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Archives For 30/11/1999

Jobs at DOC: Hannah Edmonds – Ranger

Department of Conservation —  25/01/2013

Come behind the scenes and into the jobs, the challenges, the highlights, and the personalities of the people who work at the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Today we profile Hannah Edmonds, Biodiversity Ranger – Species.

Name: Hannah Edmonds.

Position: Biodiversity Ranger – Species.

Hannah Edmonds holds a shark.

Sharks need love too

At work…

What kind of things do you do in your role?

Monitoring, translocating and recovery planning for the following species:

Setting Gee Minnow traps out for Sinbad Skinks, Sinbad Valley.

Setting Gee Minnow traps out for Sinbad Skinks,
Sinbad Valley

What is the best part about your job?

Working in some absolutely stunning parts of rugged Fiordland, on interesting and challenging creatures, oh and with some cool people too!

What is the hardest part about your job?

Trying to monitor and protect species that we know so little about with a limited budget.

What led you to your role in DOC?

I did a Landcare Research Conservation Corps in Nelson when I was about 18. We came down to Fiordland and monitored Fiordland skinks and robins on Breaksea Island among other things, and I was hooked. I ended up doing a suite of pest and species contracts in the Nelson/Marlborough area, and wildlife work overseas for a few years. Then I did the Postgraduate Wildlife Management Diploma at Otago. After that, and another jaunt overseas, I came to Te Anau for a six month contract. That was (gulp) 10 years ago!

What was your highlight from the month just gone?

Taking ‘Kids Restore the Kepler‘ competition winner, four year old Lilli, out to see a kiwi. She was pretty excited and did really well coping with several hours scrambling through bush catching six kiwi chicks!

The beautiful Sinbad skink.

The beautiful Sinbad skink

The rule of 3…


3 loves

  1. My two metre Peter.
  2. Friends and family (including the furry ones too).
  3. Wilderness and wildlife.

3 pet peeves

  1. Anthropocentricity, and anthropomorphism is pretty annoying too. Big words ay, I can tell you’re impressed.
  2. Going without real coffee.
  3. Trying to come up with three pet peeves.

3 foods

  1. Fejoas from Nelson/Marlborough.
  2. Scallops from Stewart Island.
  3. Berry fruit yoghurt icecreams from Cromwell.

3 favourite places in New Zealand

  1. Fiordland of course, in particular the alpine and the special islands.
  2. Kahurangi: Mt Owen, Mt Arthur, Cobb Valley.
  3. Golden Bay‘s golden beaches.
Lilli the lucky four year old competition winner and myself with Haast tokoeka.

Lilli the lucky four year old competition winner and myself with Haast tokoeka

Favourite movie, album, book

  • Movie: Im a bit of a Tim Burton and Guy Ritchie fan… but I’d have to say The God’s Must be Crazy is a winner for giving you the stitch from laughing so much!
  • Album: Oh so many, but the all time bogan classic Hysteria by Def Leppard rocks on! The drummer from Def Leppard’s only got one arm!
  • Book: ‘South’ or ‘Endurance’ about Shackleton and his crew’s unbelievable journey of survival.

Deep and meaningful…

What piece of advice would you tell your 18 year old self?

Become a famous rock star before you get to your late 30’s… oh, and moisturise.

Who or what inspires you and why?

There are many people who have done amazing things the world over, and closer to home who inspire me to live the dream. My inspiration also comes from learning more about our lesser known species and wanting to protect them from extinction.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A famous rockstar, or more realistically, a zoologist.

And now, if you weren’t working at DOC, what would you want to be?

A rockstar of course.

What sustainability tip would you like to pass on?

Sustainability to me means to keep the motor running—well that’s a contradiction in terms. I mean the mind and body; look after it so it will sustain you throughout your lifetime.

Which green behaviour would you like to adopt this year—at home? At work?

I’d like to be growing more vegies, catching more trout, and shooting more deer so there are less trips to the supermarket, less packaging and so I know what I’m eating. Oh and I might buy a better bike so I don’t drive to work so much.

A native New Zealand bat.

Check this out! One of the coolest mammals in the world and it’s endemic to New Zealand! The short-tailed bat is an incredible prehistoric creature with bulk attitude!

If you could be any New Zealand native species for a day, what would you be and why?

I’d like to get into the brain and body of a Sinbad skink so I can find out where else in Fiordland’s extensive alpine they are living!

What piece of advice or message would you want to give to New Zealanders when it comes to conservation?

Think of the bigger picture, or entire ecosystems, and why you are doing what you are doing. A trap line for stoats may protect some species such as kiwi or kaka, but what about controlling rodents for other species such as mohua, bats and lizards?

Terror Peak, Fiordland.

Welcome to my office! Alpine lizard survey at Terror Peak, Fiordland

In Fiordland, Jobs at DOC, Native animals , , , , , ,
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Halfmoon Bay school kids help robins into a new home

Department of Conservation —  24/01/2013

The first Air New Zealand-funded transfer of fledgling Stewart Island robins from Ulva Island to a new home in the Dancing Star Foundation sanctuary has taken place successfully, with the assistance of students from Halfmoon Bay School.

Kari Beaven prepares a catch net on Ulva Island.

Kari Beaven prepares a catch net on Ulva Island

The transfer is the first step in a plan to re-establish a population of robins on Stewart Island around parts of the Rakiura Great Walk. Located near the start of the Great Walk, the Dancing Star site offers an ideal opportunity for this. Its predator-free status will allow the young birds to establish a breeding population within this fenced ‘mainland island’.

Otago University researcher Sol Heber records data for each robin.

Otago University researcher Sol Heber records data for each robin

Establishing a new breeding population of Stewart Island robins forms part of a much wider biodiversity project resulting from an exciting new conservation partnership between DOC and Air New Zealand.

The project aims to enrich biodiversity and enhance visitor experiences around New Zealand’s Great Walks, with plans also in place for the Routeburn, Milford and Lake Waikaremoana tracks.

Robins are transported securely in cat carrying boxes.

Robins are transported securely in cat carrying boxes

The recent capture of robins on Ulva Island was undertaken by DOC staff and members of a University of Otago research team. After being measured and weighed the fledglings were placed in boxes in preparation for their journey, initially by boat, to their new location.The Halfmoon Bay School children’s role in the transfer was to assist with the release of the robins. After meeting the boat, the children accompanied the birds, in their boxes, into an area of dense bush inside the Dancing Star sanctuary.

Fledgling robin a little reluctant to leave the safety of the carry box.

Fledgling robin a little reluctant to leave the safety of the carry box

A mihi was performed to welcome the robins to their new home, after which, one by one, boxes were opened by the children and the birds were offered their freedom.

It was such a buzz, they’re still talking about it. One child said, “I didn’t think it was going to let go of the perch”. Another: “I got a fright when it took off”, and another said it was “really cool”. Several thought it was pretty funny taking the birds in cat carrying boxes!
Robins in boxes are accompanied by children from Halfmoon Bay school.

Robins in boxes are accompanied by children from Halfmoon Bay school

As their population establishes and increases, future generations of robins are expected to ‘spill over’ and establish in territories outside the predator-fenced sanctuary. Over time, walkers on the Rakiura Track will be able to see and hear robins.

A trapping programme to manage predators around the Rakiura track is part of the Air New Zealand Great Walk biodiversity project. The project also includes plans to increase the kiwi population and work on the restoration of significant dunes adjacent to the Great Walk.

Helping release the robins into their new home.

Helping release the robins into their new home

In Great Walks, Native animals, Southland, Ulva Island , , , , ,
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Not your typical thieves in gold-mining era campsites

Department of Conservation —  21/01/2013

New Zealand has an extensive history of gold mining. The principal New Zealand gold fields were Coromandel, Nelson/Marlborough, Central Otago and West Coast. DOC has as many as 1000 gold-mining sites on lands it manages, and some of these are currently used as campsites.

Grant Jacobs the author of the blog, “Code for life”, shares a recent experience he had while on a camping trip at a gold-mining era campsite. He writes*:

“[When] camping in New Zealand, small items left lying around are at risk from thieves. I was reminded of this whilst sitting on the foundation stones of what was once an old gold miner’s hut, the iron remains of the roof and perhaps chimney at my feet, reading a novel with my tent pitched on the other side of the clearing where the thief stalked.”

Tent across the clearing at an old gold mining campsite. Photo taken by Grant Jacobs.


Tent across the clearing at an old gold mining campsite

“Some of these camping grounds are now, and probably were then, home to indigenous thieves. As I sat on the foundation of the miners hut, my back against a tree, I became aware that one such cheeky thief was prowling my tent on the other side of the little clearing.”

A weka under the outer fly of the tent looking for items to steal. Photo taken by Grant Jacobs.


A weka under the outer fly of the tent looking for items to steal

“Those not familiar with weka might think that they would only steal food, but stories say that weka will steal seemingly anything portable that attracts their attention. Of the non-edible objects, lore has it that a bit like the gold miners, they prefer shiny things.”

Weka have a bit of a reputation for pilfering small objects. They will take the objects to the nearest cover to investigate them. For this reason it is best not to chase weka but to simply watch where they go and retrieve the objects a little later.

Because of its scavenging habit, the weka can be problematic for conservationists. Some subspecies are threatened, but moving them to offshore islands can disrupt other threatened wildlife species. For example, weka released onto Codfish Island, where they haven’t lived in recent times, threatened the viability of the Cook’s petrels there and had to be removed.

Make sure you check out Grant’s full blog post.

*All text and photos from the blog “Code for Life” are copyrighted content of Grant Jacobs.

In Camping, Coromandel, Historic, Native animals, Nelson/Marlborough, Otago, West Coast , , , , , , ,
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Murupara School students give $1000 for kiwi work

Department of Conservation —  09/01/2013

By Steve Brightwell, Community Outreach Coordinator

When a bunch of seven and eight year olds come up with $1000 for kiwi work, it’s a spectacular and humbling example of what happens when people switch on to conservation. When it’s money from kids at a low decile school that they could have spent on themselves it’s all the more impressive.

Te Urewera Whirinaki ranger Aniwaniwa Tawa and others from her office have been visiting the class this year to talk about ecosystems and conservation with a focus on kiwi protection work.

They recently ended the study with a trip to Whirinaki Forest where they experienced the forest first-hand. Following the trip, the class presented the Area Office with a cheque for $1000 to be used to raise a kiwi chick at Kiwi Encounter in Rotorua.

A North Island brown kiwi egg.

Funds from Murupara School will help care for a kiwi egg.

A stunned Aniwaniwa explained: “The class (7 & 8 year olds) have been working with me and [former DOC ranger] Graeme Weavers for most of this year learning about kiwi and the natural environment and were so affected by what they had learnt they asked their teacher what they could they do to help. Between them and their teacher (I knew nothing about this until they presented me with the cheque), they thought they would do some fundraising however as Murupara School is officially “closing” the Board of Trustees allocated each class funding to go on a class trip to wherever they wanted. These kids chose to give up their allocation and put toward sponsorship of a kiwi and wrote a letter to the school Board to ask for approval to do this. Cool huh!”

It’s totally cool – and an awesome example of how giving people a personal experience with conservation can make a real difference to the way they think and move them to action for a cause.

A North Island brown kiwi hatching.

A North Island brown kiwi hatching

The money donated by Room 12 will now go on stand-by ready to pay for a kiwi egg to be whisked away from Whirinaki and hatched if there’s any sign of it needing help. Once the egg is hatched and the chick is raised to a safe weight to return to the forest, the students will be asked to give it a name. After that it will be set free in Whirinaki -Te Pua o Tane – one little kiwi enjoying a bright future thanks to a bunch of other little kiwis who can see conservation as a path to a bright future of their own.

Well done to everyone involved.

In Kiwi, Native animals , , , , ,
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Another successful transfer of orange-fronted parakeet

Department of Conservation —  26/12/2012

By John Kearvell, Biodiversity Ranger – Orange-fronted parakeet

Aerial view of Tuhua/Mayor Island.

Tuhua/Mayor Island

On Wednesday 19th December 12 orange-fronted parakeets/kākāriki karaka (9 males and 3 females) were released on Tuhua/Mayor Island. The orange-fronted parakeets were bred at the Captive Unit at Peacock Springs, by the Isaacs Wildlife Trust in Christchurch.

Air New Zealand came on board to help fly the parakeets from Christchurch to Rotorua where a helicopter piloted by Glenn Olliff from Oceana Helicopters Ltd, Tauranga then took the orange-fronted parakeets directly to Tuhua where they were released by Tauranga sponsor Fauna Recovery New Zealand.

John Heaphy, Conservation Officer Protected Species and Islands Tauranga Area Office, releasing the birds.

John Heaphy, Conservation Officer Protected Species and Islands Tauranga Area Office, releasing the birds

The birds were all caught by 11am at Peacock Springs and all safely placed into their travelling boxes. Their flight left Christchurch Airport at 12.30pm, and on arrival at Rotorua VIP treatment from Air New Zealand whisked them direct to the waiting helicopter; a big thanks to Air New Zealand for the great treatment afforded to these critically endangered parakeets.

The helicopter left Rotorua and the parakeets were released onto the island by 3.30pm, in very sunny and hot conditions. They were released near the Green Lake in the caldera (Tuhua is a volcano) and all flew off fine. They were released in the same area as all other previous releases.

An orange-fronted parakeet on Tuhua from a previous translocation.

An orange-fronted parakeet on Tuhua from a previous translocation

A grateful thanks must go to all those who helped with another successful transfer of orange-fronted parakeet completed. 83 orange-fronted parakeets have now been released onto Tuhua, over 8 releases since December 2009.

In Islands, Native animals , , ,
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