Cath is a first-generation immigrant to New Zealand, but has whole-heartedly embraced a vision of restoring NZ native birds on her own small lifestyle block in Franklin. In this video she shares her gradual understanding of what needed to be done to make that a reality. And yes, shortly after this video was made, she […]
Category Archives: Our People
The motivation of a landowner – Part 1- Robyn
Everyone has their own reasons for engaging in pest control. In this video, Robyn, a longtime Franklin farmer, talks about why she got into predator control on her own land, and her dream of a predator-free future.
How to get birdies on a golf course.
Nine months ago, a man called Paul was on a golf course. “Hmm”, he thought, as he picked out a new club to replace the one he’d somehow bent on a particularly hard piece of air. “Looks like there are a fair number of trees around here. That probably means possums”. Most people would have […]
Garry & Jan’s Kereru #3
It’s a boy, or a girl? Who knows, but it is a kereru fledgling. Congratulations Garry and Jan of Whiriwhiri. In twenty five years they have only ever seen kereru occasionally make nests here, and then watched them fail. Not this year though. Really cool thing is this is the second one from this nest […]
A kererū’s story
The story starts with us – a couple looking for a new home. We wanted to live on a patch of land which had native bush and native birds, so when we found out about a property for sale in Patumahoe, hubby popped over to have a look. He found exactly what we had been […]
Raising an Eco-kid
As an initial disclaimer, I do not claim to be a parent. I do claim to be a ‘grown-up’ eco-kid. The following are things I experienced during my childhood that directly influence my actions and decisions as an adult. I was raised to be aware of my surroundings, to respect the Earth which we borrow […]
Hugo McPhail: A Dose of Inspiration
Predator Free 2050 was always an ambitious goal, but bit by bit we are hearing regional success stories that make it seem increasingly possible. 2050 is still 30 years away, and when you think about it like that, you begin to realise that it is the younger generation that will be completing the task that […]
A Pile of Kererū Poo
It’s a common opinion that Kererū, the New Zealand native wood pigeon, are pretty neat. Their survival is much more crucial than you’d guess from a glance. A resident Kererū left behind a gift in the form of droppings, which were collected and added to seed raising mix with the following outcome: As you can […]
Dabchick vs Ferret
We’ve been lucky enough to have a Dabchick nesting on one of the ponds around Whiriwhiri. They’re a cool little bird, renowned for carrying their young on their back’s. They’re not renowned for being able to defend themselves from death machines like cats and mustelids. With an estimated 2,000 of these left they are considered […]
Otaua Silver Enviro School
After a lot of hard work over the last few years Otaua School was last week awarded Silver status as an Enviro School. The significance of this was highlighted by the those in attendance, two Waikato Region Councillors and the Mayor himself. From composting, to large scale vegetable production, a Trees for Survival nursery and […]