COVER IMAGE Gisborne regional rep, Malcolm Rutherford with volunteers Panmuk Szillat, Markus Szillat and Barry Foster at a weeding bee. Photo credit: Gillian Ward.
BACK COVER IMAGE Weeding bee in action at Papatu Station. Photo credit: Malcolm Rutherford
QUEEN ELIZABETH II NATIONAL TRUST is a statutory organisation independent from government and managed by a Board of Directors. We are a registered charitable entity under the Charities Act 2005. Registration number CC28488.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Bruce Wills, Karen Schumacher, Alan Livingston, Neil Cullen, Donna Field, Graham Mourie
CHIEF EXECUTIVE Dan Coup T 04 472 6626 E dcoup@qeii.org.nz
VICE REGAL PATRON Her Excellency, The Right Honourable Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO, Governor-General of New Zealand
OPEN SPACE™ is published by the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust, PO Box 3341, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Level 4, 138 The Terrace, Wellington ISSN 1179-3880 (Print) ISSN 1179-3899 (Online)
T 04 472 6626 E info@qeii.org.nz
DESIGN Pogo Design W www.pogodesign.co.nz
EDITOR Laura Dalby E editor@qeii.org.nz W www.qeii.org.nz
Just as we were beginning to get used to a “new normal”, the arrival of 2023 brought with it a new set of challenges - most notably, Cyclone Gabrielle and other extreme weather events.
I am based in the Hawke’s Bay and our place, like many properties, had slips, fallen trees and broken fences. Due to being on a hill, damage was minor compared with those who lost their homes or were inundated with water or silt.
Through other work outside of QEII, I had the opportunity to have an extensive flyover of much of storm damaged Hawke’s Bay. It was heartbreaking to see the enormity of the destruction and it was challenging to make sense of how we rebuild our land and our infrastructure. For our covenantors who have been affected by these severe weather events, the thoughts and sympathies of the entire QEII team are with you.
For now, it is about clean-up and repair, then we will focus on what’s next. How do we better prepare ourselves and our properties for the next Gabrielle? There are lots of learnings and although Mother Nature will always have the final say, there is much we can do to better prepare for the next one. The subject of a future column, I am sure!
In this issue (pages 10-17), we go over the types of damage we are seeing to covenants, share some insight into the response from QEII reps and outline some resources available to those affected. Please reach out to your QEII regional rep if you have any questions, concerns or even learnings to share.
We have recently said farewell to two of our regional representatives, Joanna Buswell from North Taranaki, and Greg Blunden from the Far North and Kaipara. We have also welcomed many new faces to our field-based team. For your reference, our regional rep directory has been updated – you’ll find this on page 39.
The regional representative role is one that is often kept for many years, and this is true in the case of Greg Blunden. Before his retirement, Greg reached the milestone of 25 years of service to the Trust, a milestone
also reached by the current Whangārei rep, Nan Pullman, making them two of our longest serving QEII reps. I’d like to sincerely thank both Greg and Nan for their many years of service and helping landowners protect and improve special places all over Aotearoa New Zealand with open space covenants. You can read about Greg’s time with the Trust in his feature on page 28.
Sadly, this will be the last update that I will write in Open Space as I have reached the maximum number of years on the QEII board. I was delighted to be appointed Chair in 2020, following two three-year terms as a director prior to that. In my first update as Chair, I reflected on the pandemic and the shift in priorities. It seems somewhat poetic that my time as Chair is bookended by another major event that has the potential to shape and change the course of what we do and how we do it at the Trust.
It has been an absolute privilege to have been on the QEII Board for the last nine years. During this time, I have visited many outstanding covenants all over New Zealand, met numerous passionate covenantors and worked with a team of fabulous, dedicated QEII people. I have enjoyed every minute and will miss you all.
QEII is an iconic institution; its work to protect special places across our landscape is unparalleled. I am immensely proud to have been involved and sign off with a huge thanks to my fellow directors, to Dan and the team in Wellington, to all our Regional Reps and most importantly, to our landowners who have chosen to protect their special places with a QEII covenant. Thank you and keep up the good work!
Bruce Wills ChairThe QEII board in Kerikeri in 2022. The QEII board in Raglan in 2019. Bruce wearing the QEII korowai.
Bruce with regional rep Tom Stein and QEII CEO Dan Coup at Cape Campbell.
Bruce with regional rep Jesse Bythell (front), Deirdre Parag (middle) and Donna Field (right) in Invercargill.
Carbon credits and forestry have been a topic of much conversation in the last year or two, especially as a recently lucrative carbon market has prompted significant land-use conversion to exotic forestry for carbon credits.
For covenantors and QEII, the world of carbon credits and markets presents opportunities and challenges. Following our recent survey (page 18-20), we received a range of questions from covenantors about carbon and covenants. Below, we cover some of the most frequently asked questions.
The New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS) is the Government’s main tool for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and achieving Aotearoa New Zealand’s climate change targets, such as reducing net emissions of all greenhouse gases (except biogenic methane) to zero by 2025.
The ETS trades in New Zealand Units (NZUs). One NZU is worth one “carbon credit” and is equivalent to one metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (other greenhouse gases). All emitting industries (except agriculture, this is exempt till 2025) must purchase NZUs to offset at least some of their emissions.
Forest owners “supply” NZUs. They can register their eligible forest land in the ETS where the carbon sequestration occurring in their forest is accounted for and converted into NZUs. Forest owners can then sell their NZUs to “emitters” on the carbon market. It is intended that over time, the government will increase the price (or constrain the supply) of NZUs, providing an economic incentive for
emitters to reduce their emissions instead of relying on offsetting.
In the last year, there has been a lot of media coverage about the ETS. Policy settings and a high carbon price have meant that converting land for exotic forestry to sequester carbon has been very lucrative, driving wide scale land-use change in some parts of the country. As highlighted in the May 2022 edition of Open Space, land-use change to exotic forestry around areas of indigenous biodiversity can present many ecological and practical challenges for covenant sustainability.
Yes, you can, as long as it’s eligible under the ETS rules – having a covenant does not prevent you from getting carbon credits.
No, QEII doesn’t own your carbon credits, you do. You own the land, so you own the carbon credits, until you decide to sell the carbon credits on the carbon market.
The ETS has strict requirements around what native forest is eligible for carbon credits. For forest areas to be eligible they must meet the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) ‘forest
land’ definition, that is: -
• At least 1 hectare of land.
• Forest that will reach at least 30 metres across on average.
• Contain trees that can grow to at least 5 metres in height.
• The forest must be able to reach at least 30% average canopy cover.
• New trees since 1990. Forest before 31 December 1989 is not eligible.
Most covenants that are protecting native forest will easily meet the first four, but it’s the post-1989 point that makes things tricky for many QEII covenants. Many QEII covenants aren’t eligible for the ETS because they’re primary or secondary forest that was established prior to 1990.
Your covenant might be eligible if it includes native forest that has regenerated after 1989. These areas typically regenerate through pasture, bracken, gorse, and broom and are often found on the edges or within gaps in the covenant, among more mature native forest.
To be eligible, you’ll need to prove that that the trees in your covenant were established post 1989. We recommend contacting a carbon consultant to help you with this if you think it’s a possibility.
My forest covenant is sequestering carbon, but I get no recognition – what’s QEII doing about this?
We agree, it would be great if the carbon sequestration occurring in your covenant could be recognised.
We all know that protecting native forest results in more carbon storage. Regardless of forest age, carbon sequestration is enhanced when stock is removed from an area of native forest and better yet, when possums and feral ungulates, like goats and deer, are also controlled. Naturally regenerating secondary forests continue to sequester carbon for many years as they grow. QEII covenants have the bonus that the carbon storage is locked in forever, along with all the other biodiversity benefits.
There is work underway to develop ways to quantify carbon sequestration in ‘managed’ pre-1990 native vegetation. As part of work to price agricultural emissions, the Government have said they’re committed to improving and expanding the ETS to ensure that landowners get full recognition for all scientifically proven sequestration. This should be available to all landowners and QEII will continue to advocate for this by writing submissions and engaging with Government on these issues.
What about my non-forest (e.g., wetland) covenant? Why can’t I get credits for the carbon it’s sequestering?
The ETS does not currently recognise sequestration other than forests. The ETS is limited to carbon sequestration where it can be reliably measured. While it’s known that wetlands (especially peatlands) and soil store carbon, there’s much more research needed to be able to robustly measure and quantify carbon sequestration under different management regimes.
How much will it cost me to register my covenant in the ETS?
There are a range of fees associated with the ETS, although there is no longer an application fee if you’re applying to register permanent native forestry. It is possible to make your own application, however many people use a carbon consultant, especially if they are trying to register areas of regenerating native forest and need to prove it is post-1989. There are a growing number of carbon consultancies and some charge an hourly fee, while others take a portion of the carbon credit income over a set period.
Registering in the ETS and earning and selling NZUs as they accumulate over time is an ongoing process. You may also require a consultant to help you lodge emissions returns and to sell the NZUs. A non-exhaustive list of carbon consultants is available on our website at qeii.org.nz/managing-your-covenant/ carbon-credits
Can I plant trees in my covenant to make it eligible for carbon credits?
If you are keen to explore planting in your covenant, please get in touch with your QEII regional rep first. Standard covenant conditions prohibit planting exotic species and any native species that aren’t locally appropriate.
You may be able to plant eco-sourced native species for carbon credits, it depends on your covenant, the type of ecosystem, what might be suitable to plant and whether planting “woody” species that would meet the ETS definition of forest land is consistent with your covenant deed. Bear in mind the MPI ‘forest land’ definition above, includes a requirement for at least one hectare of eligible species.
How can my regional rep help?
The carbon space is complicated and everchanging. Our regional reps and staff don’t have the expertise to advise on details associated with carbon credits and your covenant.
Our reps can check your covenant deed to make sure there are no covenant management obligations that could conflict with getting carbon credits (unlikely) and give you an idea of whether your covenant contains the right woody tree species to be eligible.
As these are personal, financial decisions, we recommend speaking to an expert/carbon consultancy for specific carbon advice. Some carbon consultancies will also be able to help you navigate potential opportunities in New Zealand’s emerging voluntary carbon market. This is something we are looking to cover in a future issue of Open Space.
Example: carbon credits in a QEII covenant
Jenny and Darryl successfully registered some of their covenant in the NZ ETS and share their experience navigating the application process below.
They own a 26 hectare property on Banks Peninsula. A QEII covenant protecting the entire property was established in 1992. Before protection, the land was used for livestock grazing and was sprayed for extensive gorse control.
The pair successfully registered 12.2 hectares in the ETS in 2020. Their application was helped considerably due to photos from the former landowners, QEII photo points, aerial images, and a property-wide botanical report conducted in 1993. This was all strong evidence to show post 1990 forested areas.
Jenny and Darryl were encouraged by friends, who had experience with the ETS application process, to apply and they also engaged a carbon consultant. The consultant identified ten plots and they were required to provide vegetation samples.
“Each individual forest species had to be identified, counted, and given a height estimate in every plot. Luckily, our friends helped us, and we couldn’t have done it alone. We also had to get ground and drone photos taken at each plot. This took four keen people two weekends.” Jenny said.
The couple learned firsthand that the ETS application process can be complex and although information can be hard to understand, Jenny noted that it is worth seeking help. “Ask others about their experience, ask for ideas and help. We found that conservation minded people are happy to show you the way. It’s healthy to not know how to do things and to keep on learning. You yourself can pass on new experiences to others too.”
Read the latest issue of Open Space whenever and wherever you want with our digital subscription option.
Readers with a digital subscription will get email access to read the magazine online as soon as it is published. Back issues of Open Space can also be accessed on our website.
To switch to a digital subscription, complete the digital subscription form on our website: bit.ly/qeiidigitalsubs
The envelope Open Space is delivered in gives us the opportunity to highlight one of your special protected places.
The photo on our current envelope gives us an inside view of an underground cave in the Waitomo District - Te Ana o te Atua - The Cave of the Spirit. This cave is protected by a QEII covenant and is a fascinating insight into an ancient world.
The tomo or sinkhole openings at the top of the cave have trapped and hidden away bones of animals that once roamed around Waitomo, such as moa. Along with the bones are impressive stalagmites, stalactites, and the remains of a long-abandoned riverbed, the former passage of the Mangawhitikau Stream. Glow worms can be found along the pathway with subtle lighting powered by solar energy to help visitors find their way.
You can opt in or out of a digital subscription at any time. If you want to go back to getting a physical copy of Open Space, let us know online through our ‘contact us’ form or send us an email.
If you have any questions about the digital subscription or any other feedback about Open Space, email us at editor@qeii.org.nz
Te Ana o te Atua - The Cave of the Spirit, can be visited as part of the Spellbound Glowworm and Cave Tours. More information can be found on their website glowworm.co.nz
If you have a photo of your covenant that you would like to feature on a future envelope for Open Space, please send a copy of the photo with a short description to editor@qeii.org.nz.
Recent weather events including ex-Cyclone Hale, the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle have had a devastating impact on landowners, farmers and urban and rural communities.
At QEII, we are thankful that everyone in our regional team and their families were accounted for shortly after the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle. At that time, we also wanted to ensure that our wider QEII whānau of landowners were safe and well and were able to focus on securing their overall general livelihoods without having the additional stress of worrying about damage to their covenants.
After the significant weather events, we began to get reports from covenantors about damage to their covenants. They highlighted issues such as treefall, stock management and fence damage, all the way through to the displacement of large sections of covenants.
While we are still hearing from landowners, the damage to covenants that has been reported so far is varied and extensive.
In some cases, damage isn’t able to be assessed, with some landowners and farm managers unable to access parts of their properties. Where visits have been possible, the sights have been shocking with dead sheep and pine slash caught on fences, and crops and baleage pushed far into covenants. In a covenant visit six weeks after Cyclone Gabrielle, our rep found there was still 30 cm of wet silt through the covenant.
The level of damage varies from displaced vegetation or fencing right through to large movements of land, including entire sections of covenants. Treefall and landslides have been common. Stock gaining access to covenants due to damaged fencing was also a common issue, however in most cases this was able to be dealt with quickly by putting temporary measures in place.
Covenants that have sustained damage are often steep gullies with rivers or streams that have eroded the base and caused slips, or the surrounding pasture has slipped into the covenant and caused damage to the boundary fences on its way in.
At present we think around 70 out of approximately 220 covenants in the Wairoa
and Tairāwhiti regions have been affected by Cyclone Gabrielle and approximately 91 out of 222 covenants in the Hawke’s Bay.
Weather damage was not just contained to the East Coast. We have seen damage to covenants in Auckland, Northland, Waikato, and lower parts of the North Island. John Williamson, regional rep for Manawatū, reported a loss of two hectares of mature podocarp forest to a riverside covenant in his area. Up north, our regional rep for NorthWest and East Auckland, Jessica Reaburn, discovered a thick layer of silt inside a QEII property that is home to the only recorded natural population of Veronica jovellanoides - at least half of the population has been covered in silt.
In addition to farm and covenant damage, we know some covenantors have lost access to their properties due to washed out driveways. In a few cases, slips have undermined houses surrounded by covenanted native bush, leaving them red stickered and unable to be lived in.
We also know that some covenants have fared better than others and, in many cases, we have seen the benefits of covenants and their resilience to the effects of the storms when compared to the surrounding landscapes. By utilising aerial imagery, available through LINZ, we have seen some areas of covenanted forest cover that has remained mostly undamaged, especially when compared with the pasture surrounding it.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT
Pine logs and slash left behind in a covenant in Gisborne.
Photo credit: Malcolm Rutherford
Damage to walkways and bridges in a covenant in Auckland.
Photo credit: Jessica Reaburn
Flooding scoured out the river bank leaving silt and ruining the fence at this Gisborne covenant.
Photo credit: Malcolm Rutherford
Uprooted trees have been a common issue.
Unprecedented rainfalls in inland areas led to surface slips. These liquified hillsides flowed through properties, including covenant blocks, often taking out covenant fences. Streams that are normally small or dry burst their banks, carrying with them woody debris, taking out flood gates and cutting into streamside vegetation.
As these streams combined into rivers, they became raging torrents, laden with silt, branches, and posts, meaning that their flow destroyed much of what stood in their way. When we started looking at aerial imagery and checking in with landowners, we started to see some of these bigger flows had taken out large amounts of vegetation along riverbanks, as well as many bridges and farm tracks.
When the huge flows got to the flood plains in the lowlands, they burst their banks, flowing across crops and through houses, ruining livelihoods and more. Covenants in these lowland areas are somewhat accustomed to flooding, but not at this scale. Many now have silt through them, burying the understorey and killing ferns, seedlings and younger trees.
The same area in a Gisborne covenant before and after Cyclone Gabrielle. The top photo was taken in August 2022 and bottom photo was shortly after the cyclone.
Photo credits: Malcolm Rutherford
QEII regional representatives are accustomed to working around unexpected road closures, slips and roadworks. However, the recent weather events have affected the way most of our QEII reps work, especially in badly affected areas.
Our regional rep for Hawke’s Bay, Troy Duncan, was our worst affected QEII team member. Thankfully, he and his family reached safety. Unfortunately, they lost everything in their home, located near the banks of the Tutaekuri river. Their house had to be completely gutted after floodwater reached the eaves.
In Gisborne, our regional rep Malcolm Rutherford found himself without power, internet and cell service after Cyclone Gabrielle. He was able to use his InReach, a satellite communication device issued to reps to use when they are out in the field, to contact his family and the QEII team to let them know he was okay.
Travel has been a key issue and one of the main barriers for reps when making visits to covenants. With many roads closed on the East Coast, getting around was, and still is, a challenge. Further north, our Coromandel-Hauraki rep, Jason Roxburgh, was affected by major slips closing SH25A and many other roads.
Our reps in affected areas have been working to get in touch with potentially affected landowners but these logistical challenges have meant that the usual covenant monitoring visits have been somewhat off the table in some regions.
When power and internet returned, Malcolm began to contact some of his covenantors and visited some of the worst affected covenants in the Gisborne region. Where transport and access were limited, he was able to work with our head office team to go through aerial imagery of covenants and do a digital assessment of damage. This showed washed out farm bridges, fences damaged by slips and silt settled in covenants.
Perhaps not surprisingly, our worst affected area has been Hawke’s Bay. Our team are continuing to support Hawke’s Bay covenantors to find solutions and work through their various current and future covenant management challenges.
View overlooking a cyclone damaged area in Hawke’s Bay. Photo credit: Troy Duncan. Damage in a covenant in the Hawke’s Bay. Photo credit: Troy Duncan.
Cyclone damage to a covenant in the Coromandel.
Support for many of those affected will be required for some time to come. We also know that remedial work when it comes to recent weather damage to covenants will be a long journey ahead.
Some financial support may be available to landowners with covenants affected by the recent weather events through our upcoming contestable funding, the Stephenson Fund. To find out more about the Stephenson Fund and see examples of projects that have received funding, head to page 30-33.
We also have a list of resources and support available for landowners on our website, under the ‘managing your covenant’ section. We will continue to update this page as initiatives are established. Find out more at qeiinationaltrust.org.nz/ managing-your-covenant/supportforweatherevents
If you are interested in seeing aerial imagery, this is available on the LINZ website:
East Coast – 0.5 m scale https://bit.ly/EastCoastBaseMap
Hawke’s Bay – 0.1 m scale https://bit.ly/HBGabrielleAerial
Gisborne – 0.2 m scale
https://bit.ly/GisborneGabrielleAerial
QEII wants to support covenantors by extending the Stephenson Fund, but we need your help to do this.
Make a difference and donate to QEII for cyclone relief.
We have $50,000 to distribute and we want to raise another $50,000 to match it. There are a wide variety of issues that covenantors are facing – everything from stock management, weed and pest control, replanting, and simply cleaning up and assessing the damage to their covenants.
When homes and livelihoods are in peril, covenant repair is understandably lower down the list for landowners. Your donation can have an important impact, removing one issue from the massive list of tasks for recovery.
The Stephenson Fund application process allows covenantors to tell us what they need. It means that we can be responsive without dictating too much what a grant can be used for.
If you donate $50, $100 or $500, together we will ensure that it goes directly to supporting covenants impacted by this year’s extreme weather events.
www.qeii.org.nz/ donate-to-cyclone-relief/
Any questions? Contact Bryna O’Brien on 027 295 5369 or at bobrien@qeii.org.nz
In late 2022 we worked with a research partner, Primary Purpose, to survey current and former covenantors.
Our aim was to gather insights about the relationship we have with landowners past and present, understand more about the connection you have with your covenants and identify areas where we could provide additional support or make improvements.
We interviewed 14 people in person and had over 900 responses to the survey, a much higher number than anticipated. Thank you to everyone who took the time to take part in the survey. Knowing more about what is important to you helps us to provide better support.
8 %
were satisfied with their overall relationship with the QEII National Trust, only 6% were not satisfied.
74%
of members felt the amount of personal interaction they had with their local QEII representative such as monitoring visits, phone and email contact was the ‘right amount’
71% of members agreed that having land protected with a QEII covenant gave them ‘a feeling that they were doing their part to preserve some of New Zealand’s native bush or landforms’.
We hope to repeat the survey again in a few years, to identify any trends or changing needs and monitor progress. In the meantime, we’ll be using the results of the survey to help us develop policy and prioritise our work.
Some results from the survey are highlighted on this page, and the full report can be found on our website at qeii.org. nz/publications-and-resources/qeii-membership-survey
If you would like to know more or have any additional feedback to share, please contact Laura Dalby, Manager, Communications & Information on ldalby@qeii.org.nz
8 %
declared it was easy to set up a covenant
declared it was easy to transition into becoming an owner of QEII covenanted land
We asked participants for the first two words that come to mind when thinking about their QEII covenant
We asked participants how often they, or someone they know, spends time enjoying the land they have protected with a QEII covenant.
62% Often
28% Sometimes
8% Hardly ever
2% Never
Members more likely to ‘often’ spend time:
Members less likely to ‘often’ spend time:
73% 49%
Lifestyle block owners Dry stock farmers
50% 37%
Half of members declared that they ‘often’ worked to enhance their land,
37% said they ‘sometimes’ did this,
2%
Only 2% said they ‘never’ did this kind of work.
Most common types of enhancement activities being done in covenants:
75% 57% 50%
Weed control
Pest control activity such as trapping
Maintaining /improving fences
42% 39% 37%
The three main reasons for not doing more to look after QEII covenanted land were:
A lack of time – this was a greater barrier for younger members.
The financial cost of what needs to be done feels too great.
The physical work is becoming too challenging –this was a greater barrier for older members.
Pest control activity such as poisoning
Planting
Pest control activity such as hunting
To enhance covenanted land, the three most useful ways selected by members included:
54% 52% 44%
Working with local environmental groups who have an interest in protecting and enhancing protected areas
Connecting with interested volunteers to help with pest control
Connecting with local covenant holders to discuss shared problems and solutions.
Canterbury/Otago/Southland
Marlborough/Nelson/Tasman/West Coast
Taranaki/Manawatu-Whanganui/Wellington
Bay of Plenty/Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay Waikato
Location 12% 18% 11% 15%
Northland/Auckland Age
Under 60
60-69 years
70+ years
Has established a QEII covenant on their current property
Purchased a property with a pre-established QEII covenant
Both pre-established and newly established covenants
Established a covenant but no longer owns the land
24% 21%
We asked participants about communications they receive from QEII. In particular, we asked about our Open Space magazine and whether they found it useful.
Do you read Open Space?
How useful do you find Open Space?
magazine which is quite interesting. It’s a superb publication.
a story about one nearby”.
Auckland, original covenant holder, 65 years plus, dry stock farmer
“ We get the Open Space
It’s interesting hearing about other covenants around the country but most interesting when there is
Just a short 20-minute drive from Whangārei, or 10 minutes from the Tutukaka Coast, this 16-hectare property is an excellent contender for those wanting to be self-sufficient.
This mostly steep property is made up of two ridges, with two hectares of level ground at the bottom of the property. The elevated location of the house and outbuildings offers excellent views of the estuary and overlooks the valley.
The main jewel of the property is the serene surroundings offered by the 16-hectare QEII open space covenant. The covenant is mostly regenerating forest on the steep hillslopes with some small pockets of wetlands. A high canopy of mānuka and kānuka provides a perfect nursery for the naturally regenerating tree species, tanekaha, tōtara, taraire, nīkau, kohekohe and rewarewa.
The house is a tidy 100 m2, 1970s dwelling with three bedrooms and a layout embracing the best of open plan living. The cathedral ceilings, along with the open-plan kitchen, dining, and lounge and large north facing deck, means that relaxing or entertaining will come easily. The home is equipped with a fireplace and wood cooker/oven with a wet back. The water supply comes from a stream located on the property, pumped to a tank and then gravityfed to the house and gardens.
A detached garage/workshop and woodshed ensures there is space for any project, with the option of adding on extra chattels to the sale, including a John Deere tractor, Howard rotary hoe and other farming equipment.
Don’t let the opportunity to purchase this unique property pass you by.
Private sale. For more information or to arrange a viewing appointment, please contact the current owners Nancy and John on 09 437 5506 or at tbeau@orcon.net.nz
Readers, particularly our rural ones, will be familiar with a 25,000-litre water tank. Most readers may also be familiar with a yurt, a portable, circular dwelling, traditionally used by nomadic herders in Central Asia –these have grown in popularity recently with the rise of glamping.
In 2011, Arrowtown-based Erik Bradshaw completed the first winter traverse of the Southern Alps on skis. After the trials and tribulations of the trip, Erik thought there must be a better way of undertaking high altitude winter trips than carrying a tent or digging snow caves.
He came up with the idea of converting a plastic water tank into a portable, weatherproof, comfortable, and cost-effective form of alpine accommodation. Due to its yurt-like shape and water tank origins, the name ‘turk’ was born.
The first prototype turk in New Zealand was erected near Mount Sale on Glencoe Station within the 53,0000-hectare area protected under the Mahu Whenua open space covenants. These covenants are registered over four Crown pastoral leases held by Soho Property Ltd, with Switzerland based Mutt Lange being the sole shareholder.
More turks were built in Christchurch and shipped to Cape Adare, Antarctica, an area notorious for gale force winds. These were commissioned by Antarctica New Zealand as a base for
the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust to restore the first building constructed on the continent; the hut of early Norwegian explorer, Cartsen Borchgrevink.
Under the auspices of the newly formed Mountain Turk Club, Erik approached Soho Property Ltd and QEII with the concept of establishing a multi-day walking and ski touring traverse along the spine of the Harris Mountains, linking the Treble Cone and Coronet Peak Ski Fields.
The route would traverse public conservation land and Mahu Whenua with five turks proposed to be located on Coronet Peak Station. “The Mahu Whenua covenants have created a new world of opportunities. I was excited to present an idea that would enhance Mutt Lange’s vision and create a way for more people to appreciate the beauty of the area,” Erik said.
Consent was needed from several parties, including QEII. Soho Property was supportive of the idea and consents were given from Land Information New Zealand and Queenstown Lakes District Council. The QEII regional rep for Central Otago, Rob Wardle, was part of this process. “From a QEII perspective, granting consent was not a difficult decision. Each turk had a small footprint, ease of removal and the application was consistent with covenant objectives and special conditions,” said Rob.
Between 2018 and 2020, Erik’s Arrowtown front yard and workshop was a construction zone. Mountain Turk Club members contributed money, materials and their diverse skills including plastic welding, carpentry, joinery, mattress stitching and photovoltaic electrical work. Local helicopter operators volunteered to fly the completed turks to their locations and volunteers were deployed to clear platforms, dig long drop pits, fill the tank bases with gravel, assemble joinery and install prefabricated toilets.
The turks have now been in place for two winters and numerous groups have completed the traverse. In August 2022, Rob experienced it firsthand. “Three of my friends joined me and we completed the traverse over five blue bird days with a deep snowpack over almost the entire route,” said Rob. “This followed many weeks of unsettled weather that characterised the first half of last winter. Turk to turk travel was interspersed with as many untouched powder runs as our legs and the length of the day would permit.”
The generosity of Soho Property and local businesses, along with the vision of Erik Bradshaw and hard work of club members, have provided a challenging and fulfilling experience for competent skiers. The range in altitude for the track is between 820 m and 2,056 m, and with additional exploring and skiing, the multi-day trip can entail some 65 km of travel and 4,500 m of climbing.
The success of the traverse and the Mountain Turk Club has also allowed for contributions to other areas of the property. “We have been able to get funding for other projects, such as building toilets in the areas more commonly accessed by the general public,” said Erik.
When reflecting on the project, Erik says, “The greatest reward for me is seeing other people out there, experiencing the best of the amazing Mahu Whenua area.”
More information about the traverse can be found on the Mountain Turk website mountainturk.org.nz/mahu-whenua-traverse/
Please note: sound knowledge of snow safety, skills and equipment to move through remote backcountry alpine terrain are a prerequisite for the traverse. As a summer tramp, it requires the fitness and skills to navigate an unmarked alpine route.
A day’s work for Nelson-Marlborough rep Clare Moore can see her boating out to an isolated Marlborough Sounds property, fighting her way through dense Golden Bay rainforest or navigating the vast spaces of a remote sheep station.
Clare loves the variety and getting out to explore the region. “There are a lot of remote places and a lot of really interesting people who live in those remote places,” she says.
The region that Clare shares with fellow rep Tom Stein covers the breadth of the top of the South Island, from lush Golden Bay in the west to the islands and coves of the Marlborough Sounds and the dry southern Marlborough hill country.
She started working with Tom, who is her neighbour in Linkwater, between Pelorus and Queen Charlotte Sounds, as a monitoring assistant in 2019 and became a full-time rep in mid2022. “It makes team meetings pretty easy when I can just pop next door. It’s so helpful to have him so close, especially while I’ve been learning.”
Clare and Tom help with about 300 covenants in the region, and both may travel for days at a time to cover more distant properties - but it isn’t always just a matter of jumping in a vehicle.
“We’ve got a few covenants that are out on islands in the Sounds and quite a few that are boat access only. Going out there can be quite fun but sometimes logistically challenging too,” she says.
Clare enjoys the discoveries that can be made in some of the most isolated places. “I really love the surprising covenants, the ones that you don’t expect to be in such good, or close to original, condition. They’re tucked away and you’d never know they’re there until you peep over the brow of the hill.”
After studying ecology and conservation at university, she worked at various jobs with the Department of Conservation and a company in Nelson, doing ecological restoration, before joining QEII.
“I really enjoy helping people to problem solve. If they’re having problems with particular weeds or pests or not knowing quite what to do in a situation, it’s satisfying helping them work that out.”
“I don’t have all the answers but can usually find someone who does. I like meeting people and getting to know them, which I think is as important as getting to know the covenant.”
But the exchange of information goes both ways and Clare says she learns a lot from landowners about unfamiliar plants and ways of dealing with problems. She’s energised by the owners’ enthusiasm for their covenants.
“ I like meeting people and getting to know them, which I think is as important as getting to know the covenant.”ABOVE Clare on a site visit in Rai Valley.
“I like meeting people who are really passionate about their patch of bush or their wetland or whatever it might be. It’s about understanding landowners and why they care about their covenants – and I’ve had many a lovely cup of tea and a biscuit in my three years.”
She also enjoys working with the QEII team, a diverse and fun group of people who are always willing to share their knowledge. Among the serious issues facing Marlborough, as well as other areas, are fast spreading weeds such as old man’s beard and pest animals, especially goats and deer.
Clare grew up in Southland but has lived in the top of the south for around 18 years. She and her husband and two young children moved to their 2.5 ha Linkwater lifestyle block about five years ago.
About two-thirds of the former farmland is 20-year-old regenerating bush, including kānuka, māhoe and ponga. The couple are gradually reducing the amount of remaining pasture, propagating and planting locally sourced native seeds, as well as growing food.
For a complete change of pace, Clare plays bassoon with orchestras in Nelson and Blenheim but family life, like work, is mostly based around the outdoors. Taking their small boat out into the Sounds, tramping and camping are among their favourite ways to relax.
“Any kind of exploring in the outdoors, that’s our favourite thing to do as a family.”
“ There’s a lot of remote places and a lot of really interesting people who live in those remote places.”ABOVE Dan, Clare, Kaea and Jody before their tramp up Lees Creek, Nelson Lakes.
Greg Blunden’s quarter-century involvement with QEII in the Far North brought him unexpected adventures, a prominent role in protecting kiwi in the region, and more than a few stories to tell.
“Doing this work, it was very easy to motivate myself. It’s pretty exciting –you never know what you’re going to see,” Greg says, reflecting on his time with QEII National Trust, which ended with his retirement in April.
Greg and wife Gay took over in 1997 as managers of the QEII owned property Aroha Island, a 12 ha reserve off the Kerikeri Peninsula for kiwi and other wildlife. The island is also home to an education centre and visitor accommodation.
In 2002 Greg also became QEII’s Far North rep, adding Kaipara District to his patch in 2019. Joining QEII was a big step away from his PhD in human geography, although he did learn a lot about land use change.
“The greatest thing about the job is meeting a massive range of really interesting people as well as having a privileged view of many landscapes that your average person doesn’t get to experience.”
In Greg’s time as rep the number of covenants in the Far North has risen from about 70 to nearly 250. They range in size, from a quarter acre to large coastal blocks and Native Forest Restoration Trust bush reserves of around 300 ha.
“Everybody wants to look after what they’ve got on their place and it’s really interesting to find out why they want the covenant. I always try to make sure people think about the future, not just for the covenant, but for their family, their circumstances, all those sorts of things.”
“ The greatest thing about the job is meeting a massive range of really interesting people.”ABOVE LEFT Greg with former Far North district Mayor Yvonne Sharp at Aroha Island. ABOVE RIGHT Gay holding a young Kiwi.
One of the places special to Greg is Foley’s Bush, which was covenanted before he became rep. The small 3 ha area is one of the last swamp bush remnants near Kaitaia/Awanui and contains three threatened plant species. The passion that the late owner, Chappie Foley, had for protecting the bush still sticks in Greg’s mind.
The last covenant Greg was preparing for registration as he left QEII was 100 ha of cloud forest at Pupu Rangi Nature Sanctuary on Tutamoe peak, between Dargaville and Hokianga Harbour. Founder Octavian Grigoriu and his volunteers have made great progress in preserving and restoring the biodiversity.
But no covenant is more special to Greg than Aroha Island, the place where he and Gay brought up three sons and started their conservation journey. The island was previously owned by Colin and Margaret Little, who established the QEII covenant.
“The covenant was created early on in QEII’s history. What it offers in terms of accessibility and wildlife we can thank the Littles for, it’s a fabulous place,” Greg says.
His introduction to kiwi after moving to Aroha Island was finding one noisily foraging amongst the island’s mangroves. With encouragement from a friend, Greg’s kiwi protection work led to the establishment of the New Zealand Kiwi Foundation in 1999, to help coordinate efforts to protect kiwi in the region, including on QEII covenants.
“I like to think what we did was set a small wave going for protection of kiwi on private land. During the period of the foundation, it turned into a tidal wave and now we’re in a phase where kiwi protection and looking after our endangered species has such a high profile. QEII and Aroha Island gave us the base to do all that work.”
Aroha Island is a destination for birders, keen to spot a kiwi in the wild. Late one New Year’s Eve, the Blundens were quietly seeing in the new year, and a car drove across the causeway to the island. It was Australian birder was on a mission to see as many species as he could in a calendar year explained he had 45 minutes to see a kiwi before his deadline passed. Greg was tempted to send him packing but he took the birder out and he managed to get a quick glimpse of a kiwi before midnight.
Greg believes the rapid decline in kiwi numbers in Northland has been arrested in most areas where there’s active pest management and numbers are increasing in areas where the species has a good base. The work to protect kiwi from predators has also benefited other threatened species in the region, including the New Zealand dotterel, spotless crake, banded rail, and the Australasian bittern.
His first sighting of the rarely seen bittern about 20 years ago left Greg less than impressed about the bird’s intelligence. He was driving near Kaeo when he saw something in the middle of the road. He stopped and
approached the bittern, which was standing stock still with its beak raised skywards in the way it disguises itself in wetland reeds. “I went over to it, picked it up and took it off the road.”
Greg is keen to acknowledge those who have helped him during his time with QEII, including fellow staff such as John Bishop, who first employed Greg and Gay in 1997. He also cites eminent botanist, the late Brian Molloy, a director of QEII between 1989 and 1998, and high-country representative until 2012. “He was a major influence in my earlier years because of his intensity and passion, he was an amazing fellow.”
Over the years, Greg and Gay have owned seven properties either supporting or suitable for kiwi, on which they set up covenants before selling. That phase of their lives is over and now they live on a 50 ha property, which includes an 11 ha covenant registered by the previous owners.
They breed Speckle Park cattle and remain passionate about protecting kiwi. Greg is happy they have at least four to safeguard on their property.
“ I like to think what we did was set a small wave going for protection of kiwi on private land.”
The registration of a QEII covenant is just the start of a story. Improving and enhancing the values inside a covenant is an ongoing journey.
One of the ways we support landowners with stewardship is through contestable funds like The Stephenson Fund and the Auckland Council Fund. This funding can help landowners with a range of projects including predator and pest plant control, revegetation and supporting recreational use.
The funds are run annually and applications for the 2022 round were invited during July-August. We’ll email members when the 2023 round is open for applications, so if you need to update your contact details, please let us know.
Established in 2017 and named after key founders of the QEII National Trust, Gordon and Celia Stephenson, the aim of the fund is to encourage stewardship on QEII covenants and strengthen our partnership with landowners by providing funding for projects that will enhance these protected places.
With help from the seventh round of The Stephenson Fund, Nicky McArthur received a grant to support a predator control project to protect the Hutton’s shearwater (Puffinus huttoni) colony at the head of the Shearwater Stream on her Puhi Peaks covenant in the Kaikoura Ranges.
The objective was to significantly increase the level of predator trapping throughout the covenant, with the primary focus of protecting the Hutton’s shearwater colony. Monitoring showed that the population of the colony had been severely impacted by predators, particularly stoats and feral cats. The effects of climate change were also beginning to have an impact on the population due to the retreat of the snowline, which allowed rats to survive at higher altitudes, closer to the nesting area of the endangered species.
The project supplemented existing trap lines on the covenant and adjacent land which has been ongoing since 2007. It also aimed to expand the trapping network to target all predators found in the area.
The funding was used to establish two new trap lines in September 2022. Traps were constructed and deployed by Wildlife Management International Ltd (WMIL) and staff from Puhi Peaks Station. Puhi Peaks staff also received training on trap checking and maintenance to enable the ongoing success of the network.
In addition to establishing a robust trapping network to support the Hutton’s shearwater colony, this project will also benefit other native species and the overall biodiversity in the Puhi Peaks covenant area.
WMIL
Okaramio wetland clean up
Covenantors Sue and Allan Minehan applied for funding in the eighth round of The Stephenson Fund in 2022. Their wetland covenant in Marlborough had been affected by heavy rains and flooding in the upper South Island in August 2022. The storm caused a slip to come down the creek and into the wetland from a neighbouring property, leaving silt behind.
The funding was used to clear the silt that had spread throughout the flow points in the wetland. The clean-up took place in February. The water level in the wetland was dropped by using three outfall pipes and a contractor removed the silt using an excavator, taking care around plantings and native vegetation. 23 eels were trapped and relocated while the work was being done. After the clean-up was completed, the outfall pipes were blocked, and the wetland water levels returned to their original depth.
Before and after the wetland clean up work.
Thanks to our ongoing partnership with Auckland Council, we have been able to continue to provide support to covenantors in the Auckland region to help with stewardship in their QEII covenants.
North of Auckland, one of our covenantors, Tim Main, received a grant in the third round of the Auckland Council Fund in 2022 to extend and complete a trap line through his Whangapiro covenant.
Tim worked with a contractor to complete the trap line and install new possum and rat traps between November 2022 and January 2023. The completed trap line extends approximately 3.5 km and has maximised the reach for pest control within the covenant to up to 70 hectares. Its establishment also means that checking traps and monitoring the covenant will now be easier. This work builds on predator control introduced and supported by The Forest Bridge Trust in other areas of the covenant.
Reducing pest numbers will also help protect and enhance habitat for the small population of Hochstetter’s frog (Leiopelma hochstetteri, At Risk–Declining) found in the covenant and will help to accelerate the reintroduction of kiwi into the bush.
Tim with the new traps inside his covenant. Photo credits: Chris Floyd BOTTOM
A newly installed trap as part of the new trap line. Photo credit: Chris Floyd
Murdoch Ross was no ordinary covenantor.
Born with cerebral palsy that affected his speech and physical capacity, Murdoch displayed the remarkable tenacity to adapt and get things done.
Against huge odds, and always with a twinkle in his eye, Murdoch will long be remembered piloting his trusty red steed (a Massey Ferguson 28 tractor) around the farm and back roads of Parua Bay. He was even locally famous for once having held up a prime ministerial motorcade.
He packed more into his 72 years, including significant conservation gains, than many of his able-bodied peers.
Among his oft-quoted rejoinders were “obstacles are what you see when you look away from the goal” and “aim for the top and don’t look back”.
Unable to read and write, Murdoch nevertheless took over the family farm. As a teenager he had regularly attended weekly stock sales, becoming an acute trader, and eventually he set up his own livestock company.
He believed himself programmed to become a cattle dealer, like his grandfather Murdoch McGregor, because it was in his blood.
Ross Livestock gained a reputation for selling “anything on four legs”. Cattle, sheep, puppies, kittens and alpacas were grist to his mill. But his only sibling, Jennifer Ross, said his most remarkable trade came from a call on Christmas Eve 2007 when he was asked if he could sell an Indian elephant.
“Not tonight” was his prompt reply, figuring that somebody was having him on. When the elephant was later advertised the phone “rang off the hook”, eventually going to a Waikato bidder.
What Murdoch lacked in physical capacity and formal education was offset by his spreadsheet-like memory. Phone numbers and trading details were simply stored in his mind.
“He loved to talk and the phone was his best friend,” said Jennifer.
The McGregor and Ross families were early European settlers in the Whangārei Heads area with reputations as community minded people.
Murdoch’s memorial service was held in the Parua Bay Community Centre – 30 years previously, Murdoch had led the local hall committee in a huge fundraising drive that resulted in the construction of the centre on land the family had donated.
The Ross family were early QEII covenantors, registering their first block in 1983. When Murdoch died in February this year, there were eight Ross covenants registered and a ninth on the way, collectively protecting more than 80 ha.
Murdoch was particularly proud to have individually protected a network of wetlands and waterways that provided important habitat for critically threatened Australasian bittern and numerous duck species.
Todd Hamilton, manager for the local Backyard Kiwi project, said Murdoch Ross and his family had been long time supporters of kiwi recovery.
“Each year we have a kiwi awareness event on the Ross Family Community Trust sports field, attended by up to 400 locals” says Todd.
“Murdoch was a community stalwart, and this year Backyard Kiwi were proud to name a kiwi in his honour and have his nephew Manaia Ross-Hoskins release it on the adjacent Ross family farm”.
BOTTOM
It includes highlights of our work, examples of new protection and our financial statements. If you would like a physical copy of our annual report, please contact us on 0800 467 367, email info@qeii.org.nz or submit an online enquiry.
The QEII 2022 Annual Report is now available online at qeii.org.nz, in the publications and resources section.
Trina Upperton KAIPARA 021 0822 9802 tupperton@qeii.org.nz
Mieke Kapa FAR NORTH
494 0733 mkapa@qeii.org.nz
Nan Pullman WHANGĀREI 09 434 3457 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
Melissa Sinton ŌTOROHANGA-TAUMARUNUI 027 867 6407 msinton@qeii.org.nz
Zipporah Ploeg WAIKATO EAST 027 579 0277 zploeg@qeii.org.nz
Robbie Bennett WAIKATO 021 1742 761 rbennett@qeii.org.nz
Jason Roxburgh HAURAKI-COROMANDEL 07 868 2401 jroxburgh@qeii.org.nz
Paul Kayes WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY
Hōri Barsdell EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY 027 634 8958 hbarsdell@qeii.org.nz
Contact QEII head office NORTH TARANAKI 0800 467 367 info@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
John Williamson CENTRAL – MANAWATŪ 06 328 6851 jwilliamson@qeii.org.nz
Trevor Thompson WAIRARAPA 027 333 3243 tthompson@qeii.org.nz
Rob Cross WELLINGON – 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
Miles Giller NORTH CANTERBURY 03 313 5315 mgiller@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 021 100 8347 crufaut@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.nz
