It's taken a while but Project Island Song is finally on the move with a ute and boat of our own!

First came the ute:

The arrival of the Project Island Song ute in late January 2023 has already made a huge difference to the Project Island Song team.

The Mazda BT50 has been kindly gifted by Lodge Kororāreka No 304, with support and contributions from Pacific Motor Group Mazda, Fleetline and Visual ID.

As you will see from the pictures the ute has been wrapped to showcase Project Island Song and help us standout on the roads.  

The ute not only helps us in promoting Project Island Song when we're on the road, at events or when we visit schools for our education programme, but it will be critical in helping us tow our new boat.

Thank you to everyone who braved the rain on Monday 30th January for the unveiling, with thanks also going to the team at Kororāreka Russell School for allowing us to use the deck to stay dry and the playground for the unveiling.

Then the boat arrived:

Mārara was officially launched in a small whakaingoatia - naming ceremony - on Saturday 25th March 2023, with Project Island Song whānau, mana whenua and the community present.

The waka is named in memory of Rāwhiti Kuia Mārara Te Tai Hook, recognising her support of and commitment to Project Island Song since its very beginnings. It was particularly special having her whānau leading this significant day.

Keeping the islands of Ipipiri pest-free is critical in ensuring they flourish and the species, whether reintroduced or not, remain safe on these island sanctuaries.

As Project Island Song steps up to take on the pest-management and pest-surveillance on the islands, previously undertaken by the Department of Conservation (DOC), the need for a boat is vital. 

Thanks to considerable support from donors who have connections to the islands or who want to ensure the longevity of the island wildlife sanctuaries, having our own boat has become a reality. 

Our new Kingfisher Catamaran will enable Project Island Song to undertake the critical work around pest-surveillance and pest-management on the islands, ensuring regular checks are completed and will provide the ability to respond urgently to any incursions that may be detected.

The workboat will also give Project Island Song greater independence and flexibility in running our volunteer programmes on the islands and developing ecotourism opportunities to help local and international visitors enjoy the regenerating wildlife on the islands and engage with our work.

We will be holding a wider celebration event including opportunities to experience a ride on the new boat. We will be sending out details of this soon.

As part of our education programme we get to meet and take out some incredible students to the islands to learn about our conservation mahi and for the students to discover this beautiful sanctuary for themselves. Last year, we were visited by students from Mangere College as part of their Social Science course. 

Following on from their day on the islands students produced follow up worked based on their visit, the work was fantastic, and we're keen to share one of the pieces with you. Published with permission, here's Tani's poem for Project Island Song.

Where will they sing?
By Tani 

Sitting by the sea
Watching the birds and trees
They are flourishing now
Like they were once

Our moana and our whenua is free
Project Island Song is helping lift the wairua
Without them, where would tīeke, toutouwai or pōpokotea
sing?

Would there be silence? Or a rustle of rats in the grass?
Without the mahi of the Project, we would not need to
imagine this as we would see

The songs, the hymns, the music of the trees. That is Ipipiri.

Although it feels like summer hasn't really happened, we were lucky enough to have a summer volunteer intern work with us between October '22 & February '23.
 
Talea Schoenfeld, a biomimetic student at the Hochschule Bremen – City University of Applied Sciences, Germany, contacted us last year about volunteering with Project Island Song for 16 weeks as part of her forth semester.

Aotearoa New Zealand is renowned among biologists worldwide for spectacular ecological restoration work over the last 50 years, through advances in pest eradication and native species translocation. This book documents the development of these world-leading technologies. It uses examples from throughout the country but has a special focus on one island group – the Mercury Islands off Coromandel, of which Ahuahu (Great Mercury Island) is the largest.

The story is told through the eyes of pioneer conservation biologist David Towns, who was there from the start. It is a story of triumphs and setbacks, of opportunity and innovation, of teamwork and emerging bicultural collaboration. Today, all seven islands of the Mercury group are free of mammalian pests, providing a haven to native plants and animals. Ahuahu is the story of how that was made possible.

Dave Towns has been supporting Project Island Song for several years, providing his expertise on the development of the Project Island Song Ecological Restoration Plan. 
Richard Robbins, Project Island Song's General Manager was kindly invited to the launch of the book on Tuesday 21 March. Photo thanks to T.Hook.

Special offer:
Project Island Song are pleased to be able to share with you a 10% discount off RRP using code 'RESTORE' please note P&P is additional.

We'd like to take the opportunity to remember and acknowledge Geoff Ricketts who sadly passed away recently after a short illness. 

Geoff had been supportive of Te Tangi o te Ata and led the purchase of the Elliot Bay property. Geoff and his wife Fran also kindly contributed towards the new Project Island Song boat. 

Our thoughts are with his whānau at this time.