Volunteer Reference Guide

This booklet is intended as a reference guide for new and existing Sanctuary volunteers. it contains information about local history, flora and fauna, the Sanctuary Trust, volunteer teams, and much more Happy reading!

Kia ora koutou

Welcome to the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Thank you very much for your involvement in our community biodiversity project, which is bringing indigenous wildlife back into the lives of people in the Nelson Tasman region.

Your contribution will help ensure that not only present generations, but many more to come, will be able to experience the wonderful forests of this area, and the diverse creatures that live in them. Without your valuable contribution this would be harder to achieve.

The Sanctuary represents an opportunity to make a real difference to our community. Our mission is not an easy one; to re establish lost species into a protected environment demands ongoing commitment and many resources

Supporters of the Sanctuary share an affinity with the natural environment and a drive to leave the world a better place than we found it So it is a great pleasure to present this reference guide for volunteers, we hope it will be helpful On behalf of the Sanctuary’s Trustees, thank you for your efforts and your support

Ngā mihi Chris Hawkes Trust Chair

BIOSECURITY

The pest proof fence is a hugely important barrier to keep the plants and animals inside the fence safe from predators that live outside the fence To maintain its effectiveness, this barrier relies on all volunteers, staff and visitors to take a few simple precautions:

Do not take bags, containers etc into the Sanctuary without checking their contents Before opening gates or hatches, check the area nearby (NB: some pests climb up to the fence hood overhang) and close them as soon as possible

Maintain a 4m wide clear area outside the fence free of tall objects such as cars, which could be a jumping platform

VOLUNTEERING IN THE SANCTUARY

Our vision is to have a sanctuary in the former Brook Waterworks Reserve where our unique wildlife and plants can thrive in the absence of predatory and browsing animals. From the upper Brook Valley, birds will spread into the halo areas around the Sanctuary, including down the Brook Valley corridor to the central city, the Mount Richmond Forest Park, and Maitai and Roding water reserves.

This is the largest ring fenced mainland Sanctuary in the South Island and the second largest in New Zealand The efforts of hundreds of volunteers have been key to the achievement of this transformational project Dedicated volunteer teams have formed over 135km of operational and public walking tracks, staffed the visitor centre, built various facilities such as workshops and the outdoor classroom, constantly checked the trap and monitoring lines, removed weed plants and browsing animals, organised open days and other public events, monitored and maintained the fence, and undertaken bird monitoring The project, ‘for the community by the community’, would not have happened without so many hard working volunteers, including the many Board members who have volunteered their time As kiwi, tīeke, mohua, kākāriki, tuatara and many more of our unique indigenous species begin to populate the Sanctuary and the surrounding halo areas, it is gratifying to share this undertaking to keep them safe and thriving

Thank you again for being willing to help create and maintain what will be a great legacy not only for our region, but for the country

OUR MISSION

The Sanctuary mission is to be New Zealand’s richest conservation environment for visitors, education and research It is a place for people to engage with their natural heritage, share in its conservation, and undertake education, training and research

It will become a nursery for re stocking surrounding areas with rare New Zealand wildlife, and a visitor attraction contributing to regional development

DEVELOPMENT OF THE SANCTUARY

Initial moves for the Sanctuary began mid 2001, with the establishment of a steering committee to plan the project and get it underway on the ground Volunteers were soon busy cutting tracks and making traps to enable trapping of stoats, rats and possums

The Trust was set up in 2004 and launched with the assistance of some good spells from the Wizard of Christchurch The Trust was chaired for 15 years by Dr Dave Butler, who had managed the mainland island trial at Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park

The award winning visitor centre (see above) designed by John Palmer of Palmer & Palmer Architects was opened in 2007, and the Brook Education and Conservation Centre, in partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, opened in 2010 (This was later closed due to the risk posed by a land slip above the Education Centre )

Following the appointment in 2012 of a general manager, serious fundraising got underway to raise the funds needed to build the 14 4km predator proof fence This included a public ‘Get Behind the Fence’ campaign After 18 months of construction, the fence was completed in September 2016 and celebrated at a ceremony led by the then Prime Minister, John Key

The aerial pest removal operation was undertaken in the winter of 2017 After more than six months of intensive monitoring and some mop up ground operations, the Sanctuary was regarded as free of pests

THE SANCTUARY SITE

The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary is situated at the southern end of the Brook Valley Road access to the visitor centre runs from the end of Brook Street through the motor camp, with parking space near the visitor centre for vehicles, motorbikes and bicycles A public bus service (Route 4) provides convenient access from the Nelson bus station to the campsite gate at the end of Brook Street, from where it takes ten minutes by foot to the visitor centre

The site is bordered by continuous beech forest of the Nelson City Council (NCC) administered Maitai and Roding water catchments and the 166,000ha of Mt Richmond Forest Park (DOC) to the northeast, east and south To the north and west, it is connected by forested corridors to Nelson City, Stoke and Richmond, in which several community trapping groups are operating

The aspect of the Sanctuary is like a cupped hand and points toward the northwest From Kaiteriteri beach, you can see across Tasman Bay to the Sanctuary behind Nelson city, where it appears as a deep green ‘ cup ’ in the hills The topography is steep At the Visitor Centre the elevation is 100 metres above sea level (asl), while at the very top it is 850m asl

The Sanctuary encompasses 690ha of former water reserve owned by the NCC at the head of the Brook Valley, 5km by road from Nelson city About two thirds of the site comprises mature southern beech forest with several podocarp species such as rimu, mataī and tōtara, and the balance in the north west of the site is a mosaic of kānuka/mānuka forest with broadleaved forest on land cleared in the 1800s Several nationally uncommon native bird species are present, such as kārearea | NZ falcon, titipounamu | rifleman, and toutouwai | South Island robin The Sanctuary is more recently home to translocated tīeke | (South Island) Saddleback and kākāriki karaka | orange fronted parakeet

The Sanctuary Trust was formed in 2004 to undertake substantial ecological restoration within the site and established a 14 4km predator proof fence to completely enclose it It then worked to remove all pests from within the Sanctuary An undamaged fence with effective management of all gates and culverts is the first line of defence to prevent reinvasion of the Sanctuary by these pests However, it is likely that occasional incursions by pests will occur, through a breach in the fence or by their being carried in inadvertently A system of detection and control devices has been established and is managed for surveillance and interception of any such incursions Thanks to the efforts of the track cutting team, an extensive network of visitor tracks and maintenance tracks has been created.

Former water reserve at the head of the valley

SANCTUARY SITE CONTINUED

The visitor tracks (around 15km in total) are largely in the lower regions of the Sanctuary, taking into consideration accessibility for visitors of variable fitness The maintenance tracks are mostly used for pest monitoring, and are based on more or less horizontal lines at 50 metre elevation intervals

Starting with A line, which runs 50m above the visitor centre, then B line at 100m, the track network continues up to N line at 700m above the visitor centre (or 800m asl) Vertical connections between the perimeter fence and valley floor are provided by tracks on the main spurs

Additionally, the X line (directly inside the fence) and Z line (15m inside the fence) are both used for monitoring and trapping Maintenance gates and access hatches enable access to the track network at strategic positions along the fence line

EXISTING WILDLIFE

Since the completion of the pest proof fence, the native plants, animals and fungi already present in the area covered by the Sanctuary have been steadily increasing in numbers These creatures include tūī, titipounamu | rifleman, pīpipi | brown creeper, riroriro | grey warbler, kererū | wood pigeon, pīwakawaka | fantail, tauhou | silvereye or waxeye, korimako | bellbird, toutouwai | South Island robin, miromiro | tomtit, ruru/morepork, wētā, Nelson green gecko, huhu beetle, and a native fish, kōaro Information about these increasing numbers has come from surveys and observations by our own Sanctuary volunteers and staff; from the Nelson Botanical Society; and from events like the 2015 Bioblitz an intensive, comprehensive assessment of the species present, held over 24 hours

TREES AND FERNS

Before the dams were established, the lower part of the Sanctuary had been cleared for farming After the first dam was built, the land was allowed to grow back and the first trees to establish were the kanuka that you can now see around the Visitor Centre These are now becoming tall trees and provide a “ nursery ” for the regrowth of the many smaller trees such as wineberry, coprosma, kawakawa, five finger, mahoe, fuchsia and tutu which are now growing and eventually the larger trees will take over In addition, ferns and mosses are thriving More than 50 species of fern have been identified in the Sanctuary.

STREAM LIFE

There are 5 species of fish which migrate from the sea into streams as whitebait Koaro (whitebait) are good climbers which enables them to climb rocky streams They lay their eggs in the upper part of the streams which hatch as larvae and then swim down into the sea After 6 months, they return to the stream Kōura (freshwater crayfish) do not migrate but are also good climbers

Negotiating the Big Dam Water flows through the black pipe into the blue bin and the fish ladder A wet rope is used by climbing fish and kōura to climb into the fish ladder They then climb up the ladder aided by the knobbles and fall into the bin All aquatic climbers are released into the Sanctuary above the big dam.

Track cutting team on the job

LOST SPECIES

The species we are returning to the region would have existed on this land long before European arrival Sanctuary staff and volunteers, in partnership with iwi and the government, have spent many hours evaluating and researching species of birds, amphibians, lizards and insects for possible reintroduction

To date (as at August 2022) we have translocated the following to the Sanctuary:

Tīeke | (S Island) saddleback 40 birds from Motuara Island Kākāriki karaka | orange fronted parakeet 104 birds reared in captivity at the Isaacs Conservation Wildlife Centre and Orana Park in Christchurch Powelliphanta 30 snails collected from the Roding Water Reserve and Ngati Koata land in the Maitai Valley

The Department of Conservation has approved our application to translocated kākā to the Sanctuary and we have built a translocation aviary to house kākā prior to their release into the Sanctuary The plan is to source kākā genetically linked to remnant populations of Te Tau Ihu | Top of the South

The Trust also plans to eventually reintroduce tuatara and kiwi and funds have been raised for both these species

THE PEST-FENCE

This is the prime asset of the Sanctuary, and makes up most of the value on the Trust’s balance sheet It is also our chief tool in the biosecurity plan, and since its completion in 2016 it has required a good deal of time and money to maintain

For the first ten years the Sanctuary was in operation trapping was carried out in the lower part of the valley This was only partly successful as predators continued to invade from the surrounding bush With the pest fence complete, the bush can recover and species once present can be reintroduced We operate a 24/7 surveillance on the fence, and have to respond to breaches at all times of the day and night

Nearly 2metres high with a canopy so that predators and grazors cannot jump over it An effective fence is vital to keeping predators such as cats, rats and stoats out Volunteers’ efforts at maintaining the fence and biosecurity are very important Volunteers are split up into specific teams for inspection and repair tasks

Kākā, photo courtesy of Debbie Armatage

Tuatara

HISTORIC FEATURES

The crumbling concrete structures and rusting pipework alongside some of the Sanctuary tracks are relics of the Nelson Waterworks

The first dam and associated reservoir were opened in April 1868 in the upper Brook Valley, and served Nelson and its surrounding areas for many decades Over time, other sources catered for more and more of the city’s water needs, and when the Maitai Dam was completed in 1987 the Waterworks became fully obsolete

The Dun Mountain railway line, which is accessible from the lower part of Brook Street, runs just above the Sanctuary fence line between the top of Jacob’s Ladder and Toutouwai Gate The railway was New Zealand’s first, and was built to ease the extraction of copper deposits

Within the fence line, part of East D line (Carter’s Track) is a historic walking track towards Third House, where at one time there were stables for horses working on the railway line

The Sanctuary is also close to the site of two historic coalmines that produced good quantities, in the mid 1890s, of high quality coal

More detail can be found by searching online for the YouTube clip Concrete Valley, and at theprow org nz and the Sanctuary website

Highlighted points of interest help tell the Sanctuary’s unique story via signage, with additional information given on the website, the visitor map and in specialised booklets

SANCTUARY ORGANISATION

Volunteers get involved with the Sanctuary through a variety of channels, and arrive with many different skills, levels of fitness, ages and expectations We try to cater for a wide range of interests, and offer volunteering roles that can be very social (e g visitor centre hosting), very hands on (e g weed control or track maintenance), a bit technical (asset team or fence repair team) or back country focused (pest monitoring) Volunteers can be part of multiple teams, or can move between teams as their interests change over time Our current teams are:

Assets Bird monitoring

Fence maintenance

Fence monitoring Field support

Pest detection

Planting

Promotions & events

Tour guiding Track maintenance

Visitor Centre hosting

Weeding

Each team has a team leader For larger teams, sometimes coordinator roles are used to share the workload of managing the team, and to provide redundancy during holidays

As a new volunteer you will be asked which activities appeal to you, and when and how often you intend to volunteer The volunteer connector will then contact the relevant team leader(s), who will invite you for an induction This is part of our health and safety process, and teaches you how to keep safe while also giving you the essentials for your volunteering role

Contact volunteerconnector@brooksanctuary org nz or info@ brooksanctuary org nz with any questions

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Within New Zealand, the legislation that governs health and safety is the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) WorkSafe New Zealand regulates and enforces the legislation and there is helpful information on its website at worksafe govt nz Under the HSWA the BWST Board must provide a safe workplace with proper training, supervision and equipment The Board is classified as the Person Conducting the Business or Undertaking (PCBU); to ensure the responsibilities under the HSWA are met the Board has created a Health and Safety sub committee The sub committee reports to the Board monthly, but each of the Trustees remain individually responsible for ensuring the provisions of the HSWA are being met

An important task for the sub committee is to set up and maintain a list of hazards that exist within the Sanctuary This Hazard Register lists dangerous physical features and conditions that are a risk to health and safety within and around the Sanctuary

Gravel catch above the Weir, Nelson Provincial Museum

H&S CONTINUED

The Hazard Board advising volunteers, staff and visitors of the dangers present at any time is located at the entrance to the Sanctuary Whenever any person enters the Sanctuary, they should read the Hazard Board and make sure they are familiar with the hazards they could encounter The more permanent hazards are also shown on the Sanctuary map as a handout to visitors

Whenever staff or volunteers carry out work on projects or maintenance, additional hazards are likely to be encountered and these must also be listed When a project is started, the team leader must prepare a Health and Safety plan specifically for the proposed task This must identify all hazards that may be encountered in the project, and all necessary safety equipment and procedures that are needed to complete the project without injury to visitors or workers The aim is always to eliminate, minimise or at least reduce the risk associated with a task so that everyone can go home safely without causing injury to others or themselves

The HSAW Act requires the Board, once hazards have been identified, to then try to remove or mitigate the risk imposed by the hazard The BWST keeps records of all HSAW incidents on a database to identify hazards of greatest risk Whenever staff, volunteers or a visitor suffers an injury or encounters a near miss or a dangerous situation, they are required to complete a short incident report so staff can follow up with corrective action The data has been recorded since January 2017 and shows where the highest number of recorded incidents have occurred. At the time of writing 23% of recorded incidents are with the use of tools and equipment, 14% with vehicle use and 14% due to slipping. Other factors include flora and fauna, tripping, not following or lack of procedures, unsafe locations, adverse weather, and rock fall. Maintaining a safe working environment requires a joint effort. Your input is critical so please provide feedback to the HS committee by handing in a completed incident form whenever you see an opportunity to improve safety. You are the most important person in maintaining your own safety, so good preparation and safe working practices are essential Make sure you take appropriate clothing and footwear for the job, and be prepared for a change in the weather Take two different types of communication with you or your team, being radio (preferred), cell phone or personal locator beacon Be aware that not all parts of the sanctuary have phone coverage Make sure you understand your task and what protective gear is needed If in doubt ask, and where possible go with an experienced buddy, especially on your first two or three trips

Remember to fill out the volunteer register when setting out for a task in or around the Sanctuary, and sign out when you return

STATE OF PUBLIC TRACKS

The Loop has a compacted gravel surface suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs, with gentle gradients. There are handrails where there is a steep drop off. All tracks above this have a prepared surface of bare soil. Up to the Forks and including the Koru track, the tracks are about 600 mm wide. Further on, they are slightly narrower about 500 mm wide and often quite undulating. Extra care must be taken as some tracks are on steep slopes.

ADVERSE EVENTS

While the Sanctuary is only a few kilometres away from Nelson’s CBD, most of its nearly 700ha is accessible only by a network of walking tracks Should a significant event occur, there will be a time delay before physical assistance can arrive Good means of communication, some extra clothing, food, drink, and a good first aid kit can be worth their weight in gold in such situations

During drier periods of the year, there is a risk of bushfire During periods of higher risk, the activity status within the Sanctuary will be reviewed regularly so that only essential tasks will be carried out, and those tasks only in areas where a fast and safe retreat is possible Before going in, make sure you know the exit routes

Seismic activities can occur at any time, which could cause rockfall and slips on the steeper slopes The perimeter road on the east side (between Four Corners and Third House) is an area of higher risk, due to the presence of several large rocks above the road bench

Because of the elevation and the shape of the terrain, the local weather in the Sanctuary can differ significantly from that in Nelson City, with generally more wind and rain, and lower temperatures in winter Windfall is always a risk in forested areas this risk increases during and directly after periods of high winds When walking in the Sanctuary, don’t forget to look up (and report those dangerous branches/trees).

Rainfall can make stream crossings hazardous, and during periods of high flow (water knee high) these should be avoided.

MAINTAINING OUR BIOSECURITY

While predator removal was a key achievement, the organisation is now in the position of maintaining the predator free status and biosecurity of the Sanctuary Incursions are an ongoing risk; various controls and monitoring disciplines are in place, with constant improvements made

Teams made up of volunteers, some dating from the Sanctuary’s inception but with many new faces, completed all the groundwork for predator removal This included the development of over 135km of operational tracks and setting out a grid of detection devices, which are now used to detect and respond to any incursion that results from a breach in the predator proof fence

Breaches can range from small holes caused by shifting ground to large gaps created by falling trees The fence’s alarm system provides real time notification of major breaches to a duty phone rostered on a 24 hour/7 days per week basis. Small breaches are identified by teams undertaking weekly visual inspections of the fence.

Incursions are addressed using grids of detection tunnels and traps deployed around any breach or detection site.

Approximately 15m inside the fence, the Z line allows easier access for incursion responses.

QUESTIONS, ISSUES OR COMPLAINTS

For task related questions, ask your team leader or other team members, or a staff member For organisation related questions, ask a staff member or a volunteer representative

For any health and safety issues, including non acceptable or unsafe behaviour, contact the Health, Safety and Wellbeing representative and/or the Operations Manager, and/or the Chief Executive via the town office (see the Contacts section)

FURTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SANCTUARY

Spread the word about the Sanctuary: bring your friends or family for a visit, and encourage them to become volunteers and/or financial supporters. Keep checking the Facebook page and Instagram site, sponsor a fencepost, make a donation. And visit the website, it contains a lot of useful and interesting information about the Sanctuary and its activities!

CONTACTS

The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary 651 Brook Street, The Brook, Nelson 7010, NZ Phone 03 539 4920 (Visitor Centre) Phone 03 546 2422 (Town Office) info@brooksanctuary org nz (general business) /thebrooksanctuary/ /brooksanctuary/ Brook Sanctuary

The Sanctuary Logo

The Sanctuary’s logo was designed by local artist, Dean Raybould. The curved beak and wattle indentation depict birds like the kōkako, tīeke and the extinct huia. Dean explains: "���������� ���� ���� ������������ ���� �������������� ���� ������ �������� ��������������/��������������������/�������������������� ������ ����������������, ������ �������� �� ������������ ���� ������ ������ ������ �� ������ ���� �� �������� ���� �� �������� ���������� ������, ���������������������� ������ ������������������ ������������. ������ ���������� �������� ���� ������ �������� ���� ������ ��������’ �� �������������� ���������������� ���� ������ ��������’ �� ���������� �������� ���� �������� ������ ���������� ‘�������������� ������ ���������� ��������’ . �� ������������ ���������� ������ �������� �������� ������ ������������������ ���������������� ���������� ‘����������������’ �������� ������������ ������������ ������ �������� ���������� ���� ������ ������������ ���� ������ ����������/���������� �������������� �������������� ������ ������������ "

OUR NEWSLETTERS

The Sanctuary produces a monthly newsletter for volunteers (FanTales), and a quarterly newsletter for the wider supporter base (eNews). Both are distributed electronically we encourage you to read them to keep up to date Please ensure we have your current email address in our database to ensure you get these

OUR WEBSITE

The Sanctuary website (www brooksanctuary org nz) contains a lot of useful information (including video content) about the Sanctuary, the wildlife within it, the people who work and volunteer at the Sanctuary and how the general public can support the Sanctuary or become involved in this important community asset Through the website the general public can donate to the Sanctuary, read our newsletters, become a paid up supporter, check the Sanctuary admission prices and opening hours, purchase pre paid admission vouchers, learn about our volunteer teams and a great deal more We encourage you to spend some time exploring the Sanctuary website to familiarise yourself with its resources and information on the broader Sanctuary efforts

This guide has been produced collaboratively by Sanctuary staff, volunteer representatives, volunteers and the volunteer connector We thank all of our photographers