
3 minute read
WORKING WITH OTHERS
WORKING
WITH OTHERS
At QEII we are lucky to be able to work collaboratively with many like-minded groups and individuals who share our goal of protecting and enhancing New Zealand’s landscapes and biodiversity. Our partnerships are wide ranging, with many driven by our regional representatives and their relationships onthe-ground. These partnerships are a great source of support and advice for QEII people, covenantors and team members alike. They also play a crucial role in the protection and enhancement of QEII covenants on private land.
Some of these partnerships are led by volunteers, including the Friends of I’Anson Reserve at QEII property I’Anson Reserve, who regularly host weeding bees and other volunteer activities within the property, and the Forest Bridge Trust who have been maintaining pest traps at Dunn’s Bush, another QEII property.
We have continued to work with many councils and we are thankful for the support we receive from them, including financial contributions towards 87 newly approved covenants in the 2021/22 financial year. Following the May 2020 floods in the Canterbury area, Environment Canterbury also provided $40,000 of funding that enabled us to support covenantors who were adversely affected. The Auckland Council Fund, a contestable fund to support covenant stewardship, was repeated in 2021/22. Sixteen projects were allocated funding for pest plant control, revegetation, predator control, fencing, and other covenant management works.
We entered into a funding agreement with the Ministry for Primary Industries to deliver Kauri protection projects in the upper North Island. This programme of work is part of MPI’s National Pest Management Plan, and the $425,000 funding QEII has received will support approximately 12 projects in the region, supported by our Northern regional representatives.
We have also received funding through the Lotteries Commission for two projects.
The Cape Turnagain project was a two-year project that was extended for a further two years due to Covid. The Kōkako relocation project enabled us to translocate three pairs of kōkako from Kaharoa in one breeding season and three pairs of kōkako from Rotoehu in another breeding season to bring genetic diversity to the kōkako population in the Manawahē forest, an area protected, in part, by QEII covenants. This project saw some success with new kōkako pairings established, along with a successful nesting attempt. It enabled us to make a positive contribution towards the recovery of kōkako and helped raise the threat status of kōkako from threatened, to near threatened, due to predator control and reintroductions. This success was also thanks to our partners, Manawahē Kōkako Trust, Manawahē Eco Trust, Kaharoa Kōkako Trust, Rotoehu Ecological Trust, Ngāti Rangiwewehi, Tapuika, Ngāti Makino, Ngāti Rangitihi and Ngāti Awa.
QEII also continues to be active in the academic space, with a key focus on supporting universities and research organisations to promote science that will benefit conservation on private land. This includes the QEII Athol Patterson Bursary, which helps support a student at Massey University who demonstrates a commitment to environmental studies and sustainable farming practices.
This year we selected Jo Wood for the QEII Athol Patterson Bursary. Jo is studying towards a Bachelor of Science at Massey, majoring in Environmental Studies. She lives in a small rural community at Tomarata where she works on her brother’s dairy farm, undertaking pest control in the areas of covenanted native bush on the property.
In response to receiving the scholarship, Jo said, “thank you so much for this opportunity to concentrate on my studies instead of working all-hours to pay the bills. Third year studies are certainly time consuming. It's a privilege to be able to live and study here, and hopefully what I learn will be of benefit to something, somewhere in Aotearoa in years to come.”