Efforts by private landowners to protect and enhance native bush and wildlife are paying valuable dividends for biodiversity in Taranaki – but for Tikorangi dairy farmers Neil and Jackie Whitehead, there’s even more to the story.
The Whiteheads, whose 128 ha farm’s bush blocks are recognised by the Taranaki Regional Council as a Key Native Ecosystem, plunged into an intensive programme of predator and weed control, monitoring, planting and track-building after two kiwi were sighted on their property in 2008.
And as well as a resurgence of native bush and birdlife on their property, they say the work has brought another, unexpected benefit.
“It’s such a great release from farming’s day-to-day stresses and pressures, to be able to go up to one of the bush blocks to do some different sort of work, or to just soak up the atmosphere,” says Jackie. “That’s a reward in itself. And you can see the native trees are now flowering and fruiting much more heavily, and the birds are fantastic.”
The bush blocks contain kahikatea, rimu (including one giant with a trunk circumference of 7.8m and diameter of 2.8m), rata, king ferns, totara, nikau palms and a host of other native plants. Besides the kiwi, the property has tui, kereru, grey warblers, fantails, silvereyes, morepork, New Zealand falcon and harrier hawk (kahu).
Since late 2008, the Whiteheads and their helpers have:
- Laid more than 100 traps and bait stations, most of them sponsored by community groups, businesses and friends and family.
- Eliminated more than 1150 predators, including possums, stoats, weasels, rats, feral cats and hedgehogs.
- Targeted woolly nightshade and Darwin’s barberry, two pest plants in some of the bush areas.
- Undertaken riparian and bush-enhancement planting.
- Formed tracks through two of the three larger bush blocks, including bridges and hundreds of steps. Not only do these make predator and weed control easier, but they allow the Whiteheads to share the bush with their supporters.
- Started installing discreet interpretative signage at significant points in the bush.
- Extended the area under QEII covenant (the first covenants were made in 2005).
- Established a website (www.kererukeep.org.nz) to keep sponsors and supporters up-to-date with progress.
“The Whiteheads have achieved in two years what would reasonably be expected in five years,” says the Taranaki Regional Council’s Biodiversity Operations Co-ordinator, Jake Goonan. “We admire their motivation and commitment and it’s been great to work with them.”
The Whiteheads bush blocks were added to the Council’s Inventory of Key Native Ecosystems in 2009. Council staff have since prepared a Biodiversity Plan at no cost to the Whiteheads, and worked with the couple to implement it.
“We’ve learnt so much from the Council’s biodiversity team and look forward to their visits,” says Jackie.
Under the Biodiversity Plan, the Council has:
- Provided traps and bait stations, and education and advice on their use.
- Organised the supply of 1450 plants.
- Undertaken monitoring.
- Provided advice and assistance with track construction.
- Organised the signage for the bush.
“We’ve identified 163 Key Native Ecosystems in the region, most of them on private land, and each year we draw up at least 10 Biodiversity Plans and work with landowners to implement them,” says the Council’s Director-Operations, Rob Phillips. “The Whiteheads are an excellent example of how successful this joint effort can be.”
— This item was first published in the Taranaki Regional Council's Recount magazine in March 2011