July Update No Images? Click here An update from Lou SansonTēnā koutou, Welcome to my regular update, where I share conservation stories to give you an inside look at DOC's work, as well as the efforts of others contributing to conservation. Predator Free RakiuraIn our most ambitious Predator Free project yet, Minister Sage launched Predator Free Rakiura at Halfmoon Bay on Saturday, along with 120 Stewart Islanders, Ngāi Tahu, conservation groups, and recreational hikers. MBIE has contributed $100K to the initial scoping with our former Operations Manager, Bridget Carter, now employed as Project Manager of Predator Free Rakiura.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by 13 groups making up the partnership. Significantly, Tā Tipene O ‘Regan (Upoko, Awarua Rūnanga) spoke on the utmost significance of the vision of Predator Free New Zealand to Ngāi Tahu as our Treaty Partner across Te Wāhipounamu. Hump Ridge Great WalkMinister Sage announced our intention to recognise Hump Ridge Track as the latest new Great Walk with the new rec-tourism resources provided to DOC in Budget 2018.After an extraordinary effort by the Tuatapere community in raising $3million and pulling in 3,000 volunteer hours, the walk was opened in 2000. Director General Lou Sanson, Minister of Conservation, Hon. Eugenie Sage, Don Brown (Tuatapere Hump Track Charitable Trust), Tom Pryde (Southland Port Craig Viaducts Charitable Trust). The track has increased in popularity and the new resource will enable us to bring it up to Great Walk standard and shorten the walk by around 6 hours. Most of the Tuatapere community, along with bagpipes and highland dancers, turned out to the event on Sunday to recognise the significance of this decision and the economic benefits to this small Western Southland former timber-milling town through one of New Zealand’s premier walks. Hump Ridge Track. Whenua Hou - A New LandOn Friday 12 July our Murihiku staff and Ngāi Tahu launched the book “Whenua Hou – A New Land” by Neville Peat - recognising Whenua Hou’s (Codfish Island’s) unique contribution to the bi-cultural history of Aotearoa New Zealand through New Zealand’s first planned mixed-race settlement in 1809. Whenua Hou landscape. The event on Te Rau Aroha Marae at Bluff brought together all Murihiku Rūnanga, the Kākāpō programme staff, Conservation Board, and wider DOC staff in recognition of the role Whenua Hou has played as a place of both whanaungatanga and taonga species conservation. We heard that while the island is an important part of the Kākāpō programme, it is equally important for our treaty partner to reconnect with their whenua. Through this we are genuinely seeking co-management going forward and the construction of a whare on the Island to enable this. Tā Tipene O’Regan (Upoko, Awarua Rūnanga), Marcia Te Au, and Director-General Lou Sanson Great Walks bookings openBookings for the 2019 / 2020 Great Walks season opened the week beginning Monday 10 June and in the first two weeks 10,367 bookings were made. This is a 15% increase in overall bookings and an amazing 27% increase from the domestic market. The demand for the Milford Track is always high - on par with a rock concert - and this year was no different; within 15 minutes of opening we had processed more than 1,000 bookings and generated $1 million dollars. By the end of the day that grew to 2,500 bookings and $2 million in revenue. First day bookings accounted for 75% of the Milford Track’s capacity. Kiwis managed to book about 55% of the spaces - up from 50% in 2018 and 40% in 2017. The largest increases in domestic bookings were seen in Milford, Rakiura, Heaphy, Abel Tasman and Routeburn. Pleasingly, nearly all the Great Walks showed growth in New Zealander’s bookings. The largest growth in international bookings was the Heaphy Track, up 44% to 1,735 bed nights. The new Paparoa Track also opened for bookings for the very first time – you can check out our new promotional video below. More than 800 bookings were made - 90% of those were made by Kiwis. Just over 50% of the walk’s capacity has been sold and $202,000 in revenue generated. The Paparoa Track crosses the Paparoa Range, and takes you through alpine tops, limestone karst landscapes and thriving rainforests While the total number of bookings in the first two weeks has increased this year, the growth in early domestic bookings and the decline in international bookings has resulted in a near zero change to the revenue collected ($4,875,000 ex GST). All round, the opening to date was a great success. Our Visitor Centres report the vast majority of customers were happy with the booking system, if not a little surprised at how quickly key dates sold out. The dawn chorus slowly comes backAfter visiting Nelson staff, I was able to spend the weekend walking from Awaroa to Anchorage in Abel Tasman National Park. It was great to see the continued restoration achieved with Project Janszoon through the Next Foundation, Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust and DOC working together along with a recent aerial 1080 operation. I met with Andrew and Elaine of the Birdsong Trust who were out setting rat traps after a recent explosion in rat numbers due to the beech mast. Birdsong Trust volunteers Elaine and Andrew Harding, with DOC Ranger Phil Armit in the middle. For the first time I heard the incredible song of bellbird and tui along with piwakawaka (fantail), rifleman and tomtits around both Anchorage and Awaroa. Elaine told me that after 10 hard years’ work the birds were finally returning, and only in the last year had the numbers built up substantially enough to create a dawn chorus. A phenomenal job for all involved! Ngāi Tahu Mauri Ora Kākāpō TrustOn 18 June we launched the Ngāi Tahu Mauri Ora Kākāpō Trust with Ngāi Tahu and Meridian Energy. Our Kākāpō Team - especially Andrew Digby - along with Meridian have been so successful in raising donations worldwide for kākāpō we have set this Trust up jointly with Ngāi Tahu to handle public donations. A recent social media appeal by Andrew raised nearly $200K in donations around the world as the public responded to aspergillosis disease. If you'd like to keep updated on how the kākāpō are doing, follow Andrew on Twitter.
Neal Barclay (CEO, Meridian), Tane Davis (Ngai Tahu), Edward Ellison (NZCA Chair) join Deidre Vercoe (Operations Manager, Kākāpā/Takahē Recovery Programme) and key staff involved with the MOU. PSA/DOC collective agreementAfter the new collective agreement had a ratification of 95% by the voting PSA members, I signed collective agreement 7 with the PSA on 20 June. DOC appreciates the effort by the teams working through the issues in a High Performance Engagement (HPE) environment. PSA National Organiser Allen Blackwell has said the process, while lengthy, was carried out with both teams being genuinely willing to work together on issues. This is exactly the spirit of our High Performance Engagement (HPE) with the PSA, which has been refreshed and renews our commitment to continue working closely with the PSA. PSA National Organiser Allen Blackwell and Director General Lou Sanson sign collective agreement. Waana Morrell Davis QSM 1938-2019Sadly, one of Te Papa Atawhai's great kuia, Waana Davis, passed away in June. I was privileged to visit with Waana just before her passing and to accompany the New Zealand Conservation Authority on Sunday to Te Herenga Waka Marae before her journey back to Whakatane. Waana of Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Kahungunu, had been an NZCA member for 10 years (2007-2017) and played a key role in the Te Urewera settlement, and the Paparoa National Park Plan. Waana’s high expectations of Te Papa Atawhai as a Treaty Partner was instrumental in how we now manage Treaty Settlements. She had sat on virtually every interview panel as I selected Deputy Director-Generals to rebuild our Senior Leadership Team. She was a huge mentor and kuia to me personally. She will be significantly remembered for her leadership of Toi Māori Aotearoa since its creation in 1996. Her legacy to Te Papa Atawhai will be a ceremonial korowai or kākahu that she had asked to be woven and worn for all key DOC ceremonies. We look forward to its creation. Waana Davis, Ashburton River 2007, during her time on the New Zealand Conservation Authority. Jim Maniapoto 1942-2019A mighty tōtara has fallen with the passing of Hupa ‘Jim’ Maniapoto of Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Rangiita, Pikiao and Tūhourangi recently surrounded by his wife Anne and the wider whānau. Uncle Jim as he was known to DOC staff was Pou Kura Taiao mo Te Papa Atawhai o Tongariro me Taupō for nearly ten years based in Turangi. This role, the predecessor to the current Pou Tairangahau, and was developed by Jim’s late brother, Huri, and Hemi Kingi. The role was to develop a positive working relationship between iwi, hapū, whānau and DOC as well as assisting DOC staff with tikanga when dealing with Māori. He also promoted projects providing benefits to both tangata whenua and DOC, for example wetlands and protection areas with Ngā Whenua Rāhui. His role included involving DOC in things happening on the marae be it a tangihanga, hui a iwi, hapū or whānau. Uncle Jim was very committed to World Heritage in the Pacific, from Japan to New Zealand and Tongariro National Park. Uncle Jim attended many DOC events as our local kaumātua. His connection to DOC lives on with his granddaughter Candace Graham as an Administration Officer in Turangi, and his nephew Te Rangi Maniapoto as the current Pou Tairangahau for the Central North Island region. We will remember Jim for the thing that set him apart from others. It was his desire to share his much-loved marae and culture with staff, visitors and the community. Ka noho pōhara mātou te papa atawhai i tō wehenga Hupa (Jim). No reira haere atu rā. Jim Maniapoto at the unveiling of the Taupō DOC office carvings. Iwi leaders’ advice to D-GMy senior leadership team and I held our first hui with a group of prominent New Zealand Māori leaders in June. I have established this D-G Iwi Leader Support Group group of Arihia Bennett, Mavis Mullins, Lil Anderson, Charles Royal, Kevin Prime and Jamie Tuuta to help me lead a significant change in how we work with our Treaty Partner through a revised Treaty Partner Engagement System lead by Kahui Kaupapa Atawhai. At the first hui we were inspired by Charles Royal’s facilitation of:
Wild CreationsThe Wild Creations programme is a collaboration between DOC and Creative New Zealand, which gives artists the chance to experience New Zealand’s unique nature, through a variety of conservation experiences on offer. Wild Creations is now in its second year and artists who participated in the 2017/18 year have been producing stunning works of art as a result of their conservation experiences. I’m really pleased to see the success of this programme and how these art works are providing new ways to connect New Zealanders to conservation. Last year Michel Tuffery undertook research into pelagic birds at Taiaroa Head and Rakiura, resulting in multiple artworks and community engagement projects. Michel Tuffery. Michel Tuffery is currently exhibiting his work in Dunedin. “Chapter 1, Moana Ngā Manu brings you into my research and processes from my eight-week ‘Wild Creations’ artist in residence awarded by Creative New Zealand and DOC in 2018. Nostalgically, I always wondered ‘where do the birds go’. This series of paintings and woodcuts captures my first observations drawn from Taiaroa Head and Rakiura, both key to the study of Pelagic birds, existing habitats and historical sites. Thematically the carved framework is a metaphor, for the kōrero and shared knowledge from the Tangata Whenua, DOC staff and scientists I engaged with throughout 2018.” – Michel Tuffery. Toroa Whānau Survey view, Taiaroa Head Catlins Rainforest Park – Ōwaka BaseForty years ago, one of my first jobs was at Ōwaka Office. At the time we were struggling to get New Zealanders to visit the incredible forests and coastlines of the Catlins, so at the suggestion of the Otago Conservation Board it was renamed as the Catlins Rainforest Park. Today more than 200,000 people visit the Nugget lighthouse, along with large numbers at Curio Bay Visitor Centre. Some of the team from Ōwaka Base, rangers Charlie Barnett, Cheryl Pullar and Chris Bennett. Our Ōwaka staff, as well as dealing with a huge increase in tourism, are dealing with one of our potentially greatest biodiversity declines. This summer only one yellow-eyed penguin/hoiho chick fledged in the wild in the Catlins. In the Catlins, 14 hoiho died from avian malaria as a result of warmer summer. Additionally, our staff and Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust - Te Tautiaki Hoiho rangers shifted a total of 400 hoiho from Otago and Southland to rehabilitation centres this season for supplementary feeding. Without these sorts of interventions, the mainland New Zealand population of hoiho would continue to decline dramatically. Thanks to this work the local population remains at 101 pairs in the Catlins. Hoiho release. Matariki lunchThis year to celebrate Matariki, DOC hosted a number of key stakeholders at Conservation House Wellington for a mid-winter dinner. We recognised Te Papa Atawhai reaching core funding of $500 million for the first time in its 32-year history and to thank my priority partners that give so much to conservation. At the Matariki lunch. DOC at Fieldays 2019A huge effort by the Waikato Operations DOC team on delivering a successful biodiversity exhibit at Fieldays 2019 and representing conservation and DOC at this nationally significant event. Mystery Creek Fieldays is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event and attracts more than 130,000 visitors. This year the DOC team took the action to the paddocks. Their message: Small actions count. Staff showed visitors how to create change on their properties and farms for better biodiversity outcomes. The DOC tent at Fieldays took visitors on a journey through the biodiversity crisis New Zealand currently faces, encouraging people to take action through making pledges, talking with skilled and experienced staff and taking home their own native plant. Jim from DOC Whitianga talking with families about our threatened species and how we can help them. Months of preparation is involved in the lead up to Fieldays with input and support from teams right across the organisation. This year Fieldays was led by Waikato ranger Aroha Hughes and the project team drew on the creative design, social media, media and communications teams. Knowledgeable staff from across the department were on hand to man the DOC tent, including staff from Operations from the NNI, AKL, HWT, CNI and LNI regions and Partnerships, Planning Permissions and Land, Corporate Services and the Biodiversity Group. Jaycee from Whanganui DOC shows a curious youngster a whale baleen plate from a stranded whale and vertebrae from a sperm whale. Our partners also took up the opportunity to advocate for biodiversity. Toyota and DOC teamed up to deliver another successful Toyota Kiwi Guardians Scavenger Hunt, and Waikato Regional Council came on board to support the freshwater space. Minister Sage also stopped in to visit the tent and catch up with staff. Thanks to all who were involved in spreading the message and putting together a great exhibit. Minister Sage with DOC staff outside the DOC tent. RandstadDOC has again been recognised as the second most attractive New Zealand employer in the Randstad Employer Brand Research, following our commercial partner Air New Zealand, who ranked first. DOC has been recognised for giving back to society, having interesting career options and maintaining a good reputation. Randstad’s research highlighted workplace wellbeing as a key driver for job seekers when choosing their future employer. Staff wellbeing is one of my key priorities for this year and there is some great work underway from our Organisational Development Unit in developing a Wellbeing Strategy for DOC. Queen’s Birthday honoursWe are delighted to celebrate the following honours for services to conservation; sincere thanks to our Partnerships team which put so much effort into these awards. CNZM
ONZM
MNZM
QSM
Te Awa Tupua – Whanganui River – A very significant dayIt was a privilege to participate in the inaugural hui of the Te Awa Tupua-Whanganui River governance (Te Kōpuka) who are tasked to achieve a paradigm shift from speaking about the River to actively speaking with the River. On 30 May Vicky Robertson (Chief Executive, Ministry for the Environment) and I, along with our staff, joined multiple Iwi groups from the Whanganui river catchment that included Ngāti Maniapoto, Whanganui Iwi and Tūwharetoa on Te Ihingarangi Marae at Waimiha for this special event. Tahinganui Hina (DOC Whanganui Operations Manager), Lou Sanson, Vicky Robertson (Ministry for the Environment Chief Executive), Tamahu Rowe (Ministry for the Environment Cultural Advisor), Aaron Rice-Edwards (DOC Strategic Advisor Te Awa Tupua) The focus of Te Kōpuka is to bind, educate and guide successive generations to a greater and more inclusive view over the care, use and protection of the Whanganui River, recognising the River runs through the veins of iwi, whānau and hapū. We heard stories from Dame Tariana of the tragic loss pā tuna (eel weirs) of kai along the river, the deterioration of water quality with an inspirational vision to restore the voice and mana of the River through to the establishment of a new framework, Te Pā Auroa na Te Awa Tupua, which includes giving the river its own legal personality. Gerrard Albert has been elected as our inaugural Chairperson. Te Awa Tupua Iwi join Crown representatives for the inaugural governance hui at Te Ihingarangi Marae. WWF – 9Wire environmental innovationI represented the Minister of Conservation in launching the 9Wire Environment Innovation Programme recently, where a Supreme Sir Rob Fenwick Award was also announced. 9Wire is an exciting new programme that supports New Zealanders with great ideas and innovations in the environment space by providing coaching and funding to help them succeed. This programme is managed by WWF and is the evolution of the WWF Environment Innovation Awards held in previous years. DOC has provided funding and support to this programme, alongside partners Auckland Council, Ākina Foundation, Ministry for the Environment, Ministry for Primary Industries, and Callaghan Innovation. From left: Brett Butland - Auckland Council, Louise Aitken - Ākina Foundation, Livia Esterhazy - WWF-NZ, Vicky Robertson – Ministry for the Environment, Richard Quin - Callaghan Innovation, Cathy Robinson – Ministry for Primary Industries, Lou Sanson – Department of Conservation The programme is called 9Wire because the Earth needs a bit more help than #8 wire can deliver. Unlike other programmes, this is not a fund or an ideas competition. Everyone who submits will get some kind of advice and the best ideas will be given a bespoke package of support. DOC is particularly excited about ideas which can help us achieve more conservation, including in the predator control or freshwater spaces. DOC has already gained significant benefits from the WWF 2017 Innovations Awards, when Jordan Munn from Trap and Trigger was funded to develop infra-red wild animal detection systems. Jordan now employs 7 staff and is heavily involved with DOC and working on island eradications world-wide. This technology can help us find the pest on an island or peninsula, and is a great tool to support our operations. Jordan Munn from Trap and Trigger Jane Goodall’s New Zealand visitWe were delighted to host Jane Goodall with Minister Sage on 22 May. During Dr Goodall’s New Zealand visit, she has spoken to more than 6,000 members of the public at three major events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, as well as visiting most of New Zealand’s conservation NGOs. Her overriding message is the world-wide effort now needed to reverse international biodiversity decline and its equal importance to the challenge the world faces with climate change. Her plea is to youth, to take us to a better place on both, through the “Roots and Shoots” programme now operating in 60 countries around the world. Along with the Jane Goodall Institute New Zealand, there are now 34 institutes around the world. Typical US audiences to her talks are 5,000 per event. I also attended her public talk in Wellington. Her quote of the night, “we are stealing our current environment from our children”. Minister of Conservation, Hon Eugenie Sage, Dame Jane Goodall, and Lou Sanson, during Dr Goodall’s New Zealand visit. Operation Tidy FoxI'm looking forward to seeing the progress made by the amazing volunteers, New Zealand Defence Force and DOC staff who are working on the rubbish clean-up at Fox and Cook rivers. I'm down there on Friday. DOC has replaced Westland District Council as the lead agency coordinating the clean-up of the riverbed and coast downstream of the Fox Glacier landfill. It's going by the name Operation Tidy Fox. I was down there over Queen’s birthday weekend when the South Westland volunteers were led by Mike Bilodeau (Okarito Kiwi Tours). At that stage these volunteers had worked for 10 weeks with more than 200 volunteers clearing beaches and the Fox River of rubbish. One volunteer, Phil Herdman, has completed 40 days on the river. It was great being there in person to acknowledge their efforts, and I look forward to being back. Fox Riverbed – one of the many logjams that act as a sieve catching the washed-out landfill contents. These logjams take a day or more for a single volunteer to pick over. Operation Tidy Fox volunteers. Backcountry Trust – we love them!This awesome photo shows the damage done by the highest ever recorded rainfall event in New Zealand which occurred on 26-27 March 2019 in South Westland. It is the newly restored Thomas River Hut, situated roughly 5 km up the valley from the confluence of the Thomas River with the Haast River. A team of Backcountry Trust volunteers, led by Geoff Spearpoint, spent a week restoring this hut in 2016. Fortunately, after the recent flood our incredible DOC team from Haast were able to shift the hut back from the river, to save all that incredible volunteer work. Just love stories like these! Thomas River Hut on the edge, a result of very heavy rainfall. Christchurch Helicopters – small business, big conservationDuring a visit to Rangiora office, I was able to acknowledge and thank our good partners at Christchurch Helicopters. Their very cool conservation initiative, named Flight Path, is a programme to connect 50 small/medium enterprises to conservation programmes. Aligned to our strategy, ‘every business contributes to conservation’, this programme is unique in that it is our strategic partner that recruits and manages the businesses who sign up. The objective is to have 50 Christchurch small and medium enterprise businesses contributing $5,000 per annum for six years. The end goal is a healthy $1.5m which will be used specifically in the orange-fronted kakariki recovery programme led by Lyndon Slater. DOC is working with Christchurch Helicopters’ CEO, Terry Murdoch and owner/pilot Richie McCaw. It is urban conservation at its finest and an excellent blueprint for how we work with small and medium businesses. This additional resource has contributed to one of our most successful years for orange-fronted kakariki breeding, with 26 nests in the Hurunui, 4,500 traps deployed, and 40 birds reared by the Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust. The result is, from a low of 200 birds, we now have more than 300 birds in the wild. Great teamwork, innovation and conservation outcomes. Lyndon Slater and Richie McCaw, with Christchurch Helicopters’ ‘orange-fronted kakariki’ helicopter Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP) – Lincoln University Research CentreI visited the ZIP team at Lincoln University, which is funded 50/50 by NEXT Foundation and DOC. They are working with live stoats, rats and possums to develop the most cost-effective predator fence; to develop new lures (e.g. use of ultra-sonic rat sounds, prey calls, competitor calls) and new types of barriers (electric, light deterrence). They are also helping DOC with the development of a new ready-made stoat bait. We are rapt to be able to commit a further $1.5 million towards ZIP predator research. The Lincoln ZIP team: Beckie Clements, Elaine Murphy, Tom Agnew, Katie Coster and Jenny Dent (and Maggie Nichols - absent from photo). DOC positively influencing wellbeingThe recent Colmar Brunton Public Sector Reputation Index highlights DOC as one of only six public agencies positively influencing wellbeing for New Zealanders. Top ranking was Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) and Tourism NZ, along with NZ Police. DOC was rated highest on social responsibility and fairness. The two key points I took from this were that building stories around wellbeing really matters, and personal experiences here are really making an impact. DOC on FacebookBe sure to follow DOC on our new Facebook page, on Twitter, Instagram and more. My team have set up a hub for my social media activity on the DOC website. #DOCBoss shows all my news, views and adventures in one place. Take a look and let me know your feedback by emailing Director-General@doc.govt.nz. Hei konei rā, Lou Sanson |