and possibly a warming ocean. Forest & Bird is warning the new government that this species will become extinct within our lifetimes unless urgent action is taken to better protect them. Last year, it was revealed five Antipodean albatross were hooked and died off the East Cape in a single long-lining incident. “This is a disastrous situation for a species that could be functionally extinct within 20–30 years,” says Forest & Bird’s chief executive Kevin Hague. “It’s likely that many of those 35,000 birds were killed by fishing longliners on the high seas. Bycatch is the greatest known threat to these magnificent birds. “We desperately need a finalised all-ofgovernment action plan for this species, more resources, bilateral talks between countries, binding actions and rules, and increased observers as well as cameras on our boats.” Meanwhile, a report by the Ministry for Primary Industries in August showed that

observer coverage of New Zealand’s longline fisheries has steadily dropped from 26% of hooks in 2015 to 8% in 2019. The regulatory limit for this fishery is 10% of observed hooks. “We need observers on boats, because past information has shown a massive discrepancy between the number of birds that fishers admit catching and the estimates based on observer data,” adds Kevin. “Fishers are nine times more likely to report catching seabirds if there is a government observer on board. “Most fishers are doing the right thing, but this species is on the brink. Right now, every albatross counts.” Another DOC report, from August this year, looked at where GPS-tracked Antipodean albatross go when they leave their breeding colonies to fly to South America, bringing them into contact with fishing fleets from many different countries. The greatest overlap was with pelagic longline fishing within the Western Pacific. Vessels that overlapped with the albatross distribution were flagged to Taiwan, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Spain, China, Japan, Australia, and Fiji. Forest & Bird wants to see the new government make sure New Zealand’s fishing fleet is using best practice and leading the world in the prevention and eventual elimination of seabird and other marine mammal bycatch deaths.

Antipodean albatross.

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John Oates

DUSK TILL DAWN BAT CHALLENGE

Planting in Eve’s Valley. Blaise Beach, Tom Silk, and Lazara Beach.

SOUNDING OFF

Forest & Bird’s Nelson Tasman Branch reckon they’ve planted an incredible 150,000 trees over the past decade – helping to restore the bush in the region for future generations to enjoy. They were out planting again recently thanks to the efforts of their newest “sponsors”, the Nelson Hard Park & Sound Off Car Club. The club raised $300 by donating the entry fee to one of their events on Rabbit Island. They asked for the money to go towards restoring an area affected by the huge fire in Nelson’s Pigeon’s Valley last February. “We suggested Eve’s Valley Scenic Reserve because it had belonged to Forest & Bird before we gave it to the Department of Conservation in the 1980s,” said branch chair Julie McLintock. Forest & Bird is also very grateful to Nelson locals Mieke and Andy Hamilton, who gift an incredibly generous $200 a month to Nelson Tasman branch’s tree planting fund. And they even help plant the trees!

Hasely Lobb is urging readers to join him in raising funds for Forest & Bird’s Te Hoiere Pelorus Bat Recovery Project. Choose a night in December to do any activity from dusk to dawn and encourage friends and family to donate. You complete your own challenge – mountain biking, knitting, reading, walking, or anything you want! For details, see https://givealittle. co.nz/event/dusk-til-dawnbat-challenge.

Fundraising for Forest & Bird is fun! Email fundraising@forestandbird.org.nz for hints, tips, and help to get started on organising your own community event.

AMELIA’S BIRTHDAY GIFT

For the second year running, teenager Amelia Lee asked her friends to donate money to Forest & Bird instead of giving her presents. Their generosity resulted in a $400 gift to nature this year on top of a $245 donation last year. Amelia lives in the Waitakere Ranges and is passionate about protecting wildlife in her backyard. A big Forest & Bird thank you to Amelia, her whānau, and friends for supporting nature in this incredibly generous way.

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

Summer 2020

COVER

Healing NATURE

Exploring ancient native forest near Rotorua. Canopy Tours

New research shows why a walk in the woods really does help our body and soul. Caroline Wood

avigating through the Covid-19 crisis has been stressful and unsettling for most of us. But one silver lining has seen many New Zealanders reconnect with the nature in their own backyards. “New Zealand’s unique environment has become a refuge for so many people during these Covid times,” says Rebecca Hamilton. Rebecca, partner Ben, and their four young children returned to Aotearoa in August after being in lockdown for months in Washington DC. “We can’t wait to immerse ourselves in nature,” she said on landing in Auckland (read her story on page 40). It’s incredible how many people felt the same way – finding solace in nature during the stressful Covid lockdowns. Social scientist Alison Greenaway, from Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, found this reconnection improved people’s mental wellbeing (see right). In fact, there is increasing evidence that people who take part in practical conservation projects are reaping a host of physical and mental benefits. Of course, Forest & Bird members have known this for generations – look at how fit and happy many of our older conservation volunteers are! But does the science back up these anecdotes? Increasingly, the answer is yes. Spending time in nature helps people feel better and becoming involved in a local trapping group can give your health an even bigger boost, according to a

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New Zealand study released earlier this year. “We found levels of depression, anxiety, and stress are lower in people who spent more time in natural spaces,” says Dr Danielle Shanahan, Director of Zealandia’s Centre for People and Nature. “There were even greater benefits amongst people who take part in predator trapping, who had even lower levels of depression and stress, and greater feelings of social cohesion.” A total of 1200 Wellington residents were surveyed as part 1 of a longitudinal study carried out by Danielle’s team in partnership with Wellington City Council. “There are very few cities in the world where we can see the positive trends in native birdlife that we are witnessing in Wellington,” she added. “This provides us with a remarkable opportunity to understand how increasing biodiversity can influence our experiences of nature and whether this has a positive effect on our health and wellbeing.” Wellington’s Mayor Andy Foster volunteers on nature restoration projects in his home suburb of Karori, carrying out weeding and planting in small local reserves. “It’s great to have Danielle’s research confirm what many of us instinctively knew. Being in nature is good for us,” he said. Dr Shanahan’s research demonstrates how investing in urban nature spaces can promote the wellbeing of communities.

CONNECTION BRINGS CALM Social scientist Alison Greenaway, from Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, interviewed 40 New Zealanders about how they interacted with nature during the March–May Covid-19 lockdowns. Here are some of Alison’s findings:

We explored nature closer to home For some, it was disconcerting not being able to fish, go for overnight tramps, cycle rugged paths, pat other people’s dogs, check pest traps, weed, or plant in public areas. However, people appreciated discovering new aspects of their homes, properties, and local environment.

We watched birds up close For most people, connecting with nature involved hearing birdsong. People spoke with delight about seeing tūī, goldfinch, pīwakawaka, Canadian geese, yellowhead, blackbirds, chaffinches, ruru, barn owl, gulls, kererū, kākā, and a spoonbill.

But what about those who can’t access New Zealand’s wild places because of a lack of money, time, or physical health? In her new book, Nature and Wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand – Exploring the Connection, environmental historian Catherine Knight says we have never been more aware of the benefits of being out in nature. But, she asks, how much quality time does the average New Zealander spend enjoying the outdoors? “While our national parks are places of spectacular wilderness, for many of us, these places are out of reach,” she says. Catherine argues for the restoration of “neighbourhood nature” – places that all New Zealanders can freely access, irrespective of socioeconomic or other factors. “Our experience of the coronavirus pandemic underscores how important these local oases of nature are – and how vital they are to our wellbeing,” she adds. Catherine’s book tells the stories of New Zealanders who, individually or through organised initiatives, have experienced wellbeing benefits from a connection with nature. Drawing on the latest scientific research and using these personal stories, Catherine challenges us to contemplate a more nature-rich future. Of course, this isn’t news to the thousands of New Zealanders who already enjoy being part of the Forest &

Wharariki Beach Walk, Golden Bay. Shellie Evans

We found different ways to connect with nature Some people appreciated small connections – growing microgreens or seeing changes in the autumn leaves. Others appreciated big walks in their local bush or working their land. A few shared stories of nature discoveries via social media or watched wildlife on webcams. Others viewed nature documentaries, while some families accessed online environmental education resources.

We became more thankful and compassionate People expressed gratitude for the connections with nature they made and compassion for those considered less fortunate – for example, those living in apartments or overseas. A few people spoke about Covid-19 as the Earth “crapping back on us after we’ve crapped on it” and the rāhui as Papatūānuku having a rest or restoring the mauri of Earth.

Bird whānau – as volunteers or donors. By joining the Society, members can take part in hundreds of local conservation projects run by our branches and stay overnight in some incredible wildlife sanctuaries at reasonable prices (see page 48). Children and young people also reap the benefits of getting off their screens and out into nature. This year’s Be with a Tree campaign, organised by our Kiwi Conservation Club, chose the theme of “healing trees”, aimed at inspiring young people to love nature while increasing their own wellbeing. The Department of Conservation chose the link between nature and wellbeing as the focus for this year’s Conservation Week.

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Many people spoke with delight about seeing and hearing local birds during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Kererū. Jake Osborne

Summer 2020

COVER

Te toto o te tangata, he kai; te oranga o te tangata, he whenua. While food provides the blood in our veins, our health is drawn from the land.

TANGIBLE BENEFITS

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Conservation volunteers recently planted a whopping 950 trees in one day at the stunning 18ha Ronga Reserve, in the Rai Valley, Marlborough. It was hard work digging all those holes, but everyone enjoyed the mahi and had lots of laughs, and a fine lunch of local venison was served. One of the volunteers was Debs Martin, Forest & Bird’s top of the South Island regional advocacy manager. Does being out in nature help her mental and physical wellbeing?

“Of course,” she says laughing. “We had quite a few people saying during the day that it was just so good to be out doing something in nature and not just being deskbound. “Especially for those of us who work to protect nature from our offices, the experience of actually doing something tangible was really valuable.” Forest & Bird’s Nelson Tasman and Marlborough Branches are working with other groups to restore the ancient podocarp forest at the Ronga Reserve.

“Papatūānuku’s wellbeing is our wellbeing,” said Lou Sanson, DOC’s Director-General. “Take a little time in nature for your wellbeing, and, if you can, give a little back to nature for its wellbeing.” Many cultures have long recognised the importance of the natural world to human health. In Japan, for example, the practice of shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing” involves mindfully connecting with nature as you walk through the trees. Scientists have found it alleviates stress and associated physical ailments. Here in Aotearoa, we can learn much from mātauranga Māori about the connection between the state of nature and human health. Papatūānuku Mother Earth does much more than provide the basic necessities that allow humans to survive. With healthy ecosystems and abundant biodiversity, she can also improve our physical and mental health. According to te ao Māori, everything in the world has a life force or “mauri”. But when our natural resources, such as the forest and oceans, are not looked after, their mauri is weakened, resulting in a direct impact on human mental health and wellbeing. Māori and western scientists are increasingly warning that an imbalance in nature caused by biodiversity loss could threaten human wellbeing. For example, being in a state of “nature deprivation” – spending too much time in front of screens and away

from nature – has been associated with depression, stress, high blood pressure, and a disconnection from the world. Later in this magazine, columnist Ann Graeme argues that human population pressures on nature need to be tackled in order to reduce the threat of future global pandemics like Covid-19 (see page 54). So where does this leave us? We know from research surveys that most New Zealanders feel a strong connection to their natural heritage, native plants, and wildlife. Nature gives us enjoyment, supports our economy, and is part of our culture and way of life. It’s also good for our physical and mental wellbeing. But despite all this, it continues to decline. Biodiversity faces a global crisis, and Aotearoa’s natural heritage and wildlife is in big trouble too. Regardless of some conservation success stories, the overall picture in New Zealand is one of vanishing

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

One-day-old kākāpō chick Kohitā is given a helping hand. Jake Osborne

DOCTOR’S ORDERS

GPs in the Shetland Islands are prescribing a walk in nature or birdwatching to their patients, in the first programme of its kind in UK. The aim is to reduce blood pressure and anxiety, and increase happiness for people with diabetes, a mental illness, stress, heart disease, and other health conditions. Nature Prescriptions, which was launched two years ago, is run by NHS Shetland in partnership with RSPB Scotland. Participants receive a Healthy Shetland calendar with a list of ideas for how to harness nature’s healing powers. Suggestions include looking at a lichen, counting the birds in the garden, getting out and feeling the “exhilaration of wind and rain on your face”, or visiting a walking path to look for mountain hares. The evidence for the benefits of nature on mental and physical health are numerous, according to NHS Shetland. If you spend 90 minutes of your day outside in a wooded area, there will be a decrease of activity in the part of your brain typically associated with depression. Spending time in nature also reduces aggression native species and a depletion of resources on land and in the ocean. We are over-harvesting, polluting, not doing enough to control invasive alien species, continuing to mine coal, and failing to act on the rapidly increasing threat from climate change. In an uncertain world, helping nature back to health will bring more resilience – in terms of our wellbeing, society, and economy. But we shouldn’t tally “the value of nature” in dollars, which could lead to further commodification of our natural resources. Forest & Bird believes nature should be recognised for its essential (and priceless) role as the foundation of life. This flips the debate. Instead of justifying the degradation of nature in economic terms, it should be up to governments and businesses to justify their policies and activities in terms of their impacts on environmental and human wellbeing. New Zealand needs the new Labour government to deliver a nature-centred recovery. Our economy is nature based, and so is our way of life. We need nature, but increasingly urgently it needs our help first. For more about the connection between nature and human wellbeing, including resources for students, see https://natlib.govt.nz/blog/authors/erenawilliamson-and-nicole-gaston.

Patients in the Shetland Islands are prescribed walks to watch native birds and animals. Photo: Seals on a Shetland beach. Chris Combe/Wikimedia

and ADHD symptoms, and improves pain control and the immune system. More discoveries are being made every day. In New Zealand, GPs have been giving out Green Prescriptions since 1998 to encourage patients to become more physically active and eat more healthily, but they aren’t nature-specific like the Shetland ones. For more on how nature heals, see https://www. weforum.org/agenda/2017/03/nature-boostsyour-health.

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Summer 2020

ECONOMY

NATURAL CAPITAL

Half of all the goods and services produced in the world depend on healthy natural ecosystems. What happens to our economy if humans destroy nature?

ne in five countries is at economic risk of ecosystem collapse because of biodiversity loss, according to the stark findings of a new report. Just over half of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), equal to NZ$62.6 trillion, is dependent on high-functioning biodiversity and ecosystem services, says the Swiss Re Institute. The “services” provided by nature include necessities such as food provision, water security and quality, and the regulation of air quality and local climate. Nature also provides timber, intact habitats, pollination, soil fertility, erosion control, and coastal protection. But sharp declines in biodiversity and collapsing ecosystems can cause a raft of negative impacts on communities and economies.

These include invasive species, nutrient run-off and algal blooms, and the loss of pollinators in the agricultural sector. Global medical research is also at threat from the decimation of rainforests, with nearly 50% of all medicines sourced from natural resources within this habitat. The pioneering Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services index, developed by the Swiss Re Institute, was designed to help governments and businesses factor biodiversity loss into their economic decision-making. Of G20 countries, Australia was the second-most at-risk economy, with 30% of its GDP dependent on biodiversity and ecosystems services, and more than a third of its ecosystem in a fragile state. Australia has a water scarcity problem. Half of the Great Barrier

Reef died off between 1986 and 2012, with climate change and other human impacts to blame. New Zealand, partly thanks to decades of conservation advocacy by organisations like Forest & Bird, is deemed lower risk on the index. We have one of the most intact ecosystems – coming in 12th out of the 195 countries ranked – and (somewhat surprisingly) comparatively less dependence on agriculture than other countries. Swiss Re developed the index to give insurers more information about the risks the declining state of the environment posed to their clients. But the troubling findings made headlines worldwide. Read the full report Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: A business case for re/insurance at https://bit.ly/3153d7J.

ARID ARAL

The Aral Sea provides an extreme example of how the collapse of an ecosystem can affect a local economy. During the Soviet era, the Aral Sea was a thriving region – thousands of people lived in the region, making a living from the surrounding natural resources. The fishing industry supplied the country with nearly two out of every 10 fish, while the water feeding the lake supported agriculture. But when this water was diverted to irrigate fields in other regions, inflows to the lake declined, and it started to disappear. Today, the sea – despite some successful restoration efforts – is all but gone. Its loss led to local economic collapse and mass migration from the surrounding coastal area.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

1997

2018

The Aral Sea between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was once the fourth-largest lake in the world. It began shrinking in the 1960s after the rivers feeding it were diverted for Soviet irrigation schemes. It had largely dried up by the 2010s, devastating the local fishing community.

Summer 2020

F R E S H WAT E R

TAONGA OR TOILET? After 150 years of mismanagement, a third of our estuaries are in trouble. How can we help them?

otearoa’s estuaries are very special places, where freshwater meets saltwater and creates nurseries for many freshwater and marine animals – a permanent home for some like kōtuku and a temporary resting place for others, including migrating birds like godwits. They support a myriad of life, including native fish, birds, shellfish, and other aquatic animals. They are also where we humans work, live, play, and find kai. But a third of New Zealand’s 400+ estuaries are in trouble thanks to the cumulative effects of bad management. Some, like Invercargill’s New River Estuary and Te Hoiere Pelorus Sound, are already showing signs of serious health issues. For example, because of faecal contamination, kaimoana is now collected with caution at New River. Estuaries act as waste traps for pollution carried downstream by rivers and entering their waters from coastal communities. Centuries of forest clearance have swollen the sediment loads entering our waterways, while in recent decades intensive farming practices have resulted in unprecedented nitrogen pollution flowing downstream. Population growth and the associated discharge of sewage and stormwater from houses and industry have led to further sedimentation and pollution. Scientists agree that more than 150 years of mismanagement has turned many estuaries into sick and polluted places that urgently need human help. The climate crisis is magnifying the pressures. Estuaries are particularly vulnerable to warming

seas, ocean acidification, sea-level rise, increased storm surges, and pollution and sediment coming downstream from land. A recent report by Simon Upton, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, describes estuary management as mind-bogglingly complex. The report Managing our Estuaries describes a wide range of problems – overlapping jurisdictions, unclear responsibilities, ever-changing policies, and inadequate enforcement and compliance. It calls for an approach that treats estuaries and the waterways that feed into them as a single entity from “mountains to the sea”. Forest & Bird supports Simon Upton’s “entire catchment” approach, and his findings and recommendations. We also agree there should be robust, standardised, and consistent monitoring of the health of our estuaries, including taking a Māori perspective. “Mātauranga Māori is a powerful tool for management because it synthesises observations about people, the environment and their interactions, without compartmentalisation,” says the Commissioner. To ensure the entire catchment is managed as one, Mr Upton recommends that every estuary be included in one or more freshwater management units within the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020. This is not a radical addition, because a river without an estuary is already managed all the way to the sea. But it would add a final – and very welcome – piece of the puzzle and allow for waterway management from the mountains to the ocean.

Invercargill’s New River Estuary looks beautiful but isn’t.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

FOREST & BIRD PROJECT

MILLY THE MOUSE HOUND

very year, Forest & Bird’s Bushy Park Tarapuruhi Forest Sanctuary needs a little check-up to make sure mouse numbers aren’t too high and no rats have breached the predator-free fence. The last thing we want during the spring is for them to sneak into the forest sanctuary to feast on the native birds, their chicks, and their eggs. The forest is a sanctuary home for important toutouwai North Island robin, tīeke saddleback, and hihi stitchbird populations, as well as vulnerable lizard and invertebrate species. Earlier this year, Scott Sambell and his expert rodent dog Milly spent two days walking through Bushy Park searching for any illegal furry aliens. They found no rats and only a few areas with mice scent, thanks to the predator-control work of the Bushy Park Tarapuruhi volunteers. Scott and Milly have been working on numerous offshore island sanctuaries for eight years – but sadly most are off limits to the public to protect their vulnerable residents. “When we entered Bushy Park, the first thing that struck me was how similar it feels to the pest-free islands that we work on,” says Scott. “This is a rare and special place where anybody can experience New Zealand as it was.” The Bushy Park Trust is very grateful to Air Chathams for generously donating space on their planes so Scott and Milly could fly for free from Auckland to Whanganui. LEAVING A LEGACY Whanganui farmer Frank Moore donated Bushy Park’s forest, homestead, and surrounding land to Forest & Bird on his death in 1962. Forest & Bird still owns the forest and employs sanctuary manager Mandy Brooke. She works with the Bushy Park Trust, which has managed the sanctuary since 1995. Today, Bushy Park Tarapuruhi is a nationally significant restoration project. Forest & Bird’s Whanganui Branch members regularly volunteer at the sanctuary, carrying out predator-control and planting projects. The name Tarapuruhi means “place of abundant bird life”. The sanctuary sits within the rohe of Ngā Rauru iwi.

Scott Sambell and his rodent dog Milly.

Mandy Brooke, who manages the sanctuary, aims to have Bushy Park Tarapuruhi checked every year by mustelid and rodent specialist dogs. She books these through DOC’s Conservation Dogs Programme. The mustelid dog and handler completed their check last month, giving Bushy Park an “all clear” for ferrets, stoats, and weasels. Anyone can visit Tarapuruhi, and entry into the sanctuary is free. You can also stay overnight in Bushy Park’s historic homestead or family bunkhouse – see www.bushypark.nz.

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Summer 2020

BIODIVERSITY

It’s beyond belief that only 2% of our drylands are currently legally protected.

MANIOTOTO NO MORE

View over Lake Tekapo and Godley Valley. Rob Suisted

Last stronghold of New Zealand’s “invisible” plant under threat from intensive dairy farm conversions and climate change. Anna Yeomans.

here’s nothing ordinary about life for the Maniototo peppercress. In summer, it fries in 30ºC heat, while in winter its tiny green-brown leaves are encased in a fringe of white frost. Between times, it hunkers under a thrashing nor’west wind – or tightens its belt to endure several months straight without a drop of rain. It’s not particularly bright or big. The whole plant, feathery leaf stems and sequin-sized flowers, could fit easily under a teacup. But the Maniototo peppercress (Lepidium solandri) is a dogged, gritty survivor. It hangs on where almost all other living things can’t, on the thinnest, driest soils in the driest basins of New Zealand’s dryland region. As far as our plants go, it’s toughest of the tough.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

Yet, somehow, it’s found itself in the incredible position where there are less than 5000 known plants left on Earth. And, ironically, none of these are in the Maniototo anymore. It’s disappeared from there – another local extinction of a unique flora. In 2020, its last stronghold is the Mackenzie Basin. “Lepidium solandri is really just a marvelous thing,” says Susan Walker, an ecologist with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, who has carried out research into New Zealand’s dryland vegetation for the past 27 years.

“It has this beautiful white flower and a musky kind of smell. It’s the ultimate New Zealand cryptic plant. And it’s nationally critical now.” As well as surviving the harshest extremes of climate, the Maniototo peppercress has survived the last 800 years of serious human impact on its dryland home. The South Island’s dryland region lies to the east of the Main Divide, stretching from Otago right through to Marlborough. Used as hunting grounds by Māori and pastoral land by European settlers, the drylands have been burnt, grazed, and developed to within an inch of their lives. “The plants that are still hanging on in the Mackenzie Basin have gone through 160 years of pastoralism,” Susan explains. “They’re rare now not because they’re threatened by being eaten but because of habitat loss.” Particularly, because much of the dryland is fast becoming damp – by manmade means. Central Otago and the Maniototo have already lost nearly all of their basin-floor dryland habitat since farming irrigation turned the golden land green. The Mackenzie is fast heading for the same precipice, unless something is done to protect it. Right now. The tiny tough Lepidium solandri is far from being the only dryland species that’s in imminent danger of being lost forever. The world’s rarest wading bird, the kakī black stilt, lives on the braided riverbeds of the Mackenzie Basin, along with the nationally critical tarāpuka blackbilled gull and tarapiroe black-fronted tern. The “naturally” uncommon outwash plains provide the last contiguous habitat stronghold for tūturiwhatu banded dotterel (nationally vulnerable) and the only habitat for the giant grasshopper, another Mackenzie endemic. The drylands are also rich in endemic lizard species and a plethora of invertebrates. About half of New Zealand’s threatened plants are dryland species. With statistics like this, it’s beyond belief that only 2% of New Zealand’s drylands are legally protected. Part of the issue for our drylands is an image problem. In New Zealand, we’re used to thinking of our valuable conservation land as consisting of green forests and snowy mountains. “People look at those trees and they go, ‘Wow!’ But you’ll seldom find a rare plant in a forest,” says Susan.

There are fewer than 1000 known Maniototo peppercress (Lepidium solandri) plants left in the wild – all of them found on the rapidly disappearing Mackenzie drylands. John Barkla

Sampling of Lepidium solandri (plants marked by orange triangles), in its typical habitat in the Mackenzie Basin. Susan Walker

“But get out of the truck on one of these outwash plains and you’ll be surrounded by 20 or more threatened plants – and some of New Zealand’s most threatened plants – within a 30m radius. “There’s nowhere else on the planet that those species occur, and there’s nowhere else in the country where it is still possible to see so many in one place.” Admittedly, these dryland plants are unlikely to knock you off your feet at first meeting. They’re small, and, with a few exceptions, they’re cryptic. “It’s like the signature characteristic of a New Zealand dryland plant – that you can’t find the damn thing,” laughs Susan. But if you do pull off the ocular triumph of spotting one of these plants, and if you get down on your knees on the stony soil and look closely, you could well fall in love. The creeping grey tussock bindweed Convolvulus verecundus is typically understated until November, when it throws out an enormous trumpet-shaped flower

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Other endemic species that rely on the Mackenzie Basin for their survival. Kakī, the giant grasshopper (Brachaspis robustus), and the Mackenzie skink (Oligosoma prasinum). Summer 2020

→ of pure white exuberance, as fleeting and as delicate as

the ground is harsh and hard. And tinier still are the spring annuals, fingernailsized outbursts of lilliputian loveliness that complete their whole growing cycle in a few short spring months before returning again to seed. Our drylands are fabulous. The sweeping vistas of the open basins, ringed by purple-shadowed mountains and alive with uniquely adapted plants and animals, are a taonga. This the South Island’s “heart” land. Throughout centuries of bumbling human management, these tough little dryland species – like the Maniototo peppercress – have done what they’re good at, hunkering down and hanging on. We can’t let it be the end. These plants and animals are married to the extremes of our rugged drylands, to the heat, the frost, the gales, and, particularly, the dryness. We must keep dry. A line has to be drawn in the soil, and the dampening has to stop. If we don’t do it now, we’ll lose it all.

About half of New Zealand’s threatened plants are dryland species. Tussock bindweed (Convolvulus verecundus). John Barkla

WHY DO WE NEED A MACKENZIE DRYLAND HERITAGE PARK?

Map showing the Mackenzie Basin boundary, existing and new areas of conservation land, Defence Force land, and areas that are privately owned. DOC

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

The idea of creating a dryland conservation park in the Mackenzie Basin has been on the cards for a long time. In September, there was some progress in the form of three blocks of land totalling 11,800ha being added to conservation land. But it’s well short of what’s needed. “September’s announcement is a good start, but for these threatened species to survive they need a lot more space,” says Forest & Bird’s Canterbury regional conservation manager Nicky Snoyink. These plants need the whole sequence of connected landforms – from the glacial moraines near the Main Divide right through to the outwash plains below the lakes. This is for a number of reasons. While the Mackenzie Basin may look at first glance to be one huge habitat, it’s actually an intricate mosaic of microhabitats, laid down by successive glacial events, where hollows and ridges, rocky soil and silty banks, all support unique communities of species. When atypical climatic events occur, such as an abnormally wet year or a serious drought, the habitat ranges of these threatened plants will contract. In a drought, they’ll hang on only in the moister hollows, while in a wet year, when exotic grasses smother the landscape, the endemic plants will persist only on the driest of spots. “So, if you’ve got a tiny handkerchief of a reserve, and you get a drought, you’ll lose everything that’s more moisture dependent out of that reserve. And it won’t come back, because there’s nowhere for it to come back from,” Susan explains. Another looming threat is the fact the government and local council have continued to let dairy farm

conversions take place over vast tracts of the Mackenzie Basin. “Over the last decade, large-scale irrigation has been devastating for the Mackenzie dryland habitats,” says Nicky. “Not just for the parts of the valley floor that are irreversibly changed by irrigation but for the adjacent areas that have often been set aside as mitigation.” The problem is that, where a dryland adjoins irrigated land, the margins of the dryland are seriously compromised by edge effects. Water, fertilisers, and seeds blow in, and runoff seeps through the soil. Exotic plants and their diseases spread into the drylands and threaten the endemic plants. For example, our tiny critically threatened Maniototo peppercress is a member of the Brassicaceae family, a very distant cousin of the broccoli on your dinner plate, and it catches the diseases of that family. Two years ago, the first white rust was seen on the Maniototo peppercress plants in the Mackenzie Basin. “The results are disastrous for small fragments of dryland surrounded by intensive agriculture,” explains Susan. “The Mackenzie is special because there are still extensive areas of dryland, but it looks like we need all of what’s left. “In probably two-thirds of the basin, the tipping point is now exceeded. So, there’s only one area, and that’s in the north-east of the basin, a big sequence that runs on both sides of Lake Tekapo and down that eastern side out to the Grays Hills that’s still mostly intact.”

WHAT NEXT?

Forest & Bird has been campaigning for decades to save the Mackenzie and its unique inhabitants. In the 1980s, for example, we launched a national appeal to raise money for a predator-free fence to be erected in the Mackenzie Basin to protect nesting kakī from feral cats and stoats. Today, Forest & Bird is calling on the new government to act quickly to protect the Mackenzie Basin and its rapidly disappearing flora and fauna before it’s too late. In particular, we want to see: • Government approving a meaningful plan to establish a landscape-scale Mackenzie Dryland Heritage Area to protect and restore its unique endemic flora and fauna. • Parliament passing substantial amendments to the Crown Pastoral Land Act that seek to prevent further loss of high country dryland habitats and other natural ecosystems on crown land. • Robust district plans that provide protection for special native plants and animals and their habitats on private land.

A pivot irrigator on Haldon Station, a lush oasis on the dry alpine glacial outwash plains of the Mackenzie Basin. Lake Benmore beyond. Rob Suisted

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Summer 2020

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

10 kiwi being carefully carried into the the Tōtara block in June. Taranaki Kiwi Trust

WIFE-SWAPPING

KIWI

Five pairs of kiwi were recently released into a bush block after 40 years of trapping by Forest & Bird’s South Taranaki Branch. Then the partner-shuffling shenanigans began. David Brooks.

uia the female North Island brown kiwi had waited more than 20 lonely years for a new mate, so she wasted no time when five pairs of kiwi were released into her South Taranaki bush home. She welcomed one of the newly arrived males with open (albeit tiny) wings. It wasn’t long before Kuia’s new partner Kohunui was sitting on her eggs, among seven the monitoring team were aware of by early October. If her eggs successfully hatch and grow to maturity, the genetic line of the local kiwi will have been saved.

Decades ago, when Forest & Bird’s South Taranaki Branch began trapping in the privately owned 452ha Tōtara bush block, volunteers were aware of three female kiwi living there, but as the years went by their calling stopped and the volunteers assumed the birds had died, been killed by predators, or moved on. So they were delighted when one of the original kiwi, now named Kuia, made her presence known in June soon after the arrival of 10 kiwi, who were translocated from the nearby Rotokare Sanctuary. “We assume that she had

Jen, centre, and Rex, second from right, with members of Forest & Bird’s South Taranaki Branch.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

stopped calling because there were no males to respond, so I suppose she just gave up. Now, you can hear her at night talking and yakking and carrying on,” says Jen Roberts, the chair of Forest & Bird’s South Taranaki Branch. Brown kiwi often produce two eggs in a clutch, with the second laid about 25 days after the first. Unlike most other kiwi species, the male is solely responsible for incubating the egg. Jen says the kiwi were released into their new home in pairs, but like the TV reality show Married at First Sight, some of these pairings failed to work out. Kohunui and his partner Titokowaru immediately headed off in opposite directions when released. “Kohunui and Titokowaru got divorced the first night,” Jen jokes. Of the five pairs released, only two were in their original pairings by October, and, following the wooing of Kohunui by Kuia, one of the females was without a mate. Jen suspects another one of the original females may still be in the area, although this is still to be confirmed. Patience paid off for Kuia and

also for Jen’s father, Rex Hartley, who started trapping in the area with other volunteers from the South Taranaki Branch more than 40 years ago. They started on a nearby 396ha block owned by the Collier family and later moved on to the Tōtara block owned by the Hardwick-Smith family. Sue Hardwick-Smith, a longserving chair of the Taranaki Kiwi Trust until last year, said that whenever she saw Rex over the years he would ask: “When are my kiwi coming?” At the release ceremony, she was finally able to tell him: “Rex, your kiwi are here.” Rex is now in his late 80s and no longer works with the trapping team, but Jen said he was delighted the years of hard work had paid off. “He can’t stop smiling,” she says. One of the transferred kiwi was named Rex in his honour as a chick, although in a twist that makes

Rex chuckle, his namesake turned out to be a female. The bush blocks are in the Mangimingi area, close to the 230ha pest-free Rotokare Sanctuary, which is home to the Taranaki Kōhanga Kiwi at Rotokare Project, a nursery and breeding site jointly run by the Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust and the Taranaki Kiwi Trust. From a founder population of 37, there are now well over 200 kiwi in the kōhanga population, and the translocation to the Tōtara block was the first ever of kiwi from the sanctuary. Without predator control, only about 10% of kiwi chicks survive to six months, with stoats, dogs, feral cats, and ferrets among the greatest threats. Jen says the Tōtara block is due to receive another 20 kiwi from the Rotokare kōhanga next year, with another 10 to follow in 2022. Later transfers are also planned to the Collier block.

The repopulation of kiwi and the other successes in restoring native wildlife in the area reward the dedication of South Taranaki Branch’s trapping team over 40 years, along with efforts of local landowners and other conservationists.

Rex the kiwi, named in honour of Rex Hartley’s 40-year mission to return kiwi to parts of south Taranaki. Taranaki Kiwi Trust

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Summer 2020

C L I M AT E

POLES APART Max Quinn is a remarkable Kiwi filmmaker who has documented nature and climate change at two of the remotest places on Earth. Ellen Ozarka.

Pushing into Antarctic pack ice. Max Quinn

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ax Quinn found himself where you never want to be — alone on the frozen Alaskan sea with only a hungry mother polar bear and her cubs for company. “She got a sniff of me and she came right up to me. I was in total awe, on my own on the sea ice, with this beautiful big female polar bear stalking me no more than 10m away.” The agitated bear had been tranquillised from a helicopter by scientists who were performing a vet check on her and her cubs, but the drug took longer to take effect than anticipated. Quinn, a nature documentarian from Dunedin’s renowned Natural History New Zealand film unit, had been sent to film the bears while the scientists parked the chopper. Fortunately, the polar bear did eventually doze off, and both Quinn and the bears left the encounter unscathed. Quinn gained some remarkable footage, cementing his reputation as one of the leading polar filmmakers in the world. On recent visits, however, Quinn has witnessed a more tragic story. “Polar bears are dependent on the floating sea ice to hunt seals, but when the ocean warms there’s less ice and they get stranded on land,” he explains. “They wander into town and get into trouble, before they get shooed away or even shot. You often see them with dirty heads, because they’ve taken to rummaging through dumps looking for food. The bears usually take a bath by rolling in the snow, but in summer that’s mostly gone now.” Because of his many polar adventures, Quinn remarks in his upcoming memoir, A Life of Extremes, that he’s been “at the coalface of global warming”. Yet he remains adamant that he’s just the guy behind the camera. “I’m not a scientist at all, but I feel privileged to have seen what I have as a natural historian. I didn’t recognise it until it dawned on me that I was an eyewitness to what was going on with the climate.” Max filming Steve Amstrup holding a polar bear cub on the frozen sea off Alaska. Nigel Zega

Humpback whales swimming through Antarctica sea ice. Max Quinn

Don Anderson (left) and Max Quinn (right) at the penguin colony at Cape Crozier in 1991. Max still has the green camera cover. Yvonne Martin/Antarctica New Zealand

As we talk, it becomes clear that, while Quinn isn’t a scientist, he’s extremely knowledgeable about global warming. “I travelled to Spitzbergen in Norway, which is the antipodes of Scott Base in Antarctica. If you drilled a hole straight through the Earth, that’s where you’d come out,” he explains. “Scott Base is frozen solid, even in summer. Not a tree, no grass, nothing. Whereas in Spitzbergen, there’s reindeer and flowers in the summertime – although obviously it still gets cold in the winter, it’s a totally different polar environment. It’s all because of the Gulf Stream, an Atlantic Ocean current which moves heat along the east coast of North America, into the North Atlantic and Europe. In the Arctic, it cools off and then moves south like a conveyor belt.” Summer 2020

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C L I M AT E

I feel privileged to have seen what I have as a natural historian. I didn’t recognise it until it dawned on me that I was an eyewitness to what was going on with the climate.

“The Antarctic is a frozen landmass surrounded by ocean, whereas the Arctic is a frozen ocean surrounded by land. Animals have been able to move into the Arctic and adapt to living in the Arctic cold.” As a result, the Arctic is home to creatures such as polar bears, musk oxen, Arctic foxes, and even people. However, the only native land animal in Antarctica is a tiny springtail with anti-freeze properties in its blood. “They call it ‘the elephant of Antarctica’,” Quinn smiles, “because – if you don’t count the penguins and seals, which are aquatic – it’s the largest land animal on the continent, even though it’s barely visible with the naked eye, no bigger than the full stop at the end of a sentence.”

A LIFE OF EXTREMES Collapsing permafrost in the Arctic. Permafrost – land that is normally frozen year round – is thawing faster than scientists expected, releasing carbon gases that fuel global warming. Mervyn Aitchison

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“Now what would happen if there were any changes in that conveyor belt? We don’t know. These are things that scientists are still trying to get a handle on.” Quinn worked in film and TV for many years before, in 1991, he first had the opportunity to travel to the North and South Poles. His award-winning documentary Emperors of Antarctica (1992) was a first attempt to document the life cycle of the emperor penguin, the only penguin to stay on the frozen continent for the entire winter. Of course, that meant that Quinn and soundman Don Anderson had to stay for the winter too. Despite temperatures as low as -50ºC, the film crew would make the arduous seven-hour drive (85km) from Scott Base to the penguin colony at Cape Crozier every month. “We had to be extremely careful when filming the penguins, because of course they’re used to total darkness during winter, even in the daytime,” Quinn remembers. “We carried our lighting equipment over and would very slowly turn the light towards the huddle, starting with the non-breeding juveniles as a test. At first, they shuffled away, but they quickly got used to it. By the time the eggs were laid, they seemed to not even notice or care that we were there at all.” After the success of Emperors of Antarctica (1992) and its companion piece The Longest Night (1992), Quinn kept making films in the Poles. Ice Worlds (2002) brought him to the Arctic. “People think the poles are just cold places, but they are poles apart, literally,” says Quinn.

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Having spent more than 50 years directing nature documentaries all around the world, Quinn has seen animals and places that others could only dream of. Fortunately for the rest of us, he has made it his life’s work to share these experiences through the medium of film and now in his memoir A Life of Extremes. “I’m just one of dozens here in New Zealand who have similar stories to tell,” he humbly remarks. “I just happened to write it down.” Max Quinn’s memoir A Life of Extremes is available to purchase from local bookshops. Emperors of Antarctica and several of Quinn’s other documentaries can be viewed for free on nzonscreen.com. Max Quinn. Stacey Mulgrew

YO U T H

ROTORUA HUB TAKES FLIGHT We meet the founders of one of Forest & Bird’s newest youth hubs.

ia ora! Our names are Jess and Kaitlyn Lamb, and we set up the Rotorua Forest & Bird Youth Hub last October. With tree plantings, rubbish clean ups, and trapping, we are a pretty busy hub working around Rotorua, in the Bay of Plenty. We have teamed up with a local group called EcoWarriors (part of Tatau Pounamu), which has likeminded and passionate youth dedicated to protecting Papatūānuku like we are. We recently did some weeding with them at Owhata Marae and set up predator-control traps. We also work alongside our two local councils and Whakarewarewa Pest Control. Once a week, we do trapping in the Whakarewarewa Forest in order to help New Zealand become predator free by 2050 and increase the magnificent bird life. In October, we planted 500 native trees on a dairy farm in Mamaku, on the outskirts of Rotorua, together with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Next year, we are holding similar events, and we’re hoping to connect with our community to establish a community garden. Growing your own food helps reverse climate change and also saves money.

Kaitlyn and Jess Lamb are the founder members of Forest & Bird’s new Rotorua Youth Hub.

If you are interested in joining the Rotorua Forest & Bird Youth Hub, contact us: Facebook: @taupo.rotorua.forestandbirdyouth Instagram: forest_birdyouthtauporotorua Email: taupo.rotorua.fbyouth@gmail.com

OSCAR’S FIRST BIRDING BOOK

Forest & Bird’s 2017 Youth award winner Oscar Thomas has published his first book, A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of New Zealand (John Beaufoy Publishing, RRP $29.99). Oscar, a self-confessed bird nut and talented photographer, first hit the headlines after successfully running a kōkako campaign for Bird of the Year in 2016, when he was only 17 years old. Oscar’s book offers a photographic identification guide to 238 bird species in New Zealand. The high quality images are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, distribution, habits, and habitat. The user-friendly guide also includes key places to go birdwatching and the all-important birds of New Zealand checklist, including IUCN status. Summer 2020

FUTURE OF FISHING

DEEP SEA CORALS

(AND WHY THEY MATTER)

The branching corals of New Zealand’s seamounts provide a 3D habitat for fish and invertebrates. Shown here is Ghoul Hill, about 1000m deep, with its branching corals, including Solenosmilia variabilis, Venus flower basket sponge, crinoid sea lilies, hydrocorals, and orange roughy fish. Malcolm Clark/NIWA

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Why do we still allow bottom trawling when it’s destroying protected ancient coral forests? Caroline Wood.

eep-sea corals are among the slowest growing and oldest animals in the ocean – living from hundreds to thousands of years. They create the most important biologically structured habitats in the deep sea and support ecosystems of astonishing variety and biodiversity. New Zealand is home to a sixth of the world’s deep-sea corals – about 110 described species, including the deepest reef-forming species Solenosmilia variabilis. Coral forests act as nurseries for juvenile fish and other invertebrates, and are often found on seamounts. These places are vital for fish, starfish, crabs, sea urchins, brittle stars, molluscs, sponges, and worms. But these fragile animals are vulnerable to human activities that damage or destroy the sea floor or surrounding environment, including commercial fishing and seabed mining. Other threats include climate change and ocean acidification. New Zealand is currently doing a poor job of protecting our endemic deep-sea corals and marine habitats, despite them being protected under the Wildlife Act 1953. One of the culprits is bottom trawling, an unsustainable and destructive fishing method used by New Zealand commercial fishers to capture fish like orange roughy and oreo. These deep-water species often live around biodiversity-rich seamounts that are attractive to trawlers because they are known hot spots for the fishers’ target fish species.

Deep-sea trawling involves dropping a large weighted net on the seabed, at depths of up to 1km. The net, which can be up to 4m high and 150m wide, is dragged behind the ship, smashing or scooping up everything in the wake, including delicate corals. Nearby coral can also be smothered by sediment plumes in the wake of the nets. Forest & Bird’s marine team was shocked to discover more than 20 different species of protected coral among a list of species caught as bycatch in New Zealand waters over the past 18 months. Images of the dead coral, taken by on-board observers, were released in September following a Forest & Bird’s Official Information Act request to the Ministry for Primary Industries. Observers on deep-water vessels Seamount coral Solenosmilia variabilis grows just 1mm a year. It would take 275 years to grow the height of this page.

Solenosmilia variabilis is the dominant coral species on seamounts and rocky substrates in the depth range 1000m to 1300m and is easily damaged by deepwater trawling. It is a longlived species with a growth rate of about 1 millimetre per year, and it may be adversely affected by ocean acidification and climate change. Di Tracey/NIWA

that bottom trawl orange roughy reported the landing of more than 4.3 tonnes of corals and more than 12.6 tonnes of sponges in the 2014/15 fishing year. This figure doesn’t include all the coral that has been smashed up and left on the seabed by the passing trawlers. “Destroying these underwater worlds that provide habitat, sanctuary, and nursery areas for a great number of deep sea animals is like clearcutting old-growth forest,” says Forest & Bird chief executive Kevin Hague. “Corals are meant to be protected under the law, but coral habitats are being destroyed by bottom trawling and yet it’s officially considered ‘unintended’. “There is nothing unintended about this fishing method that involves dragging two-tonne nets across the seabed, smashing everything in their way.” Scientists agree that seamounts and other hard coral groups are vulnerable to the path of bottom trawls. The boats target fish species that live over these features, according to NIWA’s 2019 report The State of Knowledge of Deep-Sea Corals in the New Zealand Region by Di Tracey and Freya Hjorvarsdottir. Coral cover of 15–20% can be reduced to nothing visible in less than 10 bottom trawls, the report’s authors say. They hope the report’s in-depth research will help policy-makers better protect deep-sea corals, their ecosystem role, value, and associated fauna. At a time when the world faces an unprecedented biodiversity crisis, methods of fishing that cause damage to such slow-growing ecosystems can no longer be afforded.

Example of coral killed by bottom trawling. MPI

CORAL CAN COME BACK

Deep-water corals are ecosystem engineers in the deep. How they will adapt to our future climate is unknown, but as vital parts of the ecology of the ocean their health is important. In a study published in Science Advances last year, researchers concluded that “some recovery of seamount deep-sea coral communities may be possible on 30- to 40-year time scales”. They studied the Northwestern Hawaiian Ridge and Emperor Seamounts, which have historically experienced the highest documented fish and invertebrate seamount fisheries takes in the world. Despite visible evidence of substantial historic fishing pressure, some of the seamounts that have been protected for more than 30 years showed multiple signs of recovery than still trawled sites, including corals regrowing from fragments “The current practice of allowing continued bottom-contact fishing at heavy trawled sites may cause damage to remnant populations, which likely play a critical role in recovery,” the researchers concluded. For more information, see https://advances.sciencemag.org/ content/5/8/eaaw4513. → Summer 2020

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SWIMMING BACKWARDS

TIME TO BAN SEAMOUNT TRAWLING

Aotearoa has previously been at the forefront of efforts to conserve deep-sea corals – we were the first country to officially identify major groups of deep-sea corals as protected species. New Zealand has also previously been an international leader in protecting major portions of the nation’s exclusive economic zone from impacts of bottom trawling. But recently we appear to be going backwards. The UN says all vulnerable areas with precious ecosystems, including seamounts, should be closed to bottom trawling (Resolution 61/105–64/72–66/68). New Zealand signed up to this resolution but hasn’t followed through on international expectations.

Forest & Bird has teamed up with other e-NGOs, including Our Seas Our Future, Greenpeace New Zealand, WWF-NZ, Eco, Deep Sea Conservaton Coalition, and Legasea to call for a ban on bottom trawling near seamounts. More than 50,000 New Zealanders signed a petition calling for the ban. It was handed over to the new government in November. Here are five reasons why we think it’s time to end bottom trawling: ➊ Deep sea coral forests take centuries to form but minutes to destroy. ➋ Aotearoa is one of only seven countries in the world still using bottom trawling in international waters. ➌ New Zealand fishing companies primarily bottom trawl for orange roughy and oreo – both species live around seamounts. ➍ Domestic fishing companies, such as Sanford and Talley’s, trawl internationally and in New Zealand waters. A whole host of other fishing companies trawl seamounts within our EEZ. ➎ Trawling has been blamed for the degradation of some of our coastal waters – and is at least partly to blame for the sorry state of the Hauraki Gulf (see the story in our last issue).

A a deep-water warty octopus (Graneledone taniwha) collected from the Chatham Rise. This 5cm tall octopus is one of two species endemic to New Zealand and is found at depths of 450m–1500m. Owen Anderson NIWA

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

At the February 2020 meeting of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation, New Zealand lobbied for weaker regulations on trawling, according to Greenpeace campaigner Jessica Desmond, who was there as an official observer. She also reported that New Zealand representatives lobbied for more coral bycatch to be allowed per trawl, while other nations tried hard to make the laws stricter to protect the oceans. Meanwhile, earlier this year, the previous government increased the quota for bottom trawling of orange roughy to the east and south of the Chatham Islands. The then Minister for Primary Industries Stewart Nash justified the expansion on the basis that most fishing occurred in areas that had already been trawled and that more fishing was unlikely to increase the trawl footprint significantly. But Forest & Bird believes continued trawling of damaged areas will prevent the recovery of seabed habitats. (see right). Our marine advocate Geoff Keey says it’s time to for the country to step up and lead by example – by phasing out deepsea trawling for good. “The likely reporting of endemic coral loss is underestimated because only some of these deepwater boats have MPI observers. And coral may be destroyed by the heavy nets but not hauled up in them. “The damage wrought by bottom trawling is a good example of why the new government needs to reform the Fisheries Act and make sure it enshrines nature-friendly fishing principles.”

Sanford’s San Waitaki deep-sea trawler at Lyttleton. The vessel targets orange roughy, smooth oreo dory, and black dory.

WOULD YOU EAT A 100-YEAR OLD FISH? Forest & Bird recommends businesses and consumers boycott the Marine Stewardship Councilcertified orange roughy fishery. We consider the orange roughy fishery to be one of the most destructive fisheries in New Zealand, if not the world. This is because this deepwater species is caught by bottom trawling – an unsustainable fishing method that bulldozes the seabed and sensitive marine habitats like seamounts. The fishery destroys protected and threatened corals and sponges, some of which are more than 500 years old. It also kills deep-water sharks and seabirds like Salvin’s and white-capped albatross. Orange roughy, also known as slimehead, can live for up to 130 years. They are slow to grow and mature, reaching adulthood between 25 and 35 years old. This makes them very susceptible to overfishing. New Zealand catches about 95% of the global catch in an industry worth about $36m to the economy

(in 2014). The oldest and largest orange roughy fishery in the world operates on the Chatham Rise to the east of the South Island. Many stocks, especially those off New Zealand and Australia, were first exploited in the late 1970s and were severely depleted within two decades. After fishing limits were imposed, some stocks have subsequently recovered, but the species is still in trouble. “It’s like dragging a huge net through a Northland forest, destroying 500-year-old kauri to catch kiwi,” says marine scientist and former Forest & Bird staffer Kat Goddard. “If the orange roughy fishery happened on land, it would have been banned by now.” In 2017, following a robust ecological assessment based on information from the Ministry for Primary Industries, Forest & Bird’s marine scientists ranked orange roughy – including Marine Stewardship Council-certified stocks – as a “worst choice” seafood in our Best Fish Guide.

Although the Marine Stewardship Council looks at the environmental impact of fishing, it failed to place adequate emphasis on the destruction that bottom trawling causes to these vulnerable marine ecosystems. This is why Forest & Bird is critical of the council’s assessment and certification. Forest & Bird is a partner in the Global Seafood Rating Alliance. When we brought our findings to the attention of the Alliance in 2017, it carried out its own assessment and agreed with our stance. Readers who share Forest & Bird’s concerns about the sustainability of orange roughy could use pot-caught blue cod or trevally caught by purse seine as more sustainable alternatives. Forest & Bird’s assessment of orange roughy and sustainable alternatives can be found at bestfishguide.org.nz/orangeroughy.

Orange roughy is a long-lived deepwater fish caught by one of the most destructive fishing methods in the world.

WHAT DOES FOREST & BIRD WANT? Forest & Bird wants the new government to reform the Fisheries Act during the coming term to give effect to ecosystem-based fisheries management. This includes the phasing out of destructive unsustainable fishing methods like bottom trawling, set netting, and dredging. We are also advocating for the introduction of a zero-bycatch goal for all creatures, including coral, sea mammals, and seabirds.

Summer 2020

COMMUNITY

SH P LOCAL THIS CHRISTMAS Give a little aroha with one of these gorgeous locally made gifts available from Forest & Bird’s online shop https://shop.forestandbird.org.nz.

BRING BIRDS INTO YOUR HOME

Neda Nozari is a Tauranga-based artist inspired by Aotearoa’s nature. She has created a vibrant range of New Zealand-made cushion covers featuring New Zealand’s native birds that are suitable for indoor or outdoor use. Cost: $40 per 45cm x 45cm cushion cover (inner not included).

INSPIRED BY NATURE

Lovingly hand-dyed in Dunedin by Loris Ives, these wool skeins are made of merino, alpaca, possum, and nylon. Each skein purchased will be sent out with a postcard of the bird that inspired the colours. Cost: $49 per skein.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

HOODIES HAVE IT

Available in a range of colours and sizes, including kids sizes. Adults have Nicola Belsham’s vibrant design on the front. The children’s hoodies have a pocket on the front and the print on the back. Cost: $65.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

Check out the beautiful limited edition prints and other artwork in Forest & Bird’s online shop. Other nature-inspired gifts include posters, T-shirts, shopping bags, calendars, diaries, wrapping paper, games, badges, and books. Cost: From as little as $5.

GREETING CARDS

Illustrator and card-maker Melissa Boardman enjoys nothing more than being surrounded by trees and birdsong. She frequently heads into nature to observe birds in their natural habitats. Cost: $40 (pack of eight cards). Six different pack options, including wetland, forest, and shore birds.

COLOUR ME CALM

Colouring in can reduce anxiety, create focus, or help bring mindfulness. Relax with a beautiful Forest & Bird colouring book generously donated by Steve Dunlop and Damian Honiss. Each book contains 20 beautiful native birds to colour in. Cost: $20.

Buy local and feel good knowing all profits go to supporting Forest & Bird’s conservation work. Last orders 15 December 2020. Gift wrapping available – see https://shop.forestandbird.org.nz.

Summer 2020

BIOSECURITY

The white-flowered Bartlett’s rātā is endemic to New Zealand and notable for its extreme rarity.

SAVING OUR ICONIC MYRTLES Genetic solutions can reduce the impact of myrtle rust in New Zealand and prevent local extinctions of at-risk species. Jules Freeman

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he fungal disease myrtle rust was first detected in New Zealand three years ago. It poses a significant threat to our myrtle plants (genus Myrtus, family Myrtaceae), including pōhutukawa, rātā, and mānuka. Myrtle rust thrives in warm climates with high humidity. Since 2017, it has been found in most of the warmer areas of the North Island and in parts of the South Island. It is impossible to predict the long-term impacts of the disease in Aotearoa, but the situation in Australia, which has similar climate and myrtle flora, suggests serious impacts may be expected. These are very likely to increase as the disease spreads across the landscape. Findings to date suggest the species most often infected by myrtle rust in New Zealand – pōhutukawa and ramarama – have little or no resistance. Pōhutukawa is most affected as a young seedling, whereas ramarama is highly susceptible at all stages of its life. The extinction of local populations is a possibility, leading to a loss of diversity in natural populations and broader ecosystem impacts. Pōhutukawa was already in decline before myrtle rust and is now reduced to isolated remnant populations. Ramarama is mostly found in the North Island, where it is widespread, although it often occurs in small localised patches. But it’s not all bad news. Fortunately, there is a lot of variation in An infected rohutu fruit in susceptibility among native forest. species, with some New R.Sutherland/Scion Zealand myrtle species and sub-species likely to show little or no impact of the disease. There is also the possibility of breeding to increase resistance – either naturally or in managed populations. Research into different facets of the disease has been carried out by the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for Primary Industries, Plant and Food Research, Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, and Scion. Working together, they have developed a Myrtle Rust Science Plan and guidance on how best to manage the threats. How might breeding and conservation genetic approaches reduce myrtle rust impacts? Soon after myrtle rust arrived in New Zealand, the Ministry for Primary Industries commissioned a research programme to look at whether a resistance breeding programme should be established to help protect New Zealand’s myrtles. This involved Scion’s Heidi Dungey, Jaroslav Klápště, and myself, together with Plant and Food Research’s Vincent Bus and Linley

The fungus Austropuccinia psidii only affects plants in the myrtle family. Here you can see myrtle rust spores on pōhutukawa in a field susceptibility trial. J Soewarto/Scion

Jesson and contributions from MPI‘s Myrtle Rust Te Ao Māori team. No breeding work has been undertaken, but the programme identified a range of possible myrtle conservation approaches and suggested a system to decide possible responses for each at-risk species. All approaches were developed from a western science perspective, with the view that any future work be led by te ao Māori and driven by mana whenua. The identified approaches can be classified into the following broad areas:

SEED BANKING

Establishing collections representing the natural variation of New Zealand myrtles will help safeguard against the loss of genetic diversity in natural stands. Seed banking, tissue culture, cryopreservation (deep freezing and storage of plant parts at very low temperatures) were all recommended as possible approaches to consider. Identifying and/or planting stands of trees (specifically for seed production) in areas with unsuitable climate for myrtle rust would also be an option for high-risk species. Integrating conservation efforts and having culturally appropriate procedures in place are key issues. From a science perspective, it is vital to ensure adequate natural variation is safeguarded. All approaches must be considered through a te ao Māori lens, and tikanga must be observed when moving any indigenous plant material outside tribal boundaries.

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BREEDING PROGRAMMES

Breeding for enhanced myrtle rust resistance may help safeguard our most vulnerable myrtles. In America, for example, native pines and cedar in diseaseaffected areas have been successfully reforested, with

Ramarama is one of the species most affected by myrtle rust.

Summer 2020

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more resistant trees developed from breeding and selection. The first step will be to understand the natural variation in susceptibility to myrtle rust – traditionally undertaken using screening by artificial inoculation and studies of natural infection in field trials at multiple sites. In an exciting development, some resistant mānuka plants were discovered in different parts of the country during preliminary screening work. For species with little or no resistance, including ramarama, rōhutu, and pōhutukawa, it is crucial to screen as much of their natural ranges as possible. This will allow researchers to better predict and manage the impact of myrtle rust. New approaches that adapt this methodology to follow tikanga are also needed.

POPULATION GENETICS

Population genetics studies can provide invaluable information on the structure of plant populations, natural variation, the existence of resistance genes, and their distribution within species. Understanding population structure and relationships among rohe is critical to make informed conservation decisions and can help scientists prioritise species and populations at risk from myrtle rust. While there have been some studies conducted in myrtles such as pōhutukawa, and more recently mānuka, detailed information on population attributes is lacking for most New Zealand myrtles. If these can be carried out, they will greatly help informed management.

DOC staff scaled Bream Head in 2018 to collect the seeds of carmine rātā (Metrosideros carminea). The seed was sent to a national seed bank where they will be securely stored.

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SAFEGUARDING MĀORI INTERESTS

A main tenet of the proposed approaches is a Māori partnership representing the distinctive whakapapa relationship between tangata whenua and these taonga myrtle species. There are kaitiaki interests in ensuring pōhutukawa and ramarama remain features on the endemic landscape and native ecosystems of Aotearoa. These special interests must influence the planned approach and science. Researchers are already working with the kaitiaki at myrtle rust affected sites. Working with landowner groups will accelerate the implementation of the proposed approaches outlined above. Using a kaupapa Māori approach will also enhance the opportunity for relationship building and co-innovation.

NEXT STEPS

MPI’s research team has recommended the formation of a cross-sector action group, led by kaitiaki of indigenous flora, to co-develop an implementation plan that follows tikanga for a triage system, breeding programme, and coordination of further seed collections, and their appropriate protections. A key part of the response is the development of a decision-making framework or “triage system” to prioritise and allocate appropriate responses to all New Zealand myrtles, starting with the most at risk. Key targets for action include highly susceptible species such as ramarama, pōhutukawa, and their hybrids; threatened species, such as Bartlett’s rātā; taonga trees, for example pōhutukawa; and other species of environmental and social importance. Highrisk species should have action plans developed and implemented as soon as possible. The application of seed banking, breeding programmes, and population genetics studies may be considered for highly susceptible or threatened myrtle species. At a minimum, off-site conservation measures should be seriously considered for myrtles at high risk. It’s also crucial the triage system evolves to integrate ongoing research and surveillance, and change in other factors, including climate, additional strains of myrtle rust, and/or other pest and disease threats, to help predict the level of risk among species.

Dr Jules Freeman specialises in genetics of forest trees and has a particular interest in disease resistance. He started researching myrtle rust in Australia in 2012. Over the past two years, he has been working with Scion looking at ways to protect New Zealand’s indigenous flora from the fungal disease.

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

DON’T FORGET ABOUT FERRETS The Department of Conservation’s Craig Gillies explains how best to protect against the biggest mustelid of them all. David Brooks

hen it comes to introduced predators, ferrets don’t get as much attention as stoats, but there’s plenty of evidence they can have a devastating impact on kiwi and other ground-nesting birds if their threat is overlooked. Ferrets are about three times heavier than stoats and, unlike their mustelid cousins, are a major threat to adult kiwi, according to Craig Gillies, Principal Scientist Threats, from the Department of Conservation. “Kiwi are long-lived birds, and they can do a lot of breeding in their lifetime, so if ferrets kill adults that has a major impact on the population,” Craig says. A ferret’s main food source is rabbits. This means that areas with high rabbit numbers can have large numbers of ferrets as well. This is a particular problem for reserves and bush areas bordering pastureland that is home to both rabbits and ferrets. If rabbit numbers crash, ferrets will go looking for alternative food. Pūkaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre, in the Wairarapa, Boundary Stream, in Hawke’s Bay, and Tongariro Kiwi Sanctuary, in Tongariro Forest, have all had problems with ferrets killing kiwi in recent years. Ferrets are also responsible for the deaths of whio, penguins, weka, and wetland birds. The fact these species live in different habitats shows how widely ferrets can roam in search of food. “Ferrets are penetrating long distances into these large tracts of forest,” says Craig. “We have had occasional ferret–kiwi kill events at Tongariro Kiwi Sanctuary, which is quite a large tract of forest.

“The impact can be catastrophic. Even one individual can cover a lot of ground and find a lot of kiwi. If ferrets get into a bush block, that can be make or break for some kiwi populations.” Community and conservation groups doing predator control work may not be aware of ferret threats. “Just because they don’t look like they’re a problem today, they might be a problem tomorrow. It’s something you need to be thinking about, especially if you’re in a rabbit-prone area,” says Craig.

HOW TO CONTROL FERRETS Craig Gillies recommends keeping in touch with regional councils, which monitor rabbits, to find out when numbers are tracking up in your area. Areas with lots of rabbits can have ferrets too. n Use larger DOC 250 traps to catch ferrets. n Live traps can also be effective if checked daily. n Use a ratio of one DOC 250 for every three to

five DOC 200 traps. n Deploy the DOC 250 traps:

• along forest boundaries • on obvious routes into the bush (streams, roads, open tracks etc) • in adjacent pastureland if possible. For more information, download DOC’s free trapping guide for community groups – see https://bit.ly/2TeNPBE.

Summer 2020

COMMUNITY

PAY IT FORWARD

A Kiwi family raised funds for Forest & Bird while in managed isolation to show their gratitude to New Zealand’s “team of five million” who worked to keep the country safe for everyone.

lobal returnees have arrived in their thousands over the past eight months, with many extremely grateful to come home to a safe and beautiful country rich in natural heritage. The Hamilton Batros family were living in Washington DC when Covid hit in March. They endured months of working from home in self-isolation trying to home-school their young children, before packing up and escaping the chaotic US response to the fast-spreading virus. In August, Rebecca, Ben, and their four young children, aged three to seven years, landed in Auckland and spent two weeks in managed isolation in a hotel in Auckland. On their first night, they launched a Givealittle page to recognise the efforts Kiwis had been making to unite against Covid. “We wanted to ‘pay forward’ our gratitude for the efforts Kiwis have made, and are making, to unite against Covid,” says Rebecca, who was working as a law professor at American University when Covid-19 hit. “What it looks like when you are living outside the country is just extraordinary, and we wanted to do something to show our appreciation.” So far, the family has raised more than $4,200 to be split equally between three charities – Forest & Bird, KidsCan, and Women’s Refuge. Rebecca says the family chose Forest & Bird because of the important, but often overlooked, connection between the state of the natural world and public health.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

“New Zealand’s unique environment has become a refuge for so many people during these Covid times. We cant wait to immerse ourselves in nature.” The family is now living in Northland and settling back into the (Covid-free) Kiwi way of life. They are looking forward to spending summer outside in nature. “Living in Washington, our hearts were filled with sadness seeing what was happening around us,” adds Rebecca. “Compared with New Zealand’s response, experiencing the Trump administration’s response was like living in a parallel universe. “Here you have a society willing to come together to try to act responsibly in the face of a global pandemic rather than leaving indivuals and the most vulnerable in society to struggle through it on their own.” They hope other returnees who feel the same way will also “pay it back”. “We wanted to reinvest the cost back into the three charities because they had meaning for us. We hope other returning families will do the same with charities that have meaning for them,” says Rebecca. The family’s Givealittle page is https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/covidreturnees-pay-it-forward.

N AT U R E ’ S F U T U R E

Nature’s Future Supporter Parid, 30, who lives in Wellington, has worked for Forest & Bird for more than two years. He was recently named one of three finalists in New Zealand’s Face-toFace Fundraiser of the Year 2020. The award, which is organised by the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association, recognises professional excellence and a passion for helping charities. “I’ve been environmentally conscious ever since I was a young kid, so when I got the chance to represent Forest & Bird and help protect New Zealand’s nature I didn’t hesitate,” says Parid. “Forest & Bird has a long history and has accomplished so much over the years. It’s an honour to be part of something with such an impressive track record. “Almost everyone I talk to seems to have a love for New Zealand’s nature and wants to help, which makes my job really easy. “Even if they can’t commit to an ongoing donation, most will ask how they can make a difference in other ways – for example, by giving their time as volunteers.”

VOICE FOR

NATURE

Setting up a regular monthly donation is easy – see www.forestandbird.org.nz/naturesfuture or phone 0800 200 064 and talk with one of the team. By donating to an approved charity like Forest & Bird, you can claim back up to 33% of your annual donations every year. For details, see www.ird.govt.nz.

Face-to-face fundraiser Parid Basha is a Forest & Bird conservation hero.

s New Zealand’s largest independent conservation organisation, we are 100% funded by donations and bequests. This means we rely on generous Kiwis to dig deep to support our campaigns, political advocacy, and on-the-ground conservation projects. One of the best ways you can do this is to set up a regular monthly donation that supports all Forest & Bird’s work protecting and restoring nature. With regular income like this, we can all be ready to respond whenever our natural environment is threatened. Face-to-face fundraiser Parid Basha helps make this happen by talking to Kiwis about what nature means to them and why they should trust Forest & Bird to use their money wisely. He has conversations with New Zealanders on the street, in the shopping mall, or at the front door, letting people know they can be a voice for nature. Summer 2020

HIGHLIGHTS

A YEAR IN REVIEW 2020

Here is a snapshot of some of Forest & Bird’s highlights and wins from the past year. As New Zealand’s independent voice for nature on land and in the oceans, the breadth of work we do is unique among conservation charities in Aotearoa. JANUARY SEABIRDS Forest & Bird declares 2020 the Year of the Seabird in support of the more than 35 species killed by fishing boats last year. Giant seabirds appear in the sands of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Golden Bay, and Westport in events organised by our Kiwi Conservation Club, Youth, and local branches. It’s part of our campaign to persuade the government to include a zero bycatch goal in its draft National Plan of Action for Seabirds. PROJECTS We go batty for pekapeka following the exciting discovery of nine roost trees within Forest & Bird’s Top of the South Te Hoiere Pelorus Bat Recovery Project. They are located within areas where our volunteer trappers have been working to reduce rats, stoats, and possums. Later in the year, we announce pekapeka have also been found in our South-East

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

Wildlink project, in South Auckland, while there are some exciting gecko discoveries in our Bushy Park Tarapuruhi Sanctuary, near Whanganui. CLIMATE Catastrophic wildfires in Australia give New Zealand a taste of the future. The lower half of the South Island is smothered by a thick layer of smoke from Australia. Fires in Napier in the same month – and Ohau in October – remind us that 2019 was the fourth-warmest year on record for New Zealand.

FEBRUARY FRESHWATER A huge public response follows Forest & Bird’s call for better whitebait management in New Zealand. Nearly 8000 individuals support our submission calling for the introduction of catch limits, fishing licences, and data collection to the whitebait fishery. “Four of the native freshwater fish caught as whitebait are threatened

with extinction. It’s time to put our fish first,” says our freshwater advocate Tom Kay. CLIMATE Our innovative child-led Waste Warriors scheme launches nationally, encouraging children to form better habits around recycling and reusing everyday items. The idea was devised by three older Kiwi Conservation Club members, aged 12 to 15 years, who want to decrease the amount of waste going to New Zealand’s landfills. Forest & Bird’s KCC advisor Rebecca Hatch helped the trio develop and trial the award scheme in Wellington last year. SUPPORTERS Award-winning writer and environmental campaigner Margaret Atwood chooses to support Forest & Bird’s fundraising efforts during her New Zealand book tour and meets some of our major donors at a private Q&A session in Christchurch. In return, we take Margaret birdwatching to Zealandia

– a predator-free urban forest sanctuary, an idea conceived by our Wellington Branch 30 years ago.

MARCH VOTE FOR NATURE Forest & Bird publishes a three-year plan for nature ahead of the general election, which at this point – pre-Covid-19 – was taking place in September. We urge our supporters to read and share Policies for the Planet, which has five key domains – climate, economy, landscape, freshwater, and oceans. HISTORY We celebrate the 50th anniversary of Forest & Bird’s record-breaking petition to save Lake Manapōuri. We campaigned for more than 10 years to save the lake and spent more than $400,000 in today’s money doing so. By 1972, we were nearly broke, but the campaign was won. It marked a turning point in our Society’s fortunes, with membership sky-rocketing. This allowed us to ramp up our work and impact. COMMUNITY Covid-19 cases start rising sharply and the world changes forever. During the level 4 lockdown, Forest & Bird’s staff work from home and our volunteers have to stop predator control, planting, and weeding. But the Society gladly joins New Zealand’s team of five million in respecting the strict rules and keeping volunteers and staff safe.

APRIL SEABED MINING WIN The Court of Appeal agrees with Forest & Bird that the Environmental Protection Authority was wrong to rubberstamp a proposal to mine the seafloor off the Taranaki Coast. Trans-Tasman Resources wants to spend the next 35 years sucking up 8000 tonnes of seafloor every hour. This would likely severely disrupt the habitat of blue whales and other marine mammals. “Forest & Bird won’t stop fighting environmentally harmful proposals until the lesson is learned – we need nature, and nature needs us to look after it,” says chief executive Kevin Hague. GREEN RECOVERY Forest & Bird launches our Recovery for People and Planet report after the government proposes spending billions in response to the Covid-19 crisis. The report describes how thousands of jobs could be created in conservation and sustainable industries. We join a coalition of environmental NGOs asking the Prime Minister for a green recovery. More than 4000 Forest & Bird supporters send letters to ministers asking them to fund “shovel-ready” projects that reduce emissions, protect native species, and reduce waste. FUNDING CRISIS The Society sees an unprecedented 30% drop in donations during the Covid-19

lockdown. An urgent appeal is launched, and nearly 2700 New Zealanders respond by gifting a record-breaking $320,000. We are surprised and humbled by the response. Our branches also dip into their reserves to help out. First off the blocks is Tauranga Branch, and over the next few months 41 of our 48 branches contribute more than $400,000.

MAY BUDGET 2020 In a major win for nature, the government announces an incredible $1.1 billion for green jobs as part of its post-Covid-19 recovery stimulus package. The fine print in the package closely reflects the suggestions Forest & Bird campaigned for in Recovery for People and Planet. We are told by government agencies the Society is considered to be vital partner in this work. SEABIRDS In another signficant step forward, this time for our albatrosses, penguins, and shearwaters, the government’s new National Plan of Action for Seabirds 2020 contains a new goal of reducing seabird deaths to zero. It’s a big win for our zero bycatch campaign, but the plan will not succeed unless the government also puts cameras on fishing boats. FRESHWATER We welcome stronger protections for rivers, lakes, and wetlands contained

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Ruggedy Range sunset, Rakiura Stewart Island. Jake Osborne Summer 2020

in the government’s National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management, but the long-awaited reform package is missing a key element – a national minimum standard for pollution. With a promised review in 12 months, we will be pushing hard to ensure this makes it into the regulations next time around.

JUNE CLIMATE Removing possums, deer, and goats from native forests could help New Zealand meet its carbon-zero goal, says Forest & Bird. Earlier in the year, we commissioned research that reveals controlling browsing mammals could absorb nearly 33% of our annual greenhouse emissions, helping manage these vast carbon sinks. We call for more government-funded studies on how New Zealand’s vast conservation forests and other natural ecoystems can contribute to a climate positive future. KCC Our annual Be with a Tree 2020 celebration launches with a timely reminder about the intangible benefits of trees to people. “Many people realised during the lockdown how vital nature is for wellbeing, how it can be an incredible source of energy, peace, or happiness in people’s lives,” says Forest & Bird’s KCC manager Sarah Satterthwaite.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

COMMUNITY Forest & Bird holds its first virtual AGM and celebrates the Society’s 2020 conservation award winners. Congratulations to Pat Heffey and Liz Carter (Old Blues), Sophie Handford (youth award), and Waitākere Branch (branch award). Later in June, Forest & Bird Youth representatives George Hobson and Michael Burton-Smith meet Environment Minister David Parker to advocate for putting nature at the heart of New Zealand’s Covid-19 recovery.

JULY SUPREME COURT WIN Thanks to you, our supporters, Forest & Bird wins a historic legal case against a coal-mining company trying to push through an opencast mine on pristine land at Te Kuha, near Westport, on the West Coast. Supreme Court Justices agree with the Society that the Reserves Act trumps the Crown Minerals Act when it comes to protecting nature, including species like great-spotted kiwi, green geckos, forest ringlet butterflies, and 17 rare plant species. FISHING Forest & Bird’s legal team appears in the High Court to try to stop overfishing of tarakihi in New Zealand waters. We believe the government’s decision to allow tarakihi stocks to remain overfished for the next 25 years is not environmentally sustainable or legal. It’s the first time we have

challenged a Minister’s decision under the Fisheries Act. The Minister of Fisheries and industry representatives oppose our legal challenge. At the time of writing, the High Court hadn’t delivered its decision. TAHR We show how these introduced browsing mammals are destroying rare alpine herbfields after the Tahr Foundation files an urgent High Court injunction to stop the Department of Conservation’s cull from taking place. In a win for conservationists, the High Court rules DOC could begin its planned cull without delay.

AUGUST VOTE FOR NATURE With supporters’ help, we ramp up our election campaign. We highlight several issues, including vanishing nature, fishing impacts, and climate in the run up to the October poll. A generous donation from Mediaworks’ Media Fund means we can create a new TV advert asking people to vote for people and planet. We also publish a summary of each party’s environment policies. At Forest & Bird’s prompting, more than 4500 of our supporters send an email to political party leaders saying they are planning to vote for nature in 2020. BIODIVERSITY We ask every political party to commit to implementing the new Te Mana o

te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy. It provides a “greenprint” for future nature protection and restoration. Forest & Bird staff were involved in its development over the past 18 months, alongside iwi, scientists, Federated Farmers, and Fisheries Inshore New Zealand. In March, our supporters send more than 6500 submissions via Forest & Bird’s website in support of the new National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity, a breakthrough policy that better protects nature on private land.

SEPTEMBER CAMERAS ON BOATS The government announces it is making funding available to put cameras on 345 commercial fishing boats. The priority will be inshore long-lining, trawling, and set-netting vessels. It’s a good start, but Forest & Bird wants to see the roll-out of cameras on all fishing boats as part of New Zealand’s Covid-19 economic recovery plan. NO NEW MINES Forest & Bird reveals the government has approved new mining permits on more than 150,000ha of publicly owned conservation land. Official Information Act documents show companies have applied to explore for lithium near Rotorua, drill for coal on the unique ecosystems of

the Denniston Plateau, and mine for gold in Coromandel Forest Park. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern blames New Zealand First for stopping her government following through on its 2017 promise to ban new mines on conservation land. She recommits to getting this done if Labour wins the election. Following her comments about stewardship land, Forest & Bird releases a report about its important ecological value.

OCTOBER VOTE FOR NATURE Forest & Bird Youth publishes comprehensive scorecards rating each party’s environmental record and use billboards to highlight their findings. Youth leaders also organise a livestreamed panel discussion with environmental policy experts and party political spokespeople, including David Parker for Labour and Eugenie Sage for the Greens. BIODIVERSITY Following a Forest & Bird investigation, we reveal hundreds of areas of native habitat are being deliberately and unlawfully harmed around the country. Our See No Evil: Biodiversity Loss on Private Land report documents this damage and asks why local and regional councils aren’t doing more to protect native species and their habitats on private land.

NOVEMBER BIRD OF THE YEAR Te Manu Rongonui o te Tau 2020 lifts off this month as we head into arguably the most important election of 2020 [citation needed!]. Everyone has five votes to cast for their favourite bird. Let the mayhem and memes begin. VOTE FOR NATURE The new government is sworn in, and we welcome the new Minister for Conservation Kiri Allan. Other key appointments include David Parker reconfirmed as Environment Minister, and James Shaw returning as Climate Change Minister. We publish Forest & Bird’s Briefing for Incoming Ministers, setting out a detailed policy programme that puts nature at the heart of all government decisions.

DECEMBER RAISING FUNDS During 2020, our fundraising team works with thousands of donors, volunteers, sponsors, and supporters who are instrumental in helping achieve some landmark wins for nature. Being an independent not-for-profit charity, Forest & Bird is completely dependent on fundraising, donations, grants, sponsorship, and bequests to meet its annual running costs. Thank you and aroha to each and all of you who helped make 2020 a year to remember for so many reasons.

Sunrise over the Ruggedy Range, Rakiura Stewart Island. Jake Osborne Summer 2020

K I W I C O N S E R VA T I O N C L U B

KIRIHIMETE By Noah Hewlett-Coffey, aged 10.

hristmas was looming in the New Zealand bush There was such a commotion, the tūī squawked “Shush!”

But the chicks had no inclination to sleep, “What will Santabird bring us?” they asked with a “cheep”. The Kiwi was feeling especially merry, as he dreamed of a native worm garnished with berry. He greeted his kin with a festive “Kia ora!” All nests were dressed up with Christmas time flora. Then … near the bright Southern Cross – but left by a third, a sparkle appeared … could it be Santabird? The light became larger and slowly took form. All of the little birds started to swarm! The pīwakawaka and kōkako too… not to mention the hihi and kererū. But they soon realised with horror and dismay, that a fat furry possum sat in the sleigh! He had a bad face and a really big belly and the birds, well they found him extremely smelly! And the sleigh? It seemed more like a part of a tractor! Their rickety ride sure lacked the x-factor! Loaded sky high with eggs, it looked kind of like Easter, divinely delish … for a rodent type feaster. Drawn by a messy and motley crew, they were frighteningly fierce … and quite ugly too! Out front was a stoat and a sly feral cat, followed up by a weasel and a fairly large rat. They bickered and bantered and gnashed their sharp teeth at the quivering creatures who cowered beneath SMASH! Through a layer of canopy trees… and the fidgety possum (who may have had fleas), Cried “What have we here boys!” – He shrieked with delight… “A surprise festive feast on this fine Christmas night!”

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

KERFUFFLE But … out stepped a young bellbird and despite the crew’s laughter, sang “Those aren’t the sort of presents we’re after!” “You don’t belong here in Aotearoa! Go back to Britain, or Oz … or Samoa!” “Do you think you can make us depart just like that? With such a fine menu? – I think NOT!” hissed the rat. As the Crew lunged though, a new sleigh swept in. It was the REAL Santabird and was he out to win! A great spotted kiwi – his beak glittered like gold. NOW these rodenty rascals did not feel so bold. Six of the best keas round pulled HIS sleigh. They laughed into the night and shouted ‘HOORAY!’ “We cannot let these imposters go free!’ They squawked – and their eyes – they twinkled with glee. Then they bundled them up so tidy and neat, that all you could see was some mustelid feet! “Now fly away all, we’ll drop them on Mars!” cried Santabird – as they launched for the stars So that was the end of THAT pestilent bunch and the birds? They sat down to their Christmas lunch. Meri Kirihimete and a happy new year too, and remember to set those traps for you know who!

Noah Hewlett-Coffey lives on a farm south of Whāngarei in Northland. “We have godwits, spoonbills, and other wading birds beside our farm on the harbour, and we love watching them,” he says. Noah’s family belong to a local pest-control group, and he and his brother help catch possums, rats, and sometimes stoats. Two years ago, with a little help from his mum Sarah, Noah wrote this poem for his school’s Christmas drama performance. We have gifted Noah a Kiwi Conservation Club membership for raising awareness about the need to protect our local birdlife from predators. Noah also drew the illustrations accompanying his poem.

Summer 2020

GOING PLACES

Forest & Bird’s Tai Haruru Lodge is a stone’s throw from Piha beach.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

Take a relaxing nature break this summer by visiting one of Forest & Bird’s wildlife lodges.

rom a rare dune lake wetland in Northland to the soaring beech forests of the Catlins, Forest & Bird’s lodges are special places where you can take time out and enjoy Aoteaora’s natural heritage. Plus you can feel good knowing you are also supporting Forest & Bird’s on-the-ground conservation projects. Here are six Forest & Bird lodges and cottages that members can book at very reasonable prices. We can keep the prices affordable thanks to the hard work of thousands of branch volunteers over many years. But you need to get in quick, as most of them are in hot demand during the peak summer season.

Arethusa Lodge

Over the years, many generous New Zealanders have gifted property to Forest & Bird to look after for future generations. Usually, it falls to the local branch to maintain the properties and restore nature on the surrounding land. In the Far North, near Pukenui, Forest & Bird’s Northern Branch takes care of Arethusa Lodge and the nearby wetland reserve. Arethusa was bequested 48

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

Tai Haruru Lodge

Arethusa Lodge

to the Society in 1985 by Mrs Dagny Oxford, and volunteers have been restoring this rare dune lake ecosystem ever since, including planting many kauri, kahikatea, and pōhutukawa. Arethusa Lodge is a prime spot for watching birdlife amid the peaceful surroundings of the 14ha wetland reserve. Pārera grey duck and a regionally significant population of pūweto spotless crake can be spotted here. The lodge has six bunks, a fully equipped kitchen, and a separate bathroom outside. From $30 a night for members ($15 children).

Tai Haruru or “roar of the waves” is a fitting name for Forest & Bird’s lodge next to the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park because it’s just a stone’s throw from Piha beach. The lodge and large sheltered native garden were generously gifted to Forest & Bird by Mr and Mrs HS Davenport in 1981. Since then, it has been looked after by a small group of Waitākere Branch volunteers. Its gardens have been restored to a sheltered haven filled with eco-sourced native plant species from the local area. Visitors enjoy walking in Waitakere Ranges and exploring the beach, with its world-famous surf. As Piha used to be a hotspot for kororā, the branch has installed couple of nest boxes at the property, so you may have

Te Haruru Lodge

little blue neighbours when you visit! The main house sleeps five people from $80 a night for the whole house. There’s also a selfcontained flat for just $50 a night (for up to four people). Matiu Somes Island

Ruapehu Lodge

Forest & Bird’s flagship lodge is a hidden holiday gem located at Mount Ruapehu’s Whakapapa Village, close to the Chateau Hotel. It’s a warm and comfortable base for nature walks, birding, botanising, or just relaxing all year round. If your family loves tramping, skiing, or mountain biking, the 32-bed lodge makes an affordable base with easy access to the Whakapapa ski field for large or small groups. A short stroll from the lodge takes you to a mountain stream where you can see whio and alpine plants. The lodge is surrounded by native beech forest with lots of native birdlife, including kiwi. The Society’s original 1960s lodge – largely built by volunteer labour – was destroyed by a fire in 2008. It was rebuilt and reopened in 2010 thanks to generous donations by members, as the insurance didn’t cover the full cost. From $50 per person ($25 child) to $600 per night for the whole lodge.

Matiu Somes Island House

This island, in the heart of Wellington’s Harbour, was once farmland, but Forest & Bird’s Lower Hutt Branch members have been restoring Matiu Somes since 1982, planting native species such as ngaio, harakeke, tōtara, rātā, and

kahitatea. Nearly 30 years later, the island is home to rare native birds, including kakariki and kororā, and other native species, including tuatara, giant wētā, and geckos. A 20-minute ferry ride from central Wellington will take you to the island, which has a fascinating history. It housed enemy aliens during both world wars and has also been an animal quarantine station. Forest & Bird owns a large family home on the island, complete with kitchen, three bedrooms, lounge, and dining room. Bring your own food, bedding, and a torch for nighttime wildlife viewing. You might be lucky enough to see little blue penguins clambering up the steep hillside to their island burrows. $200 for the whole house (sleeps eight).

Close your eyes and imagine New Zealand’s natural world as you want to see it. With a gift to Forest & Bird in your will, we can help make your wishes come true.

Mangarākau Swamp Lodge

Mangarākau Swamp is a national treasure, a unique and special place. Covering 350ha, it is the largest remaining wetland in the Nelson/Marlborough region – almost as big as all the other freshwater swamps in Nelson put together. Botanisers, birders, and trampers will find plenty of activities to do at Mangarākau Swamp, which is home to a variety of birdlife, including fernbirds and bitterns. The 17-bed lodge looks out over the wetland, which is located between Kahurangi National Park and Te Tai Tapu marine reserve in north-west Nelson. Forest & Bird helped purchase the →

If you’d like to talk about leaving a gift in your will to Forest & Bird, contact Jo Prestwood on 04 801 2212 or email j.prestwood@ forestandbird.org.nz. We promise anything you discuss with us will be held in the strictest confidence.

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wetland reserve, and many of its volunteers are members. The lodge is fully equipped with a kitchen and two bathrooms. It is owned by the Native Forest Restoration Trust and managed by Friends of Mangārakau. Bring bedding, towels, and food supplies – the nearest shop is more than an hour away! This is a members-only lodge that is also available to Forest & Bird supporters. $20 per person (over 12 years).

Tautuku Forest Cabins

These funky cabins are located in Forest & Bird’s Lenz Reserve, a 550ha wildlife refuge near Papatowai, in the Catlins. They make a great base for exploring the area’s incredible wildlife, beaches, podocarp and beech forests, and rivers. Nature abounds, including New Zealand sea lions, Hector’s dolphins, and hoiho yellow-eyed

Tautuku cabin

penguins. Three years ago, Forest & Bird launched the ambitious landscape-scale Tautuku Ecological Restoration Project. The vast project area covers 6600ha of land from “hilltops to the sea”, with the priority being to get rid of introduced predators, including rats, possums, deer, and pigs. The long-term aim is to return locally extinct bird species, including

whio and kākā. Situated at the heart of the project area is the Lenz Reserve, which is managed jointly by the Dunedin, South Otago, and Southland Branches. The reserve was purchased in 1964 with funds gifted from the estate of Ivy Lenz. The rare Tautuku gecko, long-tailed bats, and a nationally significant population of Gollum galaxias fish have been recently discovered in the project area. From $28 per night. VOLUNTEER WARDENS NEEDED: The Lenz Reserve Management Committee invites members to stay at the Tautuku Forest Cabins as volunteer wardens for up to two months at a time. Text 0273764120 for information about this incredible opportunity.

FOREST & BIRD’S WILDLIFE LODGES Arethusa Lodge Near Pukenui, Northland Sleeps 6 herbit@xtra.co.nz 03 219 1337

Ruapehu Lodge Whakapapa Village, Tongariro National Park Sleeps 32 office@forestandbird.org.nz 04 385 7374

Mangarākau Swamp Lodge North-west Nelson Sleeps 10 mangarakauswamp@gmail.com 03 524 8266 http://www.mangarakauswamp.com

Forest & Bird members can book all of these lodges at reasonable rates. Join today and feel good knowing you are making a difference for New Zealand’s nature. See www.forestandbird.org.nz/joinus.

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

Tai Haruru Lodge Piha, West Auckland Sleeps 5+4 hop0018@slingshot.co.nz 09 812 8064

Matiu Somes Island House Wellington Harbour Sleeps 8 bookings@doc.govt.nz 04 384 7770

Tautuku Forest Cabins Owaka, Otago Sleeps 16 diana-keith@yrless.co.nz 03 415 8024

MARINE

BEACH NOT HIGHWAY Sea Society founder Sian Mair is campaigning to stop vehicles harassing whakahao on Catlins beaches.

Car tracks on Surat Bay.

tories of majestic New Zealand sea lions inspired my evening trek to a Catlins beach earlier this year. Golden rays from a sinking sun briefly warmed my face and silhouetted three mounds on the beach before me. Approaching cautiously, I discovered that mound one was a single large male whakahao sleeping alone and the second two mature bulls and a pup, flippers overlapped in a group hug as they rested. A third mound turned out to be a large mature bull sea lion on the move. I watched enchanted as he walked on rotated rear flippers towards the surf. Seemingly untroubled by my presence, the 350kg whakahao paused to pull a “downface dog” yoga pose. Before diving into the Pacific Ocean, he stopped and gazed at me. It was love at first sight – at least for me. Sadly, I had no sooner been introduced before experiencing first-hand one of the risks this rare and endangered marine mammal faces on our southern beaches. During a subsequent visit on 30 May, I witnessed an extremely distressed bull sea lion at Cannibal Bay trapped amid swirling motorbikes and vehicles on the beach. Catlins beaches are increasingly popular haulout spots for sea lions, but there are no local bylaws banning vehicle access. The council told me that New Zealand beaches are classified as roads unless there is a bylaw to the contrary. This prompted me to create a petition on Change.org proposing vehicle restrictions on two Catlins beaches – Cannibal Bay and Surat Bay – to protect New Zealand sea lions and their habitat. I am hoping the petition will persuade Clutha District Council and the Department of Conservation to

Sian Mair

implement a bylaw similar to Dunedin’s Reserves and Beaches Bylaw 2017. This will protect whakahao, thought to be the rarest sea lion species in the world, and help stabilise their mainland population. New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and are ranked “nationally vulnerable” by the Department of Conservation. They were once widespread in New Zealand before being wiped out by over-hunting. Today, the remnant population is mainly found on remote offshore islands, with a few returning within the past decades to the mainland. On land, they are vulnerable to being harassed by people, dogs, and fast-moving vehicles. In the ocean, they are caught and killed as bycatch in the squid fishing industry, while climate change also impacts on their food sources. Please sign the petition at https://www.change.org/ ProtectNewZealandSeaLion. Sian Mair is an environment management student at the Southern Institute of Technology. You can contact her at seasocietynz@gmail.com.

Sea lion heads out to the ocean on Cannibal Bay.

Sian Mair

Summer 2020

C L I M AT E

Five reasons why keeping chickens is good for the planet (and how to do it). Chris Lesley.

➊ CHICKENS KILL WEEDS Chemical weed killers are a go-to product for many farms, but they contaminate nearby lakes, rivers, or ponds by entering the run-off. This affects water quality and can kill the organisms living in it. Some weed killers are safer for the water supply, but even these have weighty costs. For instance, RoundUp has been used for years to kill weeds because it is effective and also breaks down quickly so that it won’t enter run-off. However, it’s been associated with human health problems, and sometimes weeds can become resistant to it altogether, which leaves farmers back at square one. Chickens are a cheaper, much safer solution. As chickens scratch around and explore, they will eat weed seeds or disperse them – it’s as simple as that! Plus, many weeds that grow in gardens make nutritious snacks for the chickens. This saves money on chicken feed, and you don’t need to buy expensive environmentally unfriendly weedkillers.

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➋ CHOOKS EAT FOOD WASTE

Chooks love to eat food waste, which means less goes to landfills. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, 40% of all food produced is never eaten, and 95% of that uneaten food goes straight to the landfill. That is a lot of food. Chickens shouldn’t be fed too many table scraps as it could potentially lead to health complications, but replacing a quarter of their normal diet with food waste is manageable. The average chicken eats 4kg food every month, which means about 1kg can be food waste. This translates to about 12kg of food waste per year, per bird! This may not seem like a lot compared to the thousands of tonnes of waste in landfills, but every little makes a huge difference. Feeding your chickens food waste will automatically translate to lower feed costs. If each chicken is eating 25% less bought feed than usual, the supply will last a lot longer.

➌ THEIR WASTE CAN BE USED AS FERTILISER

Everybody poops, and some poop is better for farming than others. Chicken poop is highly rated because it is filled with potassium, phosphorus, and lots of nitrogen. This makes the manure extremely nutritious for both the soil and the plants. It’s important to remember chicken manure needs time to compost before it can be spread on fields. Chicken faeces contain high levels of nitrogen, which means they also contain ammonia that will burn plants if used right away. But once they’re composted, they’re nutritious – and best of all they’re free, unlike shop-bought fertilisers. After eating your

chicken’s eggs, the shells can also be used as fertiliser. Eggshells are high in calcium, and the soil will reap rewards from this additional nutrient.

➍ POULTRY HAS A

SMALLER CARBON FOOTPRINT THAN BEEF Producing meat is not as sustainable as growing plants, but poultry leaves a much smaller footprint than beef. First of all, chickens’ bodies are able to convert feed into protein faster than cow’s bodies can. This means that it takes less power, food, and land to raise chickens than large livestock like cows. Second, red meat isn’t as healthy for humans as poultry. While the difference is small, a Cornell study showed red meat leads to an increased risk for heart disease and premature death. Lastly, unlike cows, chickens do not produce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Some experts say cutting out red meat will do more for the planet than any other action, including less car driving. While this effect is not yet proven, the lack of methane in chicken waste still puts it a step ahead of cow waste when it comes to saving the earth.

➎ BETTER THAN

FACTORY FARMING Raising chickens in your backyard is more environmentally sustainable than large-scale chicken farms. While many factory operations are well operated and environmentally conscious, it’s easier to manage the environmental impact of a small backyard operation than a larger one. First, there’s no shipping. Consider how far an

egg has to travel before it reaches the kitchen fridge. The egg must be shipped from the farm to the supermarket and then transported to your home. Each step of the way, vehicles are emitting carbon into the air to transport the egg, then packaging costs must be factored in. Producing eggs at home means less packaging. Then there’s the manure produced by your chickens. When there’s less of it, it’s easier to use or move the waste in an eco-friendly manner. The nitrogen in chicken waste has a tendency to seep into the water table when it is concentrated. In a backyard operation, the amount of waste produced won’t be enough to generate heavily concentrated nitrogen in the soil. Lastly, homegrown eggs are more nutritious than store-bought eggs. They are high in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and vitamin E. This is especially useful for those living in cold climates who tend to be low on Vitamin D. By getting these nutrients from backyard eggs, there’s no need to buy extra vitamins from the store, keeping more money in your pocket. In summary, backyard chickens are great weed killers, great poopers, and great producers – so getting started with a home flock is guaranteed to be a great investment. Why not help stop the “sky falling in” by raising your own henny pennies!

Chris Lesley has been raising chickens for more than 20 years and is editorin-chief of Chickens and More magazine. See her website for more tips and tricks – www.chickensandmore.com. Summer 2020

IN THE FIELD

A burgeoning global population allows viruses like Covid-19 to jump from wildlife to humans with devastating consequences. Ann Graeme.

oo small to see, too numerous to even imagine, viruses are everywhere, in the air, in the sea, in the soil, and in ourselves and all other living things. They are by far the most abundant biological entities on our planet. They have been described as organisms on the edge of life because, although they have some of the characteristics needed for living, they lack the cell structure to reproduce. They can only multiply by hijacking a host cell and taking over its machinery, directing it to make virus replicas with which to infect new host cells. Viruses have been around for a very long time. That they infect all domains of life suggests they are as old as life itself – that they and their living hosts have evolved together. Most known viruses are innocuous and don’t cause disease. They simply take up residence in cells and remain dormant for long periods. Every virus has one or more specific hosts, but sometimes proximity to another life form may allow the virus to find another host. From the point of view of the cowpox virus, Sarah Nelmes shouldn’t have been milking her cow (see box). The cowpox virus had evolved with cattle when they were wild animals. Wild cattle were wild. They stayed well away from people, but then they were domesticated and

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humans started to interact with them. As the milkmaid kneaded the cow’s udder with her hands, the cowpox virus would have had a vital opportunity – it could jump to a new host. And jump it did, from a scabby udder to the hands and arms of a milkmaid. Such chances for viruses to jump back and forth between species happened more and more often as animals were domesticated. Many common diseases date back to those times. Nowadays, the potential for virus-hopping is even greater. Our vast cities and intensive agriculture increase contact, chicken to chicken, chicken to person, and person to person. As new communities thrust into wilderness and hunters catch wild animals for food, people come close to wildlife. Markets where live animals are bought and sold are a meeting place for people, domestic livestock, and wild animals. They are also prime dating sites for viruses to meet new hosts. It likely happened last year, at the Wuhan live animal market, that the bat virus called Covid-19 came in contact with a person handling its host, possibly a bat. The bat died, but Covid-19 found a new human home. To humans, Covid-19 is a “new” virus. Our antibodies don’t recognise it and don’t

DR JENNER, A MILKMAID, AND A BOY CALLED JAMES

immediately respond to the threat it poses. The virus commandeers the host’s cells, ordering millions of virus replicas. People who are weak or elderly may be overwhelmed by the invasion and may die. One of the things that sets Covid-19 apart from other new virus diseases is its contagious nature and the speed with which it has been dispersed. In cars, buses, trains, and planes, it has circled the world in only a few months, leaving no country untouched. In a world governed by natural selection, left alone, this new virus would winnow the human population, killing the sick and the old and eventually establishing a cruel but effective balance. But we are no longer entirely governed by natural selection. We can defend ourselves – up to a point. This century alone, and little noticed in the western world, outbreaks of SARS, MERS, Ebola, and influenza have been contained and sometimes eliminated by isolation and vaccination. Soon we may have a Covid-19 vaccine to protect us, but, in the future, new viruses and more pandemics seem inevitable. The elephant in our living room is the burgeoning human population, especially as it intrudes into remnant wildlife habitats. In the long term, we need to shrink our numbers. As well as sustaining the living world on which we all depend, fewer people would reduce the problem of proximity.

Dr Edward Jenner was an English physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines, including creating the smallpox vaccine, the world’s first vaccine.

n 1796, Dr Edward Jenner visited a young milkmaid named Sarah Nelmes, who had a fresh cowpox infection. He had previously noticed that milkmaids seemed immune from smallpox and that their hands were always scabby with cowpox pustules. This led him to try a little experiment. Jenner collected fluid from Sarah’s cowpox pustules and injected it into the arm of James Phipps, the nine-year-old son of his gardener. A few weeks later, Jenner injected poor James again, this time with pus from a patient infected with the deadly smallpox disease. But James didn’t develop smallpox. He remained healthy. He was now immune to smallpox. Jenner had first vaccinated James with cowpox, smallpox’s milder relation. James’ body had developed antibodies to fight the cowpox, and these antibodies had subsequently turned on the smallpox invaders and destroyed them. Jenner’s intentions were honourable, even if his methods appal us today. He went on to describe his discovery and write that “The annihilation of the smallpox, the most dreadful scourge of the human species, must be the final result of this practice.” And so it was. In 1980, smallpox, which used to kill three out of 10 of its victims, was officially declared eradicated from the world. Fast forward to today. We now know that smallpox and cowpox are viruses, members of a world unknown to Edward Jenner back in the 1700s. We now know that viruses have another trick. Besides jumping to another host, they can also change themselves into a different form. Each virus particle is a tiny parcel of genetic material, either the double-stranded DNA or the single-stranded RNA. A virus forces its host cell to make copies of its invader, and usually these copies are identical to the parent virus. But sometimes a mutation occurs, and a slightly changed virus is created. If the change critically alters the surface structures of the virus important for attacking a new cell, then the host’s immune system is caught out. It doesn’t recognise the invader and isn’t ready to fight back. This is what happens with the many strains of flu virus. They mutate from year to year, which is why we need to have a different flu vaccine each winter. Summer 2020

WILDLIFE RESCUE

A TALE OF TWO ZOOS

Tuatara, takahē, kākā, and seabirds are among the native species treated at Wellington Zoo. Brendan Doran

In the third of our series about animal rescue, Alex Stone visits two incredible wildlife hospitals based at Wellington and Auckland Zoos.

eterinary staff at zoos primarily look after the captive animals, but in the last few decades their hospital service has extended to native wildlife treatment as well. And it’s important work. Visiting The Nest Te Kōhanga at Wellington Zoo gave us a bird’s-eye understanding of what a modern, purpose-built, and well-resourced wildlife hospital looks like. Since opening 10 years ago, it has treated more than 4500 wildlife patients. Senior vet Baukje Lenting says about 60% of their work, timewise, is wildlife related. Perhaps because of their coddled conditions, the zoo animals themselves are relatively healthy. Wellington Zoo has a close relationship with the nearby Zealandia Sanctuary and does all its hospital work, including treating tuatara and takahē. Vets working at the The Nest Te Kōhanga find themselves part of a hugely popular interpretive experience. Wall-size windows allow viewing into the surgery, X-ray, and feeding rooms, with tiered seats available for popular events (usually surgery on bigger mammals). There are even two-way talk buttons for visitors to ask questions and receive answers from the vet staff working within. I found it ironic that, while for humans, surgery is a private affair, for zoo animals or endangered birds there is no such delicacy afforded. But the staff say the interest and empathy generated helps immeasurably in furthering the cause of the animals in question. Can’t argue with that. Southerly gales usually bring in injured seabirds – gannets, shags, albatrosses, giant petrels. The zoo has a special relationship with the Wellington Maritime Police Unit, which regularly takes its launch out to

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release recovered birds in the waters of the Cook Strait. Wellington Zoo received worldwide publicity in 2011 with its prolonged treatment of a lost emperor penguin who became known as Happy Feet. The bird was found on Pekapeka Beach in a bad way, with injuries to the tail and a stomach full of sand. The team found that the bird’s recovery rate was related to body temperature, so cooling it was important. That meant daily deliveries of ice for this Antarctic resident. Once recovered, Happy Feet was taken back to sub-Antarctic waters and released. Te Kohanga has much experience with Wellington’s burgeoning kākā population. It has treated urban birds for high lead levels in their blood – probably a result of drinking roof water. During our visit, we learned that, in wildlife medicine, vets are often probing new frontiers of knowledge. Baukje says: “We see a lot of tūī with neurological signs, including seizures and clenching of the feet. “Originally, a theory was that rhododendron toxicity may be a cause, but we’ve since found that the vast majority of these tūī cases are caused by lead toxicity. It is unusual to find this disease in a nectar eater.”

Happy Feet, the emperor penguin, in his travel crate waiting to be released back into the wild after being successfully treated at Te Kohanga at Wellington Zoo.

Senior vet at Auckland Zoo James Chatterton starts by explaining the central challenge for wildlife vets around the world. “In the wild, animals are conditioned to disguise injury. The limping antelope will be the one singled out by the lions. So when an animal looks sick to humans, it’s already 80% dead. By the time it gets to the zoo vets, it’s 90%.” This starkly underlines the psychological resilience required by the dedicated individuals who make up the staff and volunteers at wildlife hospitals. For example, they were treating an undemonstrative loggerhead turtle with a deep infected wound in one flipper when we visited. It had been found at Muriwai Beach, west of Auckland, some way south of its natural habitat. Staff continued with their best efforts to treat it, despite having no real sense of when or if the turtle will recover sufficiently to be released back into the wild. James was keen to talk about heroic efforts by the zoo’s staff and volunteers to combat last year’s deadly aspergillosis epidemic among kākāpō. Auckland Zoo’s wildlife hospital, formally known as the New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine, was the lead facility in dealing with this unprecedented problem. Forty-five birds were assessed for aspergillosis, half were found to not have the disease, and five had other problems. In the end, nine of the 21 birds confirmed to have aspergillosis died. Sick kākāpo were treated at Auckland Zoo’s wildlife hospital during the 2019 aspergillosis disease crisis. Jake Osborne

It was a worryingly high percentage in a small population. All the deaths were birds from Whenua Hou Codfish Island, which lies off the west coast of Rakiura Stewart Island, suggesting some environmental factor in the disease outbreak. The cause of the epidemic is still a matter of conjecture, with four labs throughout the country working on it.

Richard Jacob-Hoff and James Chatterton check the X-ray of a kākāpō at Auckland Zoo. Lesley Stone

Spores of the aspergillos fungus are present everywhere, but only adversely affect birds when they are under stress or in particularly humid conditions. The high breeding rate of the season, where some kākāpō parents had two clutches of eggs in the one season, and the air conditions within their covered nest sites may have been the cause. Since the outbreak, there have been concerted efforts to spread the kākāpō population beyond a single site, as a serious epidemic or natural disaster in one location could wipe out the species. Kākāpō are now living on Codfish, Anchor (in Fiordland), Maud (in the Marlborough Sounds), and Little Barrier Islands. James said treating endangered birds like the kākāpō has been a career highlight. “Kākāpō patients are amazingly tolerant and quick to adapt. They are so calm,” he said. Personnel demands at the hospital were unprecedented during the asper outbreak. Staff were working extra-long hours, providing intensive 24/7 care for the sick birds and with more patients than they had ever had in one go. They called for experienced volunteers and vet nurses to come and help. And they did. Some even responded from overseas. “It was a remarkable and coordinated response. The asper outbreak restored my faith in the power of collaborative effort,” James added. It was the same in all the wildlife hospitals we visited around New Zealand. Staff and volunteers are extraordinarily connected to one another in their collective efforts to save their wildlife patients. Wildlife rescue is definitely a profession where all participants have to row together in the same conservation waka. Summer 2020

BOOKS

Summer READS Tamatea Dusky by Peta Carey is a remarkable story of conservation and history in Fiordland, the site of one of our most ground-breaking pest control efforts (RRP $69.99).

An Exquisite Legacy by George Gibbs is a fascinating biography about our greatest naturalist, George Hudson (1867–1946), by his grandson, a prominent entomologist (RRP $59.99).

Wonderland by Peter Alsop is a stunning tribute to Whites Aviation’s landscape photography of Aotearoa New Zealand, a reprise of his bestselling book (RRP $49.99).

Tableland by Ray Salisbury showcases the diverse land usage of the Arthur Range and the history of the characters who have lived, worked, and played there (RRP $59.99).

Nicolas Dillon: Drawn to the Wild captures the essence and working practice of one our most highly acclaimed wildlife painters (RRP $59.99).

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20%

READER DISCOUNT Go to: www.pottonandburton.co.nz Use the code FOREST20

PARTNER OFFER These five titles are published by our friends at Potton & Burton. Forest & Bird members receive a 20% discount on the RRP prices. See www.pottonandburton. co.nz and use the promo code: FOREST20. Offer closes 28 February 2021.

Creative Conservation by Chrissy Wickes and Sonia Frimmel showcases a group of 35 established and aspiring artists and their work, looking at what inspires them and how their awareness of the importance of conservation motivates their work (New Holland, RRP $45).

Thomas Potts of Canterbury: Colonist and conservationist by Paul Star tells the story of a fascinating character. In 1858, Thomas Potts protested against the destruction of tōtara on the Port Hills near Christchurch. A decade later, as an MP, he made forest conservation a national issue (Otago University Press, RRP $39.95).

Railway Studios by Peter Alsop, Neill Atkinson, Katherine Milburn, and Richard Wolfe. For many decades, the Railways Department’s design studios developed some of New Zealand’s most iconic graphic adverts, including some for Forest & Bird. These illustrations appeared on railway stations and billboards (Te Papa Press, RRP $70).

For the kids

Tree Beings by Raymond Huber and Sandra Severgnini takes a fresh look at trees. Young readers will get to know trees through the inspiring true stories of people who love them, including scientists, protestors, and planters (Exisle Publishing, RRP $34.99).

The Nature Activity Book by Rachel Haydon is action-packed and designed to stimulate curious minds. Beautifully illustrated by Pippa Keel, there’s room for children to record their observations in writing, drawings, and photos (Te Papa Press, RRP $35).

Golden Eyes – the Yellow-eyed Penguin/Hoiho by Kelly Lynch tells the story of the world’s rarest penguin and winner of last year’s Bird of the Year competition (Bateman Books, RRP $19.99).

INTRINSIC NATURE

50 years ago

Events associated with Manapōuri and Te Anau, Huka Falls and Aratiatia, Coppermine, Waipoua, and Tongariro have all recently drawn bitter protests from citizens and organisations...It’s taken nearly one and a half centuries for New Zealanders to realise that, as important and desirable as development might be, we are trustees to the peoples of the world for the preservation of what remains of New Zealand’s outstanding natural environment. We are learning that development and progress can involve far too great a cost in things of greater intrinsic value than money. Forest & Bird magazine, November 1970

Summer 2020

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

BATTLE FOR

THE BELT

Part of Dunedin’s town belt today. David Wall

The history of Dunedin’s Town Belt gives a fascinating insight into the origins of Aotearoa’s modern-day conservation movement. James Beattie.

een from the air, it appears as a green swathe girdling the central and northern parts of the city, a fragment of the once great ngahere that once stood around Ōtepoti Dunedin. Dunedin’s Town Belt is one of the oldest in the world. Purchased from Kāi Tahu in 1844, its origins date back to the earliest years of the Otago Settlement. Town Belts were conceived as a reaction to the grim industrial cities of 19th century Britain, and Edward Gibbon Wakefield, mastermind behind the New Zealand Company, introduced the idea into this country. They were incorporated into the design and layout of Dunedin, Wellington, and other new cities and towns in New Zealand. Reserving land for town belts reflected growing concerns about the need to provide for residents’ health and recreation in urban areas, as well as prevailing medical ideas that parks and trees removed poisonous air from cities. Today, Dunedin’s 202ha of reserved public land, while highly modified, is a haven for many birds and invertebrates, including kererū, tūī, bellbird, tomtit, rifleman, ruru, shining cuckoo, and kōtare. Dominant vegetation types include broadleaf, exotic deciduous, and coniferous forest, grassland, kānuka forest, and even swamp forest. Though highly browsed, it has several rare and endangered plants. However, Dunedin Town Belt’s serenity and reputation as a refuge from the bustle of the city belies its troubled settler history.

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More than 170 years ago, it became arguably the first site of major environmental conflict in an urban area in colonial Aotearoa New Zealand. In 1849, Otago’s early leader Captain William Cargill, a grizzled, god-fearing veteran of the Crimean Campaign, charged two men with illegal timber getting in the Belt. This marked the beginning of decades-long conflict over control and access to timber in Dunedin and, more generally, within the province of Otago. The clearest earliest statement of Dunedin Town Belt’s vision and purpose dates from 1854. A Board of Commissioners managed Dunedin’s reserves, including “a Park, and other places for health and recreation in and about the Town of Dunedin”. The commissioners were allowed to lease portions of the Belt to private citizens but with provisions “for preserving the trees and shrubs ... as a public park or place of recreation”. But many early settlers had other ideas – they wanted access to the native trees to build houses and for firewood. In 1858, the continual removal of timber from the Town Belt near his house (see image right) elicited a frustrated letter from Otago Provincial Council Clerk John Logan. Logan complained that squatters “have already done irreparable damage by cutting down a considerable portion of the bush on the Belt which served to beautify the place”. In response, officials issued a series of public notices prohibiting squatting and deforestation.

However, any such regulations were swept aside with the influx of miners to Otago’s Gold Rush. In five short months from mid-1861, Otago’s population swelled from 13,000 to more than 30,000. Squatting and timber-getting became commonplace on the Belt. The Otago Daily Times editorial of 1862 implored authorities to protect the Town Belt, complaining its beauty “is being slowly but surely destroyed by the indiscriminate felling of the timber that forms its chief ornament”. In 1865, as criticism mounted over perceived mismanagement, control of the Belt passed to the newly formed Dunedin Municipal Corporation. A year later, in December, an angry crowd of 300– 400 citizens gathered to protest against the Council leasing portions of the Belt for grazing, leases largely given to council members or their friends. The Otago Daily Times added its voice of support, saying the Town Belt should be “unenclosed, unbuilt upon – places free from the contamination of the everyday, busting, active life of man ... they should be places to which the hard-handed, week-worn workers could resort and breathe a purer and more life sustaining air than is inhaled during their daily toil”. A petition was raised. Within 24 hours, it had gathered 700 signatures and was duly presented to Otago’s Superintendent. Eventually, pressure from the Otago Provincial Government and local citizens saw the Council discontinue most leases in 1872. The Town Belt had been saved, although deforestation continued over the next three decades. In 1901, scientist GM Thomson surveyed vegetation changes over the previous 30 years. He noted that, while it was a very different Town Belt from half a century ago, it still contained significant indigenous flora, “perhaps more than in any other centre”.

Bridge over a gully in Royal Terrace, circa 1860s–70s. Photographer and date unknown. Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, CS/12169

George Malcolm Thomson went on to become one of the leading lights of the New Zealand Forest & Bird Protection Society (1914–1919). Some of its members carried on protecting nature by helping to found the New Zealand Native Bird Protection Society in 1923, later to become modern-day Forest & Bird. The Dunedin Amenities Society was established in 1888 to look after the Town Belt and other Dunedin civic amenities. One of its founders was the Dunedin lawyer and conservationist Alexander Bathgate. Today, the Dunedin Amenities Society is still going strong and is the oldest and longest-running environmental organisation in New Zealand. Forest & Bird, meanwhile, went on to become New Zealand’s largest independent national environmental organisation, winning many battles for nature over the past century. As this article shows, however ambiguous the legacy of colonial environmental transformation, there were still those who attempted to conserve aspects of native nature for reasons of beauty, health, and enjoyment. Crucially, it was because of an awareness of these profound changes in places like Dunedin’s Town Belt that Forest & Bird emerged as a voice for conservation and the future. Associate Professor James Beattie is an award-winning environmental historian who edits International Review of Environmental History. This article draws from a longer publication about early settler conservation in 1840s and 1850s Otago.

The edge of Dunedin’s Town Belt circa late 1850s/early 1860s. Fern Tree Cottage, Royal Terrace. Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, CS/13752

MASTERS HISTORY SCHOLARSHIP Forest & Bird has teamed up with the Centre for Science in Society at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington to offer a $4,000 research-only Masters scholarship in 2021. For more information, contact James Beattie at james.beattie@vuw. ac.nz or Caroline Wood at c.wood@ forestandbird.org.nz. Applications close 31 December 2020. Summer 2020

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TOUR THE SOUTH ISLAND Driven and guided by experienced nature guide Terry Thomsen. Your multi-day itinerary is tailored to your group’s interests and time frame, and includes nature attractions and many of the South Island’s best short walks.

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Advertise to Forest & Bird readers here and reach 80,000 people who are passionate about nature and the outdoors. Please contact Karen Condon PHONE 0275 420 338 EMAIL karenc@mpm.nz

For more details, www.theinsidestory.co.nz PHONE: 027 342 0738 EMAIL: terryth01@gmail.com Summer 2020

FOREST & BIRD BRANCH

MANAWATŪ MARVELS Whio on the Oura River are safer this summer thanks to an intrepid bunch of volunteers from Forest & Bird’s Manawatū Branch. Jorinna Prinz.

n many ways, this was a special event. It was the first Forest & Bird trip after a long break caused by Covid-19, and this time we weren’t just going for a walk – we had a job to do! Forest & Bird Manawatū Branch purchased 16 of the 31 DOC200 traps needed for a new trapline on the Deerford Loop Track, in Ruahine Forest Park. The traps needed to be installed next to the Oura River before the whio started breeding, which meant a trek into the bush in the middle of winter. This is why nine keen trappers turned up on a sunny July morning ready to get to work. All of us were excited to find the entire landscape white – winter had finally settled in. Ian Rasmussen, a passionate pest control volunteer from RECAP (The Society for the Resilience and Engagement of the Community of Ashhurst and Pohangina) initiated the idea and organised the trip. About half of us had done lots of trapping but never set up a trapline before. There was a surprising amount of logistics to consider, but fortunately Ian had already made a proper plan for the mission. Six pack frames were loaded up with two traps each, weighing about 20kg. The remaining traps and installation tools were carried separately. We split up into two groups to walk the loop in opposite directions, and off we went. Just a few minutes in, there was a stream to cross, then the track went up the hill. The snow slowed us down, and it took a while until we figured out how to

Forest & Bird Te Reo o te Taiao

best place our feet to prevent sliding. While installing and setting the new traps, we also baited and reset some previously installed ones that had been donated by the Ashhurst Engineering and Construction Company. A few had flattened rats in them – a first score! But further up the track we spotted several large and very much alive rats. They didn’t seem at all intimidated by the traps on our backs. Once all 31 traps were set, we slid back down the steep track, trying not to get distracted by the beautiful scenery. The snow was starting to melt in the warmth of the midday sun. The Deerford Loop trapline will be serviced regularly by volunteers. If you are interested in helping, please email Manawatu.Branch@forestandbird.org.nz.

Parting shot Kim Free had stopped to photograph some nesting cormorants in a rocky bay north of Kaikōura when this tiny baby New Zealand fur seal came over to check out her camera. The inquisitive kekeno clearly wanted to make it into an award-winning shot! Kim, who lives in Canterbury, is a passionate amateur photographer who enjoys travelling around the South Island capturing wildlife and landscape images. She submitted several stunning bird shots as well, but we chose the cheeky kekeno as this issue’s winner.

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 Kea 4 Tent (RRP $249). The Kea 4 is the ultimate recreational tent with two entrances and a vestibule for extra storage. Perfect for family getaways and a great first tent for children. The dark inner provides cooler internal temperatures and less sleep disturbance. Assembly is easy with the strong colour-coded aluminium poles. The durable fly has a 5000mm double-coated aqua rating. The tent’s quality materials allow the Kea 4 to boast a 3-year warranty. The prize is courtesy of Kiwi Camping. For more details, see www.kiwicamping.co.nz.

we ARE tramping

Tramping on Mt Howitt, Hooker Range, high above the Landsborough Valley Photo: Mark Watson / Highluxphoto

Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a day trip with the family or a multi-day adventure deep into the wilderness, Bivouac has the best gear, from the top brands, to keep you safe, comfortable, warm and dry. Our friendly staff are happy to provide expert advice, ensuring you get the right equipment and the right fit. If you need it for tramping, we have it, because at Bivouac Outdoor we ARE tramping.

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