“The most-loved experiences during peak times such as the holidays tend to book up quickly, but there’s plenty to choose from across the network,” DOC Heritage and Visitor Director Catherine Wilson says.
DOC has upgraded its booking system ready for Great Walks 2025/26 bookings, which open from 15 May 2025.
Catherine Wilson says people booking Great Walks will notice some changes this year.
“We’ve introduced a new industry-leading lobby system, similar to those used by concert-booking companies, so customers have a smoother experience, and we can better manage the very high demand when bookings first open.”
Catherine Wilson says opening dates are staggered – ten Great Walks 15 to 28 May, huts campsites and lodges 13 May to 4 June – to give people making multiple bookings a better chance of securing their preferred slot.
“We’ve re-shuffled the booking schedule* to balance demand across the weeks so the Kepler, Heaphy and Rakiura Great Walks open first on Wednesday 15 May, and the exceptionally popular Milford Track will open last on Wednesday 28 May.
“While the most popular Great Walks such as Milford and Routeburn book out very fast on the day, there are often cancellations so it’s worth keeping an eye on the booking website. Other experiences, such as Abel Tasman and Heaphy have more capacity and don’t generally book out on opening day.”
On opening morning, users logging into their DOC account will be redirected to the lobby and assigned a number. At 9.30 am the queue will start to move steadily into the booking system.
“We continue to ask users to be patient when booking. New Zealand’s Great Walks face massive demand with close to 100,000 people booking a Great Walk annually, 35% of whom are international visitors,” says Catherine Wilson.
“We’re lucky to have stunning mountains, forests, beaches, parks, lakes and rivers on our doorstep, and incredible tracks, huts and campsites for people to enjoy them.”
The Great Walks vary in their length, challenge, and the necessary skills and fitness required. Walkers are encouraged to read about the options on DOC’s website and pick the Great Walk best suited to their skills and experience.
As part of regular price reviews, customers may notice price increases at some facilities next season.
Price increases range between 5-15% for the Milford, Routeburn, Kepler, Abel Tasman Coast Track, and Paparoa Great Walks and several high-demand huts and cottages. Some of DOC’s standard and serviced campsites have increased by $3-$5 per person per night.
User charges contribute to the running costs of DOC’s recreation network, Catherine Wilson says.
“User fees are an increasingly important tool for improving the financial sustainability of the visitor network.
“New Zealand has a huge variety of DOC facilities with price points for all budgets. Just make sure you book huts, campsites, and cottages early to secure popular dates and times,” says Catherine Wilson.
DOC says the incident is a reminder for people to check their gear for wildlife before setting off, to prevent spreading them into new places where they could impact the local ecosystem.
Kim Ranger and her partner Ian were parked at Berlins campsite in the Buller Gorge on the West Coast over Easter weekend. As they packed up their camping gear and put it in their two vehicles, the weka took advantage of an open door and climbed into their Ford Ranger ute hiding in dog blankets.
Kim says Ian drove their ute the whole way home, including making a couple of stops, without realising the weka was a passenger in his vehicle.
“He didn’t hear it, didn’t see it, nothing. He got home to Christchurch and hopped out and didn’t notice the weka,” Kim says.
“When I got home, I opened the back door of the Ranger to get something there it was in the rear passenger footwell.
“I couldn’t stop laughing and then I came the realisation, what on earth do you do with a weka in Christchurch?”
Kim says they called the afterhours vets, the SPCA and DOC who all said to wait until the next morning. The couple gave the weka food and water and left it in the ute.
“The weka didn’t show any signs of being distressed, when you opened the door he just stood on the centre console and pooped – though he did set off the car alarm at 7 in the morning. The inside of the ute was literally covered in weka poop.”
Kim says they called the weka ‘Ranger’ given its temporary home and her last name.
DOC staff picked up the weka took it to the South Island Wildlife Hospital for a thorough check over. It was in good health apart from being a little bit dehydrated, so it was given some fluids.
DOC Biodiversity supervisor Craig Alexander says it’s a reminder to people to check their vehicles for any wildlife when camping or in the outdoors.
“We were able to get it back over to the West Coast in a small carrier cage on a bus and it was released near the area it had hitched a ride from.
“There are no wild weka in Christchurch so we wouldn’t want to see them accidentally introduced here. It’s a good reminder for people to be mindful about unintentionally transporting animals in their equipment.
“In the last few months, we also had someone accidentally bring two wētā over from the West Coast in their wetsuits. They did the right thing by calling DOC and we were able to take them back over to the Coast for release.
“Our native species are unique but, in many places, they’re doing it tough because of things like introduced predators and habitat loss. We don’t want to accidentally introduce new species – even native ones – into places they don’t belong as they could have unexpected impacts on our ecosystems. Every person, business and community has a role in protecting and restoring nature.
“If you do find a native animal has snuck into some of your gear and hitched a ride somewhere it shouldn’t have, please contact DOC on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) for advice on what to do next.”
Kim Ranger also echoes that message and is keen for people to know who to call if they have a surprise hitchhiker like she and Ian did.
In the meantime, she says it’s been a big job getting the ute clean.
“It was such a funny end to our camping trip. I’m just glad Ranger is back where he belongs.”
Date: 05 May 2025Source: Office of the Minister of Conservation
“Today, the Department of Conservation – Te Papa Atawhai is releasing two discussion documents for public consultation, and I encourage all New Zealanders to read them and share their views.
“Our beloved biodiversity provides a world-class wealth of environmental and economic benefits for Aotearoa New Zealand. However, more than 4,000 of our precious species are threatened or at risk of extinction so we must work harder and smarter to protect biodiversity.”
Proposed actions to progress the Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020 cover four themes:
Prioritising species and habitats for action;
Increasing revenue and non-government funding for biodiversity;
Improving evidence and knowledge for effective decision making; and
Growing capability by developing the right skills.
“Feedback will help central, regional and local government create and deliver an implementation plan to 2030 that reflects New Zealanders’ aspirations for conservation action,” Mr Potaka says.
“We’re also consulting on next steps toward our ambitious goal of a predator free New Zealand by 2050, which was first launched by National nine years ago.
“Predator Free 2050 is one of the Department of Conservation’s key biodiversity programmes addressing the threat of introduced predators to our unique nature.”
Key areas for public feedback on the Predator Free 2050 strategy are:
New goals to achieve by 2030; and
The list of target predators.
“The rapid development of new eradication tools and methods and impressive community trapping efforts across the motu are delivering significant results.
“It’s time to take stock and ensure we are focussed on achieving the right things together for the next five years,” Mr Potaka says.
The discussion documents are available on the Department of Conservation website. Consultation closes on 30 June 2025.
Kua tukuna ngā kaupapa kōrero mō te whakapakari i te rerenga rauropi
Toitū te taiao
E whiriwhiri ana te Kāwanatanga i ngā marohitanga e whai nei ki te whakapakari i te whakahaumarutanga o te rerenga rauropi me ōna painga mō ngā uri whakaheke te take, hei tā te Minita Whāomoomo, hei tā Tama Potaka.
“Nō te rangi nei, ka tukuna atu e Te Papa Atawhai ētahi puka kōrero e rua hei whiriwhiri mā te marea, ā, e akiaki ana ahau i ngā tāngata katoa o Aotearoa ki te pānui i ēnei puka, ki te tuku mai hoki i ō rātou whakaaro.
“Ko tā te rerenga rauropi he whāngai i te nui taioreore o ngā painga ā-taiao, ā-ohaoha hoki ki Aotearoa nei. Engari, ka nui ake i te 4,000 o ā tātou momo kararehe me ngā momo tipu e noho whakaraerae ana, ko ētahi kua tata korehāhā, nā reira me whakapakari tātou i ā tātou mahi me ā tātou rautaki kia pai ake ai te whakahaumaru i te rerenga rauropi.”
E whā ngā kaupapa matua e kitea ana i ngā mahi e whakaarotia ana hei whakatinana i Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020, arā:
Ko te whakaarotau i ngā momo me ngā nōhanga hei whakamahinga;
Ko te whakanui ake i te moniwhiwhi me te pūtea kāore e whakahaerehia ana e te kāwanatanga mō te rerenga rauropi;
Ko te whakapakari i te taunaki me te mōhiotanga kia pai ake ai te mahi whakatau; ka mutu
Ko te whakatupu i te āheitanga mā te whakawhanake i ngā pūkenga e tika ana.
“Mā te whakahoki kōrero ka āwhinatia te kāwanatanga ā-motu, ā-rohe, ā-hapori ki te waihanga, ki te whakatū hoki i tētahi mahere whakatinana mō te tau 2030 e whakaatu atu ana i ngā wawata o ngā tāngata o Aotearoa mō te mahi whāomoomo,” hei tā Potaka.
“Kei te whiriwhiri hoki mātou i ngā mahi e whai ake nei kia tata atu rā tātou ki tō tātou whāinga matua ki tētahi Aotearoa e noho kaikonihi-kore ana i mua i te tau 2050, nā Nāhinara i whakarewa i te tuatahi i te iwa tau ki muri.
“Ko Kaikonihi-Kore 2050 tētahi o ngā kaupapa matua mō te rerenga rauropi a Te Papa Atawhai e aro atu ana ki te whakamōreareatanga a ngā kaikonihi kua kawea mai rā ki tō tātou taiao motuhake nei.”
Ko ngā aronga matua hei whakahoki kōrero mā te marea i roto i te rautaki o Kaikonihi-Kore 2050 ko:
Ngā whāinga hou hei whakatutuki i mua i te 2030; ka mutu
Ko tētahi rārangi o ngā kaikonihi matua.
“Nā runga i te tere o te whakarite i ngā taputapu me ngā tukanga whakamōtī e hou ana me te whakamīharo o ngā mahi whakarite rore ā-hapori huri noa i te motu, e kitea ana te nui o ngā putanga pai.
“Kua tae ki te wā e aro atu ai tātou ki te mahi, ki te whakatutuki ngātahi i ngā mahi e tika ana kia kawea i ngā tau e rima e tū mai nei,” hei tā Potaka.
Kei runga ngā puka kōrero i te pae tukutuku a Te Papa Atawhai. Ka kati te whiriwhiri hei te Mane, te 30 o Hune, 2025.
We have started the process of opening Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere to the sea. Machinery is onsite and a sea connection will be made as soon as sea conditions allow in coming days.
Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere is the largest lake in Canterbury and has no natural outlet to the sea. The lake is normally opened two to three times a year and closes naturally,
Openings are jointly managed by Ngāi Tahu and us and governed by the National Water Conservation Order and a suite of resource consents.
Opening Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere
Consultation for a lake opening started on Monday 28 April and was completed by the afternoon of Tuesday 29 April, with a joint decision to open the lake when conditions were suitable. The same afternoon the lake height reached 1.13m, a level that permits opening, but it was not physically possible to carry out due to sea conditions.
The success of a lake opening depends heavily on favourable weather conditions. Wind strength, wind direction, sea swell, wave directions and the tides are all factors that can affect openings.
In difficult weather and adverse sea conditions, multiple attempts may be necessary, and a successful opening may take weeks or even months to achieve. An opening is considered “successful” when it persists for at least four days (the amount of time required on average to lower the lake level below the opening threshold).
Conditions now suitable for lake opening
With sea conditions slowly improving, we have started the process of opening the lake to the sea.
“While we’ve started the process of opening, current conditions including large sea swells mean the cut could still fill in. Opening the lake is a complex process of balancing values, safety and timing with the weather conditions,” said Leigh Griffiths, General Manager Hazards.
Attempting to open the lake at lower lake levels is also difficult as appropriate flow to the sea is required – any lower lake level opening before this event would have likely failed due to large sea swells.
“It’s not uncommon for the lake level to be high, and it isn’t always something we can prevent. Due to sea level rise and a changing climate, we will need to consider different solutions to increase flood resilience for the local communities.”
We are working collaboratively with Civil Defence, District Councils and other agencies and updating our flood warning webpage with the latest information.
It’s more than 4 years since the $1.2 billion Jobs for Nature programme was set up as part of the COVID-19 recovery package. DOC has managed about 40 percent of the funding, allocated to 225 projects, many of which had a focus on enhancing the biodiversity of freshwater habitat and ecosystems.
Our established Ngā Awa river restoration programme works in Treaty partnership in 12 river catchments across the country, taking a mountains-to-sea approach. The rivers are diverse, ranging from Waipoua in Northland to Taiari (Taieri) in Otago, and reflect the variations of climate, soil type, vegetation and land uses in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The existing partnerships enabled us to support mana whenua (people with authority over the land) and local groups to apply for Jobs for Nature grants with a focus on river restoration in their catchments. A total of $42,918,000 went to freshwater restoration projects in Ngā Awa rivers. This significant investment has supported ‘boots on the ground’ work known to improve the biodiversity of waterways.
Restoration planting and fencing beside a tributaryof theRakitata River | Sarah Wilcox, DOC
As many of the projects are now wrapping up, it’s a good opportunity to celebrate the successes and reflect on what’s been achieved for freshwater and the local river communities. This article focuses on work to date in three Ngā Awa rivers, with selected data used to illustrate progress. All figures were current in January 2025.
Whanganui River, Central North Island
• Number of plants added to riparian or wetland areas: 373,958 and other areas 56,530. • New fencing: 129,513m, fencing maintained: 10,218m. • Area treated for weeds: 159.01ha, area treated for pests: 512ha. • Total employment starts: 158. • Project completion date: September 2025.
The Mouri Tūroa project, valued at $7.86 million, is a partnership between DOC and Ngā Tāngata Tiaki o Whanganui with the goal of improving the health and wellbeing of Te Awa Tupua.
Gordon Cribb (Whanganui iwi), project manager, says the project is based around a relationship with the Whanganui River and guided by Tupua te Kawa, the value system that recognises the interdependence of the land and river.
“We’ve kept the project team small to efficiently bring together local suppliers and businesses with landowners to get the work done – 68 contractors and 5 nurseries have been connected to a wide range of landowners via 136 expressions of interest.”
Fencing stock out of wetlands and tributaries was a priority. “It mitigates pollution by reducing the amount of sediment going into waterways, as well as supporting landowners to comply with the stock exclusion regulations. Many of the fenced areas have been planted with natives, with pest control in place to keep the survival rate high.
“The only way we’re going to see an improvement in water quality, biodiversity and ecosystem health is through collective efforts across all landowner types. It’s encouraging to see farmers, hapū, marae and community groups taking ownership of the restoration work.”
A completed farm fencing projectin theWhanganui River catchment | Gordon Cribb
Ko Waikanae Te Awa, Kāpiti Coast
• Number of plants added to riparian, lake or wetland areas: 22,300, and other areas: 114,300. • New fencing: 6,700m. • Area treated for possums or goats: 2,578ha. • Total employment starts: 94, people completed formal training: 67. • Project completion date: December 2024.
Groundtruth Ltd received the $8.5 million Mahi mō te Taiao – Waikanae Jobs for Nature contract, partnering with Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai. Kristie Parata of Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai was the iwi (tribal) coordinator.
“The model here was to run a practical three-month conservation and land management training programme with groups of six to eight tauira (students). Tauira then moved into teams working as kaitiaki (carers) and kaimahi (trainees) on their awa and whenua, caring for the environment. Ten groups were trained.
Kaimahi arawai learning about stream health with DOC staff as part of their training, Maungakōtukutuku Stream | Ashley Alberto, DOC
“Our kaimahi learned a wide range of skills, including plant propagation, environmental monitoring, fencing, track cutting, and pest control. Many reconnected with their past and heritage, and discovered new life paths and future goals. One said, ‘I thought I was here to save the taiao (nature) but found the taiao was saving me.’”
Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai Charitable Trust has transitioned elements of the project including some kaimahi and the new plant nursery, into an iwi-led environmental business to continue the restoration work in the Waikanae catchment and iwi rohe (area).
Four years have passed, and the river speaks differently now. The Waikanae flows steady, its waters no longer weighed by the silence of neglect. We’ve begun to mend its edges, to tend its wounds, but the work is far from finished. Each effort, a first step on a path that stretches beyond us. – Excerpt from poem by Dan Dupont, Training and Operations Manager, Groundtruth Ltd
Kaitiaki and tauira of Waikanae Jobs for Nature at the closing celebration, December 2024, Otaraua Park, Waikanae | Sarah Wilcox, DOC
Rakitata (Rangitata) River, Canterbury
Three Jobs for Nature projects have supported restoration work in this river. Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua received $2.75 million for the Arowhenua Native Nursery and $8.7 million for restoration work in the lower river. The Upper Rangitata Gorge Landcare Group was awarded $7.3 million to lead restoration work in the upper river.
Funding for the nursery ended in December 2024 and the business is now transitioning to a commercial wholesale model. Funding for the restoration projects ends in March 2026.
Totals across the projects are as follows: • Number of plants produced: 616,236. • Number of plants added to riparian, lake or wetland areas: 257,869. • New fencing: 124,631m. • Area treated for weeds: 81,250ha. • Area treated for rats, mustelids and other animal pests: 122,364ha. • Area treated for wallabies: 107,935ha.
Arowhenua Native Nursery | Brad Edwards, DOC
Brad Edwards, DOC’s Ngā Awa river ranger for the Rakitata River, is proud of how work across the different projects has come together.
“Every project is important, from seed collection and propagation at the nursey, to the crews out preparing the ground and planting, maintenance work while the plants get going, extensive fencing to keep stock out of the riverbed and the landscape-scale pest control.”
As well as trapping sediment and nutrients, the planting is creating a native corridor along the whole river. Established trees will be seed sources for birds to spread into new areas.
A predator control network of more than 3,500 traps has been set up and maintained to protect the threatened birds that nest on the riverbed, including ngutu pare/wrybill and tarapirohe/black-fronted tern. Predator catches for 2024 totalled 2,828 hedgehogs, 368 feral cats and 479 stoats.
“The variety and scale of what’s been achieved through Jobs for Nature is absolutely staggering.”
Jobs for Nature team planting beside Deep Stream, a spring-fed tributary of the Rakitata River, in October 2024 | Greg Wilkinson
Measuring changes and benefits
Anyone who works in freshwater knows that making change is a long-term game. It can take years for positive changes, like more fish, improved water quality or a reduction in sediment, to show up. Monitoring has therefore been part of these projects, so future changes can be tracked.
An October 2024 impact report by MartinJenkins1 estimated that the DOC-managed Jobs for Nature projects will deliver a return of $4 for every $1 spent. This figure is based on economic, environmental and wellbeing benefits, such as avoided irrigation loss, improved farm productivity, and reduced youth unemployment, water treatment costs and human health risks.
In its approach to Jobs for Nature, DOC chose to put people first and trust the work would follow. The benefits for people, however, are also significant for freshwater. Many people employed said they had formed a much deeper relationship with the place and the river, which could bring further lasting benefits for nature in the long term.
Date: 01 May 2025Source: Released by Ngāi Tahu 01/05/2025
11-year-old Taeatanga, one of the three male kākāpō currently living within the sanctuary as part of a fenced habitat trial, started booming in December and 6-year-old Tautahi followed suit. It’s unknown if Bunker, the third and youngest male at the site, boomed this year.
Booming is one aspect of the elaborate breeding behaviour of male kākāpō, designed to attract the attention of potential mates.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu representative on the Kākāpō Recovery Group Tāne Davis says that this occurrence is a significant milestone for the iwi involved in caring for and protecting these precious taonga.
“The iwi ki te iwi (iwi to iwi) transfer of these kākāpō from Ngāi Tāhu to Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Raukawa, Ngāti Hauā, and Waikato was a commitment to share kaitiakitanga of these manu,” Tāne Davis says.
“While males booming does not necessarily mean that the maunga will be a successful breeding site in future, it is a clear sign that the manu are feeling at home and comfortable to exhibit their natural behaviours,” he says.
Ngāti Korokī Kahukura representative and Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari Cultural Advocate and Educator, Bodie Taylor says having these manu at Maungatuatari is an honour and mana whenua continues to take the role of whāngai (fostering) of these taonga very seriously.
“Hearing the booming of kākāpō back on Maungatautari is a privilege and a testament to the importance and success of our relationship with Ngāi Tahu. We are looking forward to the next steps in this journey to hopefully welcoming female kākāpō to Maungatautari one day, and the opportunity of being able to contribute to the population growth of these precious manu,” he says.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari Chief Executive Helen Hughes wholeheartedly supports this, saying that this incredible step in the journey of kākāpō at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is to be truly celebrated.
“It has been a wonderful, and at times challenging, 18 months of learning, both for the birds and for everyone involved in this ground-breaking recovery effort. Our team of dedicated sanctuary rangers, who care for these birds daily, are gaining and sharing vital knowledge about their behaviour on Maungatautari and the booming is an extremely positive sign for the future of kākāpō at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari,” she says.
DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme Operations Manager Deidre Vercoe said the news was an encouraging early indication that the habitat may be suitable for the males, however it was still too early to know whether the site could one day support a breeding population.
“There are a lot of factors at play. These males have been supplementary fed over the last six months to help with the challenges of keeping them settled inside the fenceline. It is likely this has helped them reach booming condition, so we don’t know if they would boom on the maunga without this feeding. Males have also been known to boom without the presence of females before, at island sites that didn’t support a breeding population. It will be many years before we know enough about this site and its future for kākāpō.”
Deidre said the sound of kākāpō booming would have been prolific throughout the country before the arrival of humans and mammalian predators. She dreams that will be true again one day.
“Knowing we have helped return that sound to mainland Aotearoa after decades of kākāpō existing only on offshore islands is very special. There is a long way to go, but milestones like this offer an exciting glimpse into the future we are striving for, when kākāpō can live safely amongst us once again.”
Background information
About the fenced habitat trial
The site trial at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari began in July 2023. Ten male kākāpō were introduced to the trial in total, but seven have since been returned to the southern islands to help reduce the significant monitoring workload following multiple breaches of the fence.
Three males continue to live at the site, helping provide crucial lessons for the future of this critically endangered species. The trial is run by DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme, with support from its National Partner Meridian Energy, together with Treaty Partner Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Ngāti Hauā, Raukawa and Waikato.
Kākāpō breeding behaviour
For more information on the elaborate breeding behaviour of male kākāpō see Kākāpō behaviour.
Invasive predators like rats, stoats, and possums are putting pressure on nature, and are part of the reason New Zealand has one of the highest rates of threatened species in the world.
With the support of the Department of Conservation (DOC), Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) is presenting the Level 3 unit Predator Trapping Methods at the DOC Simmonds Rd workshop.
DOC Community Ranger Garry Davis says there are 12 spots still available, and DOC Whanganui will fund a limited number of people to attend free of charge.
“We’re looking to sponsor people who will be willing to share their skills further, whether it be to their neighbours or with other parts of the community.”
The in-person workshop allows participants to develop understanding and practical skills in a supportive environment.
“The course is aimed at anyone interested in predator control and will benefit those who would like to trap predators on their property or in the community,” says Garry.
DOC Kaitohu Matua Treaty Partner Relationships Moira Rihia is a Taumarunui local, and thinks the time is right for the trapping workshop.
“We are passionate team for the taiao here in Taumarunui, and unsurprisingly we’re seeing growing community interest in trapping and other ways to protect nature.
“We know DOC can’t do it alone. There’s nature everywhere in our communities, it’s not just wrapped up in conservation land. All of us can contribute to make a real difference to the places we love – and predator trapping is one way to help.”
For more information or to register your interest, email gdavis@doc.govt.nz.
Background information
Course information is on the NMIT website, but sponsored positions are only available by contacting DOC.
The 13-hectare forest near Eyrewell in North Canterbury is in the Motu Kānuka Scientific Reserve, which sits within a vast sea of privately owned farmland.
DOC Biodiversity Ranger Christina Stet says when she’s sitting in the middle of the kānuka forest island or motu on the flat expanse of the plains, she feels like she’s travelled back hundreds of years.
“Everything around it has been cleared, and yet amazingly this motu has remained. It’s an incredibly special ecosystem and provides a home for many threatened and at-risk species, shrubs, lichen, moss, insects, lizards, and birds. I feel very passionate about protecting it as many of these species are extremely rare on the Canterbury Plains.”
DOC purchased the forest through the Nature Heritage Fund in 2019. There were many threats to contend with including introduced grasses, gorse, broom, and pests, which impact the native plants and animals. It was pure luck the native kānuka forest had survived for so long.
Christina and DOC’s biodiversity team had a challenge. How could they protect the existing forest and increase its size by encouraging more kānuka to grow?
“We heard ECAN (Environment Canterbury) was trialling a new technique of reforestation in kānuka reserves. The idea was to try and create a giant ‘seed tray’. With help from their biodiversity fund, we cleared the invasive grasses near the adult trees and hoped the kānuka seeds would be blown across and land on the cleared soil and grow. The famous Canterbury nor’ wester blew and suddenly, these little seedlings started sprouting. I was so stoked to see how they’ve thrived.”
Christina says they hope to create a ‘seed tray’ on another side of Motu Kānuka.
“The bigger the buffer we can make, the more resilient the forest will be. What I love is being able to make a difference. We’ve proven in many parts of the country that when we remove or manage the threats to nature or restore habitats, they come back and thrive. Every individual action counts,” she says.
“We want to make sure this little ancient island stays this way for generations to come as once it disappears, it’s gone for good. This is part of our heritage and a wonderful snapshot of the past. This motu is a reminder of the resilience of nature, but more often now, it needs a helping hand.”
The Motu Kānuka Scientific Reserve requires a permit to visit.
Watch a video of Christina Stet in the Motu Kānuka.
A second video of Christina explaining how her giant ‘seed tray’ works is also available via DOC’s social media channels.
And slowly but surely, it’s paid off. The 221ha property with 630 cows, located on the outskirts of Culverden in the Amuri Basin, had seen a significant reduction in nitrate in the water and a dramatic improvement to the health of its ecosystem. But those results didn’t come overnight.
The team at Pukatea Dairy Farm had spent the last two decades investing in:
draining systems
sediment traps
riparian planting, particularly around the wetlands.
Water testing showed that the level of nitrogen that came into the farm was reduced by 95 per cent after it was filtered through the drains and wetland.
Stuart said they wanted to be sustainable, resilient and offer a meaningful experience for everyone involved in the operation.
“I think sometimes there’s a bit too much focus on short-term profit in farming and I get that, I used to be a sharemilker, but what we’ve learnt is you can forgo a little profit to make yourself more resilient later.”
In the last few years, the weather demonstrated that. The farm produced results even in years with challenging conditions.
The farm was fortunate to have heavier soils than other parts of the basin, which meant they had greater drought resilience. But heavier soils meant keeping a careful balance with soil moisture monitoring.
“We worked out that our pasture doesn’t like being wet all the time,” Stuart said.
Reducing the farm’s carbon emissions
Another significant change was steering away from a more intensive farm system. This move was driven by a desire to prioritise animal welfare and create a more enjoyable work environment. In return, it has improved both the herd’s health and the farm’s overall sustainability.
Stuart said one of the big issues with dairy farming was intensity, which translated to how many cows and how much brought-in feed you had in your system.
“[It’s] about your carbon footprint, your environmental effects and what we are trying to do is run within the capacity of the land. I think the data is showing that we are not far away.”
Over the last ten years, Stuart reduced the number of cows in his paddock from 700 to 630. Three years ago, he took deintensification further by decreasing the number of weekly milkings from 14 to ten.
In turn, this decreased his replacement rate (the number of cows he kept as a buffer to replace the cows that couldn’t get pregnant) from 25 to 18 per cent and halved the farm’s empty cow rate.
Recognition for sustainable and ethical farming
Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA) judges commended Stuart and his team for creating an outstanding operation that consistently chose the right path over the easy one.
The judges said the farm’s long-term environmental initiatives, strategic grazing practices, and unwavering commitment to ethical, sustainable farming served as an inspiration to others in the industry.
Stuart also took home:
The Environment Canterbury Water Quality Award
The Dairynz Sustainability and Stewardship Award
The FMG Risk Management Award.
Our Water and Land Northern Team Leader, Andrew Arps, said what stood out to him was the enduring nature of their efforts, as it hadn’t been a quick or easy journey.
“It’s been about consistent, thoughtful improvements, with a focus on sustainable land management that goes well beyond regulatory requirements.”
“One of the powerful things about Stuart’s approach is that it recognises how small actions, when done collectively and consistently, can make a real and lasting difference for water quality and land health. It’s a mindset that doesn’t chase short-term fixes but looks at the bigger picture, and it’s clear that this way of working is paying off.”
Award winner Stuart Neill, Water and Land Northern Team Leader Andrew Arps, Mike Hennessy from Amuri Irrigation and Ross Bishop from DairyNZ at the Pukatea Dairy Farm
Andrew said Stuart’s success reflected the input of those around him as he was open to advice, willing to consider different perspectives, and not afraid of robust discussions to find the best way forward.
“That kind of leadership and collaboration is exactly what we need more of across the region.
“All of this made Stuart a very deserving recipient of our water quality award. His work sets a great example for others.”
