Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance Annual Impact Report 2022

Annual Impact Report 2022

NATIVE FERN PHOTOGRAPHED DURING WESTPORT HUI 2022 | ERIK VAN EYNDHOVEN

Ki a Ranginui e tū iho nei, ki a Papatūānuku e takoto ake nei, tae noa ki ā rāua tamariki maha, te whakatīnanatanga o tō tātou ao, kei te mihi!

Rātou te hunga wairua ki a rātou, tātou te hunga ora ki a tātou, Tīhei mauri ora!

Ki ngā kaitiaki toa o tō tātou rohe o Te Tauihu o Te Waka ki o Te Tai Poutini, o te raki o Kawatiri, koutou e poipoi nei i tō tātou taiao hei oranga mō ngā uri whakaheke, e mihi ana.

Ka tika me mihi ki a koutou i whakapau werawera ki te whakakotahi i ngā whakaaro, ki te kōkiri anō i ngā kōrero ki te rīpoata taiao nei hei painga mō te katoa.

"Ko Te Tauihu o Te Waka o Te Tai Poutini, o te raki o Kawatiri, he whenua taurikura, he rite ki te ao nō tua whakarere. Kua hau tōna rongo i te tapu, i te huhua o te taiao nei. He kainga motuhake a Te Tauihu mō ngā momo e hia rau nei e kore e kitea i wāhi kē." Tēnā koutou katoa.

Ranginui who stands aloft, to Papatūānuku who lies below, and their many children who are the manifestation of our world, acknowledgements are given.

May the deceased stay with the spirits, and the living continue on, listen the life force is alive!

To the guardians of the top of the South Island to Kawatiri, northern Buller, those that nurture the environment so that it is prosperous for future generations, we give thanks.

Acknowledgements are also given to those who have spent many hours collating information for this environmental report, an asset that will be useful for the days to come. ‘The top of the South Island to Kawatiri, northern Buller, is the most environmentally diverse and ancient part of New Zealand. It is home to hundreds of species found nowhere else in the world and these form unique natural communities.’ Acknowledgements to all.

KOTAHITANGA MŌ TE TAIAO LEADERSHIP ENGAGING WITH OTHERS AT WESTPORT WĀNANGA 2022 (LEFT TO RIGHT): DEBS MARTIN, MARTIN RODD, AND DAVE JOHNSTON | NOMAD AV

PŌWHIRI FOR ALLIANCE PARTNERS AT THE WESTPORT WĀNANGA | NOMAD AV

Ko te ngutu kura ka Pupuke ko te hinengaro

Nā te hinengaro te mahara

Nā te mahara te whakaaro

Nā te whakaaro te kōrero

Nā te kōrero ka tū he tikanga

He taonga nui te wareware

He taonga nui rawa atu Tihei mauri ora!

Tēnei te mihi ki a koutou katoa.

We are pleased to present the collective mahi of the Kotahitanga mō Te Taiao Alliance in this year’s Annual Impact Report.

“He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka” A choppy sea can be navigated.

How our world has continued to change in the last 12 months.

The on-going challenge of navigating through the global pandemic and associated disruptions to our normal routines and severe weather events that caused widespread damage and impact to hillsides, roads, properties, infrastructure, and houses.

However, regardless of these challenges we are heartened by the collective efforts and continued collaboration across the Alliance and our communities, and we are pleased with the progress we have made under somewhat trying circumstances.

“Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa”

Let us keep close together, not wide apart.

This whakataukī speaks to the importance of keeping connected and of maintaining relationships and dialogue so we can keep moving forward together.

One of our key strengths continues to be our kotahitanga as we work by consensus to achieve outcomes that no one entity could achieve alone. We give thanks to all our Alliance partners for their on-going mahi and support and we also appreciate the support from our external funders and supporters.

We also give thanks to our Programme Manager and staff who have delivered quality mahi and support to our partners and associated projects.

One of the key highlights was our planning noho led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) called Restoration by Design. Wonderfully hosted by Ngāti Waewae and the Buller Kawatiri District Council this workshop helped us to look at an operational design process that is a global best practice. This process aligns well with our existing practices and workstreams and will help us to achieve our vision for transformative change at scale.

We will now work on how we progress the priority workstreams that we have collectively identified.

While we have made very good progress since our formation in 2017, we need to continue with some urgency to deliver on our aspirations, so we see the benefits in our lifetime. We can see that the TNC focus on sustainable financing and delivery of nature-based solutions at scale to achieve our climate and biodiversity outcomes is the thinking that stands to transform what we can achieve together.

The following Annual Impact Report includes an update and outcomes from our Alliance partners.

On behalf of your Co-Chairs thank you for the collective contribution that you have made and for your ongoing support.

Nā māua iti noa

Johnston Martin Rodd Co-Chair Co-Chair

David

Co-Chair Co-Chair Dave Johnston Martin Rodd CO-CHAIRS, DAVE JOHNSTON & MARTIN RODD | MELISSA BANKS

What a pleasure it has been this year to be Programme Manager for the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance – with a visionary strategy and a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and diversity around the table.

Combined with the international experience of The Nature Conservancy in working on landscape-scale restoration across the globe, the far-reaching vision of the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Strategy seems not only doable, but with it brings the opportunity for new ways of working, technologies, funding models and deep relationships that can help us achieve our goals and be a model across Aotearoa New Zealand.

My warmest thanks to Erik van Eyndhoven who held the role previously and, alongside Co-Chairs Dave Johnston and Martin Rodd, provided an excellent mentorship for me into the role. Building on the work of those who have gone before has been made easier with the continuity and stability provided by the Co-Chair leadership.

Erik’s new role as Associate Director of Conservation within The Nature Conservancy ensures his ongoing contribution to the work of the Alliance through leadership in work on Blue Carbon, nature-based solutions, and Wasp Bio-control.

Jobs for Nature work programmes have continued to provide environmental benefits across the region, and in this Annual Impact Report you will read more about those and the other projects that align with the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Strategy. We have welcomed new projects on board this year – the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, Pest Free Onetahua, and Te Kāhui Waipuna.

Although the land area we cover is around 2.5 million hectares, we also cover just under 1 million hectares of ocean, and it has been good to turn a spotlight into the moana during 2022. Our collective work across the moana of Te Tauihu and northern Kawatiri looks set to move to a new level, with a driving interest from both governance, particularly many of our iwi partners, and as part of our operational programme.

Last year Erik highlighted the Alliance’s agreement to progress with The Nature Conservancy’s “Conservation by Design”. Renamed “Restoration by Design”, the work commenced in earnest this year with the August wānanga/workshop hosted in Westport by Ngāti Waewae and Buller Kawatiri District Council. Our deepest gratitude goes to the hospitality shown by our hosts, and the warmth experienced from the broader community. Over 65 participants attended over the three days.

Tēnā koutou katoa

PROGRAMME MANAGER, DEBS MARTIN | COURTESY OF DEBS MARTIN

The in-depth thinking that took place produced a work programme we can move forward with which will ensure we are delivering at scale through our collaborative workstreams, with transformative actions and using targeted levers to help shift the dial on our collective programme of action.

Featured in this report, the Restoration by Design process will drive our work programme early next year and provide the next phase of our investment work into restoration of te taiao.

Over the course of the year, The Nature Conservancy has provided us with four generous secondments (called Coda Fellowships) to support our work in developing the Restoration by Design process for use in New Zealand.

In August we welcomed Trina Leberer to our shores from Guam. Trina has been helping drive the Restoration by Design work as an experienced practitioner. Her skills were irreplaceable during the Westport wānanga. Karen Leu joins us remotely from New York and has been providing valuable GIS input into the project – producing both a spatial atlas of key issues across the Alliance region and working with Kotahitanga mō te Taiao projects to provide a more visible online “dashboard” of our story.

Mark Berry and Colette DeGarady from the eastern seaboard of the United States provided useful input into land use options for ongoing restoration and integration of economic activity. The work each of these Coda Fellows has brought to the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao process is long-standing and passes on skills and knowledge that will be valuable into the future.

Our ongoing commitment to improved and vital communication has continued throughout this year, with ePānui subscriptions increasing and our presence more widely felt in the media. Our Annual Impact Report has proven to be a fountain of information for our project teams, funders, and members alike.

Work is being done to update our website (hosted by The Nature Conservancy) and provide greater visibility of the work we are doing together. Telling our compelling story and telling it to the right people is imperative to retain and grow the support we need to make the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao vision, a reality.

Importantly this year we have made significant strides to address the inequity that can be created in partnerships where statutory agencies and iwi provide co-governance.

The Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance aims to shift this inequity and provide a more level playing field that will enable iwi to stand alongside the other Alliance partners in a governance role with the capacity to bring aspirations, mātauranga Māori, an iwi perspective, and solutions to the table. Thanks to Rātā Foundation and The Nature Conservancy, we have managed to secure significant funding in order to support this important mahi.

To further facilitate this process, we are pleased to announce in 2023 that we will engage a Te Ao Māori advisor role for the Restoration by Design process. This role will work closely with our iwi partners to support their participation, as well as providing significant support for the various workstreams addressing such issues as invasive species, climate change adaptation and the marine environment.

The year ahead promises to be challenging, busy and exciting. With many projects underway, funding opportunities coming to fruition, and an exciting programme of development ahead – we are more than set to enter phase two of implementing the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Strategy.

Ngā mihi nunui

Martin Programme Manager Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance

Debs

LOOKING UPSTREAM FROM DELAWARE INLET AT CABLE BAY | COURTESY OF NELSON CITY COUNCIL

What is the Alliance?

A partnership for environmental leadership across the Buller, Marlborough, Nelson, and Tasman region –connecting people and place together for now and for the future.

Mā whero, mā pango, ka oti ai te mahi. Through co-operation the work will get done.

This refers to co-operation where if everyone does their part, the work will be completed. The colours (whero / red and pango / black) refer to the traditional kōwhaiwhai patterns on the inside of the meeting house.

Our Strategic Mission

“Creating a connected and aligned region that understands, protects, enhances and future proofs the values of nature critical to the top of the South (covering components of the Buller, Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough regions in the South Island) and that this flourishing nature in turn enriches its communities.”

Members

1. Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Charitable Trust

2. Te Pātaka a Ngāti Kōata Trust

3. Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kuia Trust

4. Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua

5. Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust

6. Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Inc (observer)

7. Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui Trust

8. Te Rūnanga a Rangitāne o Wairau

Our Function

The Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance provides a collaborative framework for the alignment of landscape-scale conservation projects across Kawatiri/Buller, Wairau/Marlborough, Whakatū/Nelson, and Waimea/Tasman regions.

The Alliance provides strategy, support, context, and advice, and an opportunity to share and collaborate on projects and to coordinate or support funding applications, which is essential as the Alliance is not a legal entity. Partners and project teams come together with the common goal to support this work.

The Alliance is also helping to build capacity and capability across iwi and community to lead and/or support collaborative landscape-scale conservation mahi. This includes building relationships with potential funders and/or endorsing leveraged funding opportunities to achieve outcomes.

9. Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae

10. Tasman District Council 11. Nelson City Council 12. Marlborough District Council 13. Buller District Council 14. West Coast Regional Council 15. Department of Conservation – Te Papa Atawhai 16. Fisheries New Zealand (observer)

The Alliance partners are committed to ensuring that Kotahitanga mō te Taiao delivers not only environmental outcomes but also supports social, cultural, and economic outcomes for the region.

TNC’s role

In 2020, the Alliance signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) New Zealand Trust to formalise a mutual collaboration, with the purpose of TNC facilitating and supporting the implementation of the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Strategy.

TNC support for the Alliance includes access to expertise and capacity covering:

Experience, processes, and global connections on landscape-scale planning and implementation

Connections with similar projects in other countries and within New Zealand for shared learning experiences and capability development

Access to innovative tools to support communities achieve their conservation aspirations, particularly regarding land-use change and best practice

Experience of sustainable financing approaches for delivering conservation outcomes

Fundraising expertise and capacity

TNC’s role is to leverage off this expertise and capacity to propose a strategic agenda, programmes, and projects, aimed at identifying joint agendas and possibilities for cooperation for implementing the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Strategy.

Governance and Management

All members of the Alliance participate in governance. This involves:

1. Control of core programme activity and budgets (e.g., conservation planning, communications, new project scoping).

2. Oversight of the full range of the Strategy relevant projects that are led or formally sponsored by Alliance members and are subject to separate governance.

3. Alignment to other projects and initiatives that are Strategy-relevant, but largely sit outside of Alliance member control.

ALLIANCE WESTPORT WĀNANGA – FIELD TRIP | NOMAD AV

CONNOR WALLACE OF FOREST AND BIRD TOP OF THE SOUTH BAT RECOVERY PROJECT | COURTESY OF TE HOIERE PROJECT

Paddling towards resilience

The Alliance waka is moving forwards towards the goal of delivering on the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Strategy.

With the approval of governance, our course is now set by the Restoration by Design (RbD) process – a self-sustaining way of delivering nature-based solutions to environmental and human challenges that has been well proven by our partners The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in projects around the globe.

Restoration by Design is driven by the need to create a world where, in acting to conserve nature, people also enrich their own lives. It avoids exploitation, focuses on sustainable economic, environmental, and social outcomes, and explores the links between people and nature, considering actions and outcomes that benefit the ecosystem and humanity. It is a viable alternative to the economic growth/exploitation approach that has been in play across the globe during the post-war years.

Restoration by Design links our goal of a resilient environment and society to the actions we have prioritised and the resources we can make available.

It enables us to visualise transformational changes and make them happen. It will help us to be

systematic about planning, implementing, and monitoring our conservation projects so we can learn what works and what doesn’t, and why. These learnings can then help us to undertake further conservation work and investment.

In this way, The RbD process is responsive, circular, and self-sustaining, with a firm footing in mātauranga Māori and western-based science. We identify challenges and goals, map strategies and places, define the outcomes we seek, take action, measure and adapt. Outputs at this stage lend their learnings to the next iteration of the process. Te Ao Māori is incorporated into this way of working as it is reflective, holistic, and regenerative.

In New Zealand, we are already seeing examples of the benefits that conservation work can bring to society. At a time when the tourism sector was suffering, Jobs for Nature gave real jobs and at the same time, provided conservation gains across the region

Our Restoring and Protecting Flora work alone will deliver 85 FTE over three years, all whilst providing gains for nature. Volunteer conservation work, including pest trapping groups, restoration planting and weeding help to amplify those efforts, as well as bringing communities together to work for something other than themselves.

TRINA LEBERER, JO MARTIN (NCC), DI ROSSITER (REPRESENTING BDC), AND DEBS MARTIN IN THE RESTORATION BY DESIGN WORKSHOP | ERIK VAN EYNDHOVEN

Working in conservation appeals to values of kindness, generosity, and benevolence rather than self-interest, power, and wealth; and yet society and individuals also reap benefits that go well beyond backyard birdsong.

Iwi were at the heart of the hui, and Te Rua Mason of hosts Ngāti Waewae, recognised the commitment to collaboration between Alliance partners which will be at the core of Restoration by Design: “We are looking forward to working shoulder to shoulder, future proofing for our āpōpō.”

We are now on the way towards establishing the Alliance teams of experts, leaders, and thinkers, all the while making sure we integrate the mahi already done by our partners and stakeholders.

Alliance Co-Chair Dave Johnston identified the need for the groundwork to be done to ensure the outcomes fit our aspirations. "If the things out the back are done well, then the things out the front go well too. The hard work begins now as we look at turning some of our new aspirations into reality.”

The development of the work programme is expected to be complete by June 2023, at which point we expect to be able to share our investmentready proposals and the actions we need to take within the Alliance to help achieve our strategic outcomes.

The first big step towards the adoption of Restoration by Design to guide our mahi was the August wānanga in Westport, which was for many Alliance partners the first chance to meet face to face and kōrero

This was our time to envisage a future where our communities are resilient in the face of climate change, species loss, pandemics, and weather events. We were able to set priorities, which meant identifying the work streams into which we will put our energies and our resources to achieve the transformational changes we want to see.

The hui amplified the strength and commitment of the Alliance partners, and their sense of urgency and possibility came through in the sound of many voices working as a braided river, to set those priorities and agree on workstreams for the Alliance to focus on.

KMTT’s partnership with TNC enables the Alliance to leverage off its experience in working globally to achieve better outcomes for the Alliance, drive our capacity to work and better prioritise outcomes and opportunities.

Programme Manager Debs Martin says that while all partners recognise the scale of the challenges ahead, the expertise of Alliance members and the broader community, and the willingness to work ‘shoulder to shoulder’ means we are well placed to unlock the potential for large scale investment and to raise our existing projects up to a new level.

“With great people on board our waka all paddling together, we can expect to see Restoration by Design help us realise a shift in the way we restore te Taiao. I think we are ready to make that happen.”

Pest Free Onetahua

Pest Free Onetahua has a vision to restore the taonga habitat of Onetahua/Farewell Spit so that native birds, plants and other wildlife can thrive.

Home to thousands of birds, Onetahua is a wetland of international significance. A critical stopover for migrating wader birds, it gained international status as a Ramsar site in 1976. However the many native and migratory birds that breed or stop to feed at Onetahua are being impacted by predatory pests such as possums, rats, stoats, and wild pigs.

The project is a partnership between Tasman Environmental Trust, Manawhenua Ki Mohua and local landowners, businesses and residents of Mohua/Golden Bay. It is supported by funding from Predator Free 2050 and is currently working with stakeholders to finalise its operations plan.

Approval to align Pest Free Onetahua with the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance was given in September 2022, and the project looks forward to working with Alliance Partners to realise its vision for a place of healthy natural abundance.

Manawhenua Ki Mohua

A year in review

As the end of 2022 draws near, it has been heartening to reflect on the achievements of the Kaimahi for Nature Connection mahi at Whenua Iti Outdoors – a project to connect as many young people as possible to local, natural environments and leave with the passion and skills to take action for nature.

This year has been a roller coaster with many programmes cancelled in Terms 1 and 2 that were rescheduled for delivery in Terms 3 and 4 – the good news is that early reporting numbers show we have exceeded our goals and provided over 10,000 nature connection experiences alongside other providers and our local communities.

Highlights through the year include:

Working on the West Coast where schools were incredibly keen to be part of the programme and in turn, we learnt a lot from them and conservation partners including DOC

Providing over 4500 plants from our community nursery for local conservation projects – the plants were grown by school students and the community

Running the Mini Environmental Explorers programme at Whenua Iti

With a focus on fun and exploration, the entry level programme forms a firm foundation to progress onto further Whenua Iti Outdoor programmes. Elements of mātauranga Māori, science, conservation, and adventure are blended to provide an engaging and inspiring day out of the classroom.

“The activities are designed to explore the concept of kaitiakitanga and to help nurture a relationship between the children and the world around them,” explains Catherine, one of the kaiako on the programmes. “We spend the day outside playing games, being active and completing activities such as bug hunts, or taking them on a Burma trail through the ngahere blind-folded to get all their senses in tune with their environment and acknowledge Tāne Mahuta.

YOUTH PARTICIPANTS IN PROGRAMME | COURTESY OF WHENUA ITI OUTDOORS

YOUTH PARTICIPANTS IN PROGRAMME | COURTESY OF WHENUA ITI OUTDOORS

There is also an element of challenge in the day to build confidence and teamwork skills. Having fun with their friends outside is a big part of the experience – if they enjoy being outside in nature, in the future they will be more likely to help protect it.”

The programmes also tie into the school curriculum and aim to support classroom learning. “The benefits to the students are huge, learning, sharing, participating & working together in nature – (the programme) provides an experience that we cannot replicate at school,” noted one of the teachers.

Nature Connection has also created some fantastic video resources and activity sheets for young environmentalists to carry on their learning at home.

https://www.whenuaiti.org.nz/go-wild-at-home/ https://www.whenuaiti.org.nz/nature-connectionactivities/

The programme has faced some challenges with a tight labour market making staff recruitment more difficult than usual.

A tight funding environment has resulted in the formation of a local network to better collaborate with others in this competitive space and ensure the project, and other similar projects continue to grow in line with the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao landscape-scale vision. We look forward to 2023 being less affected by COVID-19 too.

Looking ahead to 2023, we are excited to be further embedding our connections to the West Coast and developing our connections in Marlborough, as well as further supporting our Nelson Tasman community.

It is an interesting time where we will be consolidating the learnings of the last two years whilst innovating to meet the challenges of the future.

YOUTH PARTICIPANTS IN PROGRAMME | COURTESY OF WHENUA ITI OUTDOORS

We are grateful for the Alliance’s support in our efforts to rehabilitate coastal areas through the Waimea / Waimeha Inlet Enhancement and Billion Trees Projects.

The most notable progress this year has been in the Waimea/ Waimeha Delta wetland enhancement space.

Over the next two years, the area will see further targeted earthworks, weed control and planting to enhance the diversity in the area with the aim of creating a rich habitat for rare marshland birds including the critically endangered matuku (Australasian bittern).

A carefully-managed reset of the landscape at the start of the year has since allowed us to add some new plant life which, has already made a significant impact.

The first stage of this wetland creation project, designed to enhance the ecological value of Waimea Delta, began with earthworks in March.

Initial work focused on creating open water areas alongside the existing channel to increase the diversity of the area.

Terrestrial planting around the area occurred over winter, followed by further wetland planting in spring.

As well as creating a thriving wetland, we want to ensure the Waimea / Waimeha Delta is a safe environment for the wildlife making a habitat there.

With this in mind, predator control is also ongoing with the support and mahi of Tasman Environmental Trust / Battle of the Banded Rail Trust volunteers.

Phase two will take place in early 2023. The broader work plan includes widening channels and creating new swamps and marsh to create diverse wildlife habitats and enhance habitat connectivity.

The period was also challenging with regards to the extreme weather event that impacted the region. Fortunately, the project sites were relatively unscathed.

In terms of overall planting, we put in 4827 plants at the Delta site, as well as 887 plants at the Best Island salt marsh restoration site as well as gathering baseline data to track natural regeneration of salt marsh species following ground remediation.

The Waimea / Waimeha Inlet One Billions Trees (Phase 2) project has planted a further 25,000 + native plants around the Waimea Estuary during the course of winter 2022.

Our Best Island Salt Marsh Restoration Trial saw an area of approximately 4200m² at Best Island having substrate remediated in order to provide more suitable conditions for salt marsh species to establish in.

Previously there was an old track that was used as an access way, however the landowners (Greenacres Golf Club) are very excited to retire the area and allow regeneration of this declining ecosystem.

Since the ripping of the road in June, restoration planting has been undertaken along with transects set up throughout the area to measure the regeneration over time.

Glasswort propagules have also been spread in trial areas to investigate if this is an option for future salt marsh restoration projects.

We aim to make some further progress on the Borck Creek project over summer to allow further ingress of saltwater into the area. The area available is extensive and is a good opportunity to enhance the existing salt marsh vegetation currently present.

WAIMEA DELTA – POST TERRESTRIAL PLANTING OCT 2022 | CREDIT: COURTESY OF TASMAN DISTRICT COUNCIL

Tasman Wetlands

Our wetlands project has made a steady start in its efforts to support Tasman’s most vulnerable and ecologically important water bodies. Two constructed wetlands have been built – including this one at the Reilly Family Farm in Motupipi

Our wetlands project has made a steady start in its efforts to support Tasman’s most vulnerable and ecologically important water bodies.

We planted a total of 7357 plants for the 2021/2022 year, covering 0.3286 ha.

Two constructed wetlands have been built – one at the Reilly Family Farm in Motupipi and the other on Tasman Pine Forests land at Eves Valley. Together, this has involved a total of 1.52 ha of retired productive land used for a positive outcome.

Seven natural wetland sites flown and photographed by drone, including the Black Valley Wetland at St Arnaud / Lake Rotoiti.

Learning has been another positive outcome from the last 12 months, with 24 young people (rangatahi) participating in iwi-led training on the importance and function of wetlands.

We also had a local kindergarten join us for a planting day at the Eves Valley site over winter.

The work programme for 2022/2023 is looking to be a busy one which is likely to see some significant progress occur.

We are set to press play on one constructed wetland and 15 natural wetlands, while two natural wetlands are scheduled for hydrological restoration.

REILLY FAMILY FARM IN MOTUPIPI | COURTESY OF TASMAN DISTRICT COUNCIL

Fish Passage

The Tasman Jobs for Nature Fish Passage Project is entering a period of acceleration. Currently in year two of a five year period, the project focuses on assessing and remediating in stream structures on private land in Tasman.

A desktop assessment of the region (private only) identified 7,600 possible in stream structures based on aerial, LiDAR and other helpful GIS layers –the field team carries out work based on these.

We expect to complete 4,350 assessments and 1,566 remediations over the course of the five year project.

With the valued efforts of our contractor field team from Kūmanū and the support of landowners across the district, the project has made some significant achievements in our first year.

In year one 809 assessments and 145 remediations achieved, with the focus areas being the valleys around Motueka and Tapawera.

Thirty one unremediated structures were placed into a new prioritisation landowner communication process to ensure the work is followed up.

The value of fish passage in our ecosystem was reinforced at a day-long freshwater education workshop at Tapawera Area School in May.

The workshop benefited from the combined resources of the Jobs for Nature culvert remediation work led by Tasman District Council, as well as the Department of Conservation, and Whitebait Connection and was organised by Enviroschools Tasman.

As with any long-term project, we have also learnt plenty in the first year which will help us with our planning and execution going forward. This project is aiding Tasman in building a complete picture of in stream structures in the region as it contributes to existing data from other asset owners such as Tasman District Council, Waka Kotahi, and DOC.

It is spring-boarding off previous fish passage carried out and helping to generate additional momentum for improving fish passage efforts in this region.

The majority of in stream structures encountered are culverts. Remediation carried out under this project includes the use of materials such as rubber aprons/ramps, spat rope and baffles.

Remediations requiring fixes longer than an hour, other materials or any specialised work are not included as part of the scope of work carried out by the supplier.

Ruataniwha Inlet North Aorere

Parapara to Rangihaeata

Lower Takaka

Motueka West Bank

Our year two expectations involve having over 1,400 assessments and 504 remediations completed. Other key project outcomes include Iwi-led monitoring, mātauranga Māori report and wānanga as well as the production of a training manual and regular auditing.

We anticipate being in a position to provide a significant update at the end of the 22/23 fiscal year which will include useful project insights and an update on progress made in our region beyond the scope of just this project.

Looking ahead, the Kūmanū Field Team will soon be in the areas below as they complete the next round of assessments and remediations.

STREAM STRUCTURE ON PRIVATE LAND | COURTESY OF TASMAN DISTRICT COUNCIL

Following the traditional lull of the winter months, we recommence our schedule of wilding pine control operations for the 2022/23 season with our Jobs for Nature team undertaking drill and fill work and aerial (ABBA) work in November.

Since 2020, Tasman District Council has teamed up with independent forestry management providers PF Olsen and our Alliance partners to conduct wilding conifer control in the Mount Richmond Management Unit (MRMU).

The MRMU covers around 283,000 hectares and includes private, public and conservation land. To date, close to 12,000 ha of the park have been surveyed or have had wilding conifer control work carried out as part of the MPI funded activities. The first year of the Jobs for Nature team saw five full time employees carry out 8707 hours of groundwork controlling wildings across 200 ha of the park.

The team also gained valuable skills in forestry and restoration work, while navigating often challenging terrain and multi-day excursions into the hills. The project was funded by the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme (NWCCP), as well as further funding in 2021 through the Department of Conservation under the Jobs for Nature programme. Jobs for Nature funding of $620,000 aims to cover 12,480 employment hours over three years.

We are also grateful for further funding of $729,524 for the Mt Richmond project in the 2022/23 fiscal year, with $613k coming from MPI and the balance provided by DOC.

We’ve also been pleased to support efforts to eradicate wilding conifers from sections of the Tākaka Hill by our partners Tākaka Hill Biodiversity Group Trust (THBGT).

The Tākaka Hill project is independent from our work around the Mt. Richmond Wilding Conifer Control programme. However, it is still an important part of wider eradication efforts and recent funding of $125,000 from MPI for the fiscal year will enable this work to further expand upon that initial control and undertake significant work on private and public conservation land within Abel Tasman and Kahurangi National Parks.

WILDING CONIFERS IN MT RICHMOND FOREST PARK | COURTESY OF TASMAN DISTRICT COUNCIL

JOBS FOR NATURE WORK CONTROLLING WILDING CONIFERS | COURTESY OF TASMAN DISTRICT COUNCIL

Highlights

Monitoring

Catchment coordinator, Aubrey Tai, has been out and about guiding landowners towards improving water quality in Te Hoiere/Pelorus River and its tributaries. Information gathered during catchment surveys is enabling farmers to prioritise on-farm actions. Farmers and contractors are meeting targets for planting native seedlings and fencing to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff.

Haere, kakea te ara poka hou

Our ancestor, Kupe, challenged us to follow his example and seek knowledge of the land. The people of Te Hoiere take up this challenge, together climbing a new path strengthened by love of the land and respect for Papatūānuku. Te Hoiere Project has progressed from workshopping its vision, principles, and aspirations to action.

Te Reo Māori Wānanga

Relationships, understanding, and te reo Māori were built at a Ngāti Kuia wānanga at Te Hora Marae. Project governance and steering group members attended the May wānanga alongside Marlborough District Council staff. Pronunciation was the focus along with common phrases, understanding tikanga, and learning Ngāti Kuia waiata and karakia.

“People are happy to see on-the-ground progress,” says Aubrey who works through Council on behalf of the Project. “We’ve had some good conversations over a cup of tea.”

The NZ Landcare Trust and Conservation Kids NZ pooled skills and enthusiasm to run the Rai Valley Community Stream Monitoring Project, supported by Te Hoiere Project and the Council. Children assessed stream health at seven sites, interpreted data and are beginning riparian restoration, setting an example for Rai Valley families.

HARIRŪ | MELISSA BANKS

NGĀTI KUIA KAIAKO, TOM ALESANA | MELISSA BANKS

TAMARIKI DOING STREAM MONITORING | JODI AUSTEN

Forest & Bird’s Te Hoiere Pelorus Bat Recovery

Project ran acoustic surveys in Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve and the wider catchment, in summer 2021 and autumn 2022. The Bat Team also worked with landowners and managers to establish survey points on private property, aimed at recording long-term trends in bat distribution and activity to inform management.

During four seasons of summer monitoring, 89 roost trees have been identified in the Te Hoiere catchment including 60 in Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve. Fifty bats were captured in January/February 2022, informing estimates of annual survival.

Led by bat scientist, Dr Gillian Dennis, four volunteers, two paid summer assistants and DOC staff helped with surveying and monitoring.

Ruapaka Wetlands

Foresty Innovation Programme

A Forestry Innovation Programme is identifying ways of improving forestry, under Te Hoiere Project. The Marlborough Forest Industry Association (MFIA), forest management companies and MDC lead this programme.

“The industry wants to do the right thing,” says Henry Morris of PF Olsen. “We are part of Te Hoiere communities, make a living operating within them and need to ensure we’re working with other stakeholders which will mean going above and beyond regulatory bottom lines towards innovative best practice.”

First steps are being taken to restoring Ruapaka Wetland, downstream from Te Hora Marae.

On a walk-through the 16-hectare wetland Ngāti Kuia Kaitiaki Taiao, Ruihana Lewis Smith and FuturEcology consultants Rob Fryer and Alvin Bartlett took a look at what remains of original wetland and the extent of invasive willows.

Follow-up was to include a drone flyover, GIS mapping and locating cultural sites, towards FuturEcology preparing a weed control and restoration plan.

“Finding kākahi/freshwater mussels which are an indicator of a healthy environment was a highlight,” says Ruihana.

Ngāti Kuia will restore the wetland alongside SH63 in partnership with the Department of Conservation, Marlborough District Council and landowners.

The wetland is just downstream of the confluence of the Whakamarino and Te Hoiere/Pelorus Rivers, flanked by Te Oranga Mataitai tuna/eel reserve.

Drone reveals wetland’s human history

Ideas flew at a meeting to introduce FuturEcology Ltd plans to restore Ruapaka Wetland, near Canvastown. Ngāti Kuia is leading this project in partnership with DOC, Marlborough District Council and landowners. Marlborough Roads will advise on stormwater management, whether herbicide sprays are used in the area and traffic control measures required. Alvin Bartley of FuturEcology, which is overseeing the restoration project, shared drone footage that revealed the wetland’s 700hectare catchment and its human history.

GILLIAN DENNIS, REMOVING CAPTURED BATS FROM HARP TRAP | KAT JOHNSON

RUAPAKA EXTENT MAP | COURTESY OF TE HOIERE PROJECT

“I’ve never been involved with a wetland with so many human interactions,” said environmental engineer Alvin. “There are historic, cultural, environmental and biodiversity perspectives. I want to get your feel for what’s going on and opinions, towards forming a vision to formalise into a plan.”

Human influences included an urupā where Ngāti Kuia tūpuna are buried, a tramline embankment where from the 1880s native logs were hauled to Brownlee’s sawmill at nearby Blackball, historic drainage channels, and commercial forests on steep hillsides above. Willows, old man’s beard, blackberry and convolvulus are abundant but native species including 15-year-old kōwhai and totara, Carex secta, harakeke, ngā kouka (cabbage-trees) and tōtara are also present. An encouraging discovery of kākahi/freshwater mussels indicates that native fish which transport their larvae, live here.

All at the meeting agreed on a hybrid approach to willow control of targeted spraying by helicopter followed by drilling and filling with herbicide in sensitive areas. Where there is easy access, some could be mechanically removed.

“This is legacy stuff that we’ll be telling our children’s children about,” said Ngāti Kuia Kaitiaki Taiao/Environmental Planner, Kristie Paki Paki, of the project.

“There’re heaps of challenges but what an opportunity to bring in local farmers, iwi, and the community …. to attack this over a long period of time,” added Te Hoiere catchment care coordinator, Aubrey Tai.

Luke Thompson and Maria Carlson who farm alongside the wetland were keen to see the Project take off “while the dollars are available through Te Hoiere Project and there’s such strong support from Forest & Bird, iwi, Council, DOC and the community.”

RUAPAKA WETLANDS | COURTESY OF TE HOIERE PROJECT

There has been good progress over the past 12 months, due mainly to the funds secured through Jobs for Nature. The Board, our General Manager, our working group leaders and their teams, 3 field staff, a Volunteer Coordinator, an Urban Urapping Coordinator and an Administrative Assistant have all combined to create a well-functioning group, assisted by a large group of volunteers and home garden trappers.

Trap intensity within the areas surrounding Picton and Kaipupu Reserve has grown to a satisfactory density, with predator numbers being shown to be depleting and bird numbers growing.

Attention is now being given to the extended area envisaged in our operational plan.

A recent review of trapping efficacy compared to using toxins, in some areas, has been carried out. The Picton Dawn Chorus (PDC) Board, which previously chose not to depend on toxins, has now agreed to countenance their use. The two major reasons are that whilst PDC is well endowed with excellent labour, the funding for hardware is proving to be more difficult to secure, and PDC also recognises that the efficacy and efficiency of toxins are progressing very well, allowing our volunteers to participate in toxin distribution.

PDC now has the infrastructure to manage whatever future predator control options are available.

The PDC Social Enterprise – Dawn Chorus Trapping Enterprise (DCTE) – continues to produce trapping boxes for sale throughout the South Island as well as to supply PDC needs.

Funding for the future is a dominant theme that the Board continues to grapple with.

JAMES WILSON AND JILL EVAN CHECKING TRAPS | COURTESY OF MARLBOROUGH MAGAZINE

ANNABEL CHECKING TRAP | COURTESY OF PICTON DAWN CHORUS

The Wakapuaka Whangamoa Project was launched in September 2021 following a grant from the Department of Conservation for just under $1 million, with further support from Nelson City Council. The outcomes of the three-year Project are focused on employment and biodiversity gains in two diverse catchments in North Nelson.

Work is being undertaken to restore sites of high biodiversity value on private land across a range of ecosystems including wetlands, and both lowland and coastal forests. Ngāti Tama ki te Waipounamu Trust is a key partner, with several significant Trust-owned sites included in the Project area.

Along with field staff employed through Jobs for Nature and based at Kūmānu Environmental, the Project is supporting a Pou Tikanga role to ensure appropriate cultural practices and competencies are observed as part of the work. The role has been developed in collaboration with Ngāti Tama.

The key outcome for the Wakapuaka Whangamoa Project is the control of pest plants threatening the unique ecosystems the team will have the opportunity to work in. There is also some possum control and enrichment planting to help to bring back some of the threatened species found here. The project area is at least 60 hectares.

To date, six landowners aside from Ngāti Tama, are involved in the Project with all sites being either Significant Natural Areas or covenanted through the QEII Trust. Many landowners are committed to protecting and enhancing these taonga and have already made huge efforts over time to ensure their survival. The Wakapuaka Whangamoa Project seeks to support these efforts through making an initial hit on the worst of the weeds and providing restoration plans to landowners for ongoing maintenance of these sites.

During the recent weather event in the region, the Wakapuaka Whangamoa team was not able to access several of the sites they had been working on and were instead able to utilise their skills and enthusiasm to help smaller landowners in the catchment area, who had riparian and restoration plantings impacted by either floods or slips. The ability to step up to assist the wider community through a time of intense stress on both land and people has shown the value of a trained and committed conservation workforce.

COASTAL FOREST SITE WAKAPUAKA WHANGAMOA PROJECT | COURTESY OF NELSON CITY COUNCIL

Two years, 100,000 plants

Project Mahitahi reached its two-year milestone in October 2022, with more than 100,000 native plants planted in both riparian and hill country in the Maitai Catchment Area. Of these, at least 15% have been taonga species, iconic in the Maitai / Mahitahi / Maitahi Valley.

The wider team from Kūmānu Environmental, Ngāti Koata Trust, and Easy Trails has collectively planted close to 80,000 of these natives!

The August 20220 significant weather event saw extensive flooding of the Maitai Valley, but limited damage has been noted as many plantings were well away from the flood path. Damage in the Sharlands Creek area and the Peneāmine Wetland site will be remediated in the months to come.

Much of the debris that has been washed up by the flood has been identified as willow and poplar, and the areas opened by the demise of these will enable native planting to happen in their place next season. This follows an existing programme of removal of old and ageing willows that have proliferated in the catchment over the years.

To assist in delivering the planting programme, Project Mahitahi has to date received over $500,000 in additional funding from a range of funders including the Arbor Foundation, MPI and Trees that Count, and are well on the way to achieving the aim of 125,000 native plants installed in the catchment, on both Council and Iwi owned land.

In the Maitai Waterworks Reserve, trappers have culled more than 2000 possums, and hunting of ungulates under the Project has contributed to the wider programme of ungulate control, including a front-country control operation in partnership with Koata Limited. A plan for a longer-term approach to the control of ungulates is underway in collaboration with Tasman Pine Forests.

Trapping networks for rats and mustelids in the wider catchment now cover a combined area of 98 hectares, providing greater protection to threatened fauna. This includes the area around the perimeter of the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, protecting endemic bird species that have been introduced into the Sanctuary and extended their populations into the surrounding forest slopes.

PROJECT MAHITAHI TEAM | COURTESY OF NELSON CITY COUNCIL

Project Mahitahi-funded roles at the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary have supported the extension of services such as education support, communications, and visitor experience. These have enabled a greater reach out to the public, to volunteers, and to supporters.

The training programme delivered to most of the recruited field staff involved in Project Mahitahi is an element that has reached out beyond the boundaries of the Project and will help to ensure enhanced conservation outcomes into the future.

The tailored training programme designed by Kūmānu Environmental identified more than 100 key competencies required of a field ranger, including cultural competency, te reo, and leadership skills. Funded by Project Mahitahi through the appointment of a training advisor, this programme has now been extended across four Kaimahi for Nature projects in Te Tauihu.

Many of the Project Mahitahi roles ended in November 2022, as the Department of Conservation’s two-year funding period came to an end. The training and experience gained by participants over the past two years, however, has placed people in the position to find conservationbased employment, and many already have done so.

“I'm so proud of the whole Project Mahitahi team and how all the work is going so far. It is super rewarding and enjoyable to watch things evolve and see the team out in the field learn and develop.”

Rod Alexander, Team Leader, Project Mahitahi Field Staff

PROJECT MAHITAHI PLANTING / COURTESY OF NELSON CITY COUNCIL

2022 Highlight – Building a pathway for Māori into conservation

Kaitiaki Whenua – Project Moturoa was developed to help build capacity of iwi to manage conservation work on iwi land in Te Tauihu. Delivered through NMIT, the programme offers a Certificate in Conservation but differs from the Trainee Ranger course through its focus on rangatiratanga, mātauranga Māori, Kaitiakitanga, and wāhi tapu.

The Project Moturoa students are most often on a journey looking to connect to their whakapapa and develop mātauranga Māori alongside western approaches to both monitoring te taiao and carrying out the work.

This year we were lucky to take a group of students from the Project Moturoa and Trainee Ranger programmes to Rangitoto (D’Urville Island), amongst other fabulous experiences. In this the students often assist in delivering Te Ao Māori training elements to the trainee rangers whilst on noho marae, this firstly helps the trainee rangers and develops their skills in facilitation.

The kaupapa of the two streams of students doing the NZ Certificate in Conservation is to work together and share their slightly different approaches to conservation. There is a lot of cross pollination – we are all a large whānau under the umbrella of Kaitiaki Whenua.

Noho Marae experiences

Visits are usually every 4-5 weeks through the year, and students often get involved with an environmental project on the marae which they then have to report back on at a future noho.

The noho marae are core elements of the course, and recent tutor, Pene Geiger, says they offer a legacy of connection for students who are trying to figure out how to reconnect with their iwi.

“Many young Māori are disconnected from their iwi roots,” said Pene. “We offer them a platform for building skills and gaining an understanding of conservation work within Te Ao Māori”.

Students learn how to represent their iwi at whale strandings and taonga species translocations. They have gone to work for DOC and for iwi in Wellington. Some have gone on to Sentinel A Nuku – a work based training programme designed to develop environmental leaders, managers, and technical experts within a Te Ao Māori context.

PROJECT MOTUROA STUDENTS ON RANGITOTO | D'URVILLE ISLAND | COURTESY OF NELSON MARLBOROUGH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Wasp bio-control pilot on track to take flight

The Nature Conservancy and KMTT has partnered with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research to pilot a cost-effective, landscape-scale wasp bio-control tool that will help native forests and the species dependent on them to recover from invasive wasps.

KMTT partners had previously identified the need to control wasps across entire Te Tauihu landscapes, but the controls currently available rely on poison application and are expensive and labour intensive, so can only be used on a fraction of the forests impacted by wasps.

Regulatory approval for the use of two new biocontrol agents (a hoverfly and beetle) was obtained in February 2021 and adds to another agent (a parasitoid wasp), which was approved for release in the 1980s. The project has since progressed on three main fronts:

1. Engagement and support for participation of iwi Alliance members to co-design the monitoring and release programme

2. Identification of potential release sites for biocontrol agents, and engagement with landowners to gain their permission

3. Sourcing the bio-control agents from the UK and developing techniques to care for them in a lab /greenhouse setting.

WASP CONTROL IN NATIVE BEECH FOREST | ERIK VAN EYNDHOVEN

COMMON WASP | BOB BROWN

Alliance engagement

In a first for NZ, KMTT has co-designed the biocontrol project with iwi. Several online and face-toface hui, involving the Environmental Protection Authority, entomological experts and Alliance members were held to ensure that all participants understood the background for the project and could offer initial views on a way forward. Formal approval for this by all Alliance members was obtained in January 2022. A co-design hui was held to explore how iwi perspectives could be built into a monitoring and release programme. This resulted in a commitment to conduct cultural effects assessments at release sites, which will then be used to inform what long-term monitoring will be required.

All Alliance iwi were invited to participate, but capacity constraints limited which iwi were able to contribute. Cultural effects assessments have been completed by Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō and Manawhenua Ki Mohua. Co-design of the monitoring and release programme is well underway, and we hope to complete baseline monitoring this summer, 2022-23.

Release sites

Three release sites have been identified for the pilot project: Howard Valley (Nelson Lakes), Ronga Valley (in the Pelorus Catchment) and Wainui Bay (Abel Tasman). On-site meetings with all landowners saw consent given to use their properties for the biocontrol releases and ongoing monitoring.

Sourcing the agents

Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research have led the work to obtain the approved bio-control agents from the UK. The project needs to establish new scientific methods to acclimate these species to NZ southern hemisphere seasons and to get them to breed in captivity. This has been a learning process, and Dr Bob Brown from Manaaki Whenua recently undertook a field collection trip to the UK and has returned with new specimens which will undergo disease screening and seasonal transition before they are ready for rearing and release. We look forward to our first tranche of releases in late summer / early autumn 2023.

PROJECT TEAM ENGAGING WITH LAND OWNERS | ERIK VAN EYNDHOVEN

Collaborative Weed Control Making its Mark

The Restoring and Protecting Flora project is delivering strategic weed control at ecologically significant sites across Te Tauihu and Kawatiri, employing a variety of weed control methods to fast-track ecosystem recovery for the long term. Thanks to a $6M grant from the Department of Conservation Jobs for Nature fund, the project is making a meaningful difference restoring ecosystems across fragmented landscapes of farms, forests, lifestyle blocks, riparian zones, and coastal margins.

Teams from contractors MBC Environmental, Project DeVine Environmental Trust and Kūmānu Environmental are knocking back major infestations of some of the region’s most challenging weed species, working on all types of land tenure in the Buller, Tasman and Marlborough Districts, and Nelson City.

Work sites are nominated by Alliance partners, then assessed against a robust set of criteria to prioritise locations where the best outcomes can be achieved and are most likely to be maintained.

Wilding cherry trees, willow, gorse, spartina, banana passion vine, pampas, ginger, old man’s beard, gunnera, and a host of other invasive species are being controlled at widely differing sites. Our teams assess sites to identify infestations and then use the control treatments best suited for the species and conditions to get the best results.

Restoration planting is being used alongside other treatments as a valuable tool for weed suppression. Planting is often a key next step following weed control, especially when the removal of dense infestations creates a void on the landscape.

KŪMĀNU TEAM PLANTING NATIVES IN LARGE VOID CLEARED OF WEEDS AT THE GRAMPIANS RESERVE IN NELSON | HUDSON DODD

In Buller, at the mouth of Martin’s Creek, near Carter’s Beach, willow control is improving whitebait habitat. Afterwards, fast growing flax and cabbage trees, along with slower-growing species such as kahikatea and mahoe are being planted to provide erosion control during flood events and act as a seedbank to kickstart natural succession in the riparian margins along the adjoining farmland.

Additional funding from Rātā Foundation is enabling the project to source locally grown seedlings for planting at suitable sites in Tasman and Marlborough. Kānuka, ake ake and karamu were planted at Baigent’s Bush Reserve in Wakefield, which was recently acquired and protected by Tasman District Council. The site’s remnant stand of towering lowland totara, matai and kowhai have been protected from encroaching vine weeds and augmented with the plantings.

In Marlborough, a Wither Hills Vineyard site is home to ecologically rare wetlands that stretch like fingers parallel to the coast, created over long periods of time by boulder bank formation. Infested by willow, which over time can create a monoculture driving out native wet-loving species, these wetlands are benefitting from willow control and being planted with cabbage trees, lacebark, and sedges by a collaboration with Wither Hills staff, to restore lands previously clad in natives.

In Nelson, another newly acquired addition to a public site – The Grampians Reserve – is benefitting from a heroic knock-back of weeds. This old farmstead was host to massive infestations of climbing asparagus, banana passion vine and wilding pines and is now being cleared of weeds, and replanted thanks to funding from Ministry for Primary Industries. This restoration will deliver a great addition to the city’s public track system and native habitat for birdlife dispersing from the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.

PROJECT DEVINE’S MARK BRIGNOLE WITH CLEARED TRADESCANTIA IN GOLDEN BAY | LEW METCALFE

KŪMĀNU TEAM CONTROLLING OLD MAN’S BEARD AT MOAWHITU ON D’URVILLE ISLAND | ROB SIMONS

MBC ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM AT CARTERS BEACH | MORGAN NEWBURRY

WITHER HILLS STAFF TURNED OUT FOR A DAY OF PLANTING IN THE CHILLY RAIN | HUDSON DODD

Restoring wetlands to capture blue carbon

Blue carbon has the potential to be a valuable tool in the race to mitigate against climate change, and TNC Aotearoa is working with central and local government, iwi, and coastal communities to investigate its potential for New Zealand and facilitate pilot projects.

Blue carbon sequestration is the removal and storage of CO2 by oceanic and coastal ecosystems such as coastal wetlands. By restoring these ecosystems and habitats we lift their capacity to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in their soil layers.

Nature Based Solutions Project Manager Olya Albot is scoping pilot sites in the top of the South Island, working with the Kotahitangha mō te Taiao Alliance partners and private landowners to identify suitable sites. This project falls within two workstreams of the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao alliance – Sustainable financing, including nature-based economic solutions, and Climate change adaption. She recently visited Nelson and Tasman to scope out possible sites in the region.

“Once we’ve agreed on the study sites,” says Olya, “we’ll carry out detailed carbon project and hydrological assessments. These will be reported back to the landowners and stakeholders, and if they are interested in going further with a blue carbon project, we’ll support the restoration programme.”

Restoring a wetland’s carbon storage capacity (as well as its natural habitat and biodiversity) generates carbon credits which can have a tradeable value on the voluntary carbon market in New Zealand. Carbon credit prices on the voluntary carbon market range widely depending on the quality of the credit and associated co-benefits.

Blue carbon restoration principles can be applied to a range of sites, including degraded or modified land that was previously a coastal wetland. Unlike growing forests, saltmarsh plants only take a couple of years to re-establish provided that the site conditions are favourable for reestablishment. Restoration works can involve simply restoring tidal flows, or may require more advanced intervention and engineering TNC has a track record of developing blue carbon projects across Central and North America, China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia, typically using mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrass habitats. Some of these projects have already begun generating blue carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market.

KMTT ALLIANCE PARTNERS SCOPING BLUE CARBON SITES NEAR NELSON | COURTESY OF THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

TASMAN’S BEST ISLAND SALT MARSH RESTORATION TRIAL HAS SEEN THE REMEDIATION OF A DECLINING ECOSYSTEM TO PROVIDE MORE SUITABLE CONDITIONS FOR SALT MARSH SPECIES TO ESTABLISH IN | COURTESY OF TASMAN DISTRICT COUNCIL

Operational Projects in the Pipeline

Wilding Conifer Control in the Branch - Leatham

Scope/scale/resources

Approach from DOC to consider inclusion of scoping work for wilding conifer control in the Branch-Leatham catchment (South Marlborough).

Update

Early work has commenced to identify some scoping work with DOC and other Alliance partners in the Branch –Leatham catchment to control wilding conifer species. Currently being managed out of DOC, South Marlborough office; but request has been made by Northern South Island Manager for the project to fit under the Alliance.

Status

Early scoping.

Scope/scale/resources

Estuary/lagoon restoration. Costs to be determined.

Update

Scoping work was completed and is awaiting write up. Opportunity for an “early win” project has been identified in the area for the restoration of inanga spawning habitat and scoping is underway (via DOC partnerships team). Local governance meeting planned with parties once completion of early situation analysis scoping work has been written up.

Status

Active and on hold.

Shellfish Restoration

Scope/scale/resources

The Nature Conservancy have been working in Marlborough Sounds to support shellfish restoration. The programme has been led by the Marine Farming Association and Auckland University, in association with the Iwi Fisheries Forum. Initial conversations have been had to consider expansion of the project and alignment with the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Strategy.

Update

Early meetings have been had with various stakeholders to consider scoping the expansion of this existing project and aligning it with the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Strategy. Some initial funding has been received to expand the project into Golden and Tasman Bays, and additional match funding is being sought.

Status Scoping

Wairau Lagoon restoration/ Rangitāne o Wairau

THE BLUE CARBON PROJECT IS LOOKING AT HOW RESTORED COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS CAN FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE | ERIK VAN EYNDHOVEN

Enabling Projects / Workstreams

Communications / Brand Relationship Management / Stakeholder Engagement

Scope/scale/resources

Share KMTT stories with our audience and support KMTT projects.

Update

Our new Communications Lead has been appointed and has progressed work as provided for in the Communications update.

Sisters Consultancy have been engaged to provide cultural support and to lead on the production of the 2022 Annual Impact Report.

Status Active

Scope/scale/resources

Build and manage relationships with KMTT partners and stakeholders.

Update

Programme Manager is continuing to engage Project Leads in 6 weekly meetings and other engagement processes.

Ongoing meetings are held either on request or by arrangement with external stakeholders.

Status Active

Conservation Planning Measurement and Reporting

Scope/scale/resources

To determine the areas and actions that provide the greatest return on investment for delivering the KMTT Strategy

Update

TNC has secured a Coda Fellow (0.2 FTE for 6 months) who has done significant work on developing a spatial atlas for KMTT, particularly for use in future decision making. RbD underway.

Status Active.

Youth Project

Scope/scale/resources

Provide a youth voice and perspective for KMTT work.

Update

No further work on this workstream at this stage. Will form part of the governance and project review and consider how youth involvement could be valuable in the Restoration by Design process.

Status Active.

Scope/scale/resources

Determine the baseline state of the KMTT rohe and develop systems to track progress for delivering on the KMTT strategy

Update

Measures, or ecosystem health scorecards, have been completed for all terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. A framework has also been developed for measuring social and economic wellbeing.

Measures for Māori cultural values and marine and estuarine systems remain to be developed. Exploring high-level connections to other monitoring frameworks in Te Tauihu. This will be included in the Restoration by Design process.

Status Scoping further work

Increasing Equity for Iwi Participation (NEW)

Scope/scale/resources

To agree and implement a restorative action planning process for KMTT that supports iwi participation.

Update

Capacity assessments continue. Three-day workshop held in Westport on 1 – 3 August.

Funding for Te Ao Māori Advisor and to support increased iwi participation.

Status Active

NZ LANDCARE AND CONSERVATION KIDS NZ HELPING AT THE RAI VALLEY COMMUNITY STREAM MONITORING PROJECT | COURTESY OF TE HOIERE PROJECT

Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō have an unbroken historical, traditional, and spiritual association with the whenua of te taiao o te Waka-a-Māui, stretching back hundreds of years. The trails of our ancestors connected settlements across our vast rohe, from Tōtaranui, Te Tai-o-Aorere, Mohua, Te Taitapu, Te Kawatiri, and inland into Rotoiti and Rotoroa. These trails were central to maintaining the unity, mauri, and integrity of our iwi in early times.

The values of Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō include kotahitanga, kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and whenua/manawhenua. These values align with those of the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance and we support the aim of the Alliance to get the best possible conservation outcomes for people and nature.

Our aspirations for conservation and vision for the responsible and sustainable use of natural resources form important parts of our cultural identity as kaitiaki. We see many opportunities for Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō in the taiao space and with the support of the Alliance, we are laying the foundations for some significant projects.

Being part of the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance exemplifies the vision and values shared across the partnership around reviving freshwater catchments, native plants, and restoring our connection to what exists in our Te Tauihu landscapes.

Mai

Ki ngā tini mate o ia marae, o ia maunga, haere, haere, whakangaro atu rā. Ko te akaaka o te rangi ki a rātou mā, kei a tātou ngā purapura ora, ko te akaaka o te whenua. E rau rangatira mā, e te tini, e te mano, tēnei te tuku mihi ki a koutou katoa i raro i ngā tini āhuatanga o te wā.

Ko Ruatea te tangata Ko Kurahaupō te waka Ko Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō te Iwi

te awa a Te Hoiere Ki Kurupongi Ki Ngā Kiore Ki Takapourewa Whiti atu ki te hiku o Te Mātau Koata taonga Koatatanga Koata mana e!

Tihei Mauriora!

PROJECT MAHITAHI COURTESY OF NELSON CITY COUNCIL

Tāku ara ko Matua Hautere

Te Hoiere te waka i topetope ai ngā ngaru

Ka puea ake Te Kaitiaki a Kaikaiāwaro i Te Moana o Raukawakawa

I arahina ia ki ngā kokoru o Te Tauihu o Te Waka ā Māui

Ka hoea te awa ka tau ki te wai pāpaku, ko Te Herenga

Ka piki i a Maunganui ki te pīnakitanga o Parikārearea

I reira ka poua tūāhu ki te one, ka poua tūāhu ki te rangi ka hua ake ko Maungatapu I tapa te awa ko Te Hoiere

He wai-Māori mō te tini e whakarauika nei, Ko Ngāti Kuia – He iwi Pakohe – He iwi karakia e

Ngāti Rārua originate from the western coast of the King Country region and came to Te Tauihu from the 1820s as part of the great southward migration of Kawhia and Taranaki iwi.

Te Ao Tūroa, the natural world, is central to Ngāti Rārua identity and cultural wellbeing. We are impelled by deeply held values –including the fundamental tenets of whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga – to love and respect Papatūānuku in recognition of her lifesupporting function and place in our own whakapapa.

Ngāti Kuia are very pleased to be a member of the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance. We contribute in this important mahi – Ki uta, ki tai (from the mountains to sea).

From our chairperson, Waihaere Mason co-chairing Te Hoiere Project with Barbara Faulls, and the Ngāti Kuia Taiao team, Kristie Paki Paki, Lewis Smith, and Shannon Huntley supporting this work, to our General Manager, Dave Johnston as Co-Chair of the Alliance.

The Alliance is creating positive transformational change on the whenua, awa, and moana across Te Tauihu.

TE HOIERE PROJECT WĀNANGA | MELISSA BANKS

KŌTUKU | BERNARD SPRAGG

E titia nei e Te Ātiawa, i te iti, i te rahi, te katoa | To shine as Te Ātiawa, the few, the many, all of us

Tamarau nō runga i te rangi

Heke iho ki raro ki te whakamarimari

Tē tatari ai, ki te hurahanga o te tāpora o Rongoueroa

Taku kuia e, taku kuia e!

Te ara o taku tupuna i tohia ai au Ko Te Ātiawa nō runga i te rangi

Key

values from Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui align

with the Alliance values:

Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui continues to be a committed member of the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance, and Te Ātiawa also continues to support positive and necessary transformative change for Te Tau Ihu, across te taiao and for all people. The overarching vision of the Alliance seeks to deliver this outcome.

Like all Te Tau Ihu Iwi, our capacity for widespread hands-on involvement during 2022 has been somewhat constrained, by ongoing Covid implications and weather events. Our main involvement has rested with Project Mahitahi, our participation in the Governance Group and with continuing leadership involvement with the KMTT sub-committee, which is developing the Alliance’s work implementation plan for Te Tau Ihu: “Restoration by Design”. We were supportive of the addition of the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary and Pest Free Onetahua into the Alliance fold this year and delighted to see both these organisations formally aligned with the Alliance.

We have a number of projects being considered for implementation across the rohe of Te Tau Ihu for 2023.

Titiro whakamuri, Kōkiri whakamua | Look back and reflect so you can move forward.

Pono

Acting with honesty and integrity

Manaaki

Enhancing the mana of others

Kaitiaki Being good guardians

Pūmau

Inspiring unity and commitment

TĪEKE / SADDLEBACK | COURTESY OF THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

Ko Tapuae-o-Uenuku te maunga

Ko Wairau te awa

Ko Kurahaupō te waka Tini whetū ki te rangi, ko Rangitāne ki te whenua / Like the multitudes of stars in the sky, so great is Rangitāne on the earth

Rangitāne have resided in the northern South Island since the migration from the Wairarapa in the sixteenth century under the chiefs Te Huataki, Te Whakamana and Tukanae. We have occupied and used resources within a territory stretching from the Waiau-toa (Clarence) River in the south to the Wairau (Marlborough), including the Nelson Lakes, and north to Kaituna and the Marlborough Sounds and west into the Whakatū (Nelson) area.

There are three key values that have driven the participation of Rangitāne in the Kotahitanga mo te Taiao Alliance:

Toitū te taiao ki tua o ake tonu atu!

Ensuring the integrity and sustainability of our environment!

The Alliance brings together a collective rōpu of Crown agencies, iwi partners and the wider Te Tauihu community that enables us to work together to deliver better outcomes for our environment.

A real focus area for us has been highlighting the need for further restoration work of Te Pokohiwi o Kupe and the Wairau Lagoons. We have been heartened by the positive support, commitment and manaaki that our partners across the Alliance have offered, as we work together to not only sustain our environment, but to be good kaitiaki and regenerate it for our future generations.

We have much to look forward to in the years ahead. Mā whero, mā pango ka oti ai te mahi / With red and black the work will be complete.

Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust

Ngāti Tama ki Te Waipounamu Trust trace their roots to the Tokomaru waka from Hawaiki and take their name from Tama Ariki one of the five co-captains aboard the waka. Whakapapa of these rangatira, their journey and eventual establishment in northern Taranaki is preserved in their tribal traditions. From the 1820s, numerous migrations from Taranaki to Te Tauihu led by the Ngāti Tama chief, Te Pūoho ki Te Rangi and other rangatira from Tainui and Taranaki alliances, eventuated in the conquest and settlement of the western Te Tauihu rohe.

Ngāti Tama maintains ahikāroa today. The tribe continues to grow and strengthen relationships with whānau, hapū and other Iwi to support the ongoing maintenance of a strong united presence across Te Tauihu.

Our Strategic Plan has a specific and deliberate focus on our Taiao:

Mana Taiao

Kotahitanga

Kia mahi tahi, kia kauanuanu tētahi ki tētahi

Working together, respectfully, as one

Kaitiakitanga Tiakina ā tātau taonga kei ngaro Embracing our responsibility to protect, preserve and enhance our taonga

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae is based at Arahura a short distance from Hokitika on the West Coast of Te Waipounamu and is a hapū of Ngāi Tahu.

We are known as Poutini Ngāi Tahu, the Ngāi Tahu people of the West Coast. Like all partners in the Alliance, we too are committed to working in partnership to align and integrate the efforts of Alliance members.

We acknowledge the unique landscape of Aotearoa, and the myriad of work that needs to be done to achieve interconnected between environment and people so that we may look after the environment for the environment to look after us in return.

The last 12 months have brought forward some noticeable growth and success across our projects, underlining the value of the support we receive from the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance, our work and iwi partners as well as the efforts of our own team within Te Kaunihera o Te Tai Aorere.

The seeds that were sown in 2020/2021 in a landscape of COVID-related challenges have begun to germinate. While we are still in the early stages of our work, our achievements so far have built some momentum that we hope to increase in the year ahead.

Adverse weather in the winter months has brought potential issues – however, in general this has failed to stall the enthusiasm or progress of our teams.

With support from Jobs for Nature – Mahi mō te Taiao funding, work to eradicate Wilding Conifers in Mount Richmond Forest Park has continued to make inroads as well as bringing worthwhile employment to a number of people.

This year has also seen some critical work undertaken in the Waimea Inlet Enhancement project. Planting and earthworks around the Waimea Delta is a particular highlight as well as work on two saltmarsh restoration projects in the Waimea Inlet – Best Island and Borck-Sandeman.

The first year of work in our Freshwater Improvement Fund initiatives have yielded some impressive results in rejuvenating key habitats.

Through iwi-led education events and mātauranga Māori monitoring, our FIF project also intends to improve local freshwater knowledge for our communities.

In signing onto the Alliance in 2017, Tasman District Council shared the strategic outcomes of thriving native species, naturally functioning ecosystems, and enhanced ecological connections and resilience.

Five years later, we are seeing these values come to fruition in the progress of our work, while our connections made through iwi, landowner and stakeholder partner relationships has reaffirmed the benefits of our involvement.

We look forward to seeing more positive outcomes emerging in 2023 and beyond.

WEST COAST FLORA | ERIK VAN EYNDHOVEN

Te Kaunihera o Whakatū (Nelson City Council) has been an active member of the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao (KMTT) Alliance since 2017 and strongly endorses the kaupapa of the KMTT Alliance.

As a member of the KMTT Alliance we have been able to collaborate on a much wider scale towards shared outcomes, providing greater gains for our biodiversity, our community, and for the future wellbeing of Te Tauihu. In this mahi we are guided by the concept of tūpuna pono (being good ancestors) and we have tomorrow in mind when we make decisions today.

This year has continued to be challenging with the shared impacts of climate change, COVID-19, and economic conditions affecting both our community and the natural environment. In addition to this, our region has sustained considerable damage as a result of the August 2022 severe weather event. As our regional strategic relationships are strengthened though the KMTT Alliance, so too will our resilience to these challenges, and we look forward to working with our KMTT Alliance partners for the wellbeing of our natural environment and our community over the coming year.

Tēnā koutou katoa

Te Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Wairau (Marlborough District Council) is a committed and proactive member of the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance, sharing the vision of restoring our natural environments and the communities within them.

The Alliance enables us to strengthen strategic alignment with our partners across Te Tauihuespecially Te Tauihu iwi, the Department of Conservation and Councils - to achieve landscapescale outcomes.

The strength of partnership is demonstrated by our collaborative approach to Te Hoiere/Pelorus Catchment Restoration Project. We are deeply committed to enabling the building of capacity in this and other community-driven conservation initiatives across the district, helping guide restoration and protection of native habitats.

A highlight has been providing direct management support to Te Hoiere Project. Working closely with our partners, we are enabling delivery of key restoration activities such as fencing, planting and pest control.

Te Hoiere Project continues to grow with additional funding provided by the Ministry of the Environment under Mahi mō te Taiao / Jobs for Nature, local industry, and Council on top of the $7.5 million already allocated by the Department of Conservation. Some of our own environmental programmes strategically align to broader outcomes of the Project, for example freshwater and flood management activities.

Government and community funding not only helps enhance and protect Te Hoiere/Pelorus River and its tributaries from the mountains to the sea, but also supports job creation. Businesses and people now focus on restoring freshwater across the catchment by eliminating predators and weeds, developing land management tools, and establishing a native plant nursery.

We look forward to the future as the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Strategy continues to evolve, guiding the Marlborough district towards protecting natural taonga for future generations.

NELSON PANORAMA | COURTESY OF NELSON CITY COUNCIL

In 2020, during its triennial long term planning cycle, the Buller District Council started a conversation with our community about the importance of climate change and environmental sustainability.

Action to address both issues was widely supported across the district. As a result, Council prioritised these matters in its Long-Term Plan to show that meaningful actions can be taken at a local level to address the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, and to prepare our community for a very different future.

Through this community mandate, the Buller District Council, in partnership with mana whenua, Ngāti Waewae, developed an Environmental Improvement and Sustainability Strategy to realise benefits for the Buller Kawatiri not just regarding its natural environment, but across all four community well-beings: environmental, social, cultural, and economic.

The Buller District Council’s membership on the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance has enabled the rapid evolution of this strategy which has started to deliver real outcomes for place and people. This year, landscape scale weed control across northern Buller Kawatiri has commenced, creating districtbased employment opportunities, and delivering strong conservation outcomes, and a Conservation Training and Employment Hub has been opened in Westport in partnership with Tai Poutini Polytechnic.

In August, the Buller District Council and mana whenua, Ngāti Waewae, along with The Nature Conservancy, welcomed all Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance members to a three-day hui that initiated a collaborative restoration planning process for both Buller Kawatiri and the wider Alliance. This hui marked a significant milestone in Buller District Council’s strategic journey to realise significant benefits for both our people and our natural environment. We can’t wait to see the development of workstreams that are emerging from the hui!

The West Coast Regional Council has been a supporting member of the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao (KMTT) Alliance since 2017, recognising that the achievements for the member regions come about from the collaboration of the KMTT Alliance members – tahi ka kaha ake tātou.

We are proud to be involved with the initial strategy development working group, building the picture of what outcomes the KMTT Alliance, and member regions, want to achieve.

The breadth of projects across the KMTT Alliance regions is testament to the aspirations of its representatives, the mahi of the support staff, and the ownership of the projects on the ground.

The future is bright as we continue to work together on behalf of our environment and our communities.

WEST COAST AWA | ERIK VAN EYNDHOVEN

In 2020, as part of the government’s $1.2 billion Jobs for Nature programme, the Department of Conservation (DOC) was allocated $488 million to create job opportunities for around 6,000 people over a four-year period. Now in year three, 12 projects have been established across the Northern South Island, 9 of which were stood up under Kotahitanga mō te Taiao. This mahi has seen 217 people employed by DOC’s Jobs for Nature programme, working over 137,479 hours, and delivering a range of environmental, social, and cultural benefits.

These projects directly support the delivery of Te Mana o te Taiao / Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy (ANZBS) Implementation Plan, delivering against its 5 outcomes. The significant project achievements would not have been possible without the collaborative work that the Alliance has undertaken to identify, plan, and deliver on the work required. Core alignments between the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao and Te Mana o te Taiao include: DOC is keen to continue this work with our Alliance

grow. We look forward to engaging in further collaborative

as part of the

by Design process. Through our collective effort we are not only achieving greater things for our environment but connecting and supporting the communities at place to do more.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a key partner to the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance, bringing to the table its experience, processes, financial tools, science, and global connections in landscape-scale planning and implementation.

TNC entirely supports the Alliance leadership model, with iwi partners at the forefront of its environmental restoration work. A highlight this year was the Westport wānanga, which saw TNC, Alliance members, iwi and other key partners working together to map a way forward for restoration work across Kawatiri/Buller and Te Tauihu using the Restoration by Design process.

TNC is delighted to be partnering with Rātā Foundation who share our vision of landscape-scale impact and capacity building to enhance the natural environment. Rātā Foundation have provided strategic funding of $754,007 to support the Alliance. TNC is also grateful to Commonland Foundation, Little Kowhai Charitable Trust proudly managed by Perpetual Guardian and the Lotteries Environment and Heritage Fund for their support for the Alliance.

Since TNC established its chapter in Aotearoa NZ in 2016 it has worked with government officials, local communities, iwi, businesses, and local conservation groups to restore and preserve the country’s precious land, marine and freshwater resources. Our approach focuses on achieving system level impacts, involves local communities, and supports Māori leadership throughout the process. We facilitate landscape-scale projects that address environmental, cultural, social, and economic well-being. What we do here can create blueprints that can have big impacts elsewhere.

TNC is very excited to be able to offer our expertise and support to the Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance as we continue to work together to help people and nature thrive across Te Tauihu.

WEST COAST WETLAND ERIK VAN EYNDHOVEN

Kotahitanga

Alliance

PROJECT MAHITAHI TEAM | COURTESY OF NELSON CITY COUNCIL

ASSISTING WITH SLIP MATERIAL REMOVAL AROUND RIPARIAN PLANTINGSWAKAPUAKA WHANGAMOA PROJECT | COURTESY OF NELSON CITY COUNCIL

WASP BIO-CONTROL- RONGA VALLEY WITH LANDOWNERS, MANAAKI WHENUA STAFF, NGĀTI KUIA STAFF AND TE HOIERE PROJECT STAFF | ERIK VAN EYNDHOVEN

WAKAPUAKA WHANGAMOA PROJECT | COURTESY OF NELSON CITY COUNCIL

WILDING ERADICATION TEAM MEMBERS GAINED VALUABLE SKILLS IN FORESTRY AND RESTORATION WORK, WHILE NAVIGATING OFTEN CHALLENGING TERRAIN AND MULTI-DAY EXCURSIONS INTO THE HILLS | COURTESY OF TASMAN DISTRICT COUNCIL

Caroline Crick, Kotahitanga mō te Taiao Alliance

Challen Wilson, The Sisters Consultancy

Matawai Winiata, The Sisters Consultancy

Rae Stonelake, Jitter Ltd

Melissa Banks, Erik van Eyndhoven, Nomad AV, Morgan Newberry, Lew Metcalfe, Rob Simons, Hudson Dodd, Bob Brown, Jodi Austin, Kat Johnson, Bernard Spragg, Challen Wilson, Marlborough Magazine & Partners and Project team's image libraries.

| MELISSA