APRIL 2026
Welcome to the April 2026 issue of Voice for Nature, the quarterly newsletter of the Central Otago Lakes Branch of Forest & Bird. We would love to hear from you, so please send any content or feedback you have to Andrew Penniket (apenniket@yahoo.com). (Banner photo by Mo Turnbull)
CONTENTS
- MAKARORA TRAPPING UPDATE
- MAKARORA CHERRY LAUREL & SYCAMORE CONTROL
- ROYS PEAK TRAPPING
- MATUKITUKI LIVE CAPTURE
- GRANDVIEW FOREST PLANTING PROJECT
- MT IRON RECREATION RESERVE
- YOUNG VALLEY TRAPPING
- SANTANA: TO DIG OR NOT TO DIG
- PLANTING AT GLENDHU BAY WETLAND
- Pennycook Podocarp Restoration
MAKARORA TRAPPING UPDATE
Lots has been happening at Makarora over the last few months. The big news is that the DOC National Predator Control Programme aerial 1080 operation took place on 27th-28th February this year. This was in response to the beech mast (high seed production) over summer.
Without 1080 we would be facing some real ratty problems as mast years see a boom in mice and rat numbers through autumn and winter.
TRAPS & BAIT STATIONS
There are now nearly 1500 traps deployed across the Makarora catchment: that’s a lot of traps. It includes some new AT520-AI traps for possums, funded by DOC, and kea-proofed by clever AI-powered software which de-activates the trap if its camera sees anything other than the target species. This gives us a weapon against possums; other traps such as Trapinators still pose a potential threat to kea. More will be deployed over the next few weeks.
A new trap line focussed on protecting whio went into the Ore Valley in October 2025, after the old deer culler’s track into the valley was re-marked and cleared. Traps have also gone in to “cut them off at the pass” with an extension of the old Lookout line up to the tops on Mt Cross, at Haast Pass. The bait station network has also been expanded to cover the area above the Makarora River north of the bridge to the Blue Pools. Bait stations are not being run at present as rodent numbers are low, but they are there waiting for the next rat plague.
What have we been catching? Over the last 2 years, catch rates for rats and stoats have been pleasingly low. Mouse numbers have also been lower than in past years.
VOLUNTEERS: THE HEART OF THE PROJECT
There are around 60 people on the roster for the main valley lines, and around 25 for the back-country Blue, Leven, Ore and Young lines. Thanks to each and every one of you for all your mahi. Volunteers supplement the tremendous effort put in by our core legendary Southern Lakes Sanctuary partners.
MAKARORA CHERRY LAUREL & SYCAMORE CONTROL
This summer has seen the start of cherry laurel and sycamore control around the Nature Walk in the forest at Makarora. These trees have been slowly invading from the adjacent campground and village and are now becoming a serious threat. Nine keen volunteers have spent two Saturdays making inroads into the infestation by cutting and pasting with herbicide and this will be repeated every two or three months until we have eliminated the problem. Like all pest infestations, “a stitch in time saves nine”!
ROYS PEAK TRAPPING
Finishing our fifth year of high-altitude summer trapping, the Roys Peak trapline seems to be working well with reduced catches of both hedgehogs and ferrets. Down from a peak of nine hedgehogs caught four years ago, we have caught only two so far this year. Special thanks go to a special group of very fit volunteers who tackle the big climb.
MATUKITUKI LIVE CAPTURE
Entering our 7th year of trapping along Matukituki River, we continue to catch numbers of hedgehogs, feral cats and possums. Over the last 5 weeks (February / March 2026) we have caught 21 cats, 20 hedgehogs and 15 possums. Catch rates continue to be steady and must be helping the braided river birds. This project is in partnership with the Upper Clutha Deerstalkers who do a wonderful job clearing and checking traps.
This spring and summer have been very kind to our planted native trees in Grandview Creek valley near Lake Hāwea, with good growth and survival. We have been focusing on maintaining the planting done to date, some 1,500 trees. Thanks to Wānaka Rotary and Wānaka Lions enabling us to purchase two Stihl weed trimmers we have been able to keep the planting site looking pretty smart and easy to access, also reducing accidental fire risk. We are pleased that the mountain and silver beech, tōtara and matai are doing well overall. Kahikatea did not like this site and we have had no survivors, even though supposedly it is a species likely to have occurred in this ecotone – just not at this particular site.
Big thank you to Mo Turnbull, Geoff Logan and Evan Alty who have regularly put in hours at the site managing the water lines, taps and hoses and the drip irrigated area, applying mulch and generally nurturing the area.
We may put in a few more trees in the early winter, so watch out for an email and facebook notice. If you would like to be a regular project maintenance volunteer at the planting project, please contact Anne Steven on 021 293 9207 or a.steven@xtra.co.nz.
Committee and branch members are watching with keen interest how the recreational use and protection / enhancement of the outstanding natural values of the 100ha reserve will advance under QLDC management. QLDC has engaged ecological consultancy firm Whirika to complete a survey and values / significance assessment and provide advice on where disturbance should be avoided and potential for restoration projects. This work included a workshop last October with local community members with expertise and particular interest in the ecology and natural values of Mt Iron. Several F&B members attended. The completion of the ecological report is timely, as an integrated trail network plan is also being developed, providing for walking / running, horse riding, mountain biking, and access for rock climbing and parapenting. QLDC will be making recommendations for a trail network to the Wānaka Luggate Community Board soon.
Mixed news from the Young valley. No mohua have been reported in the South Branch over the past 2-3 years but those in the North branch appear to be holding their own, in small numbers. The good news is that a family of whio (a pair with 5 ducklings) was observed several times within a km downstream of Young hut during October and late November during both 2024 and 2025. All looked healthy and hopefully all the ducklings have now fully fledged.
There continues to be sightings of kea, kārearea, rifleman, tomtit and brown creeper, plus occasional sounds of kākāriki, long tailed and shining cuckoo.
The pattern of predator capture has gradually increased since the winter thaw; with significant numbers of rats, stoat and some weasels at last count in late January. Winter and spring of 2025 brought heavy snow and rain, with some track and trap damage. There were 25 new DOC200 traps added to the South Young in late November 2024, to aid protection of whio and pīwauwau / rock wren, which are seen from time to time in the upper reaches of the South Young Valley trapline. Both Young Valley lines have had an update and a recent maintenance. There has been very good commitment by a group of committed trappers to all the strenuous mahi done. And the support from Southern Lakes Sanctuary has been invaluable. Our working relationship is excellent, with the aims and energy of both volunteers and SLS staff balanced and focused on the protection of our indigenous birds. The rewards are many; the chance of witnessing our rare and beautiful taonga in paradise.
Written by Evan Alty / Photo: bendigo.nz You would have to be living under a rock not to be aware that there is a storm building in the Upper Clutha over a proposal to undertake large scale hard rock mining for gold on Bendigo Station and beyond. The storm at least at a public level has been confined to public meetings and data being traded in the media. It will be determined by a special tribunal guided by the Resource Management Act. So far two groups are advocating for diametrically opposed outcomes. The conservative lobby see leaving the land undisturbed for its landscape and ecological values where it will remain part of the NZ experience that attracts visitors from near and far. The other group sees tangible benefits in the creation of jobs both on site and service industries. Revenue from tax and royalties, etc.
For my part, I’m concerned about the amount of hydrocarbons - diesel - that will have to be bought from afar, transported in NZ, and consumed in enormous machinery to shift thousands perhaps millions of tons of soil, clay and rock. The carbon footprint created thereby beggars belief. All for a precious metal that has spent forever in the ground and will then largely be headed for a Bank vault from whence it likely will never move again.
That is where I stood until a serendipitous event came my way. I picked up a February copy of the ODT on Monday February 23rd and read a remarkable piece by Associate Professor Sergio Biggemann from Otago University Business School. The author, it would appear, may have been reflecting on the fact that tradable goods don’t have to currently exist to have value. They can have value in anticipation that they will exist in the future and therefore they have a notional value now - this is called trading in “Futures”. A topical example is next year’s harvest of wool and lamb. They haven’t respectively grown or been born yet but the relative certainty that they will gives sufficient confidence to an investor that it is worth investing in that likelihood that an acceptable profit will arise. So, in the words of the academic - why not avoid all the fuss and “leave the gold in the ground”. He starts by saying that most investors buy gold they will never see, all they get is a certificate stating the number of ounces belong to them and which is negotiable just like shares. Importantly, he advises, that for gold that has not been mined, there are internationally accepted methods that provide assurances that the gold is there. He cites a globally accepted organisation “The Joint Ore Reserves Committee Code (JORC). So, if mining companies can use JORC codes to certify ore reserves to finance their projects they could easily use the same codes to certify the existence of gold that could be traded in the ground. In fact, it is a very safe bet that Santana, during their prospecting, have accumulated this information which their bankers will have demanded to support the borrowing needed for the operation. With respect to the prospect of in situ sale of gold, all the gold reserves identified by the company need to be established based on the international gold price, either London or New York. Today, according to the learned associate professor, it is generally accepted for gold mining, that all costs and royalties are $US2000 per oz, so an amount like that would need to be kept aside to pay royalties and guarantee future exploitation if/when real demand requires so. These technical issues would clearly require more work. Given that there is still time before the “big diggers” begin their dastardly work, I and a few other idealists will continue our own exploration.
PLANTING AT GLENDHU BAY WETLAND
In September 2025 Forest & Bird members held a planting at Glendhu Wetland, commencing a long-term commitment to help restore this valuable wetland community. We have plans to eventually install a boardwalk to provide better access for visitors to experience the area.