Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

The Remarkables celebrates the return of kea


Conservation Week is off to a flying start for The Remarkables ski field, with the official naming of one of the seven native kea birds that have recently returned to the area.

In a major conservation win, seven of the endangered birds have now been shown to revisit their native environment at the ski field over the past 12 months, thanks to a two-year effort of predator control and habitat management by The Remarkables staff, in partnership with the local Kea Conservation Trust.

The birds – five banded and two yet to be banded – are part of the Wakatipu’s only kea monitoring scheme, with the alpine parrot rarely seen within the Queenstown Lakes District.

Last Saturday, The Remarkables’ staff Kaitiakitanga committee sought the help of visitors on the mountain to name one of the male kea. The winning name is Tāhae, which means ‘thief’ in Te Reo Māori – a nod to the bird’s tendencies to steal people’s belongings. Amy McLoughlin from Alexandra, who suggested the winning name, wins a handcrafted topographical map of the Wakatipu created by sustainably-minded artwork company The Furnace.

To coincide with nationwide Conservation Week, the Kea Conservation Trust will utilise research funding provided by NZSki to extend their monitoring efforts across the basin, at Ben Lomond. Ben Lomond is the only other site in the Wakatipu known to have kea visiting.

NZSki CEO Paul Anderson says the company is committed to enhancing habitats and increasing the kea population locally – and with combined efforts alongside the Kea Conservation Trust, the whole Queenstown district could benefit with more sightings.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“The kea is one of New Zealand’s most iconic birds, which used to be far more prevalent than now,” Anderson says. “We’re passionate about deepening our understanding of this rare and cheeky bird, and creating a more habitable environment for kea not just on our ski fields, but across the region as a whole.

“We love our mountains and believe it’s really important to protect and enhance the areas in which we operate. The return of kea locally is a remarkable feat. We’re celebrating by giving our staff the chance to name the other four kea that have been tagged currently. The names will be unveiled at the end of the week – keep your eyes peeled for the kea in the flesh when you’re up on the slopes!”

Kea Conservation Trust co-founder and chair Tamsin Orr-Walker adds: “We are very excited to be seeing more kea present locally and we look forward to working with the local community and NZSki to better understand the status of the Wakatipu kea population over the next few years. We encourage people who do see kea to report their sightings via the kea sightings database to help us with these projects.”

The Ben Lomond Kea monitoring project will kick off early 2020, with NZSki helping to erect public information signs on the Ben Lomond saddle from April next year, as well as helping to tag, test blood lead levels and attach transmitters to kea to better understand their nesting habits.

In addition to work on Ben Lomond, NZSki staff will continue their extensive summer Kaitiakitanga programme across The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and Mt Hutt through native plant revegetation, pest control and wilding pine eradication – ensuring the mountain environments are a place where native birds like the kea can thrive.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.