Brook. Leaves from the. Our Fence is 12km long - only 2km to go! Brook Waimarama S A N C T U A R Y. Thanks to you all who Got Behind The Fence!

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1 The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust Newsletter Leaves from the Brook T H E Brook Waimarama S A N C T U A R Y N E L S O N N E W Z E A L A N D Returning Nature to the Nelson Region Autumn Join us and Get Behind the Fence Our Fence is 12km long - only 2km to go! Thanks to you all who Got Behind The Fence! 2 Bio Blitz the mini bioblitz needs you - from 9am Saturday 27 th to 9am Sunday 28 th February 5 20 YEARS OF ZEALANDIA What they have achieved and how they have changed the Wellington landscape. 7 Trapping to Monitoring We are about to change tack and need your help! Issue 34 Feb 2016

Brook Sanctuary BIOBLITZ Brown Creeper 2016 The Sanctuary and Friends of the Maitai have teamed up to run a mini bioblitz from 9am Saturday 27 th to 9am Sunday 28 th February (Meeting at the Visitor

A bioblitz is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area.

There is a public component to many bioblitzes, with the goal of getting the public interested in biodiversity.

nz and inaturalist http://www.inaturalist.org. Both are online and convenient ios /android apps for carrying out a Bioblitz.

2 Brook Sanctuary BIOBLITZ Brown Creeper 2016 The Sanctuary and Friends of the Maitai have teamed up to run a mini bioblitz from 9am Saturday 27 th to 9am Sunday 28 th February (Meeting at the Visitor Centre at 9am on Saturday). We need your help to attempt to record as many species as we can over the period to give us a snapshot of the ecosystem and provide a baseline for the species present. A bioblitz is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and volunteers conduct an intensive field study over a continuous time period. There is a public component to many bioblitzes, with the goal of getting the public interested in biodiversity. The events will also portray the importance, effectiveness and enjoyment of citizen science and social science. In order to run the Bioblitz we are going to use nznaturewatch naturewatch.org.nz and inaturalist Both are online and convenient ios /android apps for carrying out a Bioblitz. If you are into looking for wildlife in the sanctuary and want to join in please contact us at bioblitz@ brooksanctuary.org to register, and download the inaturalist free app before arriving on the 27th. If you would like to assist please register at : General Manager Update Hudson Dodd Welcome to 2016 at the Brook Sanctuary--it promises to be another action-packed year! I encourage you to visit the sanctuary before the summer is over, and bring the family. There s always something new to see as the development of the sanctuary unfolds. Please be aware, though, that portions of the sanctuary s public track system will be closed on any given date due to various construction projects underway. Visit the web site brooksanctuary.org to see the latest track closures. Our aim is to keep as much of the Sanctuary open for visitors as possible, and ask that you respect any track closure for your safety and the safety of others. I m happy to report the Fringed Hill logging introduced pests operation above the sanctuary is completed. need to be removed There remains a stand of pine trees on the slope above the visitor centre that were in too dangerous a location to be removed; the Trust is engaged with Council in discussion about the fate of these trees, as well as future plans for the clear-felled site (our submission last year to Council s long term plan requested that Council re-plant the site with natives). In order to allow native species to be re-introduced and then thrive within the sanctuary once the pest-proof fence is completed, the introduced pests need to be removed. The Trust has applied for resource consent for an aerial application of brodifacoum to remove the sanctuary s pest mammals. The application is being reviewed by an independent commissioner, who gave it limited notification status, providing the opportunity for submissions from adjoining landowners and local iwi. The Trust believes this is an appropriate level of notification, given that the site will be secured from entry by the fence, and that brodifacoum is not water-soluble and therefore will not poison the Brook Stream flowing out of the Sanctuary. The Trust is taking every precaution to ensure a safe pest removal process for neighbouring residents, and the volunteers and contractors who will perform the bait application. This is a pest removal process identical to those followed by sites worldwide, where removing pests has led to a long term recovery of indigenous plant and animal populations. If consent is granted, we will follow all guidelines provided by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority, consultants and operators familiar with identical bait applications, and the manufacturer of brodifacoum. Brodifacoum is standard issue rodent poison, available on store shelves across New Zealand for residential and commercial use. And while an aerial application of poison is nobody s favourite part of the project, it s an essential step in the process to achieve a pest-free ecosystem. It s been shown that the only way to bring back some of our most sensitive endangered species is by completely eradicating pest mammal populations, and the only way to achieve that level of pest control is through an aerial application of brodifacoum. We need to keep our eye on the prize a fully restored ecosystem on Nelson s doorstep teaming with rare wildlife. For more information on our plans, please visit the web site: brooksanctuary.org/projects/pests/pest-removal-0 Pest-proof fence construction is proceeding apace, with earthworks nearly complete and fence construction becoming visible near the visitor centre. I hope you can feel the excitement, as we approach completion of the fence in May. 2 The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust Newsletter

Sponsors In each issue of Leaves from the Brook we focus on thanking a different group of our supporters who are both legion and legend!

The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust as a registered charity is very much a community driven project of which the business community is an inherent part.

Insurance Anchor Print Arthouse Architecture BNZ Bowater Honda Bowater Toyota Design Windows Ewing Poultry Fletcher Vaultier Moore Gibbons Construction Goldpine Industries NZ Fresh Choice Nelson

3 Sponsors In each issue of Leaves from the Brook we focus on thanking a different group of our supporters who are both legion and legend! In this issue we d like to focus on our business sponsors who have supported the Trust and the project with both financial contributors and in-kind donations. The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust as a registered charity is very much a community driven project of which the business community is an inherent part. The Trust would like to thank and recognise our many different business sponsors from hospitality and tourism Business sponsors who have contributed $1,000 or more Air New Zealand Air BP AON Insurance Anchor Print Arthouse Architecture BNZ Bowater Honda Bowater Toyota Design Windows Ewing Poultry Fletcher Vaultier Moore Gibbons Construction Goldpine Industries NZ Fresh Choice Nelson Glenn Roberts Electrical Hay & Associates Helicopters NZ Honda NZ Hybrid Homes Land & River Ltd MWH Ltd Mainland TV McKechnie Aluminium Solutions Ltd Mico Plumbing Mitre 10 Mega Morrison Square Nelson Bays Brewery Nelson Building Society Nelson Consulting Engineers Nelson Glass Company Nelson Mail Nelson Management Nelson Media Agency NMIT Nelson Petroleum Distributors Nikau Gardens NZ Marine Turbo Chargers NZ Nature Company NZ Steel Opus Pics Really Good Peanut Butter Pitt & Moore RWCA Rheem NZ Tasman Bay Backpackers Waimea Estates World of Wearable Art Smart Array Staig & Smith Taylors Contracting Co Ltd Trailways The Verdict Xcluder Pest Proof Fencing farewell to Raeonie Ellery It is with sadness that the Trust has accepted the resignation of Raeonie from her role of administration coordinator, due to the unexpected arrival of a heart condition that warrants a reduction in activity and stress. Raeonie s been an outstanding team member at the sanctuary, and by all accounts an absolute pleasure to work with. She s been the main point of contact for the public and for the many volunteers working on the project, and has always been a ray of sunshine in all interactions. The contributions she s made to developing good systems and procedures, and to implementing not one, but two, new database systems have been invaluable. Cindy Batt Introducing businesses through to financial institutions and service industries. The scope for business involvement in the project is huge and the value can go both ways with the knowledge that all donations to the Trust to help us achieve our goals of delivering a rich and biodiverse conservation environment for visitors, educational institutions and research; providing a site where residents and visitors alike can be involved in restoring our natural heritage; and serving as a major tourist attraction for the Nelson Tasman Region. We re of course all very sorry to see her go, but as she s said many times she won t be a stranger to the Brook Sanctuary project going forward. From all of us at the Trust, Raeonie, we wish you and Mark all the best in the next chapter of your lives. And we ll look forward to seeing you around the sanctuary. The Trust welcomes Cindy Batt of Te Atiawa as our new iwi representative Trustee. Cindy is an information librarian at the Nelson Library and as a qualified te reo tutor is currently leading a fun and interactive ten week course at the library (Wednesday ; free; bookings required). Cindy is also an educator at the Nelson Provincial Museum, and serves on various boards, including Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a- Māui Trust, which represents Te Ātiawa people who whakapapa to Te Tau Ihu (the top of the South Island). 3

4 Fence Construction Xcluder Pest Proof Fencing and Taylors Contracting are closing in on completion of the pest-proof fence. The construction area has arrived adjacent the visitor centre, making it quite visible. Construction of the sanctuary s pest-proof fence has passed the 12km mark, reaching from the lower Western Firebreak all the way around past Third House to The Classic track below Four Corners. The project is on track for completion in May. 4 The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust Newsletter

ZEALANDIA World Pioneer of the Fenced Sanctuary celebrates its 20th anniversary Twenty years ago a group of visionary people, keen to return a part of Wellington to the ecological state it once

They could imagine the same success and transformation of wildlife happening in Wellington that was achieved when off shore islands like Tiritiri Matangi were made predator free.

The predator proof fence was completed later that year and in 2000 they achieved total pest eradication: a world first.

This has proved to be an invaluable guide to 14 other fenced sanctuaries created around New Zealand since then.

5 ZEALANDIA World Pioneer of the Fenced Sanctuary celebrates its 20th anniversary Twenty years ago a group of visionary people, keen to return a part of Wellington to the ecological state it once enjoyed, established the Karori Sanctuary. They could imagine the same success and transformation of wildlife happening in Wellington that was achieved when off shore islands like Tiritiri Matangi were made predator free. In 1999, after much research, several trials and significant fundraising, they began fencing the Karori Reservoir Valley. The predator proof fence was completed later that year and in 2000 they achieved total pest eradication: a world first. The Sanctuary team realised they had developed something special and wanted to share their knowledge with others. So in 2002 they published Developing a Sanctuary: the Karori experience. This has proved to be an invaluable guide to 14 other fenced sanctuaries created around New Zealand since then. Zealandia, as it was renamed, has also assisted several other countries including Australia and Japan establish their own sanctuaries. Volunteers played a huge role growing plants from seeds, replanting trees, clearing weeds, conducting guided walks and performing biological baseline audits. Ongoing volunteer input is vital to the success of Zealandia. The first birds to be reintroduced were The Little Spotted Kiwi (kiwi pukupuku) and Weka. The call of the kiwi was once again to be heard in Wellington after 150 years. More success followed with the first kiwi chick fledging a year later. Bellbird, (Korimako), Brown teal (pateke), red-fronted parakeet, North Island Robin (toutouwai), Saddleback (tieke), Scaup (papango), Stitch birds (hihi), North Island Tomtit (miromiro)and Whitehead (popokatea) followed. Additional transfers of most of these species has been made to increase the base population and improve the chances of success. Other native species naturalised in the sanctuary without needing transfers from outside the area. These included Fantail, NZ Falcon, Grey warbler (riroriro), Morepork (ruru), Silvereye (tauhou), Shining cuckoo and Tui. But the restoration of species wasn t restricted to birds. Tuatara, Cook Strait Giant Weta and Maud Zealandia from the Air showing it s close proximity to Wellington. Island frogs were also reintroduced: the last time they were seen on mainland NZ was years previously. The Wellington Green Gecko was introduced as part of a breeding programme to reestablish the species on offshore islands. Common gecko, Forest gecko, Brown skink, Common skink, Copper skink and Ornate skink re-established without the need for introduction from outside the area. A recent phase of the project has focussed on the waterways, with the eradication of all introduced brown trout. The result has been a spectacular recovery of native fresh water fish. The Brook Sanctuary and Zealandia are both members of the Sanctuaries of NZ Inc. association (SONZ), which fosters cooperation amongst the national network of community driven ecosanctuaries, building capacity and sharing knowledge to better protect our precious wildlife. An initiative to build a collaborative national sanctuary education programme is now in the works. Zealandia can rightly be proud of their achievements over the last 20 years. For more details visit or call in to 53 Waiapu Road, Karori next time you are in Wellington. At least this Weka knows the digger tracks are open! Tracks are open All tracks except top of Jacobs ladder and Colemans Link are now open, but remember safety is paramount, so check with the BWST team or website for full details. did you know that? Weka Weka mate for life. Where the populations re territorial, they have been known to travel up to 60km seeking company. 5

6 Education Rick Field Hira Kindy Group It was another great year for school visits with the usual high number of programmes run in the last term. At the end of 2015 we finished the year with a group of four year olds from Nelson Montessori and to start 2016 we hosted a group of residents from Flaxmore rest home. From the youngsters to the youngsters at heart, both sets of visitors were very impressed with the progress we have made and had a wonderful experience in our Sanctuary. A highlight was the opportunity to travel to Wellington for a Sanctuaries of New Zealand educator hui. It was fantastic to meet the other passionate educators from sanctuaries around the country working hard spreading the conservation message to the young and old alike. This year we will be continuing to share ideas and resources and foster closer cooperation in delivering a unified education programme at all of the Sanctuaries. During the hui I was asked to lead a Zealandia night tour for a group of 14 year olds, which featured the students getting to touch a tuatara and discover a beautiful female giant weta in the undergrowth! Amazing the nature encounters you can provide groups with the introduced mammals out of the system! I am looking forward to an exciting year with many more visitors to inspire, and the completion of the fence will be a major highlight! Trapping Since the sanctuary s trapping and hunting programme began in 2004, the teams of volunteers have removed over 25,000 pests from the Brook Valley (see table). These figures are from roughly one third of the sanctuary site and earlier records are patchy. So the total number of pests removed to date is likely closer to 35,000! All this has been done by literally hundreds of volunteers who, over a decade, have hiked through all seasons and rugged bush to clear traps every week. Their work has achieved two very important things: Firstly, the steady removal of rodents, mustelids, possums Year Possums Rats Mice Mustelids Totals 3,136 10,367 11, Grand Total 24,845 and ungulates from the ecosystem has encouraged the survival and relative success of many native species birds, reptiles, plants and invertebrates. Secondly, it has demonstrated in a very clear way, the need for a fence. The fence will create a defined barrier to stop the migration of pests into vacant territories created by trapping within the sanctuary. Even a handful of rats, stoats or possums can decimate a local population of native species some of which are so vulnerable to predation by introduced animals that even a handful is too many. From all of us at the Trust, our hats off to all the volunteers who did this herculean trapping effort over the past decade! But as the fence nears completion we are preparing for the eradication of all introduced pests. Timing of this operation is critical so action is now concentrating on monitoring. Pest Monitoring Pest monitoring resumed in January 2016 after a three year break. Initially 10 lines each with 10 tunnels have been strategically placed to specific GPS coordinates to give a good snapshot of pest numbers. This monitoring will continue until May. Rodents (rats and mice) will be targeted with peanut butter for bait. Confirmation is required that there are enough rodents in the ecosystem to make the planned aerial pest removal operation effective against mustelids (stoats and weasels) as well, through secondary poisoning from rodents. We also need to establish whether there will be a spike in rodent numbers from a potential beech mast (heaving beech seeding event) that may be developing again this year, following rapidly from 2014 s mast event. Another mast year is looking likely with the beech trees in heavy bloom. When flowering has finished DOC and a team of specialists will conduct a survey to determine if the proportion of flowers set is significant. We need pests that are becoming hungry enough to take the bait! To become part of the pest monitoring team please ph The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust Newsletter

The first phase, will give a snapshot of pest numbers to determine the best time for the aerial pest eradication.

In September 2014 Tom Brett initiated the assembly line for tunnel construction by cutting timber for the bases.

The Menz Shed in Richmond, with occasional help from the sanctuary s dedicated track cutting team, assembled the various parts to create the monitoring tunnels you see stacked in the picture below.

7 SIGN UP TODAY! Fence inspection party Volunteer! Much of the Sanctuary activities rely on the input of keen and dedicated volunteers. Currently all areas are keen to have more volunteers join their teams, especially pest plant control and trackcutting. Phone now! Tunnel factory Pest monitoring has resumed. The first phase, will give a snapshot of pest numbers to determine the best time for the aerial pest eradication. The second phase, following the pest-removal operation, entails covering the entire 700 hectares of the sanctuary with monitoring tunnels on a grid layout, equating to 3,500 monitoring tunnels! In September 2014 Tom Brett initiated the assembly line for tunnel construction by cutting timber for the bases. Working with mostly donated materials, he was joined by Deryk Mason and Ro Pope to prepare specific sized pieces of coreflute, wire mesh, and wire hoops. The Menz Shed in Richmond, with occasional help from the sanctuary s dedicated track cutting team, assembled the various parts to create the monitoring tunnels you see stacked in the picture below. The team also repaired existing tunnels whenever possible. To their great credit they have 3,300 tunnels ready to go out with only 200 left to reach their target. Well done! Careful multipurpose tunnel design allows them to be easily converted into traps should any pest species be detected. Interns at work We currently have a great group of interns helping us with the field work in the sanctuary - both Jula Rügemer from Germany and Tina Ebner from Austria join us through Study Nelson. Anne-Maria Somers from Belgium joins us via NMIT, and American Arianna Wentzel, who is currently on a rowing scholarship, works when her training schedule allows. They are helping us to GPS the extensive and impressive operational track system built by the Track Cutting team over the last 8 years. They re also putting out the track markers for the monitoring tunnel network on our operational track lines. We greatly value their input as the tracks are steep, and they have covered a huge area of the sanctuary to help us achieve our plans for a robust monitoring network to detect incursions by pests. We appreciate their good work in the field! 7

Nikau Palm Rhopalostylis sapida The nīkau palm is the only palm species endemic to mainland New Zealand. It occurs from North Cape to Banks peninsula, Hokitika and the Chatham Islands.

The tightly packed flowers, produced between November and April, are unisexual and coloured lilac to pink. The fruit measures about 10 by 7 mm and ripens from February to November.

The bases of the inner leaves and the young flower clusters were eaten raw or cooked.

T H E Brook Waimarama S A N C T U A R Y N E L S O N N E W Z E A L A N D The nïkau is very slow-growing with this sapling growing by the Sanctuary Nikau track around 3 years old.

8 Nikau Palm Rhopalostylis sapida The nīkau palm is the only palm species endemic to mainland New Zealand. It occurs from North Cape to Banks peninsula, Hokitika and the Chatham Islands. It is the world s most southerly growing palm. The nīkau grows up to m tall, with the trunk covered in grey-green leaf scars. It is topped by a smooth, bulging crownshaft up to 1m long. The tightly packed flowers, produced between November and April, are unisexual and coloured lilac to pink. The fruit measures about 10 by 7 mm and ripens from February to November. It takes almost a year to fully ripen by which time it has turned bright red or orange. These are a preferred food of the kererū, the native wood pigeon. Maori found many uses for the nīkau palm. The bases of the inner leaves and the young flower clusters were eaten raw or cooked. Food was wrapped in the leaves for cooking, and the old fibrous leaves were used for baskets, floor mats, and waterproof thatch for buildings. T H E Brook Waimarama S A N C T U A R Y N E L S O N N E W Z E A L A N D The nïkau is very slow-growing with this sapling growing by the Sanctuary Nikau track around 3 years old. Research conducted in lowland forests near Auckland found it takes years to begin to form a trunk and about 200 years to reach 10 metres tall. On average two fronds are shed per year leaving behind a leaf scar on the trunk which can be used to give a rough indication of age since the trunk began forming. GET BEHIND THE FENCE Sponsor fence posts today! Printing generously donated by: How can you help? Telephone: Morrison Square Office Visitor Centre contact: info@brooksanctuary.org Postal address: PO Box 744, Nelson 7011 Website:

Research on ecological change in sanctuaries and proposed indicators of restoration success. Bruce Burns

Research on ecological change in sanctuaries and proposed indicators of restoration success. Bruce Burns Two themes 1. What ecological changes are occurring in sanctuaries as a result of the exclusion