School Plantings Bloom
Thanks to special funding from Trees That Count, Battle for the Banded Rail has helped inspire the next generation of kaitiaki (guardians) by bringing more tamariki into the field than ever before. Over the last planting season, 466 school children from six local schools rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty, planting 2,565 […]
Long-Tailed Bats A Promising Sign of Restoration Success
Exciting news for the Wakapuaka Mouri project — the nationally critical long-tailed bat (pekapeka-tou-roa) has been detected along the restored banks of the Wakapuaka River, just 15km from Nelson’s CBD.
Joining Forces to Restore Onetahua
A 200-hectare block of land at Pūponga Farm Park, previously used for farming, is set to become a biodiversity hotspot, thanks to a new restoration project led by HealthPost Nature Trust in partnership with DOC, Manawhenua ki Mohua, and Pest Free Onetahua.
The Counting Side of Conservation
My first job after I graduated with an ecology-based degree in 1965 was with the Wildlife Service, an ancestor of DOC. On my first day at work, I was summoned to meet the director, who congratulated me on being the first woman scientist to join the Service.
Stopping Ferrets in Their Tracks
There’s trouble in the foothills of Kahurangi. Ferrets—one of New Zealand’s most cunning predators—have been spotted in the Flora Stream, the Tablelands, and surrounding valleys. Over the past 12 months, 25 ferrets have been caught in the Graham, Baton, and Motueka Valley alone—and that’s just the ones we know about! With kiwi, whio, and weka […]
Growing a Native Corridor: The Te Mamaku Story
It all started with a friendly chat. A couple of locals looked at an overgrown stretch of SH6 and asked, “Wouldn’t it be great to do something about it?” That small idea quickly grew into something remarkable—an ambitious community project to create a thriving native forest to connect the Moutere Inlet with the Waimea Estuary, […]
Pest Free Onetahua’s on a Roll
Exciting progress is underway for Pest Free Onetahua! With the arrival of over 1,000 new traps the project has shifted to ground-based pest control, replacing the previously planned aerial toxin drop. In January, starting at the far end of Onetahua/Farewell Spit the team set up a dense trapping network to eliminate possums in a rolling […]
Battle for the Banded Rail Summer Newsletter
Discover the latest news and updates from the Battle for the Banded Rail
Banded Rail Volunteers Help Endangered Herb
Something exciting is quietly happening along the edges of the Waimea Inlet. Volunteers from Battle for the Banded Rail are carefully tending protected beds of coastal peppercress, hoping the plants will self-seed and propagate naturally. As one of Aotearoa’s rarest plants, this is a crucial step in saving it from our history books. Closely related […]
Battle for the Banded Rail Spring Newsletter
Discover the exciting news and updates from the Battle for the Banded Rail
Battle For the Banded Rail – Spring Plant Care Mornings
Join us for plant care mornings around the Waimea Inlet. It’s a great chance to revisit some of the Battle for the Banded Rail planting sites, meet other like minded plant people – and have a cuppa and a chat at the Sunday events! An vital part of successful restoration is caring for our plants […]
Snowden’s Bush Gets Mega Boost
Tucked off Waimea West Road in Brightwater, Snowden’s Bush is a beautiful remnant of native podocarp forest containing ancient tōtara, titoki, and mataī. The area was retired from grazing in the 1970’s, giving native seedlings the chance to flourish. Today this much-loved community treasure is cared for by the Friends of Snowden’s Bush (FofSB) – […]
Rewilding the Wakapuaka Awa
Great things are happening in the Wakapuaka catchment in North Nelson. The catchment includes the Wakapuaka Awa (river) and its tributaries—the Teal River and Lud River, Paremata Flats, Delaware Bay and Rotokua Cable Bay and estuary. Surrounded by steep hills, deep valleys and pockets of mature native bush, it’s a popular destination for water sports, […]
Freshwater Champions 2024!
The Moutere Catchment Group has won a Freshwater Champion Award for its incredible action towards freshwater health in Aotearoa. An educator, an artist, two community catchment groups and some trail-blazing farmers are being celebrated as 2024’s Cawthron Freshwater Champions, including our very own Moutere Catchment Group. Winning an ‘early impact’ award for the incredible difference […]
2024 Planting Season Battle for the Banded Rail
The planting season’s here and it’s going to be a goodie! Join the friendly super-organised Battle for the Banded Rail team at various planting bee’s across the scenic Waimea Inlet. The first one is Sunday 26 May at Pukeko Lane from 9am to 1pm, and everyone’s welcome! There’s eight different planting bees this season, from […]
A Cycling Adventure with a Conservation Twist
Imagine pedalling along the most remote part of Tasman’s Great Taste Cycle Trail, soaking in the rivers and mountains, when suddenly you stumble upon a hidden gem. Welcome to Lublow’s Leap, the newest addition to biking adventures up the Baton Valley. Recently opened, Lublow’s Leap is an oasis for cyclists, offering a perfect vantage point […]
Banded Rail gets Helping Hands
The team at Craigs Investment Partners Nelson recently took a break from the office to help the Battle for the Banded Rail community conservation project. How cool is that! The day was spent connecting with nature and each other, all the while doing some good for the environment. They rolled up their sleeves and got […]
Fernbird Numbers Increase in Waimea Inlet
Battle for the Banded Rail are excited to share the results of their 2024 Fernbird Survey, with the number of fernbirds increasing from just a single bird in 2018 to at least eight birds in 2024. Fernbirds or Mātātā are rare in the Tasman region with small populations found in Mohua Golden Bay, Wakapuaka and […]
Pest Free Onetahua Finds Kiwi!
It’s exciting news for conservation in Mohua with Pest Free Onetahua discovering a great spotted kiwi in their project area. Once common in the hills of Pūponga, there have been no sightings of kiwi here since the 1970’s! The unexpected discovery was captured on a Pest Free Onetahua trail camera, set up in Pūponga Recreational […]
Motueka Catchment Collective Newsletter
Discover the exciting news and updates from the Motueka Catchment Collective
Battle For the Banded Rail Plant Care Mornings
An essential part of successful restoration is caring for the plants after the hard work of planting is done. Please join us for plant releasing mornings around the Waimea Inlet. It’s a great chance to revisit some of the Battle for the Banded Rail planting sites, meet other like minded plant carers and have a […]
Good progress for Pest Free Onetahua
Pest Free Onetahua is a unique conservation project spanning 12,000ha – from the tip of Onetahua Farewell Spit, including Pākawau Bush in Kahurangi National Park and south to Whanganui Inlet. It’s a partnership with Manawhenua ki Mohua and aims to remove pests and restore the habitat of Onetahua Farewell Spit so native birds, plants and […]
Māpua School gets planting!
With a little help from TET the whole of Māpua School got their hands dirty recently, helping to plant over 400 natives at the school. Māpua School was an absolute hive of activity earlier this year, with every student in the school helping to plant a riparian area near the carpark. Sparked by an idea […]
Harmony Unleashed: Kina Bird Song’s Take The Lead Campaign Paves the Way for Birds to Soar
From Motueka to Tasman, and Kina to Jackett Island, a dedicated initiative is safeguarding endangered native birds. Kina Bird Song is on a mission to raise awareness about the threat posed by ‘man’s best friend’ to native birdlife. At the forefront of this mission is the ‘Take the Lead’ campaign, a rallying call to dog […]