June Update No images? Click here An update from Lou SansonTēnā koutou, It gives me great pleasure to share our conservation stories and give you an inside look at DOC's work, as well as the efforts of others contributing to the important work of conservation. I'd particularly like to acknowledge the number of Queen’s Birthday Honours awarded to New Zealanders for their contribution to conservation. Click on the names to read their citations: ONZM: Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit Mr James Edward Doherty, JP, of Murupara. For services to Māori and conservation. MNZM: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit Mr David Osborne Crerar, of Dunedin. For services to mountaineering and outdoor recreation. QSM: Queen’s Service Medal Ms Gillian Clare Bishop, of Richmond. For services to conservation. I would like to congratulate all these Honours recipients and thank them for their service to conservation. Funding for jobs in conservationAt the end of May I established a team to help us lead the Government $1.3 billion Jobs for Nature stimulus package with $500 million direct to Te Papa Atawhai. As well as the funding announced in the budget ($200 million for Kaimahi for Nature fund, $154.3 million for enhancing nature and indigenous biodiversity, and $147.5 million for jobs in pest control and eradication) there were also some related pre-budget announcements. All up, the intention is to provide job opportunities for approximately 6,000 people over four years with New Zealand’s largest ever involvement in nature. There is also $100 million funding for the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme (led by MPI), and $27m for controlling wallabies. Te Papa Atawhai can already show the success that comes from investment in conservation jobs. $3.9 million forestry redeployment funding received in March has already provided 340 conservation jobs for people impacted by the COVID-19 downturn. On the West Coast 27 people attended a Te Papa Atawhai induction day in early June. 12 jobs have already begun, paying at or above the living wage, and more jobs are being explored in Haast, Ōkārito and Copland. Jobs for Nature funding of $2.5 million has also been invested in an exciting predator free project led by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa which aims to create sustainable employment opportunities while protecting Brown kiwi habitat around Whakatāne. In Queenstown we are working with local government agencies and tourism businesses to help test different ways to redeploy workers into nature-based jobs. This work will continue to expand as the Jobs for Nature programme is developed. New Conservation Jobs recruits cross Ōkārito Wetland powering their new ‘tools of the trade’. Toby Morris (Vantage Helicopters/Ngāi Tahu Tourism Pilot) pilots a power barrow to the work site, followed by another newbie to power barrow driving – Angelique Stewart from Skydive Franz Josef. Photo: Cisco Fahnestock. Te Papa Atawhai ranks seventh in Public Sector Reputation IndexTe Papa Atawhai came out seventh overall in the Colmar Brunton Public Sector Reputation Index. We also ranked highly for social responsibility and for legitimacy of purpose (the extent to which the public believed the agency’s work is important for New Zealand). Online surveys of 2,750 New Zealanders were conducted from 10-25 March about 54 New Zealand public sector agencies. Agencies were ranked on their scores for trust, social responsibility, leadership and fairness. Fire and Emergency took out the top ranking for the second year in a row, followed by NZ Defence Force, NZ Customs Service and Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, which all rose significantly in the rankings. Health Promotion Agency also rose significantly from nineteenth to sixth. Farewell to Air New Zealand executivesAt the end of May we farewelled two of Air New Zealand’s Executive team who have been strong partnership advocates and integral in the success of our Te Papa Atawhai/Air New Zealand partnership to date. I would like to acknowledge the work of Mike Tod, Chief Marketing and Customer Officer and Nick Judd, Chief Strategy, Networks and Alliances Officer, for the last eight years. We shared so much of a joint personal vision for our nature. Since 2012 our partnership has grown significantly, and we are immensely proud of the work our two organisations have achieved together to benefit our forests, oceans and native wildlife. Through our partnership, Air New Zealand has:
Left: Deidre Vercoe (DOC Kākāpō Recovery Manager) oversees the translocation of eight kākāpō from Codfish Island to Hauturu (Little Barrier Island), April 2012. Right: Air NZ Green Team planting in Abel Tasman, August 2017 Together we are achieving what Te Papa Atawhai could not do alone, engaging a whole new audience in Aotearoa’s biodiversity crisis story. We have built a strong collaborative working relationship with a team of dedicated Air New Zealand staff. This partnership will continue throughout Air New Zealand's "Survive Revive Thrive " 800 day Plan to Recovery, with Dave Morgan at Air New Zealand taking over the Te Papa Atawhai relationship role. Air New Zealand is committed to continuing to address our biodiversity crisis in collaboration with iwi (including through their direct partnership with Ngāi Tahu) and with community. We wish Mike and Nick well, and give a warm welcome to Dave. Try Something New, New ZealandTourism NZ launched the Do Something New, New Zealand campaign on Friday 22 May, encouraging Kiwis to take the opportunity to enjoy domestic tourism and try different experiences. We are working with Tourism NZ to ensure nature is at the heart of the campaign. The focus is on ensuring Kiwis are enjoying the places they visit safely and responsibly. We now have an opportunity to do some of the items on our New Zealand bucket lists. Over summer, I'm keen to visit Anatoki Lake in Kahurangi National Park and Blue Lake in Nelson Lakes National Park. Elliot Bay purchase – NorthlandI want to acknowledge the extraordinary generosity of Geoff Ricketts, Sir Chris Mace, the NEXT Foundation and members of the public, who have helped facilitate the purchase of one of New Zealand’s foremost coastal properties at Elliot Bay, near the Bay of Islands. The 8 million dollar purchase of the 700 hectare Elliot family farm by the Ipipiri Nature Conservancy Trust provides a 15 km untouched and undeveloped coastline. Ultimately, the Trust plans work on Predator Free, replanting, and a multi-day hike between Cape Brett and Russell Forest together with local iwi. This incredible gesture to New Zealanders is what makes us proud to be Kiwis. Elliot farm, Northland. Photo: Lou Sanson Mimiwhangata Coastal ParkI met with a number of iwi leaders in Tai Tokerau in mid-June. It was wonderful to stay in one of the DOC accommodation houses at Mimiwhangata Coastal Park and meet our rangers Manaia and Marino Armstrong. They look after 11,000 campers a year at this incredible place, along with a sheep and beef farming operation run by a concessionaire. They, alongside the Whangārei biodiversity team, also look after approximately 150 endangered pāteke/brown teal, which live in the farm ponds. One of the houses was built for Queen Elizabeth’s visit in 1970. Mimiwhangata Coastal Park, on the peninsula lookout track. Photo: Lou Sanson Manaia and Marino have been there for three years. When he arrived, Manaia described the 3,500 hectares of coastal Northland forest and grassland as a ‘Disneyland for possums’. Three years of hard work doing pest control throughout the entire area have seen possums plummet and kiwi numbers increase three-fold. Manaia took me to his favourite kiwi count place, where we heard five kiwi in ten minutes under a full moon. Fantastic! Manaia’s desire is to run wānanga with his local marae to train others in his new skills. His personal ambition – Predator Free Mimiwhangata! Manaia and Marino Armstrong. Photo: Lou Sanson. World Albatross DayThe first World Albatross Day was held on Friday 19 June. Celebrated around the globe, World Albatross Day aims to champion these special birds and highlight the many threats to their survival. This is something very close to my heart. Globally, invasive species (cats, rats, pigs, mice) are a key threat to albatross. As New Zealand has eradicated these predators from most of the islands where albatross breed, for the albatross that live around New Zealand, fishing is their greatest danger. Because albatross naturally feed on fish near the surface, they are very vulnerable to being killed by fishing activity – thousands die needlessly in trawl and longline fisheries every year. Forest and Bird have named 2020 the Year of the Seabird, noting the substantial and immediate threats to sea birds around the world, including albatross. New Zealand has a unique responsibility towards albatross, as half of all species worldwide breed in New Zealand. This includes the antipodean albatross, which have a threat status of Nationally Critical (the same as kākāpō). Te Papa Atawhai is actively involved in albatross research as an important part of their conservation. Albatross are difficult birds to study – they breed on remote islands and spend most of their lives at sea. However, our scientists are doing fantastic work to learn more about albatross, including through new technology such as satellite trackers. Toroa/Southern royal albatross. Photo: Danica Stent I’d also like to acknowledge the mahi of Live Ocean. This trust, founded by New Zealand’s America’s Cup sailors Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, raised money to help fund satellite trackers for the Antipodean albatross monitoring programme and have shone a light on this urgent conservation issue. Their next focus is supporting University of Auckland research on the southern right whale, so researchers can understand how this recovering population is adapting to our changing ocean. We will wish them success in the America’s Cup, while they help us with albatross conservation. Check out this powerful video Live Ocean released for World Albatross Day. Breeding success helps shore up tūturunatu populationThe first shore plover/tūturuatu chick has been successfully raised at Kotahi Aviary in Hawke’s Bay. With a wild population of only 246 adult birds, captive breeding and translocations are essential to the species’ survival. The chick was named through a public competition and was given the name Tūmanako, meaning hope, expectation and anticipation. He has been found to be a good genetic match for another female at the aviary so he’s going to stay – and will hopefully go on to father a chick at Kotahi aviary himself. In the next breeding season it is expected the Kotahi Aviary will produce its first batch of juveniles for release on a predator-free island. Kotahi Aviary, opened in 2018, is a partnership between Kotahi, Te Papa Atawhai and Cape Sanctuary. I was delighted to be at the opening of the new aviary, recognising the work Andy Lowe (co-founder of Cape Sanctuary) and Kotahi did here. The first shore plover chick hatched at the Kotahi Aviary. Photo: Kotahi Aviary. If there is anything you wish to discuss, please feel free to contact me directly on Director-General@doc.govt.nz. Also, you can follow updates and DOC news at your own pace by following me on social media #DOCBoss . Hei konei rā, Lou Sanson DOC onlineBe sure to check out our DOC website and follow us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, Instagram and more. |