The body of a juvenile pygmy blue whale, measuring 14.6 metres in length, was discovered on Red Beach on Saturday 2 September by members of the public and notified to the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust and Te Papa Atawhai/Department of Conservation (DOC).
Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust staff and DOC staff attended the site to ensure safety of the community during assessments and removal.
Tikanga (customs) and kawa (protocols) were followed in accordance with Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust kaumatua, and karakia (incantations) were placed to acknowledge the mauri (life force) of the majestic parāoa (whale).
“Our pūrākau (traditional stories) tell us that there is a whakapapa connection between whales and the ngahere (forests), so burying this taonga back in the earth was the correct thing to do in this instance” says Ringi Brown, Kaumatua and Trustee of the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust.
The whale remains, approximately 20 tonnes in weight, were craned onto a truck and taken to one of Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust whale urupā (burial sites). Due to the size of this particular whale, it was unable to be placed in the whāngaparāoa urupā so was taken further north to its final resting place.
DOC Tāmaki Makaurau Operations Manager Rebecca Rush said that the whale appeared to have been deceased for several days prior to washing up.
“Due to the advanced state of decomposition a necropsy was not undertaken,” said Rebecca.
The cause of death remains unknown, however markings on the carcass suggested it had been involved in an orca attack.
With the blessing of Ngāti Manuhiri, Massey University collected tissue and blubber samples of the whale, which will provide further understanding of the ecology and any contaminant burden on this taonga.
“These results will contribute to the wider knowledge of pygmy blue whales, providing valuable information for DOC’s database,” said Rebecca.
Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust and DOC would like to thank Karen Stockin Professor – Marine Biology, Massey University, DOC’s volunteer Seal Observation Squad, Masons Contractors, and McKenzie Contracting for their support.
DOC encourages people to report whale sightings and strandings by calling the DOC hotline, 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).
Ko te Whakahaumanu o te Rakitata Awa, the Rakitata River revival programme, is working to restore the mauri (life force) of the river, ki uta ki tai (from mountains to sea). Its vision is a healthy braided river ecosystem where native taoka (treasured species) are abundant and healthy, and people and communities can connect and thrive.
The non-statutory programme’s strategy sets a vision for achieving a healthy river from its source in Kā Tiriti o te Moana (Southern Alps) to the coastal hāpua (lagoon). It was informed by scientific research and mātauraka Māori and has been brought to life with inspiring illustrations of vibrant, restored ecosystems.
Specific actions are proposed to revive the cultural, environmental and economic aspects of the river for six distinct sections along its length: hāpua, coastal, lower river, foothills, high country and headwaters.
Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua kaitiaki and co-chair of the programme’s working group Karl Russell says the severe flooding in 2019 was a catalyst for action to restore the mauri of the river.
“That event cut Te Waipounamu (the South Island) in half for three days by taking out the road and rail links. It triggered a lot of emotions from mana whenua and the community as well as highlighting the issues from a political perspective.
“I think we all realised we couldn’t keep using the same methods to manage the river because they weren’t working. We saw it as an opportunity to retrieve some of our mana and whakapapa, and to restore the connections and kōrero that had been lost.”
DOC river ranger and working group co-chair Brad Edwards says the strategy aims to strengthen connections and collaboration between the people who interact with the river in many different ways.
“We know lots of people have a connection to the river and we want to hear from them to make sure we get the strategy right.
“The Rakitata is a huge braided river system and an iconic Canterbury landform. Braided rivers are rare internationally. Their channels swing and move around naturally with flooding, as we saw in 2019, and this dynamism is important to protect.”
He says rivers across Aotearoa, and braided rivers in particular, are suffering from encroachment and intensive land use. The Rakitata is no exception.
Brad is concerned about the decline in birdlife revealed by regular monitoring in the last seven years.
“There’s been a reduction in the number of endangered tarapirohe/black-fronted terns and tarāpuka/black-billed gulls that used to nest in the lower reaches. At the same time, we’ve seen an increase in weeds and predators. I fear some of our treasured taoka are starting to disappear.”
Karl believes a focus on the long-term health and wellbeing of the awa is fundamental for building a new future together.
“When the river’s needs come first it means that the environment is taken care of and biodiversity is taken care of. We gather around the table for conversations that ask what the river wants and needs, who can use it and who should be around it.”
“The strategy we’ve developed brings those conversations into play. We will have respect for each other when we acknowledge everyone’s needs and wants. But the biggest need is the environment and that must come first.”
“My hope is that the wider community will look at the Rakitata from a different perspective – not just as a waterway, but as a place that creates life and wellbeing for everyone around it. A place where we can be at one with the environment.”
The Rakitata River revival strategy consultation is open from 4 September to 2 October 2023.
Ko te Whakahaumanu o te Rakitata Awa, the Rakitata River Revival Programme began as a partnership between Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua and DOC’s Ngā Awa river restoration programme, and now includes Environment Canterbury, Toitū te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, Central South Island Fish & Game, and Timaru and Ashburton district councils in a landscape-scale collaboration.
Many agencies and groups have been working to restore parts of the catchment for decades, with sustained predator and weed control, and significant remediation work after the 2019 flooding. This programme has benefitted from two large Jobs for Nature grants, which are supporting a native plant nursery, fencing and pest and weed control. The immediate repairs to infrastructure after the 2019 flooding were supported by COVID-19 shovel-ready funding, which also funded further enhancement work at those sites.
Like Apples on Trees – The Predator Free 2050 Goal is a cartoon published by The Spinoff and the Department of Conservation that tells the inspiring story of the nationwide Predator Free 2050 movement. Through the eyes of beloved kākāpō, the cartoon shows how precious and unique Aotearoa New Zealand’s native plants and animals are, and how introduced predators like rats, stoats, and possums threaten their survival. United by the Predator Free 2050 goal, communities across Aotearoa are coming together to act for nature and have already made big strides. Together, we can achieve a future where native plants and animals flourish and are safe from the threat of introduced predators.
Credit: This comic was written by Toby Morris and illustrated by Ezra Whittaker. DOC helped craft the story.
The large native parrots joined the growing number of forest birds tallied as the Department of Conservation’s long-running bird monitoring programme marked 25 years.
Data shows eight native bird species have steadily increased in number over this time, while six other species remain stable. Overall native birdlife has more than doubled in this remote beech forest-clad valley.
DOC Principal Scientist Colin O’Donnell says it’s good news and evidence the approach to managing introduced predators is working well.
“The Landsborough is a showcase for how forests and wildlife respond when rats, stoats and possums are effectively managed long-term.
“Kākā were the standout in the most recent results with numbers doubling from the previous year – no doubt attracted by the mistletoe which was flowering in big splashes of red across the valley.
“Native birds are continuing to increase including species like pīpipi/brown creeper, tītitipounamu/ rifleman and kākāriki/yellow-crowned parakeet – 25 years on from when we first started counting them here,” says Colin O’Donnell.
Mistletoe, which is highly attractive to possums, has also been monitored over the past 20 years. Results show there are healthy populations of both red and scarlet mistletoe with little evidence of possum browse.
Kākā eat nectar, as well as fruit, seeds and insects, and are known to congregate when forest trees such as rātā or mistletoe flower.
Counts for the most common bird, mohua/yellowhead, appear to be flattening out with similar numbers over the past three years (485 in 2022, 517 in 2021 and 485 in 2020). This may mean they have reached ‘carrying capacity’ in this part of the valley, and additional birds are dispersing down valley and into the Haast and nearby valleys.
The Landsborough is a stronghold for mohua and likely to support more than 2000 birds.
Predator control began in 1994 in the Landsborough and has since expanded to include extensive trapping and aerial applications of 1080 when rat numbers increase (seven treatments since 1998 – the last one in 2019). It’s a priority area for DOC’s national predator control programme.
Replacement of the aging trap network with 280 new double-trap boxes is just about complete – the work of redeployed South Westland tourism workers funded through Jobs for Nature. These traps should last 20 years.
Background information
DOC’s team of bird experts spend several days in early summer each year doing 5-minute bird counts at 174 stations in the Landsborough. Together they have counted about 106,000 birds since the monitoring began.
Bird species steadily increasing over 25 years are mohua/yellowhead, tuī, bellbird/korimako, brown creeper/pīpipi, rifleman/tītitipounamu, grey warbler/riroriro, fantail/pīwakawaka and yellow-crowned parakeet/kākāriki.
Kākā, kea, tomtit/ngirungiru, wood pigeon/kererū, New Zealand falcon/kārearea and shining cuckoo/pīpīwharauroa have remained stable or are increasing at a slow rate.
Two species – silvereye/tautou and long-tailed cuckoo/koekoeā – have declined. Greater competition for nectar from tuī and bellbird may have suppressed silvereye numbers. Long-tailed cuckoo migrates to the Pacific islands each winter and may be being affected by conditions there.
Introduced birds have also declined as native birds have increased.
Scarlet and red mistletoe (Peraxilla colensoi and P. tetrapetala) grow on beech trees and rely on their hosts for water and nutrients. They are listed as ‘At Risk – Declining’ and ‘Conservation Dependent’, respectively.
Dr Jen Germano is a Department of Conservation scientist, member of the Frog Recovery Group, and co-author of several research papers in the journal.
“New Zealand’s frogs are something of a hidden treasure. Our frogs are tiny, of course, but also rare. Most New Zealanders will never have the opportunity to see a native frog,” Jen Germano says.
“These frogs have some interesting quirks that make them different from frogs in the rest of the world.
“One of their most unique traits is that our native frogs don’t croak, and they don’t have eardrums on the side of their head like frogs overseas. They are completely silent. So, if you hear a frog out in the wild, it’s one of the introduced Australian frogs.
“Also, Archey’s and Hamilton’s frogs don’t have tadpoles. The father frog guards the eggs and keeps them moist until they hatch. Then he cares for little froglets until they are ready to move away.
“Sadly, as with so many of New Zealand’s native species, frogs are under extreme pressure from predators, loss of habitat and, increasingly, climate change.
“The journal will add to our knowledge and, I hope, will help DOC, iwi, community groups and others to better protect these taonga,” Jen Germano says.
The journal’s articles cover the following topics and more:
the impact of rats and predator control on frogs
climate change impacts on frogs
frog habitats – some frogs are laying eggs in old tree trunks
trialling tiny frog monitors
frog translocations – what makes them a success and what doesn’t work.
Emeritus Professor Bishop was a world-renowned amphibian expert and was based in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago. He significantly raised the profile of New Zealand’s native frogs through numerous research papers and advocacy. He passed away in January 2021.
For many decades Denniston was the site of New Zealand’s largest producing coal mine. Today it is a Category 1 Historic Place, Tohu Whenua landmark and DOC Heritage Icon.
DOC Senior Heritage Advisor Tom Barker says work began in May to reconstruct a section knocked down by a slip.
“Stone wall work is not something we do every day, especially not on structures of this size and age. The DOC team which co-ordinated and led the work, and the local geotechnical company contracted to carry it out, did an amazing job.
“Many areas of Denniston, including the Brakehead site where the work was done, are legally protected archaeological sites as the area was occupied prior to 1900. We already had the archaeological authority to go ahead as that had been acquired for other remediation works at Denniston.
“The geotech company worked to secure the site, cleaned loose material off and stabilised the slip site with shotcrete and rock bolts”, he says. “They then employed a local stone mason to rebuild the historic wall, stone by stone, with an archaeologist and heritage expert called on for advice as needed.”
This reconstruction work was essential for the conservation of the site and visitor safety. The site has been successfully restored to pre-collapse state and is open for visitors again.
The work has been useful in informing the future management of Denniston, says Tom Barker.
“Denniston is a popular Buller heritage attraction, It has a series of significant sites but they are not as well connected as they could be. We’re going to work on improving how visitors flow through so they get the most enjoyment from all sites and stories.”
Once home to over 1,500 people, Denniston is now a ghost town. The rocky plateau offers magnificent views of coastal plains and ocean. Even when shrouded in mist the dramatic landscape is still breathtaking.
Visitors get a glimpse of the tough working and living conditions endured by miners and their families in this desolate 19th century industrial environment.
There are a number of relics and great heritage sites to explore, particularly the railway incline and the township.
Shorter walks at Denniston include the Brakehead and Coalbrookdale. For those wanting something a bit more challenging the Bridle Track, also known as the Denniston bridle path, reopened earlier this year following repairs.
The dog was seen by a witness on the beach carrying a dead seal pup in its mouth. The seal was recovered from the dog, and a postmortem was conducted to determine if the dog killed the seal or just found it.
While the dog’s owner said they did not see the dog attack the seal, the necropsy revealed puncture wounds and shaking trauma consistent with death by dog attack.
DOC Science Advisor Marine, Laura Boren, says this kind of death is entirely avoidable if people pay attention to their dogs.
“Walking your dog doesn’t just mean taking it somewhere and letting it do its thing, while you do your thing,” says Laura. “Being a responsible pet owner means ‘being present’ with your dog on a walk, interacting with it, paying attention to it. Had the owner been paying attention in this instance, the interaction might not have even happened.”
“If you’re going out on our beaches with your dogs, keep them monitored or leashed, especially if it looks like there are seals around. Pups cannot defend themselves, so it’s up to us as responsible owners to look out for them.”
DOC’s Lead the Way programme, in partnership with PD Insurance, provides dog owners with advice and tools to ensure you can be wildlife wise and safely exercise your dogs in nature while keeping wildlife and your dog safe.
PD Insurance COO Michelle LeLong says, “This heart-wrenching situation is a clear demonstration that pet owners need to be aware of what their dog is doing at all times while out and about, no matter how well behaved they are. Dogs are naturally curious, and this curiosity can unfortunately cause wildlife deaths, as well as serious health issues for the dog if they get into something that is rotting or toxic.
“We strongly urge all pet owners who enjoy New Zealand’s great outdoors to take a few minutes to read about the Lead the Way programme and how that can help dogs and wildlife live harmoniously.”
Queenstown tourism workers were hard hit by COVID-19. In 2021, Southern Lakes Sanctuary received Jobs for Nature funding to employ staff, such as ex-tourism worker and trapping volunteer Philip Green.
The AJ Hackett Bungy base in Queenstown is where you’ll find the office of GSD Workforce Ltd, and the GSD office is where you’ll find the engine room of the large-scale restoration project Southern Lakes Sanctuary.
Twenty-four months ago, this office was a storeroom and AJ Hackett Bungy staff were staring down the barrel of a tourist-free Queenstown thanks to the arrival of COVID-19. That is until an ambitious group of people, led by the Whakatipu Wildlife Trust, made a successful bid for Jobs for Nature funding and got the ball rolling on a large-scale predator control project.
Wendy Johnston, Katie Herries, Amber Stewart and Daniel Soares taking a break while deploying traps at Wye Creek. Photo: Philip Green
The mission
Southern Lakes Sanctuary’s long-term goal is to eradicate introduced mammalian predators across the catchments of Lake Whakatipu and Lake Wānaka. The Trust that oversees this project is a consortium of six local groups that collectively represent approximately 84 community groups, landowners, and businesses that have been working for many years to protect and restore biodiversity.
The Southern Lakes Sanctuary project now has 22 staff working on it. Various ex-tourism workers are using their ecology degrees, while others on the team are learning about ecology for the first time.
Southern Lakes Sanctuary is on track to achieve its Jobs for Nature funding agreement predator control target of 130,200 hectares. They’ve also been doing extensive predator and native species research and monitoring. They’ve provided their member groups with much-needed resourcing for traps and other equipment and supported them to expand where applicable.
They facilitate informative events for their member group volunteers. They already receive funding additional to Jobs for Nature and are actively seeking more funding so that they can continue long after their Jobs for Nature term ends in July 2024.
Wye Creek trap deployment. Daniel Soares, Wendy Johnston, Amber Stewart, and Philip Green. Photo: Katie Herries
Philip Green’s winding road to conservation
One of the 22 staff now working with Southern Lakes Sanctuary is ex-tourism worker Philip Green. Philip has had an interesting journey to becoming their Technical and Field Advisor. He started life in the North Island, where he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and maths at Auckland University, before hightailing overseas, discovering a passion for climbing, the environment and the outdoors. He spent time, amongst other things, as a Systems Engineer in Sydney and London, and a taxi driver in Sydney. Eventually, he and his partner Wendy moved to Christchurch.
In 1999, after looking longingly towards the mountainous country of the south for a few years, Philip and Wendy moved to Queenstown and started a wine tour business.
Philip joined the Queenstown Climbing Club committee and become their conservation officer after deploying predator traps in the popular climbing area Wye Creek. This is part of the Southern Lakes Sanctuary project area and is home to endangered birds such as kea, potentially rock wren, and native lizards. Philip was also involved in founding the Whakatipu Wildlife Trust, which is a consortium member group of Southern Lakes Sanctuary.
Two of the Wye Creek DOC200 traps are located at 2100 metres above sea level. Philip has a plausible claim that these are New Zealand’s highest permanent traps. And they catch stoats.
McCanns skink in the Wye Creek area. Photo: Philip Green
A mix of old-school and new-school techniques
As Technical and Field Advisor, Philip provides trapping advice to Southern Lakes Sanctuary and leads specific projects, primarily trap line expansion and research in the Whakatipu basin. He also does a fair amount of trap installation, trap servicing, and monitoring. With a solid understanding of health and safety management, he ensures their trap builders and field workers are signed off and competent to do their jobs. And he’s put his Information Technology skills to good use overseeing some of Southern Lakes Sanctuary’s data systems.
While working at the Southern Lakes Sanctuary HQ, Philip is surrounded by AT220 automated self-resetting traps in various stages of undress. With their sturdy plastic tops and wire mesh undersides these traps have the look of a solid, number 8 wire approach to trap development. But take off that plastic cover and there’s a bunch of efficient tech lurking in there. Southern Lakes Sanctuary have been using AT220 traps across their project area for six months or so now and they’ve been super impressed with this trap’s possum dispatching powers.
Southern Lakes Sanctuary has teamed up with technology company FTP Solutions. Philip is working with FTP to implement a remote monitoring system to eventually arm and disarm the trap, which includes installing cameras gathering information for Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to identify species. This means the trap would only be triggered to go off if there’s a target species, such as a possum, moseying up the entrance ramp. And non-target species such as kea would be safe to climb all over the trap to their heart’s content. This will be a very exciting development, as it means AT220s will be able to be deployed in kea habitat.
AJ Hackett Bungy has been amazing in their support of GSD and Southern Lakes Sanctuary. They’ve provided snug office space along with robust four-wheel drive vehicles for the team to get to rugged places. And GSD is supported by Bungy’s excellent administrative and safety systems.
Philip’s experience and interests are a good fit for Southern Lakes Sanctuary, and his passion for conservation has been obvious in the way he talks about the projects and people he works with.
“It’s an incredible environment to work in and a fantastic team,” he says of his Southern Lakes Sanctuary colleagues.
Date: 30 August 2023Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation, Office of the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries
“This Bill nearly triples marine protection in the Gulf with 19 new marine protection areas to help safeguard and restore its marine ecosystems for future generations,” Willow-Jean Prime said.
“The Bill focuses on at-risk, high value and representative habitats that are home to an enormous variety of marine life.
“It is clear that we need sustained action to protect the Hauraki Gulf. The diverse ecosystems of Auckland’s blue backyard are under pressure, impacting the marine and coastal wildlife we know and love.
“Increasing marine protection for the Gulf will help to heal this damage and revitalise the unique marine space.
“The Bill also supports tangata whenua in their role as kaitiaki and in exercising rangatiratanga and acknowledges the cultural value of Tīkapa Moana,” Willow-Jean Prime said.
The introduction of the Bill follows the recently released State of the Gulf Report which documents the ongoing decline of marine health.
“We have heard the call for a healthier marine environment with more abundant life. This legislation has been shaped by the aspirations of tangata whenua and local communities around Auckland, the Gulf Islands and the Coromandel,” Willow-Jean Prime said.
The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill includes:
Extending the country’s first marine reserve, Cape Rodney – Okakari Point Marine Reserve (Goat Island) and extending Whanganui A Hei (Cathedral Cove) Marine Reserve, on the Coromandel Peninsula.
Twelve new high protection areas to protect and restore marine ecosystems, while allowing for customary practices of tangata whenua.
Five new seafloor protection areas to preserve sensitive seafloor habitats by prohibiting bottom-contact fishing methods and other activities which harm the seafloor.
“This Bill is an important part of the Labour Government’s plan to protect the Gulf, and fits with my announcement that we will ban bottom-trawling from the vast bulk of the 1.2 million hectare marine park,” said Oceans and Fisheries Minister Rachel Brooking.
The Bill will now be considered by the Environment Select Committee and provides the opportunity for members of the public to submit their views on the Bill.
“The Select Committee process gives communities the opportunity to engage and give feedback and I encourage people to get involved in this important process.” Willow-Jean Prime said.
DOC Coromandel Operations Manager Nick Kelly says his team was alerted to the latest rockfall at the beach – which is thought to have occurred on Monday 28 August – after it was spotted by one of the local commercial boat operators.
Recent rockfall under the archway at Cathedral Cove. Image: DOC Whitianga
It is the latest in a series of rockfalls and landslides around the cove and its adjacent bays, which were heavily impacted by last summer’s extreme weather events including Cyclone Gabrielle.
The most recent rockfall has seen approximately two cubic metres of material fall to the beach below the arch, including rocks the size of large chilly bins. The debris field from the rockfall measures six metres by four metres.
Nick Kelly says although DOC has closed tracks to the beach, his staff are aware people continue to disregard warnings and are putting themselves at risk by venturing to the cove on foot.
“We’re really concerned people are not heeding the warnings,” he says. “We’ve consistently said the tracks are closed and there is a danger of rockfall at the beach which could lead to injury.
“I can’t stress this enough – please do not use the tracks, and do not stand or walk under the arch.”
Earlier this month, DOC anounced it had received a Landslide Risk Assessment Report for the site. After reviewing the report, and setting it against its own visitor safety framework, it announced damaged tracks would not be reinstated this summer.
Landing at the cove from the adjacent Te Whanganui a Hei Marine Reserve can resume in coming weeks and is currently being worked through.
DOC staff are in the process of decommissioning the toilets on the Cathedral beach, and is finalising an array of semi-permanent signage which will clearly warn of the rockfall risk and urge people to stay away from the arch and the cliff faces which dominate the cove.
Nick Kelly says his team is also working with commercial operators to ensure they have robust health and safety plans in place for visits to the beach.
“People planning to go to Cathedral Cove should properly inform themselves of the risk, and if they’re uncomfortable with the risk, they should seriously consider not visiting.”
DOC is also urging people planning to visit the cove from the sea – either on a commercial or private vessel – to familiarise themselves with marine reserve rules, and to check weather, tide and sea conditions before attempting to land on or reach the beach.
Representatives of Ngati Hei, the local iwi, have also visited Cathedral Cove and expressed grave concerns not only for public safety, but also cultural safety. A rahui remains in place over this site – restricting access – and DOC and Ngati Hei are asking the public and visitors to respect that.
A project team has been formed to develop options to reimagine the Cathedral Cove-Hahei coastal and conservation experience. Stakeholder and public engagement will form part of that work.
“We need to find resilient solutions to the long-term challenges at this site,” Nick Kelly says.
