Welcome to our Christmas edition newsletter, wrapping up the last few months!
The team at BCA would like to thank you for your continued support and we hope you are all keeping safe and well.
We have some very exciting news to cover from the last few months to now, so we hope you enjoy our last newsletter for 2021.
From all of us, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, bring on 2022!
OUR AWESOME NEW
MEMBER GROUPS
We would like to announce and give a warm welcome to our 3 newest member groups that have recently joined BCA!
First up we have Rotoiti 15 Ahu Whenua Trust, tasked with the care and protection of over 8400ha of forestry (both plantation and indigenous) on behalf of over 16,000 whānau members who whakapapa (connect genealogically) to the whenua (land).
The Trust's history spans more than 60 years, however the Rotoiti 15 whenua has been occupied by their tūpuna (ancestors) for generations. Rotoiti 15 Trust is driven by the aspirations of their owners and guided by the mātauranga (knowledge) of their tūpuna.
This ensures that sustainability, protection, and enhancement of the taiao (environment) is at the forefront of their thinking and their mahi.
Onepu Community Park is second on the list of our introductions, a mountain bike park located on SH30 between Whakatane and Rotomā. It was first instigated by councillor Bill Clark 15 years ago through collaboration between community, DOC and Norske Skog. They have undertaken extensive replanting's over the last 15 years which now includes a wide variety of native species, including plants used for Rongoa.
Finally, we have Motu Trails Charitable Trust, who administer one of the Great Bike Rides; Motu Trails between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne. They hold partnership projects between MTCT, DOC and District Councils. Motu Trails Charitable Trust also undertake extensive revegetation plantings along the Dunes Trail, Ōpōtiki.
A very big warm welcome to these groups. We are very happy to have them on board and look forward to working with them and assisting them develop further as community led conservation projects.
MANAAKI KAIMAI MAMAKU
- FORUM RELAUNCH
With the appointment of the MKM's new CEO, our previous board member, Louise Saunders, Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku are excited to announce the re-launch of the Kaimai-Mamaku Forum.
This is being planned for Wednesday 23rd February 2022 from 6.00 - 9.30pm. To help with the planning of the event, Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku are calling for Registrations of Interest. Although they will hold in-person Forum events in the future, the re-launch will be a webinar event while the community come to grips with managing Covid-19. It also means no limits to who can attend and allows stakeholders from all parts of the project area to participate.
If you think you'd like to attend online, please click here to make sure they have your details correct.
Please feel free to pass this on to anyone with an interest in conservation activities in the Kaimai Mamaku area and previous Forum participants.
Fine tuning your predator control with Cam Speedy - Tauranga
WOW! What a beauty of a turnout at Predator Free NZ Trust's Cam Speedy event! Thank you to everyone who came and thank you to Carlton Bidois who opened the event for us.
On October the 21st, we had the opportunity to join Cam and a small group of conservation heroes on a field trip to Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust. Being able to see Cam in action and learn from his field skills & extensive knowledge was a fantastic experience. Shout out to Dave Brown and Dave Edwards for sharing your incredible innovations at Ōtanewainuku. Go Bay of Plenty! You all rock
Predator Control Ōpōtiki with John Bissell
Huge respect to Ōpōtiki and the East Coast for your incredible passion and commitment. BCA had the pleasure of hosting a predator control event on the 4th of October, providing a fantastic opportunity to bring nearly 100 people together with a shared vision for nature. It was great to hear from Aroha and Quinn from Ūpokorehe talking about their kiwi project plans, Mithuna from Ōhiwa Headland Sanctuary and DOC sharing the range of care group activities around Ōpōtiki and the vision to join the dots and finally an informative talk by John Bissell advising a whole bunch of tips and tricks to achieve the best predator control outcomes. There is such strength in collaboration - go Ōpōtiki. And a special thank you to Department of Conservation and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council for your support for this event.
What a whirlwind of an intake this one was to begin with! With the Covid lockdown in August bringing the start date of intake 3 to a halt and having to reorganise educators and field trips and everything else that comes with the territory of facilitating a programme like this.
Intake 3 was only 11 weeks with the first four weeks being a full 5 days instead of the usual 12 weeks, 4 days per week. These cadets though, we have to give it to them, they adjusted so well and have put everything they have into the programme.
We got to celebrate the cadets, as usual, with a final
"graduation day". Surrounded by friends and whanau, we were able to share lunch together and present the cadets with their hard earned certificates, hear about their experience on the programme and also establish new relationships with awesome likeminded people.
Three intakes in, we realise the strength in empowering passionate people with knowledge and skills. We'll share some cadet life stories in our annual report early next year.
Follow us on Facebook to see more pictures of our Bay Conservation Cadets!
BAY CONSERVATION
ALLIANCE AGM
Last week we held our AGM meeting. Unfortunately, our original plan to include AGM business as part of a big end of year member group and partner event
acknowledging everyone's efforts could not proceed with Covid restrictions.
However, it was great to have a number of our member group reps join us and reflect on the last financial year. It has certainly been a big year for BCA with the addition of more staff, member groups and the development of Bay Conservation Cadets – Tauira Mahi.
The highlight of the AGM was the opportunity to endorse two new nominations to our board.
Firstly, welcome Alice Cameron. From Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Alice lives in Whakatane and is thrilled to have finally returned home after about 40 years away. Her professional background is in strategy, management, communications and engagement in the humanitarian, development, health and environmental sectors, and she is particularly focused on supporting Indigenous-led Kaupapa.
Prior roles include Director of Engagement at WWF-New Zealand, and a number of board roles. She is currently on the board of Pare Kore (a Maori zero waste organisation with a kaupapa based on whakapapa to Papatuanuku) and Otakiri School.
She does a lot of volunteer work and is proud to have been involved in the Raukumara Pae Maunga restoration project as well as being a co-founder of Tairawhiti Ngutukaka - East Coast Kakabeak.
Secondly, welcome Mark Dean. Mark is well known in the Western Bay of Plenty having fulfilled many
roles from teacher to being instrumental in establishing Ngamuwahine Outdoor Education Centre. He started a small native plant nursery that grew to become Naturally Native New Zealand Plants Ltd, one of the countries larger nurseries. In 2000 he was awarded life membership of the New Zealand Nursery & Garden Industry Association, and in 2011 he was awarded the Loder Cup for the promotion and conservation of our native plants.
He is immediate past chair of the Dune Restoration Trust of NZ, Founding Chair of the Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust, and he is past Chair of the Rotary Centennial Trust for the restoration of the Kopurererua Valley wetland in Tauranga. Other environmental organisations he has been a trustee of include Tane Tree Trust, Trees for Survival and EnviroHub.
FUN PLACES TO VISIT THESE HOLIDAYS
Stuck for fun & interesting places to visit these holidays? We have put together a list of activities and places below that we know are great for the whole family to enjoy!
1. Whakatane Kiwi Trust Bronze Kiwi Walk & Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tane Conservation Park There are some amazing opportunities in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, where you can take part in awesome experiences. Wander the bronze kiwi trail in Whakatane or walk in gentle silence in the footsteps of dinosaurs and feel the breath of life & the song of Tane in the amazing Whirinaki conservation park. You could also ride your bike through the mists of this primordial place!
2. Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre The Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre is a place where people can visit and see birds of prey up close during interactive flying displays, hosted by the country's leading experts. The displays showcase the spectacular flying skills of these amazing birds and are a unique educational experience enjoyed by children and adults alike.
3. Visit some of our member group sites!
a. Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust & trails, located 20km south of Tauranga, the virgin, unlogged Ōtanewainuku forest is home to thriving native birds and wildlife. Also, there is a fantastic swimming hole & Waterfall!
b. Aongatete Forest, at the end of Wright Road in Aongatete. The forest is only a 30 minute drive from Tauranga, 20 minutes from Katikati or 2.5 hours from Auckland
c. Maketū Spit - It is regionally significant as it has remained relatively unmodified, with indigenous flora species providing habitat for the diverse population of threatened native birds and invertebrates. Maketū Spit, along with Dotterel Point in Pukehina, are the only example of sandspits running in opposite directions either side of a point in New Zealand, and one of only two in Australasia.
Special thanks go to TECT and BayTrust for their ongoing support of conservation groups in the Bay of Plenty.
In September TECT advised a donation of $341,880.00 over two years, benefiting eight groups – Friends of the Blade, Maketū Ongatoro Wetland Society, ARRC Wildlife Trust, Western Bay Wildlife Trust, Te Whakakaha Trust, Ōtanewainuku Kiwi Trust, Project Parore and Bay Conservation Alliance. In December BayTrust advised a donation of $157,046.00 benefitting seven groups.
For a number of years TECT and BayTrust have been real supporters of conservation and our collective is super grateful, so thanks again.
A BIG THANK YOU TO
OUR SPONSORS
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