Restoration and Oration

Location of today's restoration efforts

After getting to sleep in a bit, the class took the Gator Waka to a covenant of the 
Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust (BPCT). The drive entailed some narrow 
winding gravel roads up the steep hillside, accompanied by some gorgeous views 
before arriving at the gates of Tirowaikare, the site of today’s restoration project.

Bauer, our gatekeeper

Sophie of BPCT gave us background on what the trust does and the major threats to native bush. Covenants are a partnership between BPCT and the landowner to preserve and restore ecologically significant land. After the fires in the region, only 1% of native forest cover remained, which is now back up to 13%.

Shot of the class and Sophie (far right) 

Most of the work is carried about by the landowner, as BPCT is a relatively small organization and restoration can be time consuming; in order to help with this, volunteers for weeding bees are always appreciated. 

A bee spotted during the weeding bee

Our job today was to locate, hand saw, and apply herbicide to nonnative plants found in the bush; the main focus was barberry, but we were also on the lookout for boxthorn, hawthorn, and spindle tree. We made a significant dent, but there is always more to be done.

Barberry after stems were sawed off and the remaining stumps treated

Introduced mammals such as mustelids, possums, rats, and feral cats are an issue for biodiversity throughout the country. In this region browsing mammals such as goats and deer consume native plants in the bush understorey; deer are often able to jump deer fences meant to exclude them from these areas. 

Small mammal trap or deterring device spotted while doing restoration work (photo cred: Joe)

Venue for the Tuesday Club

We finished up restoration work around 3pm and headed to The Store for a quick tea time before driving to Smash Palace in Christchurch. Smash Palace serves burgers and brews, along with hosting the Tuesday Club, which holds political discussions and presentations for community members to attend and participate in discourse. The original plan was to attend the presentation regarding the growing dairy industry and its effects on nitrate levels and water quality, but this took place last Tuesday before we arrived.

Presentation by David Meates of Canterbury District Health Board

Today’s speaker was David Meates, the Chief Executive Officer of Canterbury District Health Board. His focus was on the overall health and mental health of the province after the various traumas that have occurred in the past decade, from the earthquake in 2011 to the terror attack on mosques earlier this year. This was a great opportunity to see how a different system of government works and we heard some interesting statistics on Christchurch’s changing demographics, how sectors of the population are still experiencing health effects from the stress of these events, and more.

Seeing the amount of barberry controlled today was very satisfying, Smash Palace was delicious, and Tuesday Club was extremely informative. Tomorrow we’re off to Hinewai for 3 days. -Lexie