Volunteer Reference Guide

Volunteer reference guide

December 2019

1¡ Volunteer reference guide December 2019

A welcome from our chairman difference to our community. Our Kia Ora Koutou, mission is not an easy one; to reWelcome to the Brook establish lost species into a protected Waimārama Sanctuary. Thank you environment demands very much for your ongoing commitment involvement in our and many resources. community biodiversity Supporters of the project, which is bringSanctuary share an ing indigenous wildlife affinity with the natural back into the lives of environment, and a people in the Nelson drive to leave the world Tasman region. a better place than we Your contribution found it. So it is a great will help ensure that pleasure to present not only the present Toutouwai / South Island robin this reference guide generations, but for volunteers. We hope it will be a many more to come, will be able to helpful document. On behalf of the experience the wonderful forests of Sanctuary’s Trustees, thank you for this area, and the diverse creatures your efforts and your support. that live in them. Without your valuable contribution this would be Nga mihi harder to achieve.

Chris Hawkes, Chair The Sanctuary represents Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Trust an opportunity to make a real

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

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Contents A welcome from our chairman...................................................................................2 Volunteering in the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary...................................................4

Our mission....................................................................................................................5 Development of the Sanctuary....................................................................................5 The site............................................................................................................................7 Existing wildlife..........................................................................................................10 Lost species..................................................................................................................12 The fence.......................................................................................................................13 Historic features..........................................................................................................14 Sanctuary organisation...............................................................................................15 Health and Safety........................................................................................................16 Adverse events............................................................................................................18 Maintaining our biosecurity......................................................................................19 Questions, issues or complaints................................................................................20 Further ways to support the Sanctuary...................................................................20 Contacts........................................................................................................................20 Credits...........................................................................................................................20

Biosecurity The predator-proof fence is a hugely important barrier to keep the animals inside 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 like cars, which could be a jumping platform.

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Volunteering in the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary and the outdoor classroom, conOur vision is to have a sanctuary stantly checked the trap and moniin the former Brook waterworks toring lines, removed weed plants reserve where our unique wildlife and browsing and plants can animals, organthrive in the ised open days absence of predaand other public tory and browsing events, monitored animals. From and maintained the the upper Brook fence, and underValley, birds will taken bird monispread into the toring. The project, halo areas around ‘for the community the Sanctuary, by the commuincluding down nity’, would not the Brook Valley have happened corridor to the without so many central city, the hard-working volMount Richmond unteers, including Forest Park, and the many Board Maitai and Roding Tauhou / Silvereye on poroporo members who water reserves. have volunteered their time. As kiwi, This is the largest ring-fenced tīeke, mohua, kākāriki, tuatara and mainland Sanctuary in the South many more of our unique indigenous Island and the second largest in New species begin to populate the SanctuZealand. The efforts of hundreds ary and the surrounding halo areas, of volunteers have been key to the it is gratifying to share this undertakachievement of this transformaing to keep them safe and thriving. tional project. Dedicated volunteer Thank you again for being teams have formed over 135km willing to help create and maintain of operational and public walking what will be a great legacy not only tracks, staffed the visitor centre, built for our region, but for the country. various facilities such as workshops Volunteer reference guide December 2019 · 4

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 restocking surrounding areas with rare New Zealand wildlife, and a visitor attraction contributing to regional development.

School children on the valley floor track

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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 board was chaired for fifteen 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 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.

Following the appointment in 2012 of a general manager, serious fundraising got under way to obtain the balance of funds needed to build the 14.3km 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 winter of 2017. After more than six months

The visitor centre. Below: the opening

of intensive monitoring and some small mop-up ground operations, the Sanctuary was regarded as free of pests.

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The site The Brook WaimÄ rama 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 pushbikes. A public bus service (Route 4) provides convenient

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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 Kahu / harrier hawk in flight

Former water reserve at the head of the valley

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 / falcon, titipounamu / rifleman, and toutouwai / South Island robin.

The Sanctuary Trust was formed in 2004 to undertake substantial ecological restoration within the site, and established a 14.3km predator-proof fence to completely enclose it. It then worked to remove all pests from within the Sanctuary.

An undamaged fence with effective Volunteer reference guide December 2019 · 8

The pest-proof fence under construction

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 Track-cutting team on the job

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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 trackcutting team, an extensive network of visitor tracks and maintenance tracks has been created. 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 fenceline.

Existing wildlife Since the completion of the pestproof 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 tĹŤÄŤ,

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titipounamu/rifleman, pīpipi/brown creeper, riroriro/grey warbler, freshwater kōura, kererū/wood pigeon, pīwakawaka/fantail, tauhou/ silvereye or waxeye, korimako/bellbird, toutouwai/South Island robin, wētā, miromiro/tomtit, Nelson green gecko, huhu beetle, ruru/morepork and a native fish, kōaro.

Information about these increasing numbers has come from surveys and observations by our own

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Sanctuary volunteers and staff; from the Nelson Botanical Society; and from events like the 2015 Bioblitz — an intensive, comprehensive assessment, held over 24 hours, of the species present.

We will continue to monitor wildlife numbers. so keep checking back to the website and to our Instagram account, @brooksanctuary Clockwise from far bottom left: Bellbird on Coprosma; Nelson green gecko; freshwater kōura; piwakawaka / fantail; miromiro / tomtit; wētā

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.

Clockwise from left: kiwi; orange-fronted parakeet;* Ruud Kleinpaste with wētā; tuatara.

* Photo credit for parakeet: Mark Anderson CC BY-SA 4.0. Original at https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/19584876

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The 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.

We operate a 24/7 surveillance on the fence, and have to respond to

breaches at all times of the day and night.

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.

Predators, left to right: rat, stoat and possum. Below: early stage of fence construction

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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 fenceline 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 fenceline, 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.

Dam construction.

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. We are developing a Gems of the Sanctuary guided tour.

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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 handson (e.g. weed control or track maintenance), a bit technical (asset

team or fence repair team) or backcountry focused (pest monitoring).

Obviously volunteers can be part of multiple teams, or can move between teams as their interests change over time.

Each team has a team leader (also a volunteer). For larger teams, sometimes coordinator roles are used to share the workload of managing the 15¡ Volunteer reference guide December 2019

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 & Safety Within New Zealand, the primary piece of legislation that governs health and safety is the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA). WorkSafe New Zealand has been appointed to regulate and enforce the legislation; much information can be found on its website worksafe.govt.nz.

Having a mix of staff and volunteers, the Brook WaimÄ rama Sanctuary Trust (BWST) is classified under the HSWA as a PCBU (i.e., a person conducting a business or undertaking), which requires the BWST to provide a safe workplace with proper training, supervision and equipment. This also requires our organisation to have a structured approach to health and safety, which is managed by our Health and Safety Committee.

An important task for this committee is to set up and maintain the hazard register. This register considers the types of tasks and conditions being performed by our volunteers and staff. For each task,

relevant data is documented, including ways how to eliminate, isolate or minimise the risk associated with a task, so everyone can go home safely without causing injury to others or themselves.

Be prepared for rapid changes in the weather

Hazards for volunteers working in the Sanctuary can relate to natural environment (weather, windfall, steep topography), the type of activity (e.g. using traps, machinery, weed control chemicals), or people (nearby staff or volunteers, visitors inside the Volunteer reference guide December 2019 ¡ 16

Sanctuary, or walkers/mountainbikers outside the perimeter fence).

Obviously maintaining a safe working environment is a joint effort, and that is where YOUR input is important: when noting an unsafe

condition, a near miss or an injury, please make the effort to hand in a completed form so the Health and Safety Committee is made aware and can assist to prevent further similar issues. Also fill out the volunteer register when setting out for 17¡ Volunteer reference guide December 2019

a task in or around the Sanctuary, and sign out when done.

Please note that you are the most important person to maintain your own safety, so good preparation and safe working practices are essential.

As part of your preparation, take appropriate clothing and footwear for the job, and be prepared for a change in the weather. Have two different types of communication with you / your team, being radio (preferred), cell phone and personal locator beacon. Be aware that not all parts of the Sanctuary have phone coverage. Make sure you understand the task to be done, including any necessary protective gear. If in doubt, ask, and where possible, go with an experienced buddy.

Adverse events While the Sanctuary is only a few kilometres away from Nelson’s central business district, 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.

Repair work after a landslip

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

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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, and obviously this risk increases during and directly after periods of high winds. When walking in the Sanctuary, look around but 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, by planning your activity for a suitable weather window or by using alternative tracks. In addition to weather forecasts, a useful resource is the Hourly Rainfall for Brook at Third House (at the south-east corner of the Sanctuary) — see https://www.tasman. govt.nz/my-region/ environment/environmental-data/rainfall/ brook-at-third-house/

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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 of 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.

Possum approaching an egg

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.

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 members · Keep checking the Facebook page and Instagram site · Sponsor a fencepost. And visit the website!

Contacts The Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, 651 Brook

Street, The Brook, Nelson 7010, New Zealand.

Phone 03 539 4920 (Visitor Centre) Phone 03 546 2422 (Town Office)

Website: https://www.brooksanctuary.org.nz/

Questions, issues or complaints For task-related questions, ask your team leader or other team members, or a staff member. For organisationrelated 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 Chief Executive and/or the Operations Manager, via the town office (see the Contacts section).

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ thebrooksanctuary/

Instagram: brooksanctuary/

Email (volunteer representatives): volunteer@

brooksanctuary.org.nz or volunteerconnector@ brooksanctuary.org.nz or visitorcentre@ brooksanctuary.org.nz · Email (general business): info@brooksanctuary.org.nz

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

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