Open Space SEEING CONSERVATION WITH
FRESH EYES
The new discoveries unfolding on QEII-protected land
Word from the Chair
I am pleased to introduce issue 108 of our Open Space magazine. It is a privilege to share with you the stories of conservation work on QEII covenants across the country.
The past six months have certainly been a lesson in adaptability and navigating changes both out in the world and within QEII National Trust.
In issues 106 and 107 of our Open Space magazine, I outlined the funding challenges QEII is facing. Then late last year, we contacted our members to let them know that we may be unable to deliver new covenants from July 2025.
The Minister of Conservation, Tama Potaka, announced in February of this year that the government would be temporarily increasing our funding by $4.5 million over the next three years, essentially a $1.5 million lifeline per year.
This has been welcome news, and we are very grateful for this additional funding. Although we still need to reduce the amount of new covenants we can deliver, it will not be the cliff we were anticipating once our Jobs for Nature funding ends in July.
CE Dan Coup, board members and I are taking every opportunity to present our case to politicians. In every case there is agreement from politicians of all shades that QEII is a great product. Despite this support it remains greatly challenging to obtain additional funding necessary to meet current demand for biodiversity protection and to continue to support the ever-increasing number of covenants.
I would like to thank our members and supporters who have stood by us, generously donated, and especially those who have advocated for us. I am touched by the way the QEII community has rallied around us, which speaks volumes about the importance of QEII’s place in the rural landscape of this country.
While we rely on government funding to do our work, we equally rely on donations, bequests and regular gifts. The generosity of our donors makes all the difference – this might look like another beautiful ecosystem we are able to protect, or another landowner we’re able to help with trapping or pest plant control (page 6).
This issue, we look back at the ‘Accelerating stewardship of rare and threatened species (Eastern South Island)’ project that has been running for the past three years supported by Jobs for Nature funding. The richness in findings has deepened our understanding of the very special species that depend on QEII-protected land and QEII covenantors for their survival (see pages 8 to 21).
Read about the whimsical-looking Craspedia plants, the incredible threatened lizards, and the enthusiastic landowners who learnt more about their covenanted sites than they expected. Inspired by research into limestone ecosystems as part of the Eastern South Island project, our kids’ section looks into the nooks and crannies of life on limestone (pages 22 to 25).
Conservation on private land wouldn’t be possible without people. Covenanting with QEII starts with passionate landowners such as Dale and Deirdre on page 28. Along the way, QEII works with some very supportive land surveyors (page 32) to make the covenant a reality, and our knowledgeable field reps keep their finger on the pulse of protected sites in their regions (page 26).
We are fortunate to have an adept Board of Directors steering QEII National Trust. Our recent Board election provided a very strong candidate list. We congratulate Graham Mourie on his re-election for a third term and welcome Marie Taylor who is very familiar with the role of QEII (page 30). A special thank you to Donna Field who stood down after serving the maximum nine years on the Board.
Despite the ups and downs in the conservation space in Aotearoa, there is plenty of positivity to be found in the conservation work everyday people are doing by caring for and protecting their special places. I hope you feel as inspired as I am by the Kiwis striving to be the best caretakers possible of biodiversity on their land for future generations.
Alan Livingston Chair
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SECURING OUR FUTURE: WHY WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
For nearly 50 years QEII National Trust has been on the frontlines of rural conservation, working alongside landowners to protect the natural landscapes of Aotearoa.
As we look to the future we are facing a significant challenge: our core funding has remained static, while the number of covenants, and therefore our responsibilities, continue to grow.
To continue our work, we need your support.
Since 2015, our baseline funding has remained at $4.2 million per year. At the same time, the number of covenants has risen from 4,000 to over 5,200. Each of these covenants needs our ongoing monitoring and support. That’s a significant increase in workload, with no corresponding increase in funding. It means that to ensure we continue to support
the areas that have already been protected, we have less to spare on creating new areas of protection.
For the past four years, we have been fortunate to receive additional funding through the government’s ‘Jobs for Nature’ programme. This additional funding has allowed us to undertake projects with significant impacts such as our Deer Exclusion and Eastern South Island Rare and Threatened Species projects. It has also enabled us to protect an additional number of new areas that we would have been unable to with our usual baseline funding. These initiatives have made a tangible difference in protecting biodiversity and supporting landowners.
However, with this funding coming to an end, we need to make some tough decisions about which work we can continue.
The lifeline of temporary funding recently announced by the Minister of Conservation will make a difference, but it still won’t cover all of the work we are currently doing.
While we will be able to take on a modest amount of new protection projects next year thanks to the additional funds, we will need to be highly selective. Every new covenant comes with an upfront cost, and without additional resources, our ability to add new covenants will be severely limited. Relying solely on government funding is not sustainable—we need to take action to secure the future of the QEII model.
ENRICHING OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THREATENED SPECIES ON PRIVATE LAND
In 2021, the Jobs for Nature programme provided some exciting opportunities for QEII, including the funding to undertake a $1 million, three-year project to study the rare and threatened species within QEII covenants in the Eastern South Island, which came to be known as the ESI project.
Unique ecosystems and threatened species on private land
Many of New Zealand’s rare ecosystems and threatened species occur in lowland to montane areas that are not on public conservation land. These areas have often been highly modified by human activities. This is particularly true of the Eastern South Island region, which also has naturally uncommon and threatened ecosystems including limestone, saline, wetland and dryland habitats.
Knowledge guides better stewardship
Landowners with covenants that protect rare ecosystems and threatened species are faced with enormous challenges. The management of these habitats and species can be complex and overwhelming without support. The ESI project aimed to connect specialist ecologists with landowners wanting to know more about their covenant’s special values and how to best manage them.
QEII engaged Aalbert Rebergen in June 2022 to manage the ESI project. He worked closely with QEII reps to identify covenants along the Eastern South Island with threatened species and rare ecosystems most in need of further information and management support.
Scientific surveys of flora and fauna were undertaken by specialists, and findings were presented in reports provided to the landowner and QEII. These reports documented threatened species, their threats and recommended management activities. Aalbert then worked with QEII reps and landowners to organise priority management work in as many covenants as funding would allow. Management activities included largescale wilding pine control in the Mackenzie, predatory wasp control in Marlborough, experimental habitat manipulation of an Otago salt pan, and weed control undertaken by abseilers on limestone cliffs in Canterbury.
Project overview
The ESI project funded work in 68 covenants covering almost 6,000 hectares from north Marlborough to Southland.
Thirty-six independent contractors were engaged to complete over 100 tasks including botanical surveys, lizard searches, moth trapping, genetic analysis, and rare species seed collection and propagation (Table 1).
Table 1: ESI tasks undertaken in QEII covenants 2022-2024
Threatened species
QEII covenants are particularly important for the conservation of threatened species living outside of public conservation land as they ensure permanent protection of habitat that might otherwise be lost.
During the ESI surveys, nearly 260 species were recorded that were classified as Threatened or At Risk of extinction including more than 20 species currently classified as Nationally Critical or Nationally Endangered (Table 2).
Table 2: ESI Threatened and At Risk species status
A huge team effort
Aalbert Rebergen deftly took the lead as project manager of the ESI project, coordinating an enormous number of contracts, projects and budgets. QEII is thankful for all his work to manage such an important project that consisted of many complex and nuanced tasks across a large region.
Thank you to all the contractors who provided such expert insight into the species and ecosystems studied as part of the ESI project. We were extremely fortunate to have such amazing people involved.
QEII is very grateful for the hospitality of the landowners and land managers whose
covenants were part of the ESI project. The generosity of these covenant owners has been of immense help to the study of the rare and threatened species in the region.
QEII and our ESI contractors collaborated with staff from the Department of Conservation, Environment Canterbury, Otago Regional Council, Marlborough District Council, Christchurch City Council, Otago University and Environment Southland as well as community groups such as the Mackenzie Basin Wilding Trust, Wilding Free Mackenzie and the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust. We are grateful for the support of all involved in this project.
NOW YOU SEE ME –DECIPHERING THE LIZARDS OF THE EASTERN SOUTH ISLAND
If you’ve ever seen the flash of a teeny body scooting for cover in your garden, you might have already come across an endemic lizard. But a good portion of the lizards (skinks and geckos) in Aotearoa are so rare and elusive it can be hard to find them at all, which makes them quite a challenge to study. Unless we learn more about them now and how to protect them, seeing them in their natural habitat will become a rarity, perhaps even a thing of the past.
Between 2022 and 2025, QEII National Trust was able to employ contractors to undertake important surveys of rare and threatened species as part of the Eastern South Island (ESI) project. Alongside rare moths, butterflies and plants, researchers were also interested in understanding more about the endemic lizards who live in and around QEII-protected sites in the Eastern South Island.
Kōrero gecko (Woodworthia “Otago/Southland large”) (At Risk - Declining) closeup. Photo credit: Carey Knox
What happens on a lizard survey?
Before herpetologist Dr Marieke Lettink visits a survey site, especially one she’s never been to before, she “does her homework” on what lizard species have been spotted there in the past or what species might be in the area. “You’re wanting a checklist of what you know are there,” Marieke says. “For example, if you know there are likely geckos that only come out at night, you’ll want to be able to do a night survey.”
Marieke says her core methods are hand-searching (carefully lifting logs and rocks to check for lizards underneath), visual surveys (looking through binoculars for basking lizards) and capturing lizards with a special funnel trap.
Sometimes herpetologists will use other methods that are a bit more out of the ordinary. Marieke also uses a certified gecko dog called Mica who is trained to smell around rock crevices. “If Mica smells a gecko, then she’ll lie down. It really saves you having to lift lots of rocks.”
Marieke was contracted to undertake herpetological surveys at two sites as part of the ESI project in 2022 and 2023. A highlight of the surveys for her was the landowners’ hospitality and engagement with the project. “You’re kind of preaching to the converted. People have already protected their land and are really thrilled to find out about new species. You’re made to feel really welcome, and they want to know what you find in the survey,” says Marieke.
Getting to see special places and, of course, finding rare species were the biggest highlights of all for Marieke.
“On one of our Marlborough surveys, Josef Polec (a volunteer) and I found three Marlborough spotted skinks. That really makes your day as there are so few populations on the mainland,” says Marieke. “Joe was the one who found the first one, which absolutely made his day. I was so happy for him.”
The largest skink species in the South Island, Otago skinks (Oligosoma otagense) (Threatened - Nationally Endangered) love a good sunbathe but will shelter in rocky crevices if the weather isn’t perfect for them.
RIGHT TOP
Photo credit: Carey Knox
Eastern South Island sensitive location
“ You’re kind of preaching to the converted. People have already protected their land and are really thrilled to find out about new species.”
Kōrero gecko (W. “Otago/Southland large”).
Photo credit: Carey Knox
TOP
ABOVE FROM TOP
Kōrero gecko found during an ESI survey. This beautiful and rather large species of gecko gets its common name from the te reo Māori word for ‘to talk or speak’, reflecting the gecko’s chittering sound. Photo credit:
Carey Knox
Otago skink
A large ‘aggregation’ or gathering of kōrero geckos found under a rock. Photo credit:
Carey Knox
LEFT
Gecko-detector dog Mica.
Photo credit: Marieke Lettink
Josef Polec keeping a watchful eye on Marlborough spotted skink basking in a crevice in the ground.
Photo credit: Marieke Lettink
“ On one of our Marlborough surveys, Josef Polec (a volunteer) and I found three Marlborough spotted skinks. That really makes your day as there are so few populations on the mainland.”
Protecting lizards not straightforward
Our endemic lizards are vulnerable to predation, especially from mice and stoats. Lizards in Aotearoa are primed for avoiding their natural predators such as birds with their camouflage or by zipping for cover in their ‘retreats’ under rocks and in crevices. But mice and stoats can smell them and are small enough to fit right into those hide-outs.
In Aotearoa we are much more familiar with undertaking predator control with birds in mind. “[Predator control methods that] work for birds, not only isn’t enough for lizards, but can be worse for them in some cases,” says Marieke. Predator control that targets rats, mustelids and possums is great for birds, but this can leave a gap that mice quite readily fill.
Marieke is clear that the situation at each site is specific and complex. “It’s sometimes hard to give landowners the best advice. What we are learning is it’s not always the same method and it’s not going to be a case of seeing progress in one breeding season. It’s more like five years for skinks and ten years for geckos to see if your management is working. It’s long-term and complex thinking.”
Protecting habitat is a good starting point. “If you have no habitat, you have no animals,” says Marieke.
How to get neighbourly with your local lizards
Backyard habitat restoration is something most of us can do to help the skinks and geckos in our area. Herpetologist and lepidopterist Carey Knox shares some tips on how to make spaces more lizard friendly.
Location, location, location
It’s good to think about whether there are likely already lizards in your area or if they will easily branch out from a nearby habitat. (Note: It is illegal to move lizards into a new habitat without a translocation permit from the Department of Conservation.)
Vegetation, vegetation, vegetation
Dense, low growing native vegetation provides safe corridors for lizards to move through, cover from the weather and predators, and food sources such as berries and invertebrates. Some recommended plants for lizard habitat restoration include spear grass (Aciphylla aurea), narrow-leaved snow tussock (Chionochloa rigida), small-leaved Coprosma species, scrub pōhuehue (Muehlenbeckia complexa), matagouri (Discaria toumatou), and porcupine shrub (Melicytus alpinus). “Check which native plants are suitable for your area,” says Carey.
Making lizard-friendly hidey holes
Creating suitable rocky or woody retreats for skinks and geckos can be vital to their ability to hide from predators. “It is not sufficient to simply dump rocks or wood in piles on the ground,” says Carey. “At least some material should be handplaced to provide suitable sized crevices for lizards to hide within. A suitable width for a lizard crevice is 1-2 cm (which should at least keep some mammalian predators out and is not so narrow that the lizards cannot utilise them)”.
Lizards also like to hide under old sheets of corrugated iron, so these can be incorporated where safe to do so underneath rock or wood piles or between native plants.
Keep it messy
Remember lizards like ‘mess’ so resist the urge to keep things tidy! “Habitat complexity and lots of hiding places are key to a successful lizard garden,” says Carey. “This leaves space for lots of creativity and experimentation to provide the best lizard habitat possible. Hopefully if your work pays off, you’ll be able to enjoy spotting lizards in your newly created habitat.”
Thank you to our wonderful ESI contractors Carey Knox and Marieke Lettink for contributing their words and pictures for this story.
Note, handling endemic lizards requires a permit from DOC.
Minimac geckos (Woodworthia “Marlborough mini”) (At Risk – Declining) put the “mini” in “Minimac”. The photo shows the variety seen in their markings. Photo credit: Josef (Joe) Polec
Marlborough spotted skink (Oligosoma elium) (Threatened – Nationally Endangered).
Photo credit: Marieke Lettink
UNTANGLING WHO’S WHO IN THE CRASPEDIA WORLD
“ With all that variation, what species have we actually got in New Zealand?”
Until they flower in the summer, you would be forgiven for walking past a Craspedia plant without noticing it at all. To the casual observer, these strange little herbaceous plants often look like a simple cluster of leaves until they reach up and form a globe-like flowerhead, resembling something out of a Dr Seuss picture book.
Our thanks to Dr Ilse Breitwieser (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research) and Brian Rance (QEII ecological consultant) for contributions of information, quotes and photos to this article. We also acknowledge Rob Smissen’s (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research) involvement in the reports this article is drawn from.
South Island
The various species within the Craspedia genus are known by many delightful names both here and across the ditch: billy-buttons, drumstick flower, billy balls, sun balls, but in Aotearoa New Zealand we usually know them as puatea or woollyhead daisies. Even the scientific name for the genus has a poetry to it. Craspedia comes from the Greek word ‘Kraspedon’ meaning an edge, hem or border, describing the woolly fringes of its leaves.
QEII
Craspedia species come in an astonishing variety of shapes, colours and textures. They also live in many different habitats – from coastal sand dunes to limestone cliffs, tussock grasslands to scree slopes, even around creeks and waterfalls. Despite this ecological diversity, many of these species are deceptively rare and threatened. Some may even be facing extinction in the next ten to fifty years.
Too few names and too many species
All the way back in 1786, Craspedia plants were noticed by Georg Forster during the second voyage of Captain Cook into the Pacific. He recorded just one species, Craspedia uniflora – so far, so simple.
It stayed that way until 1961 with H.H. Allan’s publication of Flora of New Zealand, which recognised six species. Since the 1960s, there was an increase in Craspedia collecting activity. A.P. (Tony) Druce did a lot of field work and collected many specimens, but he couldn’t always neatly connect them to the six Craspedia species that had been identified in Flora of New Zealand. The plants defied straightforward categorisation.
There are currently 12 named Craspedia species in Aotearoa, but we probably have a lot more because many plants that likely belong in Craspedia are known by ‘tag names’ (about 50). A tag name is a bit like a temporary name until botanists can find out whether they’re looking at a species they already know about or a completely new one needing a new scientific name.
Bingo!
rep Mark Sutton and Ilse delighted to find Craspedia sp. ‘Mararoa’ at Louise’s Extension covenant on Centre Hill Station. Photo credit: Jesse Bythell
“New Zealand Craspedia has huge morphological diversity in contrast to Australia. In each little valley or area there’s often another different looking one,” says Dr Ilse Breitwieser (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research), one of the country’s leading experts on this genus. “With all that variation, what species have we actually got in New Zealand?”
Ilse has been studying Craspedia for most of her career. “When I was doing my post-doctorate in Wellington, I met Tony Druce. Unfortunately, I had to go back to Germany at the time, but Tony said to me: ‘When you come back to New Zealand, you have to work on Craspedia with me.’”
I did get the opportunity to come back, and my first trip was to Tony to talk about Craspedia. I tried to learn as much as I could from Tony in a very short amount of time because by the time we came back, he wasn’t as well anymore.”
Since then, Ilse’s Craspedia research has taken her to their various habitats, trawling through preserved herbarium specimens, and examining her carefully propagated plants at Manaaki Whenua in Lincoln.
Assigning a species a scientific name is a tricky process, called taxonomy. “Taxonomists do what we call a revision. A revision is quite a complex task and takes a long time,” says Ilse.
Worryingly, the race to understand who’s who in the Craspedia world is against the clock, with many ‘tag named’ Craspedia listed as Threatened and At Risk by the Department of Conservation (2023).
“ This survey supports the adage, ‘the more you search, the more you will find.’”
Craspedia sp. ‘Mararoa’ –from two known sites to six
In 1993, Tony Druce recorded a population of woollyhead daisies with luminous white florets and olive green to brown leaves covered in fine, cottony hairs in the Mararoa valley in Southland. Druce gave the plant the tag name Craspedia sp. ‘Mararoa’ . As far as he knew at the time, this was the only site this plant inhabited.
Thirty years later, the hunt was on to figure out if this woollyhead daisy was still out there, and if so, how many of them were left.
Ilse was contracted by QEII National Trust to survey a selection of uncommon Craspedia in QEII covenants as part of the Eastern South Island project. During a 2024 survey at a QEII-protected site owned by Ernslaw One Ltd. in Southland, Ilse and the field party found a woollyhead daisy that had been recorded in the past. It turned out this woollyhead was the Craspedia sp. ‘Mararoa’ and the covenant likely has the largest known global population.
QEII regional representative Mark Sutton suggested the team have a look at another covenant known as ‘Louise’s Extension’ on Centre Hill Station, a Pāmu farm located near Mossburn. An unidentified woollyhead daisy had previously been recorded at a covenant nearby and, knowing that Craspedia prefer open habitat, Mark thought a population could be growing amongst the red tussock.
Ilse Breitwieser and colleagues from Manaaki Whenua took a trip out to Louise’s Extension covenant accompanied by QEII ecologist Brian Rance and QEII reps Mark Sutton and Jesse Bythell, to find out if any Craspedia lived in the covenant. After much searching, they discovered a new population of Craspedia sp. ‘Mararoa’.
“On the surface, it wouldn’t be obvious that the [Louise’s Extension] covenant had particularly special species. However, this survey confirmed the covenant as one of only six known sites of Craspedia ‘Mararoa’ in the whole country,” says Brian Rance. “This survey supports the adage, ‘the more you search, the more you will find.’”
Within the six sites the Mararoa woollyhead daisy has been found, it is thought that in total the population for the species is around 850 plants.
Brian Rance, along with fellow researchers, have expressed concern about the plants’ decline. “Probably all six known populations are likely to continue to decline in plant numbers, and this decline is caused primarily by habitat modification, mainly through competition with exotic grasses,” says Brian.
Brian returns to the thought that many of us may not be aware of what special plants might be out there simply because we’ve never looked. “Who knows, there could be other populations of the Craspedia ‘Mararoa’ or other rare plants and animals in other covenants that are waiting to be discovered!”
FROM TOP
Field team searching for Craspedia plants at Dunrobin covenant owned by Ernslaw One Ltd. Photo credit: Jesse Bythell
Looking for Craspedia plants at Dunrobin covenant in Southland. Jesse Bythell and Brian Rance on the left.
Photo credit: Rainer Vogt
IN THE DETAIL:
Looking closely, physical differences can be obvious or subtle, down to slight differences in colour or number of the little clusters of florets. Provided: Ilse Breitwieser
IN THE DETAIL:
From hairy to smooth to just fluffy around the edges, Craspedia plants have all sorts of leaf styles. Provided: Ilse Breitwieser
DIVERSITY BENEATH OUR FEET – LEARNING MORE ABOUT MOKIMOKI
As part of the Eastern South Island (ESI) project, physical volcanologist Dr Sam Hampton was contracted to investigate the unique volcanic geology of the Mokimoki covenant and its ecological relationships. Sam takes us through the intricate workings of the geodiversity and biodiversity of the Banks Peninsula.
Words by Sam Hampton
Ōpatoti or Stony Bay is hidden away on the southeastern side of Banks Peninsula, named for the rounded basaltic boulders along its beach. Farmed by the Armstrong family for generations, today much of this landscape, under Mark and Sonia, is being returned to native forest. As early conservationists, predator-free fencing pioneers and ecotourism operators, Mark and Sonia have protected the unique places on their property with QEII covenants. More recently, the couple have added their land to neighbouring Hinewai Reserve.
One QEII covenant on their property, known as Mokimoki, is of particular interest, not just for its distinctive location but for the underlying relationship between geodiversity under the surface and biodiversity above.
Mokimoki lies along the eastern side of Stony Bay, midway up the valley. The covenant protects the Stony Bay Stream and Mokimoki Gorge. The gorge itself is a unique feature, uncommon within this volcanic landscape. The gorge cuts at right angles to the sloping valley sides. It is narrow at around 20 m wide and has a waterfall at its head.
The gorge has its own microclimate. The waterfall increases local humidity, evident in the abundance of ferns and tree ferns. It is also warmer than the surrounding valley and slopes. Lying near the base of the waterfall is a mature nīkau (Rhopalostylis sapida), nearing its southern limit in Aotearoa, with juveniles taking hold in the gorge floor.
The nīkau isn’t the only surprising species in the gorge. Usually found in lowland rainy, humid places, the delicate filmy fern (Hymenophyllum flexuosum) has been found to grow in the gorge, but only on certain boulders. This is one of a few places that this tiny fern has been found on the Peninsula. What makes this place a niche for this species? Is it even down to the specific boulder?
Christchurch
Mokimoki
Banks Peninsula
Going back in geological time
Mokimoki is located on what was once the outer flanks of the Akaroa Volcanic Complex that erupted 9.4 to 8.0 million years ago. The hills are made up of stratified volcanic layers, lava flows, ash, remnant scoria cones, volcanic domes and cross cutting volcanic dykes. In the surrounding valleys the lava flow sequences form erosion-resistant layers, forming step down cliffs on the valley sides, and gently dipping grass benches.
In Stony Bay, unlike the other valleys, a unique layer called ignimbrite found nowhere else on the Peninsula is sandwiched between lava flows. This is what makes Mokimoki so special.
Ignimbrite was only recently uncovered during geological investigations in 2018. Made up of rock fragments, squashed gas bubble-rich fragments, ash and crystals, the ignimbrite deposit looks different from the surrounding black basaltic lava flows. When it formed during an explosive eruption it was super-heated, so that when it stopped its heat was great enough to weld itself together, and thick enough that the gas bubbles in the rock fragments became squashed. Due to the heat in the rock, as it cooled it formed large vertical cooling joints.
Although it forms cliffs, the rock of this ignimbrite is soft. Soft enough that you can scratch it with your fingernail. Wind has eroded caves within the cliffs and forms delicate honeycomb-like shapes upon the rock surface.
As the valley cut into the volcanic landscape, the layers of the volcano were exposed. Because the ignimbrite layer is softer than many of the surrounding layers (e.g., lava flows), it is more easily removed by the erosive forces of nature, wind, rain and sea.
The gorge was also created by this erosion process, but slightly differently from the
main valley. Upstream of the gorge is an accumulation of three catchments, where rainfall collects and is funnelled into waterways. On top of this, groundwater also flows from perched springs and seeps, providing an almost year-round supply of water to the waterways and gorge below.
Finding soft rock on the eastern side of the valley, water has then effectively sliced through the ignimbrite, progressively cutting the gorge.
Within the gorge, filmy fern (H. flexuosum) is found only on specific boulders of the ignimbrite, not on the other eroded lava boulders which are hard and smooth. In contrast, ignimbrite has granular surfaces that are irregular and slightly porous. The porosity (connected pores) of the ignimbrite rock enables moisture to be stored within and pass through. The relationship may also be credited to the chemical makeup of the grains, crystals and fragments within the rock.
The filmy fern (H. flexuosum) takes a ‘Goldilocks approach’ to which boulders it grows on. Due to the eruptive nature of the ignimbrite, welding varies, which is connected to how porous the ignimbrite is. Ignimbrite that is not very porous has a higher degree of welding and does not host filmy ferns. Ignimbrite that is poorly welded is so soft that it is unstable and easily lost to erosion. Yet filmy fern has found moderately welded ignimbrite boulders are just right.
From a landscape scale to microscale, this ignimbrite deposit found in Stony Bay has influenced the way the landscape has been shaped, the features that have been formed, the humid microclimates created, the perches and crevasses for life, and the diversity of the rocks and soils exposed. All of these, the underlying geodiversity, are the foundations of the biodiversity within Mokimoki.
FROM LEFT
A nīkau palm beneath the waterfalls is being succeeded by nīkau seedlings. Supplied: Sam Hampton
Filmy fern (Hymenophyllum flexuosum) on ignimbrite boulder. Supplied: Sam Hampton
LANDOWNERS SEE VALUE IN DEEPER KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR SPECIAL SITES
QEII covenant owners often know their land well, with some families living and working on the land for generations. But even familiar bush blocks can hold surprises and rare species that a landowner might be unaware of.
The Eastern South Island (ESI) project was an opportunity to connect landowners with the special flora and fauna of their covenanted sites. It can be encouraging to know more about the species and habitats you are protecting.
Landowner Rick Stolwerk says he knew there were some special things on his Marlborough property, but had no idea just how many rare and threatened species there were. “I didn’t realise there were 20 rare limestone plants, and I didn’t know about the lizards, the katipō, or the moths - including the flightless kiwaia.”
Rick and Anglela Stolwerk’s 600-hectare sheep and beef farm was the centre of several studies into threatened species, including botanical surveys, herpetological surveys and lepidoptera surveys. Rick even had the opportunity to accompany researchers on a lizard survey. “I went out with them and we found a really rare skink. That was awesome.”
Rick says the studies absolutely added to his knowledge of the site. “I’m stoked to know it’s such a cool site,” says Rick. “Definitely didn’t know we had so many endangered plants. That’s why we did the further covenant.”
Jane and Leighton Croft, who own two QEII covenants in North Canterbury, were very supportive of an ESI study on the southern rātā (Metrosideros umbellata) population at their protected site. “We thought it was a great opportunity to get a better understanding of the biodiversity within the area and better ways to protect it,” says Leighton.
Christchurch Blenheim
Omihi, North Canterbury Ward, Marlborough
Jane and Leighton’s covenant is home to several threatened and locally uncommon plant species, but the real curiosity is the presence of southern rātā, a tree not usually found at this sort of site (usually requiring higher rainfall). The project aimed to carry out a census of southern rātā in the covenant and draft a strategy to facilitate its continued regeneration.
“It was pleasing to see that the rātā is in a good state going forward,” said Leighton. “With the continuous control of wilding pines, deer, possums and hares, the trees will have the best opportunity to thrive.”
Like Jane and Leighton, Angela and Rick have also been doing predator control to give the species on their land a better future. Before the ESI project, they were targeting possums, mustelids, feral cats and hedgehogs as part of their predator control to protect nesting shore birds. Following the ESI project, they now realise the importance of controlling mice to protect the lizards and even paper wasps to protect the threatened moths and butterflies.
Down the line, Rick is keen to create a “mainland island” for threatened species to one day return to. “If we can get pest control up, I’d be keen to do translocations. We’re working towards getting a mainland island there and replacing some of the species that have been gone for a long time,” says Rick.
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Newly protected QEII covenant known as The Needles at Rick and Angela’s property
PREVIOUS PAGE LEFT
ESI contractor Simon Litchwark at the covenants on Rick and Angela’s property.
Photo credit: Tom Stein
Even though the Eastern South Island project has come to a close, research at these special sites is not necessarily over. Rick is very supportive of continuing research on the covenanted areas on their property. “We’re happy to work with people looking to do research, planting and pest control. We’re really open about people coming to do some work.”
Without covenant owners like Rick, Angela, Jane and Leighton setting aside special sites on their land in the first place, many of the rare and threatened species studied – the moths, the lizards, the plants – might not have stood a chance.
Jane and Leighton are thrilled to see changes in their protected site following control of wilding pines since the ESI study. “It’s exciting to see more regenerating greenery in the undergrowth of the covenant. We look forward to seeing how it progresses in the coming years,” Leighton says.
Rick says the sites on their property that have been fenced off for fifteen years have really started to bounce back. The protected limestone ecosystems on his property are particularly close to his heart: “I love limestone because it’s got lots of character,” says Rick. “I’m stoked that it’s protected forever, and I hope to add to it in time if we can.”
ABOVE FROM TOP
A young southern rātā establishing under the kānuka canopy at Jane and Leighton’s QEII covenant. Photo credit: Miles Giller
Looking between the kānuka branches, you can spot a southern rātā clinging to a sandstone cliff at Jane and Leighton’s QEII covenant.
Photo credit: Miles Giller
Explore limestone
Across Aotearoa, kaitiaki like your whānau care for all sorts of different landscapes.
Limestone rocks are often light coloured, whether that be white, yellowish, brownish or grey. They feel quite chalky and soft (for a rock)!
Within these landscapes, bizarre and beautiful life forms dwell. Some of them are so small they can only be seen with the help of a microscope. Others are common, or easily recognisable. Some of them are very rare, found nowhere else on earth! All of them depend on a particular ‘ecosystem’ to survive.
An ‘ecosystem’ is a community of living things connected by their interactions within a certain environment. An ecosystem could be a huge desert or a tiny pond, an enormous forest or a small stretch of coastline. Life forms and landscapes within an ecosystem evolve (change over time) together, slowly encouraging changes in each other and creating a delicately balanced harmony. Changes made quickly by humans can disrupt the balance of an ecosystem that may have developed over millions of years!
Our thanks to Sky Smale for content and illustrations.
In this edition of Open Space, we will take a little peek into the wonders of limestone ecosystems
What is Limestone?
Limestone is a type of rock formation that you can see in places such as the other-worldly outcrops at Punakaiki, or the amazing underground caves that wind through Waitomo. Limestone forms in different ways around the globe. New Zealand’s unique limestone landscapes have their own special blend of ingredients and forces behind them.
Limestone features on a South Island coastline
Chalk sticks can be made from limestone
likely rock type to find fossils hiding in!
Limestone cave.
A recipe for New Zealand limestone
INGREDIENTS:
• Shallow, clear, cool ocean water
●• Billions of small sea creatures. Animals with shells or other body parts containing calcite are best (like bryozoans and molluscs, echinoderms and foraminifera)
• A rocky or gravelly seabed
• Time (about 23 - 30 million years)
RECIPE:
Gently combine creatures with ocean water.
Repeat this process over millions of years.
Allow creatures to complete their life cycle in the ocean - hatching, reproducing and dying.
Let the dead creatures sink through the clear water, to the seabed below.
Apply pressure to the layers of shells and skeletons you have created on the seabed.
The calcium carbonate the shells and skeletons contain should start to dissolve, forming a cement-like mixture. Use this mixture to ‘glue’ your ingredients together.
Repeat again and again for at least 20 million years and… VOILA!
You have created NZ limestone!
To serve, lift limestone above the ocean. Use wind, water or chemical processes to mould the limestone into the shapes you desire.
Garnish with a selection of life forms to complete your ecosystem.
Limestone ecosystems are full of unique features. It’s fitting that they are accompanied by some unique words to name them!
Words like ‘scree’, which refers to a mass of small loose stones that form on steep slopes. Or ‘karst’ – a word used by ecologists to describe the weirdly shaped landscapes that are created by limestone being eroded and dissolved over time.
Can you search amongst the jumble of letters to find these ten words, and learn more about limestone ecology as you do?
Limestone:
A sedimentary rock. See the ‘recipe for limestone’ on page 23! In te reo Māori, one word for limestone rock is pākeho.
Sedimentary:
A type of rock that is created by tiny particles of mineral or organic life forms being stuck together. Fossils are often found in sedimentary rocks. You can visit sciencelearn.org.nz/ resources/1490the-rock-cycle to learn more about the processes of different types of rock formation.
Fossil: The remains or impression of an ancient life form preserved in rock.
Oligocene: A period of time between 23 to 33 million years ago. This was when most of Aotearoa’s limestone formed. Much of New Zealand was covered by a shallow sea during the Oligocene epoch.
Tomo: A term used to describe a sinkhole in the ground caused by limestone being eroded or dissolved.
Cave: A natural underground chamber, or ana pākeho in te reo Māori. You can see that the word pākeho/limestone is used in this description, showing how limestone and caves are often linked together.
Stalactite: An icicle-shaped form hanging from a cave or cavern. Stalactites/keo iri are created by the slow downwards drip-drip-dripping of minerals over time. They can occur in limestone caves like the one pictured on the back cover.
Stalagmite: Growing upwards from cave floors, stalagmites/koeko tū are the opposite to stalactites. They are also formed by the accumulation of minerals (calcium salts). One way of telling the two apart is that stalactite has a T for top of the cave, and stalagmite has a G for ground.
Speleology: The scientific study of caves and all of their features including animals and plants. If you go exploring in caves as a hobby, that is called spelunking!
Cliff:
A very steep, high formation of rock or earth. They often form within mountainous or coastal areas. Tūpari is a word for cliff in te reo.
Karren: Dramatically shaped rock features which can develop in limestone landscapes/ karst over time.
Trina has previously been summer caretaker at Aroha Island, a QEII-owned property, and worked on kiwi protection with Greg Blunden, who retired as QEII rep two years ago.
She says she is still finding her way in the role but is loving visiting covenants and meeting landowners. “There are not many roles where after two years you are still meeting new people and exploring new places and that really appeals to me,” she says.
Trina brings years of knowledge and experience to her role. She worked for the Department of Conservation for 15 years on various projects, including weed control, capital project management and visitor facilities. She also taught sustainability, horticulture and native nursery studies at Northtec and Ngawha Prison.
Her commitment to the Northland environment has included being a trustee of Waimate North Landcare Trust and a member of the Waitangi Catchment Group.
Originally from Hawke’s Bay, Trina has lived in Northland since 1995. She and husband Steve farm Angus dry stock on 40 ha of family land near Ōhaeawai, not far from Kaikohe. Life on the farm helps Trina understand the issues facing covenant holders in her area.
“Farming keeps me in touch with all the seasonal aspects and farmers are facing a lot at present. Many weather events are much more dramatic. Even now, two years on from Cyclone Gabrielle, there’s still so much recovery going on out there in the Kaipara.”
There are around 202 covenants in the Kaipara region, which stretches from the Pouto Peninsula to just south of the Waipoua Forest and eastwards to Mangawhai at its widest point. Land use is changing, with increasing subdivision, especially in the southern part of the region, and pines going in at large scale.
Previously the main focus was on protecting bush remnants, but landowners are now
also recognising the importance of protecting remaining wetlands.
“Councils are putting more emphasis on retaining and enhancing wetlands and that’s where we can work side by side with them and other landscapescale projects, such as the Kaipara Moana Remediation Project, improving the health of Kaipara Harbour by reducing run-off from the catchment areas,” Trina says.
There’s also a movement to revegetate unproductive, steep land, dominated by gorse or regenerating scrub, adjacent to larger publicly owned native forests, such as Marlborough and Waipoua. Organisations, including Waipoua Forest Trust, the Native Forest Restoration Trust and private individuals, buy land to put under QEII covenants for restoration and perpetual protection. Community organisations are also adding strength through pest control and advice so no-one should feel they’re fighting alone.
Trina says dedicated covenant holders have deep connections with the land they are protecting.
LEFT
Trina (back of kayak) at Abel Tasman National Park
FAR LEFT
Riparian native plants from Trina’s nursery get a ride on the tractor
“ The more I get to know the people and the places, the better I can network and support landowners’ aspirations –that’s exciting.”
“Amazing people, they love their blocks and put a lot of effort in. The land may have been in the family for generations and they’re often very knowledgeable about their species and the seasonal changes,” she says. “The more I get to know the people and the places, the better I can network and support landowners’ aspirations – that’s exciting.”
She feels privileged to see special places on private land under QEII covenants. “Sometimes, in an old forest, I’m in awe and feel like I’m standing in a cathedral – it’s that kind of special.”
She also feels lucky to have the support and help of other reps and staff at QEII. “QEII has a very healthy culture and is a trim organisation with direct engagement. It’s really supportive in growing its people and habitats.”
QEII GOOD FOLKS
Couple share their joys and trials of rejuvenating native bush on their farm
Wellington
Palmerston North
Pahiatua
CHANGES ON OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
QEII National Trust is overseen by a Board of six directors who serve for a maximum of nine years. The Minister of Conservation appoints four, who have a mix of conservation knowledge, financial acumen and can reflect the interests of landowners and the Māori community. The remaining two directors are elected by our members.
In March, QEII members elected two directors to the Board. Graham Mourie was re-elected for his third term and Marie Taylor was elected to the Board for the first time.
We also farewelled Donna Field as director after nine years of service. Donna’s knowledge, commitment and preparedness to ask the hard questions ensured covenantors were well represented and the Board well governed.
To introduce Marie, and re-introduce Graham, we asked them a few questions to get to know them.
Graham Mourie
Graham was raised on a Taranaki dairy farm, where the first of the four QEII covenanted areas he has been involved in was established in the late 1980s. Being an early adopter of riparian planting and pest management, his current farm partnership was recognized with a Taranaki Regional Farm Environmental award in 2012. Graham is a shareholder and Executive Director of dairy fund Southern Pastures. He has worked with DOC, WAC and regional councils on conservation/management projects including access to the Mokaihaha Kōkako conservation area and access along the Rakaia River. He is also a trustee of the Rugby Foundation and The Graeme Dingle Foundation and is a former director of New Zealand Rugby and the International Rugby Board where he chaired the Rugby Committee.
What attracted you to QEII six years ago?
I set up a covenant on my farm in the 1980s to protect the bush because Taranaki has lost a huge amount of forest around the ring plain. That’s how I learnt about QEII. Having grown up with bush on the farm and streams running through it, it was a value I got from my grandfather - having bush on the property and looking after it.
Do you have any memorable or favourite moments from your time on the QEII Board?
All the field trips have been great. You see some fantastic areas. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to go down to the forests in Southland and to the bush blocks in Thames, the ability to get out and see the great work people have been doing to preserve our heritage. I don’t expect you can turn the clock back – with deer, goats and plant pests a big problem – but it’s amazing to see people prepared to work and look after native forests. People do it out of their love for nature, not because they have to. I think that’s a huge motivator for anyone who goes onto our Board.
If you could have a holiday anywhere in the country, where would it be and why?
I’ve never been to Stewart Island. It would be good to go and see the diversity of the wildlife down there.
What’s your favourite native species?
Kohia, native passionflower (Passiflora tetrandra), one of our climbing native plant species. I have one of them growing on one of my trees in Taranaki. It’s got a yellow flower in summertime, climbs up to ten metres, and is a favourite food of tūī. My oldest daughter is named Kohia after the vine, and her younger sister is called Rewa after the Rewarewa tree it grows on.
Marie Taylor
Marie was previously a rural journalist and then worked part-time as a QEII regional representative from 1992 until 2007 in the Nelson-Marlborough, West Coast and Hawke’s Bay regions.
Marie covenanted her lifestyle block at Bayview, Napier to protect pits and middens on the property, prevent subdivision, and protect indigenous restoration plantings on the site. She currently chairs New Zealand Plant Producers Inc, the nursery industry body, and the Hawke’s Bay Botanical Group, and is a trustee on The Gwavas – Puahanui Charitable Trust.
In 2018, Marie won the NZI Rural Women New Zealand Business Awards supreme award and in 2020 was awarded a QSM for horticulture and native revegetation. Marie set up and jointly owns Plant Hawke’s Bay, a native plant nursery growing eco-sourced wholesale native plants near Napier.
What attracted you to QEII?
I love QEII’s work, and I think they couldn’t have a better kaupapa. I love the idea of it, of a people’s national park. It’s very powerful.
I think the reason I was attracted to the QEII National Trust is because of its focus on habitat protection. Without habitat we have nothing. Protecting habitat first means we can subsequently do all the other things natural landscapes need. A good example in Hawke’s Bay is getting deer fencing up first to exclude deer, goats and other stock; then we can enhance other aspects of the natural landscape. But without that habitat protection, we are throwing good money away. Habitat protection has to come first.
What are you looking forward to this year?
Coming up to speed and understanding the challenges and perhaps helping think about how to face those challenges. The thing about times like this, when times are tough, is to look at things in a fresh way. It’s an opportunity.
If you could have a holiday anywhere in the country, where would it be and why?
At the moment, I’m walking Te Araroa Trail and it’s a pleasure to get to know the other landscapes, not just Hawke’s Bay. So, all my holidays are spent walking. I think I’ve done about 1,500 km out of the 3,039-km trail.
My method is to bring my friends along and have a bit of a holiday at the same time, making it as enjoyable as possible. I’m interested in looking at the plant distribution and species as I go.
What’s your favourite native species?
They’ve all got a good story, but my recent favourite is the Myosotis petiolata, an endemic forget-me-not. Until recently, there were only four known in the world, just in the Hawke’s Bay. We started growing them last year and now we’ve got 700 in the nursery, and we hope that it will secure the species. It’s very exciting!
FROM TOP
Marie Taylor hiking Te Araroa Trail
Graham Mourie on a board trip in June 2024
LAND SURVEYORS
KEY PARTNERS FOR QEII
OVERLEAF
Surveyors get to work in some picturesque locations.
Supplied: Alex Martin, Staig & Smith
“ It’s wonderful to have those connections with companies that are really supportive of the work we’re doing.”
“Protection is in perpetuity, so it’s really important we’re clear on what area we’re protecting,” says QEII National Trust senior solicitor Alexandra Finlay.
In recent years about 100 new covenants have been registered annually and each requires a covenant field survey and preparation of a covenant plan, paid for by QEII. “We have formed trusted relationships with a number of surveying firms that are supportive of QEII’s work and do their best to keep costs down,” says Alexandra.
The process involves the surveyors working with the landowners and QEII to establish the area to be covenanted and then accurately surveying the area, using tools such as satellite global positioning and navigation, aerial mapping and total stations, which measure angles and distances.
When the resulting draft covenant plan is approved by the landowner and QEII, it is lodged with Land Information New Zealand for approval and the covenant is then registered on the title for the parcel of land.
Surveyors say their relationship with QEII is one of the highlights of their work. “Surveyors love walking and climbing. We’re explorers by nature so that’s what we do,” says Johnathan Hodson, Te Anau branch manager for South Island-based surveying and land development services firm Bonisch.
His firm has been working with QEII for around 15 years, carrying out surveys on well over 100 covenants from Stewart Island to the top of the South Island. These range in size from less than a hectare, maybe protecting a small wetland or riparian margin, to hundreds of hectares covering tussock land on huge highcountry stations.
Johnathan has been personally involved in surveying many “awesome” covenants and he also has a family connection to QEII. When he was a child, his grandfather covenanted a bush block on his Southland farm.
Alex Martin, managing director of Staig & Smith, a surveying and land development company with offices in Nelson and Christchurch, says his company has been working with QEII for about 12 years. In that time, they have surveyed nearly 50 covenants, mostly around the top of the South Island.
“The QEII work is quite a favourite for our surveyors. We appreciate accessing some very beautiful and remote properties and it’s great to know our work will lead to protecting that land,” Alex says.
There can be challenges at times, such as working with underlying survey plans over a century old. “It’s sometimes like putting a jigsaw puzzle together as we calculate the relationship between historic and modern survey data.”
Alex and Johnathan say they have built up trusted and valued relationships with QEII staff, including the lawyers and regional reps they work with. They are strong supporters of QEII’s mission to protect bush remnants and other high-value natural features on privatelyowned land.
Johnathan describes QEII covenants as a proven model that works and the need for them continues to grow. Alex agrees, saying covenants are an excellent way of protecting nature for future generations. “It’s a very satisfying area of surveying for us to be involved with,” he says.
QEII’s Alexandra Finlay says the strong relationships with companies such as Bonisch and Staig & Smith are of great value to QEII.
“It’s really helpful to have some good go-to surveyors. With the level of new covenants in recent years, we have been interacting with surveyors almost every day and it’s great that they are knowledgeable about QEII and what we need,” she says.
“It’s wonderful to have those connections with companies that are really supportive of the work we’re doing.”
FROM TOP
Out in the field at Pāmu-owned farms (Dale farm, Kepler and Eweburn) and at Mt Aspiring Station (top right). Supplied: Johnathan Hodson, Bonisch
Surveying in the Marlborough region. Supplied: Alex Martin,Staig & Smith (bottom right)
District Council Location Covenant Name Area (ha) Main open space type
Upper Hutt Kaitoke He Repo Ataahua Mō Ngā Manu 0.43
Ōpōtiki Ōtara Horomanga 3.52
Ōpōtiki Ōpōtiki Glenview 1.09
Ōpōtiki Ōtara Waitohi 2.79
New Plymouth Urenui 3.54
Tasman Richmond 3.02
Marlborough Kaiuma Bay 372.01
Marlborough Kaiuma Bay 40.07
Marlborough Kaiuma Bay 26.16
Marlborough Kaiuma Bay 6.87
Ruapehu Taumarunui Poppy's Place 4.79
Hurunui Balmoral Plains Home Bush QEII Covenant 48.68
Waikato Ruapuke The Plantation Covenant 3.66
Waikato Ruapuke The Cow Paddock Covenant 1.06
Waikato Ruapuke The Rimu Trees Covenant 2.22
Waikato Ruapuke Lamb Spring Covenant 32.90
Waitomo Rangitoto The Templeton Family Covenant 115.10
Central Hawke's Bay Oueroa Bush 6.53
New Plymouth Inglewood Nine Streams Farm Wetland Restoration 1.54
Tararua Pongaroa The Wetlands 2.00
Tararua Pongaroa Pete's Gully 5.13
South Wairarapa Tuturumuri Whakapata 9.70
Tasman Brooklyn Lynne's Forest 7.46
New Plymouth Waitara Chris Jury Wetland 2.69
Lowland modified secondary scrub, sedgeland and stream
Lowland modified secondary forest and lowland revegetated grassland
Modified primary forest
Lowland modified secondary forest and scrubland and modified primary bedrock waterfall and stream.
Semicoastal modified primary forest
Semicoastal revegetated forest, sedgeland and exotic grassland
Semicoastal modified primary forest, and modified secondary forest and shrubland
Semicoastal modified secondary forest
Semicoastal modified primary forest, and modified secondary forest and shrubland
Semicoastal modified primary forest
Lowland modified primary forest, riparian
Montane modified primary forest, secondary tussockland and scrub
Coastal modified primary broadleaf forest
Coastal modified primary broadleaf forest
Coastal secondary broadleaf forest
Coastal modified primary and secondary broadleaf forest and submontane modified primary forest
Lowland modified primary forest
Semicoastal modified secondary forest and shrubland and artificially created grassland
Lowland revegetated shrubland, sedgeland and exotic grassland
Lowland, modified raupo wetland
Lowland secondary forest colluvial hillslope
Lowland modified primary and modified secondary forest, modified secondary sedgeland and exotic grassland
Lowland secondary and secondary modified forest
Semicoastal modified secondary forest, secondary sedgeland and artificially created open water
Masterton Mt Bruce New Forest 6.81
Lowland secondary forest, treeland and exotic pasture
Regional Representatives
Mieke Kapa FAR NORTH 027 494 0733 mkapa@qeii.org.nz
Trina Upperton KAIPARA 021 0822 9802 tupperton@qeii.org.nz
Nan Pullman WHANGĀREI 027 490 4483 npullman@qeii.org.nz
Chris Floyd NORTH AUCKLAND 021 066 2165 cfloyd@qeii.org.nz
Jessica Reaburn NORTH-WEST & EAST AUCKLAND 021 026 23436 jreaburn@qeii.org.nz
Paul Goldsmith SOUTH & WEST AUCKLAND 021 622 368 pgoldsmith@qeii.org.nz
Robbie Bennett WAIKATO 021 1742 761 rbennett@qeii.org.nz
Jason Roxburgh HAURAKI-COROMANDEL 027 535 8327 jroxburgh@qeii.org.nz
Zipporah Ploeg TAUPŌ & CENTRAL WAIKATO 020 4095 2800 zploeg@qeii.org.nz
Melissa Sinton WAITOMO, NORTH TARANAKI & RUAPEHU 027 867 6407 msinton@qeii.org.nz
Vacant –contact QEII Head Office WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY 0800 467 367 info@qeii.org.nz
Hōri Barsdell EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY 027 634 8958 hbarsdell@qeii.org.nz
Carol Burgess NEW PLYMOUTH 021 932 555 cburgess@qeii.org.nz
Jake Goonan SOUTH TARANAKI 022 327 0445 jgoonan@qeii.org.nz
Malcolm Rutherford GISBORNE 022 310 6818 mrutherford@qeii.org.nz
Troy Duncan HAWKE’S BAY 021 629 426 tduncan@qeii.org.nz
Lou Hagger TARARUA 022 477 3833 lhagger@qeii.org.nz
Laurie Whitehead MANAWATŪ-WHANGANUI 021 022 59259 lwhitehead@qeii.org.nz
Trevor Thompson WAIRARAPA 027 333 3243 tthompson@qeii.org.nz
Rob Cross WELLINGTON – KĀPITI 0210 238 5619 rcross@qeii.org.nz
Tom Stein NELSON – TASMAN & MARLBOROUGH 0274 453 890 tstein@qeii.org.nz
Clare Moore NELSON – TASMAN & MARLBOROUGH 021 656 035 cmoore@qeii.org.nz
Martin Abel WEST COAST 03 753 3012 mabel@qeii.org.nz
James Kilgour NORTH CANTERBURY 027 474 9327 jkilgour@qeii.org.nz
Alice Shanks CENTRAL CANTERBURY 03 337 1256 ashanks@qeii.org.nz
Rob Smith SOUTH CANTERBURY 03 689 7735 rsmith@qeii.org.nz
Cathy Rufaut COASTAL OTAGO - NORTH 021 100 8347 crufaut@qeii.org.nz
Morgan Trotter COASTAL OTAGO - SOUTH 027 222 3067 mtrotter@qeii.org.nz
Rob Wardle CENTRAL OTAGO 0204 012 6483 rwardle@qeii.org.nz
Mark Sutton WAIAU CATCHMENT 021 540 814 msutton@qeii.org.nz
Jesse Bythell SOUTHLAND 0204 003 2109 jbythell@qeii.org
