5 minute read
50 not out!
It often seems that caring for our environment is a fairly recent thing, and that ‘back in the day’ we just logged kauri and dammed rivers as we saw fit. And yet many Kiwis have been greenies for decades - and in the case of the Ngā Manu Nature Reserve, for half a century.
Now a cornerstone of conservation and Kāpiti tourism, Ngā Manu has been committed to preserving and enhancing native forests since 1974.
“We recently reviewed our strategic plan,” says Anna McKenzie Hawea, General Manager of Ngā Manu, “and it was astonishing to me that the original kaupapa developed 50 years ago was still relevant today. The trustees, staff, volunteers, and supporters all play a key role as kaitiaki/ caretakers of this kaupapa, and I know every one of us is proud and passionate to be a part of what makes this place special. It is testament to Peter McKenzie and the founding trustees that the vision was so ahead of its time.”
Peter McKenzie was just 20 years old and working as a keeper at Wellington Zoo when the idea for the reserve first formed in the early 1970s. A series of discussions with a number of his colleagues evolved into the concept of creating a ‘zoo’ of indigenous - rather than exotic - species, but it soon became clear that the group did not have access to the kind of capital required to turn the concept into reality. Then, a few weeks before his 21st birthday, Peter was told that he was to receive an inheritance from his grandfather Sir John McKenzie, founder of the McKenzie’s chain stores and one of New Zealand’s early philanthropists. Peter made the (very un-twenty-something!) decision to gift part of it to the establishment of Ngā Manu, and suddenly the dream had become a possibility.
A trust was established in 1974, named Ngā Manu, te reo Māori for ‘the birds’, and in late 1977 a block of land in Waikanae was leased and the mammoth job got under way. Ponds were excavated, fencing went up, indigenous trees and shrubs were planted, and aviaries and animal enclosures to house numerous native birds and lizards, including the ancient tuatara, were built. It was, one of the founding trustees noted, a ‘bloody mess’! And the battle against an army of introduced pests, including starlings, rabbits, rats and possums, had only just begun.
It did not remain a mess for too long however. By 1981 an information centre had been added and Ngā Manu Sanctuary was officially opened in late 1981. The same year the leased land was purchased outright, and by 1984 there were over 17,000 visitors per annum, a number which grew significantly in the 1990s and resulted in a new education centre being built - which also provided a unique venue for weddings and celebrations!
Today, to enter the Ngā Manu Nature Reserve is to step into paradise. At 14-hectares it is one of the largest remnants of coastal lowland swamp forest on the Kāpiti Coast, where you can see puketea, rimu, swamp maire and kahikatea, some of which are 400 years old.
Take a self-guided tour - or the free guided forest walk available on weekends - and it is like stepping back in time and seeing just how stunningly beautiful the New Zealand bush can be. But the reserve is also about education: on the Native Bird tour, you can get up close and personal with kākā, kakariki, kea, and whio; the Native Icons tour covers kiwi, tuatara, and tuna (eels); and the Kiwi Night Encounter covers our native kiwi and Ngā Manu’s involvement in the captive programme. Ngā Manu has also partnered with the Department of Conservation breed-for-release programmes, and has helped re-establish at-risk species of birds and reptiles in the wild, participating in breeding programmes for kiwi, whio, pateke/brown teal, kāka, and tuatara. And the great thing about the Reserve is just how family friendly it is - you don’t have to pack your hiking boots, you can just stroll on and take it all in at your leisure.
Sadly, Peter McKenzie passed away in 2012, but his legacy lives on in the plants and animals of the Reserve. For five decades Ngā Manu has consistently strived to strengthen the connection between people and the natural world, and Kāpiti Coast District Mayor Janet Holborow says the reserve is an important taonga in Kāpiti.
“The crucial conservation work, the enormous educational benefits, the community connections, the ability to access nature for people of all abilities - it all adds up to something extremely special. Heartfelt thanks to the many, many people who’ve contributed over the years to create this beautiful haven in our district.”
Here’s to another 50 years - and if you want to help make that a reality, head on over to our news page to learn about an awesome fundraising raffle Ngā Manu is holding and Air Chathams is proud to be involved in!
It is like stepping back in time and seeing just how stunningly beautiful the New Zealand bush can be.
