Kia ora,

With the first signs of spring not far away, we look back over a busy winter period with delivery of our education programme, planting season, and the 10 year anniversary of the Project's first "wild-to-wild" translocation. 

In May we were pleased to welcome Kirstie MacDiarmid to the team as our new Education and Volunteer Coordinator.

Kirstie came on board in the thick of this year's Floating Classrooms, quickly getting to grips with how the Project currently engages with our local schools and young people, and our wider community as volunteers.

Kirstie brings great experience to the team with her background in sustainability and work with EcoMatters Environment Trust, education and learning programmes at libraries, and even tour guiding at the Stone Store in Kerikeri. Last year Kirstie gained a Diploma in Te Tohu Paetahi, an intensive one-year total immersion Māori language programme, which is sure to prove useful in this role.

After poor weather and rough seas delayed this year's volunteer planting day more times than we can remember, a team of persistent planters finally made it out to the islands on Sunday 30th June.

This year's planting season has seen a total of 717 natives planted as part of the ongoing revegetation of Urupukapuka Bay, by Project Island Song volunteers, and young people taking part in the R. Tucker Thompson Sailing Trust's youth development voyages.

Our forest regeneration programme extends the canopy over legacy farmed areas of Ipipiri currently covered with invasive kikuyu grass, growing native habitat for our taonga species, reintroducing diversity of seed sources, and supporting climate mitigation.

You can support the restoration of Ipipiri's ecosystems now with a gift to the islands that will last for generations by donating trees for planting next year from just $10.

20th June this year marked a significant milestone for Project Island Song - the 10-year anniversary of our first "wild to wild" Project Island Song translocation. Toutouwai (pictured) were caught in the Pureora Forest by a dedicated team, carefully transported north, and released onto Moturua Island.

The toutouwai, also known as the North Island robin, is a friendly and trusting bird, often coming to within a couple of metres of people, and even occasionally landing on a person's boot. In total 43 toutouwai (25 males and 18 females) were released onto Moturua in June 2014.

The toutouwai is significantly impacted by introduced predators, and continues to be classified as At Risk - Declining, meaning that offshore sanctuaries like Ipipiri are vital for its future.

A decade on from the reintroduction, the population is thriving and visitors to Moturua are highly likely to encounter a toutouwai or two.

Everyone involved with Project Island Song would like to congratulate Fleur Corbett on being made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to conservation in this year's King's Birthday Honours.

Fleur was a driving force in the establishment of Project Island Song, serving as chair of Guardians of the Bay of Islands for 15 years from 2007 until 2022.

Fleur's insight and efforts were instrumental in building the trust and valued relationships between hapū, DoC, relevant landowners, and the wider community, that continue to sustain the Project today.

A champion and leader in community-led conservation, this recognition could not be more deserved.

In July we were happy to meet Jordan Stewart of the new Restoring Nature Show podcast and give him an introduction to the Project and the islands of Ipipiri.

Shane from our team sat down with Jordan for an interesting conversation about the purpose and history of Project Island Song, as well as Shane's own journey and outlook on the importance of community conservation.

Click on the image below to listen to their chat.

This winter 9 local primary schools and one secondary school have taken part in our Floating Classrooms programme of nature-based education.

338 students have had the opportunity to get out to Moturua, experience the flourishing wildlife on our pest-free islands, and play their own part in the restoration of their local ecology.

Huge thanks to the Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust for once again funding our educational mahi, as well as to Island Getaway, Kerikeri Men's Shed, and Bay of Islands ITM for supporting the delivery of the programme.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge Barefoot Sailing Adventures for their incredible ongoing support of Project Island Song for many years.

Barefoot, who operate day sailing cruises around the Bay from Paihia, generously donate a portion of every ticket from their Island Hopper Day Cruise to Project Island Song, which has raised almost $7,000 for the regeneration of Ipipiri since 2016. 

In this way, the Barefoot team live their values around sustainability and community, and show a way forward for tourism by both providing fantastic experiences for their guests, and looking after the beautiful environment they operate in.