This cheery story tells how Aucklanders have helped expand kokako numbers in Pureora from 7 pairs in 1995 to over 1000 today. Jean and Keith are well known for working at Maungawhau, Meola catchment and across Auckland as “moth plant weeders”. Thanks to the dedicated members of Auckland Tramping Club whose fight against pest plants and animals is an inspiring example to us, and also to all the people who will benefit from seeing and interacting with rare kokako in the future. See more about North Island kokako here.
STEPS has a vision for a mountain to sea pathway along Waitītiko Meola Creek, free of pests and populated by local wildlife. Our volunteers carry out weeding and trapping to make this possible. Members and new volunteers are welcome.
Ko te wai te ora ngā mea katoa. Water is the life giver of all things. This whakatauki is a very simple truth, which we ignore at our peril.
The Ministry for the Environment’s 2020 freshwater report outlines the scale of the country’s pollution problem and makes many references to Māori ways of thinking, but what does it take to really understand an issue from another culture’s perspective?
I recently completed a short course which helped me understand some of the truths known to Māori, and the rich and diverse stories which illustrate them. Several Māori academics contributed – geologists, art historians, and others. The links are at https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ideasroom/where-water-and-culture-collides It took me 4-6 hours but you could spend much more time exploring all the resources.
I recommend enrolling today! It’s a great way to get through level 3 Covid measures.
