The Mission A community-led organisation creating a pest free ecosystem in mature native forest in Nelson Integral to this mission is the development of a 14.5 km pest-proof fence around the upper Brook (Waimarama) Valley, to enclose ~700 ha of wildlife habitat. The Trust is building a legacy by developing a significant community asset, and helping our children to protect our endangered heritage. Everyone involved is committed to developing a sustainable organisation for the very long term. Vision To be New Zealand's richest conservation environment for visitors, education and research This is a lofty vision, which the Trust is committed to realising through strategic partnerships. Key partners already include local iwi, Nelson City Council, Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, Department of Conservation, Nelson Provincial Museum, and Sanctuaries of New Zealand. ANNUAL REPORT 2015 Cover photo: Volunteers Named Nelsonian of the Year for the Environment Grant Stirling Annual Report 2015 Structure & Background Registered charitable trust governed by a volunteer board of trustees, managed by professional staff, implemented by volunteers, and supported by members The project was initiated in 2001 by a group of local conservationists who recognised the outstanding potential of the site. The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust was formed in 2004 and is governed by a voluntary Board of Trustees. The award-winning visitor centre was opened in 2007, followed by the Brook Conservation Education Centre in 2010, a joint venture between the Trust, the Department of Conservation and the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. Resource Consent was obtained from Nelson City Council in 2009 for the construction of a pest-proof fence. Fund-raising for the fence project began in earnest in 2012 and was achieved in 2014 thanks to a deep and broad coalition of supporters. Fence construction began late in 2014. PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
Location The Sanctuary is located in the former Nelson City waterworks reserve in the headwaters of the Brook Stream, approximately 5km from the centre of Nelson City. The Sanctuary comprises 700 hectares of steep hill country rising to 810m in elevation. Most of the area retains the original unmodified lowland forest typical of the Nelson area. This is dominated by beech species but also contains a variety of podocarps. Approximately 75% of the site is pristine bush, and the balance is regenerating forest with very high plant diversity. The Sanctuary is bounded by the Mt Richmond Forest Park and Nelson City. before they check us out as a whio or blue duck has been sighted on the Brook Stream and kaka have been reported circling the ridge tops. Perhaps they are the advance scouts on special reconnaissance missions to report on our progress! The fence construction was able to begin after we met our fundraising target and had completed all the preparatory work, including the signing of contracts with Taylors Contracting for the bench and Xcluder Pest Proof Fencing for the fence itself, as well as all the necessary permissions from the Nelson City Council. At the end of September last year we had a very moving dawn ceremony with our valued iwi partners to bless a Mauri stone, that is buried at the entrance to the sanctuary, and a further ground breaking ceremony mid-morning when the first fence post was planted by some children and Trust chair Dave Butler. Following this wonderful celebration with our partners and the extended sanctuary whanau, physical works began on the fence. Very good progress has been made with virtually all the bench being completed and two-thirds of the fence now in place. The fencers have had a break during the winter and will be back on site next week. During this break, work has continued with the building of the various gates that will enable servicing of the sanctuary and also with the culverts and swales that allow the egress of water beneath the fence. 26 th October 2015 Annual Report 2015 Craig Potton Welcome to the trust s Annual Report for 2014-2015. This year we have embarked on the building of our pest-proof fence the key physical cornerstone for achieving our vision. It has been very exciting to finally see the fence snaking its way around the upper Brook catchment and encapsulating what we have been striving for since we began with an interim steering group back in 2001. Once the fence is completed and the remaining pests within it are removed, we will have a wonderful environment in which the indigenous plants and animals can flourish and thrive not only a large range of birds but also lizards, insects and hopefully even bats. It will then be possible to actively reintroduce species such as kiwi, mohua and tuatara. It seems that some birds are impatient and can t wait until the fence is completed The next stages to achieving a thriving and sustainable sanctuary are well underway. The resource consent application for the eradication has been lodged with Council. We have contracted leading experts to assist with this process along with the preparation of a monitoring and mop-up plan. We are very grateful for the ongoing pro bono legal advice from McFadden, McMeeken and Phillips with partner Nigel McFadden, a very experienced resource management lawyer, assisting with this consent. Our track cutting team are continuing their great work on the network of tracks needed for the monitoring and mop-up. The operations shed and outdoor education zone in the beech glade are now completed. Planning is proceeding with breeding facilities for kaka and whio. We put forward detailed submissions on the draft Brook Reserve Management Plan as this reserve is adjacent to the sanctuary and is crucial to our success. Our visitor experience planning is well underway for what is needed in place before the sanctuary opens as a visitor attraction in 2017. We are also involved in the Council s Nelson Nature programme which includes several projects in the halo area around the sanctuary. PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
Over the past year, we reluctantly accepted the resignation of long term trustee Dave Leadbetter. We extend our thanks to Dave for his many and very significant contributions over the past 9 years. We have welcomed new trustees Peter Jamieson, who brings a range of business experiences and skills, and Cindy Batt who takes over the second position reserved for our iwi partners. Both are excellent additions to our strong governance team and we look forward to their on-going contributions. It has been another very busy and challenging year for our staff and we continue to be very well served by our General Manager Hudson Dodd and his team. The fence construction has added to the workloads of all staff and frequently they have been very stretched but they have been prepared to put in additional effort to ensure we remain on track. We are very pleased to have recently been able to strengthen our staff team with the addition of Jim Livingstone, who commenced at the end of August as our new Operations Manager. He has a wealth of experiences, including working for DOC at Franz Josef. We are grateful to Grant Harper, our interim Operations Manager, for keeping many projects rolling forward in mid-2015. We have also created a new half-time Field Operations Coordinator position and recently appointed Derek Walker to this role. He has a background in bush restoration and volunteer field coordination in Australia, and Great White Butterfly and host plant control with DOC. We welcome both Jim and Derek to our team. We also welcome back Bo Stent as our Facilities Development Coordinator. Bo departed in April to pursue other endeavours in Christchurch but has returned to our greener pastures and forests. This additional staff capacity will greatly assist us in completing the tasks needing to be done before we can operate as a fully pest-free sanctuary and open as a major visitor attraction. A huge thanks to all our staff and in particular to Hudson for his ongoing leadership, guidance and diligence. We are especially pleased that he and Dawn Annual Report 2015 have decided to make Nelson their permanent home. Thanks also to Rick Field for his increasingly popular education work and the plethora of other tasks he undertakes. The fence construction and the many other projects have also presented additional challenges for our finance administrator Naina Mahto and our administration coordinator Raeonie Ellery, both of whom have responded very well and contributed greatly to the organisation s record keeping, efficient systems, and overall morale. Our fence project managers at Opus International, led by Alastair Wiffen and ably assisted by John Talby and more recently Andrew McAllister, have helped ensure the good progress on the fence construction. Alastair has recently resigned from Opus to pursue a career change. I want to acknowledge and thank him for all his contributions to the sanctuary over the past 9 years. These have included completing the construction of the Visitor Centre, serving several years as a trustee and over the last 3 years as the Opus project manager for the fence construction. We wish him every success in his new role and we hope we have not seen the end of his contributions to the sanctuary. I also want to acknowledge all the work that has been undertaken by my fellow trustees. Collectively they have undertaken a wide range of tasks and have contributed a lot to the governance discussions and decisions at the Board meetings as well as to the work of our many committees, task forces and working groups. While it is perhaps rather unfair to single out any particular trustees, I do want to acknowledge the contributions of two of them John Hambleton and Dave Butler. John is a very active trustee who not only lives and breathes the sanctuary but I suspect also dreams about it more than the rest of us. He is the key member of the Fence Task Force that oversees the fence project and his mission is to ensure that it is completed under budget a challenging mission but one he is prevailing at. He is also a crucial member of several Board committees and always keeps us on our toes. Dave has been the chair of Trust since its inception in 2004 and has continued to provide great strategic leadership. His personal knowledge on pest control and conservation issues and his many talents and skills, including problem-solving abilities, have been invaluable in getting us well down the track to achieving our vision. The sanctuary is clearly much more than the efforts of the trustees and staff. It is being achieved through a huge community effort and key to this are all the hard working volunteers, including our many team leaders, who continue to devote many hours on a large variety of tasks to help ensure our success. The tremendous effort of our volunteers was acknowledged in December 2014 when we were PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
awarded Nelsonian of the Year for the Environment by the Nelson Mail. Without you and our members, supporters, sponsors, funders and partners, the sanctuary would still be just a great concept and not actually under construction. Thank you to you all and I hope you will all continue to be actively involved and help us to grow and nurture our Brook Waimarama whanau and sanctuary. Derek Shaw Acting Chairperson Three new staff positions created and filled: Operations Manager, Facilities Development Coordinator, Field Operations Coordinator Pest-proof fence project fund-raising target of $4.7M reached July 2014 Ground-breaking ceremony and placing of a Mauri Stone at the sanctuary entrance September 2014 Pest-proof fence earthworks commenced October 2014; fence construction commended January 2015 Kubota vehicle purchased March 2015 Operations workshop completed April 2015 Beech Glade Outdoor Education Zone completed June 2015 Launch of Nelson Nature & Nelson Halo Programs by Nelson City Council, to leverage and expand the sanctuary s restoration effort August 2015 Sanctuary trapping program s primary phase completed September 2015 Sanctuary fence and watercourse maintenance program launched October 2015 Adoption of Brook Reserve Management Plan by Nelson City Council October 2015 Ongoing public presence in Nelson City with offices at Morrison Square Highlights of 2014-15 The Trust has enjoyed a year of significant progress toward realising our vision, thanks to the efforts of the very dedicated volunteer corps, a team of professional staff, vibrant partnerships, a growing family of sponsors, and the strong leadership of the Board of Trustees. Sanctuary Open Day 2015 featured Ruud Kleinpaste the Bugman and a live Rowi Kiwi Encounter Brook Sanctuary volunteers named Nelsonian of the Year for the Environment by the Nelson Mail Renewed MOU s with Department of Conservation, NMIT, and TBHT/Nelson Provincial Museum Grant awards received from the Department of Conservation, Rata Foundation (Canterbury Community Trust), WWF New Zealand Annual Report 2015 Supporters Members The Trust is a membership-based organisation. Individuals and households pay annual subscriptions to support the Trust s work. Membership fees are the lifeblood of the organisation, and all supporters are encouraged to join as members. Membership benefits include the Trust s newsletter and invitations to special Trust PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
events. Once the Sanctuary is developed, membership will also include reduced admission pricing. Individuals or families can sign up as members via the Trust s web site, at the Visitor Centre, 651 Brook Street, or at our city office at Morrison Square. Current Trust membership figures as of October 2015: Staff Individual Memberships 112 Household Memberships 210* Total Members: 616 *210 households @ 2.4 persons average per household = 504 The Trust added three staff positions in 2014-15, bringing the organisation s paid employee workforce to 6 FTE s. The new positions flesh out the Trust s operational division, starting with our first Operations Manager. Jim Livingstone has ably filled this role, bringing many years applicable experience from his previous roles at DOC, notably managing the kiwi recovery programs at Haast and Franz Josef. Re-joining Jim in the operations area is Bo Stent, reprising the role of Facilities Development Coordinator, a re-formulated version of the role which he held in 2013-14. And rounding out the new staff positions is the role of Field Operations Coordinator, with Derek Walker in the post, focused on the successful delivery of the Trust s field work program. The addition of these roles has meant a re-structure of the existing job descriptions at the organisation. Hudson Dodd remains at the Trust s helm in the role of General Manager, with a renewed focus on planning, management, organisational capacity, and fund-raising. Raeonie Ellery s role of Administration Coordinator similarly will see a shift in focus toward membership and fund-raising while retaining a role in volunteer recruitment and coordination. Naina Mahto s role as Finance Administrator remains largely unchanged though with increased complexity due to the Trust s growth in the financial area and associated reporting. And long-time sanctuary stalwart, Rick Field s role morphs to have more of a focus on education and public engagement, in addition to serving as the organisation s systems administrator. Annual Report 2015 Volunteers & Interns The vast majority of the work that s gone into site preparation for the sanctuary has been done by dedicated, hard-working individuals who give generously of their time and are coordinated by volunteer team leaders. Field volunteer activities include: track construction, invasive plant control, pest trapping, hunting, pest monitoring, bird monitoring, lizard monitoring, invertebrate monitoring, asset construction and maintenance, and native planting. The crucial role of public engagement is largely performed by volunteers as well. These opportunities include: staffing the visitor centre, staffing stalls at markets and events, helping at the Trust s central Nelson office, and events. The Trust s web site offers individuals the opportunity to sign up to volunteer, or a volunteer interest form can be completed at the visitor centre or city office. Many invaluable contributions have come to the Trust s work and development from interns. These volunteers, often from overseas countries such as Germany, commit to long-term placements of 1-3 months, and work with staff on diverse projects, from site development to market research to systems administration and tech support. Over the course of their internships these individuals become part of the Trust s family, and often maintain relationships with the organisation long after their departure. Trust volunteer figures for 2014-15 show the Brook Sanctuary s outstanding volunteer engagement and support: Administration 11 Assets & Special Projects 24 Bird Monitoring (Sanctuary) 8 Bird Monitoring (Back Yard) 103 Interns 5 Invasive Plant Control 28 Lizard Monitoring 5 NCG Youth Programme 13 Planting 7 Public Engagement 81 Team Leaders 25 Track Construction 45 Trapping & Hunting 82 Trustees 10 Visitor Centre 68 Total Volunteers 512 PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
Visitors While we are still developing the Sanctuary, the site s biodiversity-rich forest and historic features are already significant draw cards for visitors. The mature beech forest with huge podocarp trees is now readily accessible thanks to two public tracks hand-built by volunteers. The Visitor Centre building offers an array of interpretive information about the history of the site and plans for its future. Educational activities for children and families are available, along with a native fish aquarium featuring aquatic life from the Brook Stream. Individuals who come to the Visitor Centre are encouraged to sign the visitor log book. Visitor numbers from 2014-15 are still being tabulated but are tracking similar to the 2013 calendar year, which totalled ~5,000 visitors. However, many who call into the Visitor Centre do not sign the visitor log book, and a significant number of visitors to the site do not currently enter the Visitor Centre. (Once the site is fully developed, the Visitor Centre will become the Sanctuary s entrance building, and visitor figures will become much clearer.) The Trust therefore extrapolates that current visitor numbers are approximately 12,000 per annum. There is no charge for admission to the site currently, though visitors are encouraged to make a donation to support the work of the Trust. Once the site is fully developed the Trust will charge admission for entry. Future admission pricing is still being reviewed by the Trust as part of our overall business case development and strategic planning process. Annual Report 2015 Trust Directory 2014-15 Patron Philip Woollaston Returning Trustees David Butler Chair, Founding Trustee Dr David Butler is an ornithologist and conservation biologist. As a former programme manager with DOC Dr Butler managed the Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project at Nelson Lakes National Park. Dr Butler is a founding BWST trustee and serves as Chair. Mark Davies Trustee, Treasurer Mark Davies is a tax advisory principal at Crowe Horwath in Nelson. Mr Davies joined Crowe Horwath as a tax manager, after leaving PricewaterhouseCoopers; later he became manager of Crowe Horwath s specialist tax consulting team. He is chair of the NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants. Mr Davies became a BWST trustee in 2014 and currently serves as Treasurer. Karen Driver Trustee Karen Driver is a manager with the Nelson Environment Centre. She serves on multiple boards, including the Community Recycling Network. Ms Driver oversaw BWST s pest-monitoring programme as a volunteer before becoming a BWST trustee in 2013. John Hambleton Trustee John Hambleton is a consultant in the aviation field, and has a long record of leadership in the business sector. Mr Hambleton was recently a Project Director for Air New Zealand, CEO of Air Nelson Ltd, and CEO of Eagle Airways Ltd. Mr Hambleton became a BWST trustee in 2012. Sian Holden Trustee Sian Holden is a partner with Pitt and Moore lawyers, where she specialises in corporate and commercial law. Ms Holden s background includes general commercial, contractual and property law, including extensive leasing and property work. Ms Holden became a BWST Trustee in 2014. PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
Christine Hemi Trustee, iwi Representative Christine Hemi has served in leadership roles with Ngati Kuia, a recognised Nelson Region iwi, including as a current trustee. Ms Hemi represents Ngati Kuia on the BWST board and has been a BWST trustee since 2006. Derek Shaw Acting Chair, Founding Trustee Derek Shaw is a former Nelson City Councillor with 30 years experience in local government. An accredited resource management hearing commissioner, Mr Shaw is a trustee on a number of boards, including Nelson Environment Centre and Tasman Regional Sports Event Trust. Mr Shaw is a founding BWST trustee. Craig Wilson Trustee Craig Wilson is Managing Director of Quality Tourism Development. With over 20 years experience in the corporate/consulting sector, Mr Wilson has held leadership roles with Tourism Auckland in New Zealand and with Tranz Scenic and BP Oil in Australia. Mr Wilson became a BWST trustee in 2013. Departing Trustee David Leadbetter Trustee Dr David Leadbetter is a fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and is a certifying consultant gynaecologist. Dr Leadbetter became a BWST trustee in 2006 and was one of the founding leaders of the sanctuary s field operations teams. New Trustees Cindy Batt Trustee, iwi Representative The Trust welcomes Cindy Batt of Te Atiawa as our new iwi representative Trustee. Cindy is an information librarian at the Nelson Library, a museum educator, and serves on various boards, including Te Atiawa Manawhenua ki te waka -a-maui. Peter Jamieson Trustee Peter Jamieson is a regional manager of business banking at Kiwibank, and has a wide range of experience in the private sector across a range of businesses, both as an employee and as a business owner, spanning banking and finance to the non-profit sector. Annual Report 2015 Staff Hudson Dodd, General Manager Raeonie Ellery, Administration Coordinator Rick Field, Sanctuary Coordinator & Educator Jim Livingstone, Operations Manager Naina Mahto, Finance Administrator Bo Stent, Facilities Development Coordinator Derek Walker, Field Operations Coordinator Volunteer Team Leaders Brian Brasell: Assets Tom Brett: Pest Trapping & Monitoring, Health & Safety Sterling Cathman: Invertebrate Monitoring Katherine Chamberlain: Bird Monitoring Connie Charlton: Publications Editor Britt Coker: Publications Editor Alistair Corner: Assets, Health & Safety Don Fraser: Track Construction, Planting Bryan Hardie Boys: Public Outreach Nicola Harwood: Invasive Plant Control Peter Hay: Track Construction Annie Henry: Visitor Centre Jan Hewton: Visitor Centre Adrianne Jerrett: Lizard Monitoring Arthur Jonas: Pest Trapping & Monitoring Raven Maeder: Youth Volunteering Keith Marshall: Hunting Deryk Mason: Track Construction, Trap Assets, Health & Safety Rex McDowall: Lizard Monitoring Don Morrisey: Invasive Plant Control PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
Mike Murphy: Invasive Plant Control Sandra Pearson: Inventory & Administration Kate Scott: Visitor Centre Tony Steenhart: Track Construction Jane Stevens: Public Outreach Mika Verheul: Sanctuary Volunteer Orientations Hans Wiskerke: Sanctuary Volunteer Orientations, Fence Asset Advisors Department of Conservation: Ecosystem Restoration etc Communications: Communications McFadden McMeeken Phillips: Legal Counsel Nelson Media Agency: Publicist Opus International Consultants: Pest-Proof Fence Project Manager RWCA: Auditors Strategic Partners Cawthron Institute Trust Board Department of Conservation Landcare Research Ngati Koata Ngati Kuia Ngati Toa Rangatira Ngati Rarua Ngati Tama Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology Nelson City Council Nelson Provincial Museum Project Janszoon Royal Society of New Zealand Tasman District Council Te Atiawa Tiakina Te Taiao Funders Arts Council Nelson Baigent Family Trust Cawthron Institute Trust Department of Conservation Community Conservation Partnership Fund Dick Roberts Community Trust Hebberd Family Trust HC Cock Trust Foodstuffs Community Trust South Island JD Stout Family Trust Jasmine Social Investments Lottery Grants Board WWI Commemorations, Environment & Heritage Fund Lottery Grants Board Significant Projects Fund Mainland Foundation McKee Charitable Trust Ministry of Tourism Network Tasman Trust NZ Post Pacific Development & Conservation Trust Port Nelson Trust Pub Charity Rata Foundation WWF Habitat Protection Fund Work & Income Annual Report 2015 PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
Let s take a look at what the past year has meant to our mission. Health & Safety The organisation s Health & Safety systems are robust, and in a constant state of review and improvement. The Trust s Health & Safety Working Group, comprised of staff and volunteer team leaders, has been reviewing the Trust s obligations under the new Health & Safety Reform Bill. Since the organisation has a robust policy and set of procedures, there is little in the way of requirements that are new. 26 th October 2016 The s Deed of Charitable Trust cites the following purposes for the Trust: To restore, to as natural a state as possible, a functioning ecosystem in the Brook Catchment, Nelson ( the sanctuary ) with a corridor to the city; To control or eliminate pests from the core area of the sanctuary; To create an educational resource; To create positive visitor experiences; To develop employment and training opportunities; To reintroduce lost species back into the sanctuary As I review our accomplishments of the past year and compare them to the organisation s mission enshrined in our deed, I am pleased to report we are hitting our marks. And as I near the 4-year mark of my involvement in the project, I continue to be humbled to serve the community in this role, of facilitating the delivery of the project s inspiring vision. Inspiring in its own right is the massive, collective labour of love Nelsonians are putting in to deliver a profound gift to future generations. That gift will manifest itself over time as the sanctuary develops, thereby delivering the benefits encoded in the Trust s official purpose in terms of ecology, education, culture, and economic development. Annual Report 2015 From Oct 2014 Oct 2015 there were 15 harm incidents and 3 near-misses reported. All have been minor or moderate injuries; none serious harm. This figure demonstrates a strong health and safety culture has been growing at the sanctuary, and also shows there s always room for improvement. The field Hazard Register is updated regularly and associated procedures are discussed and refined at weekly Friday morning meetings where a wide range of field staff and volunteers contribute to making our policies and procedures the best they can be. As GM I have attended industry meetings and expos to glean the latest collective thinking and best practices to assure the organisation is headed in the right track. I m happy with the progress we ve been making together and look forward to another year of safe operations in which all our workers paid and unpaid are healthy at the end of each work day. Pest-Proof Fence PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org The Trust is building a 14.5km pestproof fence around 691ha of a former water reserve in the Upper Brook Valley close to Nelson City, utilising proven fence construction design and techniques. A resource consent has been obtained for the fence and associated track network, and all conditions of the consent have been fulfilled to date. All the land involved is owned by Nelson City Council, a strong
supporter of the project, and it was re-zoned in 2010 as Local Purpose Reserve (Wildlife Sanctuary) for this purpose. A 33-year lease (the maximum term allowed under the Reserves Act) was secured from Nelson City Council in 2014. The Brook Valley is widely recognised as being an ideal site for a fenced sanctuary due to a unique combination of features: Its close proximity to the city enabling easy access for visitors and volunteers alike (a city bus line comes to the sanctuary, and it s a 4km drive or bike ride from city centre); Annual Report 2015 Craig Potton Its optimal size and shape being roughly circular, provides for a good ratio of fence to area protected, and large enough to establish self-sustaining populations of many species; The quality of its habitat most of the site is mature beech forest with some huge emergent podocarps already hosting many species that equivalent projects have had to reintroduce e.g. robins (toutawai), falcons (karearea) and parakeets (kakariki); Its direct connection via further forested catchments to the Mt Richmond Forest Park over 100,000ha of DOC estate which will be naturally repopulated by the sanctuary serving as a nursery; The history of the valley being a significant food and stone resource for local iwi and the site of the original water supply to Nelson city, incorporating waterworks structures of historical significance within the valley; and Its single, supportive landowner, with appropriate and flexible Reserves land status. The construction of the pest-proof fence, together with a pest removal operation and the development of a remarkable suite of visitor experiences and facilities, will complete the initial development phase of the sanctuary. This will create the second largest pest-proof ring fenced sanctuary in the country (after only Maungatautari Ecological Island in Waikato) and the only one including a major area of beech forest, one of New Zealand s most extensive and significant habitats. Grant Stirling The Trust is utilising Xcluder Pest Proof Fencing s proven fence design, which has been successfully applied at many sites over the past 15 years to exclude all mammals from mice to deer. The fence has a minimum design life of 35 years, with the main components of the fence having a design life of up to 50 years. Opus International Consultants Ltd was appointed in 2013 as independent Project Manager to oversee fence construction, and contracts were signed in 2014 with Taylors Contracting and Xcluder Pest Proof Fencing for construction of the bench platform and pest-proof fence respectively. Physical works began in October 2014 and the project is on track to be completed in May 2016. More than 8km of fence has been constructed to date. The pest-proof fence is proven technology with more than 15 years track record on the ground at various facilities across New Zealand. Xcluder s All Pest fence design is warranted to exclude all pest mammal species, from mice to hedgehogs to stoats to possums to deer to pigs. After 15 years, though, we know that excluding animals is one thing keeping them excluded is another. That s why the fence s design includes an electrified trip wire across its top and around its gate that will send an alarm if any breach is detected. It s not a question of if but when there will be a breech and possible incursion. The Trust has the benefit of learning from the various other sanctuary s successes and challenges, and is therefore deploying some of the best proven technology and methodology to ensure the sanctuary s borders, along with some innovations of our own in collaboration with the experts. A key innovation for the sanctuary s fence is our approach to managing storm water crossing the fence line. In addition to utilising the standard culvert with a pestproof mesh cube on its end, we are designing a swale trough with a pest-proof mesh cube on its end and an additional screen at its mid-point. PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
Annual Report 2015 All watercourses culvert and swale alike must be carefully constructed, made pest-proof, and reinforced that is, built with headwalls to provide structural integrity. The construction of the headwalls is being progressed well by the Trust s Fence Asset Team, with the enthusiastic support of the Nelson Rotary and Nelson Four-Wheel Drive clubs. Site Development The sanctuary site is being developed to serve as both a wildlife sanctuary and a visitor attraction. The Trust s business plan includes visitor admission revenues as a key funding component to support the sanctuary s ecological mission. Over the years, visitor facilities have slowly but steadily been developed. The handsome and award-winning visitor centre at the sanctuary s entrance opened in 2007, and the extensive track network (both public and operational) has been steadily growing for years due to an exceptionally dedicated crew of volunteers and the coordination of several team leaders over the years. A significant highlight from this year has been the heroic efforts of the track construction team, who are on target to complete the operational track system by the winter 2016 deadline, thanks to the efforts of many volunteers. In the future additional public tracks will be developed, but the focus this year is to get the operational track network ready for the pest removal and mopup operations. Another milestone in 2014-15 was the construction of the Operations Workshop, and the purchase of the Kubota hill-climber vehicle housed in the workshop s vehicle bay. The workshop building has been put to nearly daily use by the Asset Team and the Track Cutting Team, and also serves as storage. The Trapping & Monitoring Team and the PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org Invasive Plant Control Team continue to operate out of the Volunteer Sheds by the carpark. The Kubota has joined the Toyota Hilux to constitute a fleet of two vehicles for the sanctuary to date. Both have been putting in the hard yards to keep up with the volunteers, traversing the perimeter of the fence line on regular basis, carting people, tools, and materials into the sanctuary s far reaches places which up until recently required a hard slog to get to (and then start work). Ecosystem Restoration The ~700ha site is host to a largely pristine ecosystem of beech forest with emergent podocarp species such as matai, rimu, and totara including some very large specimens. Work has been underway to restore the ecosystem since 2005, being delivered by volunteer teams coordinated by staff and volunteer team leaders under the Trust s strategic plan. Work areas include: wildlife monitoring, (bird, lizard and invertebrates), pest monitoring and trapping (currently on hold until fence construction is completed), and invasive plant control coupled with native planting. Planning is now underway for a comprehensive pest removal operation to follow fence construction. In order to allow NZ native flora and fauna to be introduced and then thrive within the sanctuary, introduced pests need to be removed. Once pests are removed from the sanctuary, relatively rare species that are already present are anticipated to explode in numbers, and vanished species will begin to be reintroduced. Since the sanctuary s trapping and hunting program began in 2004, the teams of volunteers have removed over 25,000 pests from the Brook Valley. That s an
amazing statistic when you consider it represents volunteers hiking through rugged bush to clear trap lines every week through all seasons of the year. All this work by literally hundreds of volunteers over nearly a decade s time has done two very important things. First, the steady removal of rodents, mustelids, possums, and ungulates from the ecosystem has encouraged the survival and relative success of many native species birds, reptiles, plants, and invertebrates. And second, it s demonstrated in a very clear, visceral way the need for a fence a defined barrier on the landscape to stem the ever-flowing tide of vermin. Because no matter how vigorously, even religiously, we trap and hunt, the mammals just keep breeding and coming. And even a suppressed population a handful so to speak of rats, stoats, or possums can decimate a local population of a native species some of which are so vulnerable to predation by introduced mammals that even a handful is too many. The final statistics from all the years of trapping in the Brook Sanctuary are shown below. The figures are high even from the roughly one-third of the sanctuary site that has been trapped, and taking into account the data from the early years was a bit spotty. Hats off to all the volunteers who have kept pest numbers to a minimum over the last decade through tireless time on the trap lines. Year Possums Rats Mice Mustelids 2007 260 351 22 20 2008 283 486 153 17 2009 368 2244 1554 44 2010 676 1335 1672 20 2011 570 1023 1399 20 2012 2013 309 291 1191 862 2431 1816 33 48 2014 254 2073 1533 35 2015 Totals Grand Total 125 3,136 24,845 Annual Report 2015 802 494 31 10,367 11,074 268 Trapping has now been suspended in the sanctuary, as of August 2015. The sanctuary s hugely successful trapping program will shift focus over the coming months. Rather than continuing with trapping as usual, we will begin removing the traps and trap tunnels currently in the sanctuary site; these will be refurbished and repaired wherever possible and replaced wherever not; and a new, more extensive network of tunnels will be distributed throughout the sanctuary site to provide for a new pest monitoring and trapping program following the aerial brodifacoum bait operation planned for winter 2016. The reason for ceasing trapping now is that the experts advise that trapping leading up to bait application is very risky. The risks are (at least) threefold: 1. An intense trapping regime of pests that are naturally cautious anyway, will select for (surviving) pests that are even more cautious. In the case of cats and mustelids, there is evidence that a proportion of every population is virtually undetectable. Intense trapping will only increase that proportion further. 2. If there are lots of cats and other predators competing for the very limited supply of (active) large insects, small birds, surviving rodents and available (not hidden in inaccessible dens) rodent carcasses after the toxin application, the chances of secondary poisoning are greatly increased. The fewer and more neophobic the predators in the population before baiting, the more that will remain after bait application, and the harder they will be to detect and remove. 3. The fewer rats pre-baiting, the more mice. That is just a simple biological fact in NZ forests. Rats supress mice through both predation and competition. If just 1 in 1000 mice survive a bait application due to cautious behaviour, then a 1000 mouse population will leave 1 lonely mouse to die a lonely death. If there are 10,000 mice - then that is 10 (undetectable) surviving mice, which will remain undetected, only to eventually find each other and start breeding up until we start detecting their offspring. So, while it s been very effective to suppress pest numbers via trapping over the past years leading up to this point, leaving a significantly smaller population of each pest species remaining to be removed by the bait operation, the time to stop trapping has arrived. If we think about why animals survive initial baiting, we come to the inescapable conclusion that we should simply leave them alone prior to baiting to assure a population of higher density of fast-becoming-food-limited (hungry), naive, vulnerable pests. PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
The Trapping Team is in the process of morphing into the Trapping & Monitoring Team. This team, which will seek to retain the troupes of trappers and also reengage the dozens of volunteers who made up the Pest Monitoring Team (whose work concluded in 2013), will undertake the demanding and exciting next phase of pest control activity in the sanctuary. Concurrently, work is underway with DOC and Project Janszoon to establish captive/release bird breeding at the sanctuary site and subsequent species reintroductions. Likely candidate species for the first bird breeding programs are kaka and whio, with facilities being planned for the lower reaches of the Brook Stream inside the sanctuary. Annual Report 2015 Currently at the visitor centre kids of all ages can enjoy encountering live gecko in one of several small, purpose-built enclosures. Plans for the future include a tuatara enclosure, thanks to the support of DOC and Ngati Koata. The pest removal operation will utilise the same techniques established at island sites worldwide and at other fenced sanctuaries in New Zealand, based on an aerial application of brodifacoum (standard rodent control substance commonly available at New Zealand shops) complemented with ground baiting. There is an excellent track record for these operations, which have led to numerous sites enjoying significant recovery of indigenous ecosystems. The optimum time for pest removal is in the winter, so the Trust is targeting winter 2016 for the pest removal operation. An intensive monitoring phase will follow, in which remnant pest populations will be detected and trapped by a significantly larger Pest Trapping & Monitoring Team, which will need to be recruited and organised in the coming year. Operational planning and the assessment of environmental effects have been provided by leading experts in the field: Pete McClelland, Cam Speedy, and Wildland Consultants. Invasive plant control is ongoing at the sanctuary site. Thanks to new leadership on the Invasive Plant Control Team from Don Morrisey and Nicola Harwood regular fortnightly weed control working bees have resumed at the sanctuary. Native planting bees complement the weeding bees, establishing new populations of eco-sourced native plants--derived from seeds collected from the Brook Sanctuary site (thanks to support from Honda NZ). Visitor Experiences & Facilities The sanctuary s visitor experiences have had two main focuses to date: volunteer staffing of the sanctuary s visitor centre to welcome the public to the site, and the development of a public walking track network. The visitor centre is open to the public every day during the peak summer season, and on weekends during the offpeak season. Volunteers fill shifts on a roster to ensure the building is staffed during opening hours, to give visitors a resource for information about the site and the project. The core public track system has been developed, with improved track entrance signage installed in 2013, and track entrance donation boxes installed in 2014, designed and fabricated by asset volunteer, Dick Joyce. Three loop options in the valley floor are the core of the public track system: one 45-minute loop, one 90-minute loop, and one 4- hour loop. Excellent progress has been made to the short loop over 2014-15 toward making it a fully accessible track for wheelchairs and baby strollers. Planning is well progressed for two pedestrian bridges that will complete the short loop one across the Brook Stream s outflow notch in the concrete dam and one in the valley floor at the Beech Glade (slated for construction in 2015-16). The Beech Glade, in the heart of the Brook Valley, saw the completion this year of an exciting new facility. The Asset Team, with financial support from the Trust s partner, Ngati Kuia, built the Outdoor Education Zone. Final fit-out of the wall- PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
less classroom is still to come, but the site has already been put to good use by several school groups. The Trust s goal is for the sanctuary to be a treasured local attraction, popular with residents and visitors alike. The upper valley, with its pristine bush and fantastic walking tracks, is already beloved. Our intent is to build on that foundation to deliver remarkable experiences that will keep people coming back. To this end we ve engaged a range of expertise, including the best visitor experience know-how at DOC, the leadership of Air New Zealand, and leading consultants such as Tim Walker Assoc. The Trust s preliminary traffic and parking plans for visitors will be further informed by the reserve management plan recently adopted by Nelson City Council for the Brook Valley Reserve, which includes the sanctuary s entrance and the adjacent Brook Valley Holiday Park. The Trust will engage further with Council and the community to actualise our shared vision for the site as this planning process progresses to its next phases, including a gazettal process and a site development planning process. Education The sanctuary project is inherently a multi-generational endeavour. It s crucial that we bring the next generations along with us on this journey of ecological conservation and restoration. For while it s vitally important to conserve endangered species and the web of life for the future, it s equally important to ensure that future generations will share an understanding of the value of such conservation. And society is facing significant challenges in this area with today s youth spending much of their free time screen bonding quite different from than the green Annual Report 2015 bonding prior generations enjoyed in their childhoods on farms and in rural and suburban settings. That s why the Trust has dedicated substantial staff resources to the development and delivery of quality educational programs and experiences for the region s children and youth over the years. The Trust partners with the Nelson Provincial Museum and the Nelson City Council s Stream Education Programme to give young people a grounding in environmental science and hands-on conservation experiences in a natural setting. Classes, syndicates, and even entire schools bring their students for on-site programs. The schools are encouraged to look at their own grounds as an extension of the Sanctuary for various tie-ins to curricula, including the ongoing monitoring of native wildlife and pests on their own doorsteps. Over the last year the Sanctuary has delivered education programs to the following groups: 2014-15 Students Schools Primary 1303 Intermediate 633 Secondary 312 Tertiary 201 Other Scouts, After School, etc. 246 Early Childhood 456 Total 3151 The Trust partnered with NMIT and DOC in 2009 to develop the Brook Conservation Education Centre, home of the nationally unique Trainee Ranger Program. Though the centre s campus was closed in 2011 by a landslip, the Trainee Ranger Program continues to train a new cohort of prospective rangers for openings at DOC and councils throughout New Zealand. Plans to relocate the centre s classroom buildings to the Brook Valley Reserve, adjacent to the sanctuary s entrance, have been on hold since 2014 while Nelson City Council undertook to develop a Reserve Management Plan for the area. With PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
the plan approved in October 2015, the partnership of BWST, NMIT and DOC will now work with Council and the community to progress the plan to re-establish the learning centre. It s our hope that the facility will over time come to provide a wide range of education, training, and meeting opportunities. In 2014-15 the Trust developed the Beech Glade Outdoor Education Zone (thanks to the support of Ngati Kuia), a classroom facility embedded in the heart of the sanctuary, complete with power and data for 21 st century educational opportunities. The Trust also hosts Royal Society Participating Teachers. In 2014 the sanctuary hosted fellow, Sterling Cathman, who initiated our invertebrate monitoring program to establish baseline data for these important food sources for native bird and reptile species. In 2015 we are hosting Mark Stephens, who is continuing the invertebrate monitoring work, as well as assisting with the development of a comprehensive GPS-based map of all sanctuary tracks and sites. Financials & Fund-Raising Please see the annual audited accounts at the end of this document, prepared by RWCA, for an overview of the Trust s financial position, including the Trust s balance sheet, income statement, depreciation, and notes. In 2014 the Trust successfully concluded our major fund-raising campaign for the pest-proof fence project, with outstanding success thanks to the generous support of numerous individuals, families, clubs, businesses, and funders, as outlined in the BWST 2014 Annual Report. This milestone allowed construction of the pest-proof fence to proceed. That was a tremendous achievement anywhere/anytime, and notably in Nelson, NZ immediately following the global financial crisis and therefore worth a second round of hearty congratulations all round! The pest-proof fence project s $4.7M fund-raising target included the key components required to establish a pest-free site, required for the Trust s native wildlife restoration plans. The campaign target included the $4.2M cost for the construction of the pest-proof fence, including: fence design and construction, bench platform design and construction, materials, labour, and project management. This project is on track to come in at or under budget. Annual Report 2015 The target s balance of $.5M includes funds for the removal of all pest mammals inside the sanctuary s fence and a contribution to the Trust s operational overhead for its development phase. The Trust has, concurrently and subsequently, secured funding for other key sanctuary development sub-projects including the Beech Glade valley floor pedestrian bridge (thanks to the McKee Trust and the Rata Foundation formerly the Canterbury Community Trust) and second operations workshop this one inside the fence (thanks again to the Rata Foundation). Exciting sub-projects that will make the sanctuary a place to save native wildlife and a fantastic visitor attraction currently with partial funding secured (thanks to DOC) include: A kaka breeding/release aviary to showcase this charismatic native parrot; A tuatara enclosure to provide an encounter with New Zealand s most primordial ancient ones; The pedestrian bridge that will span the notch in the concrete dam and complete the fully-accessible valley floor loop track. Fund-raising is ongoing the above sub-projects and for other outstanding visitor experiences. Of the ~7,500 fence posts to be included in the fence, 1,364 have been sponsored to date, leaving opportunities for future fund-raising campaigns in conjunction with overall sanctuary development. Fence-posts make great Christmas presents! The Trust will continue in its multi-year plan process of identifying key opportunities for delivering an outstanding suite of wildlife facilities and visitor experiences. These will include ancillary sanctuary development projects that will each be explored, planned robustly, and fund-raised for appropriately over the coming years. The Trust s fund-raising strategy is likewise multi-pronged, with government, businesses, donors, funders, and the wider public all playing their parts. Further PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org
development of the membership program and exploring joint opportunities *with business and government are priorities for 2015-16.* Together, harnessing our collective energies, we will see this project through, with very tangible results in the coming year. I look forward to realising the vision of the Trust s purpose in its original founding deed, together with all the Trust s myriad of supporters, our strategic partners, and the wider community who have ensured this project is not just a dream it s a reality. Onward! Hudson Dodd General Manager *One of the best ways to help secure the long term future of the sanctuary is through a donation or bequest. Donations (one-off or recurring) and bequests can be made directly with the Trust by contacting us at: The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust PO Box 744 Nelson 7040 www.brooksanctuary.org +64 (0)3 546 2422 Bequests can also be gifted to the sanctuary and other important initiatives via the Nelson Bays Community Foundation, an independent charitable organisation established to assist donors to achieve their wishes for the benefit of our community. support sanctuary activities. According to NBCF: The Brook Waimarama Sanctuary is a substantial community project developing a valuable resource for future generations. As we move through the development phase, the Trust is also focused on building a strong revenue stream for the future to protect the assets of the Sanctuary. One way the Trust can secure its financial future is to establish an endowment fund through which funds are invested, forever creating a permanent revenue stream to BWST members and supporters can help by making a bequest to the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary Trust - a generous gift that will enable the Sanctuary to develop and thrive, leaving an enduring legacy for future generations. Nelson Bays Community Foundation Executive Officer, David Kerr 03 546 6323 or 0800 777 880 www.nbcf.org.nz All photos and artwork BWST unless otherwise noted Annual Report 2015 PO Box 744 Nelson 7010 www.brooksanctuary.org 03 546 2422 info@brooksanctuary.org