First published by Ngāi Tahu on their webpage.
Two rangatahi Māori have been working closely with kākāpō as kaiāwhina taonga rangers during the recent kākāpō breeding season. Co-designed by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation, the kaiāwhina taonga ranger roles have given Jess Wagner (Ngāti Kahungunu Ki Te Wairoa and Taranaki Iwi) and Neve Mere Duxfield (Kāi Tahu, Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi, Te Āti Haunui a Pāpārangi) the opportunity to explore their passion for conservation mahi within a kaupapa Māori framework.
“I feel like this year has been the coolest year of my life so far,” Jess says.
“I’m very aware of how lucky I have been to get to work with kākāpō.”
Jess describes meeting the first kākāpō chick that hatched this season as a real highlight.
“Going at night to the nest and holding the two-day-old chick in my hand I felt very protective, like a mother, over this little chick,” she says.
“It made me feel very hopeful for the future of the programme and the kākāpō.”
“I feel awe hanging out with something so totally ancient,” Neve says.
“It has been great getting to know them individually and all their little quirks that make them unique.”
Neve and Jess both grew up in Te Ika-a-Māui and studied at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington so another aspect of applying for the kaiāwhina taonga ranger positions was the chance to live and work in Te Waipounamu and its offshore islands.
Neve says that walking in the bush on predator-free islands and being able to see kākāpō, kākāriki and kiwi all in one day has been a highlight of the role.
Jess says that she has also greatly valued the chance to get to work in these special places that not everyone gets to go to.
“It makes you realise how empty the forest spaces on the mainland are in comparison,” she says.
“It gives you a window into what it used to sound and look like and makes you realise how much we’ve lost.”
Jess, who is 25 and has a Masters’ degree in Ecology, says she had known for a long time that she wanted to work in conservation or ecology.
“I went on a school trip to Mexico where we worked alongside ecologists in the jungle and the ocean – since then I couldn’t see myself doing anything else really,” she says
Neve was working as a feed-out volunteer on Whenua Hou when she heard about the advertisement for the kaiāwhina taonga ranger roles.
“After studying psychology and criminology at Victoria, I had a drastic change of heart and felt a calling to do conservation mahi,” Neve says.
“I felt the desire to come down south and grow my connection with the whenua.”
In addition to learning practical skills such as telemetry and how to track and handle birds, Jess and Neve have spent time researching the history of kākāpō including Kāi Tahu history and placenames of Fiordland.
“It is amazing all of the things we have learned in such a short time,” Neve says.
Another learning for both rangatahi has been how they have been able to adjust to working night shifts and walking considerable distances in the dark to check on nests and manu.
“I’ve never had a job where it was working through the night and walking in the bush in the early hours of the morning, but when you have enough drive and passion you just get on with it,” Jess says.
“It has been quite amazing to discover what your body can do,” Neve says.
“I am really grateful for the opportunity – it is awesome being able to work with a bunch of like-minded people that share the same passions as you do, and everyone is really generous with their time.”
Jess agrees that the Kākāpō Recovery team of rangers and specialists, Ngāi Tahu representatives and volunteers they have worked with have been a key factor in the positive experience she and Neve have had in their roles.
“A lot to do with the experience we have had is to do with the people who have opened their arms to us and taught us,” Jess says.
“When we are both away from home and our families and friends having that solid support system on the island with us has been so important.”
How good to see the evidence of an education leading to a lifetime of ecological protection.
Mark F