NEWSLETTER - Little Barrier Island Supporters Trust

lIttle BarrIer IslaND suPPorters trust
P a t r o n : D o n B inn e y O B E
P O B o x 4 8 - 2 3 2 B l o c k h o u s e B a y A u c k l a nd 0 6 4 4
w w w. l i t t l e b a r r i e r i s l a nd . o r g . n z
Newsletter
I s s u e 2 5 M a y 2 0 1 1
FROM THE CHAIR
Since the last newsletter we have had a change of guard on the
island with Shane finishing up his term and Richard Walle taking
over. The Trustees wish to thank Shane for his cooperative and
accommodating approach to our support of the island. We wish
Shane all success in his future postings. He has been appointed
a ranger at Kawau island, so he is not far away. Of course, we
warmly welcome Richard and his family, Leigh, Mahina and Liam,
and look forward to a productive time ahead for them on the
island.
We also welcome Nichollette Brown as Liz’s replacement and we
will offer every bit of assistance we can to her vital work.
Again, a big thanks to our major sponsors of recent times, the
Lion Foundation and the ASB Trust, for funding the attack on the
pampas invasion.
John Hagen
Chairman
I n thi s i s s u e
Shane McInnes bids farewell������������������������������������������������������� 2
Ngati Manuhiri settlement���������������������������������������������������������� 3
Working weekends��������������������������������������������������������������������� 5
Asparagus in retreat�������������������������������������������������������������������� 6
Ruud’s Ravings��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7
Hauturu birds island-hop������������������������������������������������������������� 8
Dates and details������������������������������������������������������������������������ 8
Miriam Godfrey
Ne w ra n g er s w e l come d
It was to have been a ‘welcome’ on the island but in the end
the weather, and very rough seas, stood in the way. So one
Saturday early in May the Little Barrier Island Supporters Trust
trustees gathered at the DOC offices in Warkworth and were
delighted to meet and then have lunch with the island’s new
rangers, Richard Walle and his family (wife Leigh and children
Mahina, 8, and Liam, 6), and Nichollette Brown.
They were leaving for the island, by helicopter, that very day
and were finishing off some last-minute packing. The trustees
appreciated the time they made available on a momentous
day. Ahead of them all are three years in a wonderful new
environment, and they all appeared to be thrilled to bits about
getting to know their new home.
They are used to remote places. Richard and Leigh have been
working for DOC on Maud Island in the Marlborough Sounds
for the last three years, and before that both of them go a long
way back with DOC, working for the department on Stewart
Island, on the West Coast and in Northland among other places.
Leigh’s PhD is in kakapo home range and habitat, and she and
Richard met when he was her field assistant. She will continue
to home school her children and is well used to the household
management that you need when supplies only come once a
fortnight by boat. Getting enough library books for the children
will be one of her biggest challenges.
Nichollette, whose Masters is in Biological Sciences, has most
recently been working as an environmental manager for
Fletcher Construction. But a six-month stint on remote Raoul
‘One of the highlights of the week was the biennial weigh
and measure of the captive tuatara. It was nice to meet our
new charges up close and personal. It has only been now, in
the weekend, that I have had a chance to explore beyond the
house compound and have had two days wandering up and
down tracks familiarising myself with the birds and plants of
the island. My favourite track so far is the John Drew Memorial
Track up the Tirikakawa Stream.
Richard and his family are equally delighted. ‘It feels incredible
to wake up every day and realise that Hauturu is going to be
home for the next three years,’ he says. ‘We feel extremely
privileged and very excited about living and working here, and
having the opportunity to spend the next few years exploring
and getting to know more about the island and its history.’
Miriam Godfrey
Island last year, and some volunteer work in the kakapo recovery
programme, sparked a taste for conservation work and island
life and she is very excited about living on Hauturu. The Hauturu
editor caught up with them by email after they had been on the
island for a week and asked them about their first impressions.
‘The abundance of wildlife is amazing!’ reported Nichollette.
‘Our first night, while having an improvised dinner of leftovers
from the lunch with the Little Barrier Island Supporters Trust
and a few beers, we were surrounded by calling kiwis and
were lucky enough to see one sauntering down the bunkhouse
track in front of us. In the morning the dawn chorus serenaded
us, making it impossible to stay in bed past sun-up. The other
morning, I was amazed to find a pair of kokako peering in my
ranch slider, perhaps looking for approval for their morning
symphony. I definitely approved!
Fare w e l l from
Sha n e M c I n n e s
As some of you may know, I started work on Hauturu in 1999
as a member of the weed team back when Irene Petrove was
resident ranger on the island. I was here when the first ‘work
and walk’ weekend happened and fell in love with the place. I
took a ‘permanent’ position here in 2005 and then took over
from Pete Barrow as the island’s head ranger in 2007, and along
with Liz have enjoyed the highs and lows of living on Hauturu.
After five-and-a-half years it is time to move on to other
challenges and adventures.
Richard says the most striking difference to Maud Island is
Hauturu’s sheer size. ‘And the amazing, mature forest. Pausing
to listen to the haunting kokako song, kiwi calling at night, bats
skimming over the bush on dusk, kaka flying overhead with
the sun setting and the new moon rising, saddlebacks in our
garden, hihi hopping through the branches ... amazing!’
I have seen this little Trust move from strength to strength and
it is no mean feat to establish a group like this, with its many
followers, with such a difficult place to access. I think you all
have done a marvellous job with not only fundraising for worthy
projects such as the tuatara and weed programmes but also
through the advocacy that you have provided, making sure that
conservation in general is the message that people receive. Rest
assured that Hauturu is much better off for all the effort that
you guys put into this place. Well done!
The children were really excited to see a kiwi up-close on the
first night, he reported, watching it probe the ground then
slowly walk off through the undergrowth. ‘They love spotting
saddlebacks and kakariki, riding their bikes through the deep
puddles on the track after the rain, snorkelling in the sea on a
calm, sunny afternoon, swimming in the creek and playing under
the pohutukawa on the beach.
Looking forward, we have lots of new challenges and
opportunities for the island and I hope Little Barrier Island
Supporters Trust, DOC and iwi can move this little piece of
paradise forward together. With all the groundwork that has
been laid in the past, I know this is possible. If everyone thinks
about the real residents of this motu (ie. the flora and fauna)
then everything will be choice.
‘Shane and Liz have done a fantastic job on the island,’ Richard
continued, ‘and it was great having Shane here to give us a
rundown on the systems and infrastructure, as well as giving
each other a hard time and having a few laughs! Shane’s been
extremely helpful and luckily he is close by in case we need
him in the future! It’s really nice sharing this special place with
Nichollette and we’re looking forward to the weta team and
Hauturu Supporters groups arriving.
I would like to thank you all for the support you have given me
and Liz over the last few years. It has been hugely appreciated.
I would also like to thank the two main ‘tour guides’, Judy and
Lyn, for their enthusiasm in making sure all the people they
bring to the island get the experience that they are after.
‘As a family, we’ve already had lots of magical, special moments
on Hauturu, watching the sunsets, enjoying the birdsong and
being in such a beautiful place ... and we’ve only been here a
week! It’s wonderful to think that there are many more weeks
to look forward to!’
2
I hope you will welcome Richard Walle and family along with
Nichollette Brown into their roles as the new Hauturu rangers. I
know they will do a great job and are up to the challenges that
lie ahead.
Take care
Shane McInnes
H a u t u r u I s s u e 2 5
–
N g ati M a n u hiri Sett l eme n t
The Crown and Ngäti Manuhiri signed a deed of settlement
that includes Hauturu on 21 May 2011. The following article
is extracted from the Office of Treaty Settlement’s website.
The Ngäti Manuhiri Deed of Settlement will be the final
settlement of all historical claims of Ngäti Manuhiri resulting
from acts or omissions by the Crown prior to 21 September
1992 and is made up of a package that includes: an agreed
historical account and Crown acknowledgements, which form
the basis for a Crown Apology to Ngäti Manuhiri; cultural
redress, and financial and commercial redress.
No private land is affected by the redress, only Crown land.
The benefits of the settlement will be available to all members
of Ngäti Manuhiri, wherever they live. Ngäti Manuhiri’s area
of interest extends along the east coast and inland from
Bream Tail in the north to Whangaparaoa in the south, and
includes Hauturu/Little Barrier Island Nature Reserve. Ngäti
Manuhiri are the descendants of the tupuna Manuhiri, the
eldest son of Maki, and as such are affiliated to the broader Te
Kawerau confederation. Ngäti Manuhiri have close whakapapa
connections with Ngäti Wai. Ngäti Manuhiri are based at
Omaha Marae near Leigh.
On 22 December 2009, the Minister for Treaty Waitangi
Negotiations on behalf of the Crown delivered a formal
Crown offer to the MOKO Trust for the Ngäti Manuhiri Treaty
settlement. The MOKO Trust accepted the offer and signed an
agreement in principle with the Crown.
Ngäti Manuhiri were represented in negotiations by the trustees
of the MOKO Trust. It is proposed the settlement assets will be
received by a new entity called the Ngäti Manuhiri Settlement
Trust. The MOKO Trust is currently ratifying the settlement
and the proposed governance entity with the Ngäti Manuhiri
community.
Ngäti Manuhiri did not sign the Treaty of Waitangi but with
the arrival of the Colonial government they developed cordial
relationships with Crown officials.
In 1841 the Crown purchased an extensive area called
“Mahurangi and ämaha”, which included much of the lands in
which Ngäti Manuhiri held customary interests. Ngäti Manuhiri
were not consulted about the sale and the Crown did not
H a u t u r u I s s u e 2 5
By the 1850s, when the Crown recognised Ngäti Manuhiri
interests in these lands, settlers had begun to move into the
area and Ngäti Manuhiri were left with no option other than
to accept compensation and inadequate reserves, rather than
overturning the sale itself. The Crown also carried out further
purchases from 1853 that overlapped with the “Mahurangi and
Ömaha” lands, and paid generally low prices for those lands.
In 1844 the Crown punished a Ngäti Manuhiri chief for his role
in a muru (ritualised plunder for compensation) of settlers at
Matakana by pressuring him to cede his ancestral interests in
land outside the Ngäti Manuhiri area of interest.
Miriam Godfrey
On 24 June 2009, Sir Douglas Graham delivered a proposal
to the iwi/hapü of the Kaipara, Mahurangi, Tämaki Makaurau
and Hauraki regions. This proposed that Ngäti Manuhiri enter
direct negotiations with the Crown for the settlement of
their historical Treaty claims. At a hui-a-iwi in July 2009, Ngäti
Manuhiri gave the Manuhiri Omaha Kaitiakitanga Ora Trust
(‘MOKO Trust’) an interim mandate to negotiate a deed of
settlement with the Crown. Negotiations between the Crown
and Ngäti Manuhiri then progressed in parallel with a formal
mandating process. At a series of hui-a-iwi in late 2009, Ngäti
Manuhiri gave the MOKO Trust a mandate to negotiate the
settlement of all Ngäti Manuhiri historical Treaty claims. On 16
December 2009, the Minister of Mäori Affairs and Minister for
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations recognised this mandate.
conduct an investigation of customary rights when it purchased
these lands. Nor did the Crown provide adequate compensation
and reserves for the future use and benefit of Ngäti Manuhiri
when it later learned of their interests in the purchase area.
Te Titoki Point
The balance of Ngäti Manuhiri lands passed through the Native
Land Court. The awarding of land title to individual Ngäti
Manuhiri rather than to the iwi or hapü, made those lands more
susceptible to partition, fragmentation and alienation. This had
a detrimental effect on Ngäti Manuhiri, contributing to the
erosion of their traditional tribal structures. Ngäti Manuhiri also
lost a number of wähi tapu that were of significance to them
despite efforts to reserve them from sale.
From the 1870s the Crown expressed a desire to acquire
Hauturu (Little Barrier Island). Title determination for the Island
by the Native Land Court was a long, costly and fraught process.
From the early 1890s the Crown made a concerted effort to
acquire the Island, mainly for the purpose of creating a reserve
for the protection of birds. The Crown carried out negotiations to
purchase Hauturu in a monopoly environment, excluding private
parties who wished to purchase valuable kauri there. Some of the
owners had substantial debts as a result of the Native Land Court
hearings and only wished to sell if those costs were met.
From 1892 the Crown began negotiations with individual
owners of Hauturu with offers that did not take into account the
standing timber. Some of the owners agreed to sell; others did
not. The Little Barrier Island Purchase Act 1894, with compulsory
mechanisms similar to public works legislation, made Hauturu
Crown land. In 1895 the island was made a Nature Reserve.
3
Some of the owners (who were key leaders of Ngäti Manuhiri)
refused to accept the compensation paid under the Act and
refused to leave the island. They were forcibly evicted in 1896.
At around 1840 Ngäti Manuhiri held customary interests
through a tribal estate of approximately 250,000 acres. In the
1890s, Ngäti Manuhiri held about ten per cent of this estate.
Today, Ngäti Manuhiri are effectively landless, holding title to
around 1,300 acres in small multiply-owned blocks of land.
• Pakiri Domain Recreation Reserve (approximately 2.02
hectares); and
• Pakiri Riverbed subject to a covenant (approximately 4.9
hectares (subject to survey).
The reserve status and covenants will provide for public access
and the protection of conservation values.
The Crown settlement also provides Statutory Acknowledgements
over: Motu Häwere (comprising the remainder of Leigh
Recreation Reserve and Goat Island Scientific Reserve); the
Crown-owned portion of Mt Tamahunga (Omaha Ecological
Area), Ngäti Manuhiri coastal area of interest; the Hoteo, Puhoi,
Pakiri, Matakana, Waiwerawera and Poutawa Rivers; Ngaroto
lakes (Spectacle, Slipper, Tomarata and Ngaroto lakes); Tohitohi
o Reipae (The Dome); Pohuehue Scenic Reserve; and Kawau
Island. Statutory Acknowledgements recognise the association
between Ngäti Manuhiri and the particular sites and enhance
their ability to participate in specified Resource Management
Act processes.
Miriam Godfrey
The Deed of Settlement will provide for protocols regarding
the interaction between Ngäti Manuhiri and the Department
of Conservation, the Ministry of Economic Development and
Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
Cultural redress provides recognition of the traditional, historical,
cultural and spiritual association of Ngäti Manuhiri with places
and sites owned by the Crown within their area of interest.
Hauturu/Little Barrier Island Nature Reserve will be vested in
Ngäti Manuhiri on settlement. Within seven days the whole of
the Island, minus 1.2 ha, will be gifted back to the people of
New Zealand. The title will be held by the Crown.
The 1.2 ha site to be vested in the Ngäti Manuhiri Settlement Trust
will be subject to a covenant. The covenant will allow for Ngäti
Manuhiri to build on the site in accordance with the Resource
Management Act and Conservation Act requirements. Public rights
will not be affected. Public access will continue to be retained
subject to the current permit access restrictions. Ngäti Manuhiri’s
access to the Island will be on the same basis as the public.
In recognition of Ngäti Manuhiri’s historical, cultural and spiritual
association with Hauturu/Little Barrier Island Nature Reserve the
Ngäti Manuhiri Settlement Trust together with the Conservation
Board will approve a conservation management plan for the
Island. Additionally, Ngäti Manuhiri members may seek approval
from the Ngäti Manuhiri Settlement Trust and the Department
of Conservation to remove stones from the Island for cultural
purposes.
Five other sites will be vested in Ngäti Manuhiri totalling
approximately 70 hectares:
• Wakatäwhenua as recreation reserve formally part of Leigh
Recreation Reserve (approximately 5.5 hectares);
• Mt Tamahunga summit as scientific reserve formerly part of
Omaha Ecological Area (approximately 10 hectares);
• Pakiri Block Conservation Area subject to a covenant
(approximately 47.4 hectares);
4
Five geographic names will be assigned or altered on
settlement. Ngäti Manuhiri will receive financial redress to the
value of $9 million plus interest through their settlement. On
settlement date Ngäti Manuhiri will receive:
• $2,498,400 cash (plus interest payable on the $9 million
between the date of their agreement in principle and
settlement date);
• the Warkworth District Court (land only), which will be leased
back to the Crown;
• the Pakiri School (land only), which will be leased back to the
Crown; and
• the South Mangawhai Crown Forest Licensed land, which
is subject to the current forest licence and the accumulated
rentals.
Ngäti Manuhiri will receive a right of first refusal over 82 Crown
owned properties in the Mahurangi RFR Area (as defined in the
initialled deed) for 169 years.
Hauturu/Little Barrier Island’s status as a nature reserve will not
be affected by the transfer and giftback of the island. The gifted
back area (the whole island less 1.2 hectares) will continue to
be a nature reserve. The 1.2 hectares, that will be vested in the
Ngäti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, will be subject to a covenant
that protects conservation values.
Public access to the whole island will continue subject to the
current access restrictions. The same access restrictions will also
apply to Ngäti Manuhiri.
Both parties agree that the Deed of Settlement is fair in the
circumstances and will be a final settlement of all of Ngäti
Manuhiri’s historical pre-1992 claims. Under the settlement
legislation Ngäti Manuhiri will not be able to re-litigate Waitangi
claims before the Waitangi Tribunal or the courts.
H a u t u r u I s s u e 2 5
Wor k i n g w ee k e n d re p ort
The Hauturu Supporters’ working party (November 13-14)
departed Sandspit in calm conditions on a glorious Saturday
morning and left Hauturu in somewhat hairier circumstances in
choppy seas on Sunday afternoon.
While the sailing conditions may have been up and down, and
were quite spectacularly so during the return journey, there was
nothing up and down about the quality of a weekend that will
hold wonderful memories for the 10 of us lucky enough to be
part of the group.
October working group
I would be surprised if anyone in the party didn’t feel a sense of
privilege even well before we left our respective homes, but the
quarantine checks at Warkworth reinforced both the national
significance of Little Barrier and our role in being about to become
just an infinitesimal part of the island’s heritage and being.
Our group, led by Lyn Wade, who is very much a part of the soul
of Hauturu, comprised a rich and happily-talkative mix of health
professionals, lawyers, zoo vets, accountants, human rights
consultants and journalists, but any wealth we brought with us
faded into true perspective when confronted with the richness
of Hauturu itself.
How could any human conversation, no matter how spirited,
drown out the voluble chatter of kaka, saddleback, hihi,
whitehead, tui, kiwi, kokako and korimako, and all the other
bird species; and how could human achievements line up against
the powerful presence of majestic kauri and beech; and how
could any of our physical attributes compete with the impressive
tuatara, giant wetapunga and graceful cave weta, or the beauty
of the countless ferns and native orchids?
Nevertheless, we tried our damnedest to hold our own against
this abundance of New Zealand’s past and present, and Lyn,
Richard, Bethany, Judy G and Judy M, David, Rebecca, Bronwyn
and Scott provided memories that will be enduring. They were
great company, and so were the welcoming rangers Shane
and Liz, Kelly, Kerry and the other ‘weed-eaters’. They are all
magnificent faces for the Conservation Department. Take note,
Al Morrison! Shane’s sensitive skills cooking BBQ eye fillet are
nearly as impressive as his boating expertise in rough seas.
Hauturu has been in safe hands under his and Liz’s watch. They
will be badly missed when they leave.
Our contributions as workers — rooting out onion weed and
cleaning debris from sections of the boulder beach — seemed
modest enough, but if they have helped at all, that makes us
feel that we deserved the special treat of being allowed to
visit this island. Our beach collection contained a multitude of
unexpected finds – including a crayfish net, another large fishing
device, a rear light off a boat, a tennis ball, and even a rotting
sleeping bag.
We will all have our own individual memories of the weekend
that stand out. For me they included seeing my first kiwi running
free (and almost running into Kerry); my first kokako; the
seriously-articulate saddleback; the kereru popping their heads
up from the undergrowth; the tiny head of a baby korimako
visible in the cavity of a very public tree somewhat illogically
H a u t u r u I s s u e 2 5
November working group
chosen by mother korimako as a secret nesting place; Kerry and
Lyn’s botanical accompaniment to our climb up the Hamilton
Track and down the Valley Track; Richard’s tireless camera
recording this botanical extravaganza; and Richard’s loving clasp
of a pregnant and somewhat testy Mrs O, the tuatara named
after a long-forgotten ballerina, and still herself clearly capable
of dancing a merry tune when her fancy is taken by a suitor
with appropriate spine. And, of course, David’s impeccable wine
selection for the BBQ ideally complemented this perfect place.
If I never get to Hauturu again, at least I’ve been. And I feel very
lucky to have done so.
John Harvey
W O R K I NG W E E K E NDS :
s u mmer 2 0 1 1
Two working weekends are planned on Hauturu before the
end of the year. The new rangers are sure to have some
interesting work lined up for the volunteers. All participants
need to be reasonably fit and agile and prepared to cope, if
necessary, with a difficult wet landing over slippery boulders
and with a variety of tasks. There will be time for walking,
botanising and bird-watching.
Target dates (weather dependent):
September 10/11, back-up date 17/18
December 3/4, back-up date 10/11
For further details re travel and costs and to register
your interest in either weekend please ring Judy Hanbury
(09) 817 7604 or email jrhanbury@actrix.co.nz (giving your
full name, address and phone number).
Closing date for enquiries Thursday 4 August.
5
A s a para g u s o n the retreat !
It’s amazing what a bit of money and some herbicide can do.
As regular readers of Hauturu know, invasive weeds – carried by
birds and the wind from the mainland, where not nearly enough
is being done to control them – are one of the biggest threats
to the island. The battle against them is on-going and perpetual,
alas but there is further progress against one of the very worst of
them, climbing asparagus! The following article is extracted from
a report prepared by rangers Shane McInnes and Liz Whitwell on
behalf of the Hauturu Supporters Trust for the Chisholm Whitney
Family Charitable Trust Board, whose generosity has had an
enormous impact on the war on this pernicious weed.
“If left unchecked climbing asparagus can totally dominate a
forest. It climbs up tree trunks and through foliage, reaching a
height of 4-5 metres. It also forms dense mats on the ground
and smothers any new seedlings that pop up. The seed can stay
in the soil for many years and its tubers can remain viable after
the rest of the plant has been killed.
Climbing asparagus (Asparagus scandens) was first recorded on
Little Barrier in 1978, when it was found in a small area behind
the bunkhouse. In 1980 it was found to be spreading rapidly
with young plants found at 300 feet on the Thumb Track. The
first attempts at control began in 1984. A systematic control
programme was initiated in 1996, when plots were established
and grid searching begun. Methods of controlling plants initially
focused on spraying with herbicide but as the number of adults
in the population diminished grubbing became the preferred
method because of its ability to remove any chance of re-growth.
Systematic control has significantly reduced the number of plants
reaching maturity and the number of plants found has steadily
dwindled over time. These results are encouraging and suggest
that control is effective within the area covered by grid searching.
Alarmingly, climbing asparagus seedlings were discovered in
the lower reaches of Orau Gorge, on the northern side of Little
Barrier in 2005, 06 and 07. In 2008 abseil contractors searched
the cliffs of the lower part of Orau Gorge over three days,
finding a large number of adult asparagus. In 2009, as part of
the ongoing control over the island, a DOC weed team spent
one week in Orau Gorge and was no closer to finding the extent
of the asparagus problem.
Even after reprioritising other areas of the island’s climbing
asparagus programme it was envisaged that Orau Gorge would
still not get the attention it deserved or needed, both from a
ground team and an abseil team. This meant that yet another
year would pass with seeding from the large plants on that
side of the island. If we had to put all our energy into this new
infestation then the rest of the island would suffer. Without extra
funding, the control of climbing asparagus in Orau Gorge would
take many years.
In 2010, the Chisholm Whitney Family Charitable Trust kindly
donated $15,000 to the programme. This was augmented
by a grant of $5,000 from the Little Barrier Island (Hauturu)
Supporters Trust from contributions made by individual
supporters. This money was spent in two ways;
1..The DOC weed team was able to be employed for an extra
two weeks and focus solely on Orau Gorge.
2..Abseil Access Ltd was able to be hired for an extra eight days
of roped-access weed control, focused in Orau Gorge.
The extra funding that was received this season has made a huge
difference to the programme. The ground crew being able to
spend an extra two weeks in Orau Gorge has meant that the
extent of the infestation has now been found (hopefully!) and all
1330 plants found within the area have been treated either with
chemical or removed altogether. This has drastically reduced the
time it will take to get rid of the weed in Orau Gorge – by years!
The abseil team also reported back that they think they have
found the extent of the infestation. Their total weed
count was 831. The time it takes to set up their
ropes in new places is quite long so next year
it will mean that drops are done much more
quickly, reducing the amount of time that
DOC needs to employ them for.
On behalf of the Department of
Conservation and all New Zealanders
we would like to thank the Chisholm
Whitney Family Charitable Trust
and Hauturu Supporters for their
donations to the programme.”
Another pesky weed: a working
group digs up onion weed.
6
Printed on 100% recycled paper
H a u t u r u I s s u e 2 5
R u u d ’ s rav i n g s
N u m b er 1 3
Do n ’ t Loo k U p !
Shifting to Christchurch is a dangerous thing, I tell you! Within a
matter of weeks we copped the Quake of all Quakes, complete
with liquefaction of the tennis court where I was thrashing the
living daylights out of my son-in-law during the event. To keep
matters short: I won the point.
The next weekend I was pleased to be on Hauturu for a night,
away from that crazy, shaky city. It was a wonderful evening:
the Cook’s petrels were flying in, babbling their characteristic
chatter. No doubt the birds got so excited about their
impending landing that they couldn’t help but prematurely drop
something smelly from high above – indeed, some of it landed
on me. Liquefaction had turned into some liquid action –
a perfect line for a Rolling Stones’ song.
I don’t know whether you’ve noticed that translocations of
seabirds seems to have become all the rage, lately. Our Cook’s
are heading for Cape Kidnappers, the Hutton’s shearwaters
are being nursed in a brand new Kaikoura colony at sea level
(behind a predator-proof fence), and diving petrels go to all
sorts of artificial burrows at a place near you.
When you look into this phenomenon, it becomes clear that this
is not a modern, new thing from this century. No, translocations
of seabirds have been going on for more than five decades.
Mind you, with varying degrees of success.
Short-tailed shearwaters were encouraged to occupy new
colonies in Australia as far back as 1954. In the UK, Manx
shearwater were on the move in the 1980s, and in our own
country, fluttering shearwaters were translocated to Maud
island in the Marlborough Sounds in the 1990s, followed by
Pycroft’s petrel in the first few years of the new millennium.
‘Why?’, you may well ask. ‘Why bother?’
If I could take you back to the time when the first settlers arrived
in Aotearoa, you’d find that their descriptions of hills and
mountains alive with seabirds was not an exaggeration. Our
country was one huge seabird colony, from the north to the
deep, deep south. Old Maori names such as maungaharuru
(rumbling mountains) indicate the sheer number of birds that
inhabited them. Rustling wings and a never-ending rumbling
sound. It appears that stoats and rats and cats, etc (yes – the usual
suspects!) were to blame for the demise of the billions of seabirds.
H a u t u r u I s s u e 2 5
Surely the restoration of such a magnificent series of colonies
is a great reason in itself to ‘bother’. But there are a lot more
reasons to go all out and bring them back. A functioning
ecosystem has many different strands and many different inputs
(and outputs, as we shall discover). Especially in the game of
nutrient recycling it becomes apparent that Nature knows no
waste. The old Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries used to call
it: ‘From Turf to Turd to Turf’, or ‘You poop, I eat it’.
Seabirds are the now missing link that used to take valuable
nutrients from the oceans to the land. They feed on fish and
crustacea and bring the phosphates and calcium right back to
the land in the form of droppings and regurgitations for their
chicks.
Without those minerals, the shells of our magnificent land
snails get thinner and thinner and I reckon (I’m just guessing,
really) that the health of our native frogs (bone trouble, irregular
growth, etc) are directly attributable to deficiencies of these
crucial elements. It just makes sense, doesn’t it?
If slowly, all those tonnes and tonnes of seabird poo stop
raining on the land, other creatures (and plants) need to
adjust. And then there is the market segment of corpses that
litter any seabird colony; some of my invertebrates are really
wondering where their next meal is coming from. You see,
the Almighty invented carpet beetles well before she invented
carpets! Feathers and skins of dead birds are the carpet beetle’s
traditional tucker.
And what about the protein in failed eggs, the organic matter
in long, dark burrows? It’s not just the abundance of various
nutrients, these are also great habitats for insects and reptiles
alike.
If you stop to think about Nature’s intricate connections, you’ll
realise that seabirds must come back to as many places as
possible.
It’s indeed all about that liquid action!
Ruud Kleinpaste
LBIST Trustee
7
M ore H a u t u r u
b ir d s o n the mo v e
Hazel Speed of DOC explains more about the vision for
Rangitoto and Motutapu. “Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands
are the focus of a programme to eradicate mammalian
predators. It is anticipated that rats, mice, rabbits, stoats, cats
and hedgehogs will be eradicated by June 2011, making it
possible to translocate native species to these islands. Forest bird
species such as tieke will likely do well in the existing forests on
Rangitoto and Motutapu, helping to restore biodiversity values
and food webs, and contributing to the long term security of
tieke by providing back-up populations.
“Future management of the genetic diversity of tieke on
Motuihe, Rangitoto and Motutapu can be managed by
translocation of eggs, nestlings or adults between these sites
due to the close proximity of these islands. These translocations
would be done in consultation with experts to ensure the most
suitable birds are targeted for transfer.
“The tieke population on Motuihe was established from a small
population of 14 tieke and we have concerns about the longterm future of this species on Motuihe because of inbreeding.
Our plan is to survey the island to estimate the total tieke
population and to take some of these tieke to Rangitoto and
Motutapu. I will be working with Dr Kevin Parker, Postdoctoral
Fellow, Institute of Natural Sciences, Massey University who
will lead this translocation and advise on the number of tieke
to remain on Motuihe. We will then go to another location
like Hauturu to catch tieke and release some on Motuihe to
increase the genetic diversity of the remaining population, and
release the rest on Rangitoto and Motutapu. This will give all
three islands two different sources of tieke to start these new
populations.
“The translocations will improve and restore the ecological
integrity of Rangitoto and Motuihe through the establishment
of a functionally important large insectivorous native bird. The
populations, once established, can be used as potential sources
for translocations to other suitable sites. The translocation
project will enhance public awareness, engage support for the
restoration of the Rangitoto, Motutapu and Motuihe islands
and it will also enhance research opportunities on aspects of
tieke translocation, establishment of new populations and
ecological restoration.”
The proposal is to take up to 80 tieke from Hauturu, beginning
in July this year if the weather obliges.
Jan Doak
Hauturu is again being called upon as a source of precious birds
for wildlife reserves elsewhere in the country. Tieke/saddleback
numbers have increased steadily since they were reintroduced
to the island in the 1980s, once the wild cats that had wiped
them out decades earlier, had been eradicated. Present numbers
are reported to be high, so the Department of Conservation
can now consider plans to translocate tieke in order to start
genetically robust new populations on Rangitoto and Motutapu
Islands in the Hauraki Gulf.
Ki w i mo n itori n g
If the weather allows, kiwi monitoring on Hauturu, a project
ably led by Lyn Wade for several years now, will go ahead on
Hauturu during the last week of June. The bunkhouse is booked
and the boat organised with sponsorship from BNZ Save The
Kiwi Trust to pay the costs. A keen team of 12 volunteers is
lined up for this very worthwhile and important work.
Hauturu Supporters Trust
The Trust was established in 1997 to help support
conservation and research activities on Hauturu Little
Barrier Island. Membership of the Trust is by subscription
and donations are also welcome. All donations and
subscriptions are directed towards activities of benefit to
Hauturu.
Your subscription ensures that you receive Hauturu, the
Trust newsletter, twice a year, bringing you up-to-date
news about the island. Copies of past issues are available
on request.
If you wish to become a supporter, make a donation or
offer help in some other way, please contact the Trust
secretary Sandra Jones
Phone: 09 817 2788
Email: info@littlebarrierisland.org.nz
Postal: LBI/Hauturu Supporters Trust, PO Box 48 232,
Blockhouse Bay, Auckland 0644
Website: www.littlebarrierisland.org.nz
If unavailable phone: Judy Hanbury 09 817-7604
T he T r u s t
Patron: Don Binney OBE
Settlor Trustee: David McGregor OBE
Trustees: Geoff Drew, Warren Gibb, John Hagen (Chair),
Evan Hamlet, Judy Hanbury, Jim Holdaway CNZM, OBE,
DFC, Ruud Kleinpaste, Dr Matt Rayner, Ray Stone, Lyn Wade
Advisory Trustees: Bob Cranfield, Annie Whittle,
Dr Philip Yates
Hauturu is produced with generous support
from Paradigm Associates Ltd.
Editor: Nicola Legat email: nlegat@randomhouse.co.nz
Logo and newsletter design: Danielle Wilson
Printed on 100% recycled paper
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H a u t u r u I s s u e 2 5