@DOC - Canterbury Conservancy News

@DOC
Canterbury Conservancy News
March – June 2000

Contents- click on any title to jump straight to that article
 Knight lays down his fire-sword
 Roopu Kaitiaki
 Mrs Bones fit and well
 Canterbury Conservation Day
 Volunteers celebrated!
 Pit pat proves popular
 Roadworks with kiwi in mind
 Speights Coast to Coast
 Concessions overload
 Tourism industry partnerships show promise

 Boxthorn boxed out
 Ahuriri River restoration
 Historic heritage workshop
 Up-coming events

Knight lays down his fire-sword
A knight (his armour is fire-retardant overalls, his sword a hose) in shining armour he is not, but he's seen a lot of fighting in his lifetime – fire fighting that is!
Roy Knight has retired from the Department of Conservation after 42 years working in fire control. Under the Forest and Rural Fires Act, DOC as a rural fire authority is responsible for preventing and controlling fires on public conservation land, all unoccupied crown land and within one kilometre of these lands.
Around 150 people attended a leaving function in Roy's honour, held in the Rangiora Fire Depot where Roy has worked as Conservation Officer Delivery, fire control.
Outdoor life was the motivation for Roy to join the New Zealand Forest Service in 1952 as a 'trainee woodsman'. He moved full time into fire control in 1958 and has continued in this specialised field ever since, firstly with the Forest Service and then DOC after 1987.
In Forest Service days Roy was often front line at major rural fires throughout Canterbury. "The Balmoral fire, the Ashley Fire which started on the day of the heat wave in Christchurch when it reached 420, yep I was there," reminisces Roy.
Based at the Rangiora Fire Depot, Roy played a pivotal role in training staff and servicing fire equipment for DOC in Canterbury and the West Coast. He and comrade Greg Heaven also provided service outside DOC. "Roy has done a lot of exceptional work with outside agencies, territorial authorities and NZ Fire Service to assist and meet their requirements" says Tony Teeling, Senior Fire Control Officer.
"I've seen a lot of people come and go, and trained a lot of people over the years, NZFS, NZ Fire Service, district council staff, volunteer fire brigades, rural fire parties" says Roy. "I've served under 6 senior fire control officers". Roy preferred working at what he refers to as "the coal face", doing the real work, and getting his hands dirty. "I didn't want to sit in the office doing the paper work side of the job," says Roy.
Tony Teeling as senior fire control officer, oversees and co-ordinates all aspects of fire management throughout the conservancy. "Roy has seen and weathered a lot of change" says Tony. " Following the demise of NZFS, Roy played an important role in bringing together three separate environmental agencies that had three different cultures and make them into one (DOC). To bring together new staff, some of who had been exposed to fire control and some that hadn't; wasn't an easy task. He set systems up to operate in a professional manner."
"He has always been very loyal to the cause and to me as a manager" says Tony. Roy points out that DOC is still a very young organisation, developing it's own culture and camaraderie. "The staff are all conservation minded, we are not here for the money," says Roy, but adds with a twinkle in his eye "bring back over-time!"
Roy attended nearly every National Fire Officers conference since they first began in July 1965. He has seen the advances made in fire equipment, from the first lanyard-operated monsoon bucket to the use of foam fire retardant. He's noticed the change in the faces on the front-line too. "Over the last 10 years there have been a lot more women joining volunteer fire brigades," Roy says. "More chances should be given to female staff employed in the department to be in a fire fighting team. I don't see it as a male domain. If they are fit enough there is always a place for anyone at a fire no matter what their sex or capability."
Roy sees a bright future ahead for DOC in its fire-fighting role, if staff attend fire training and are rewarded accordingly. DOC has endorsed the NZQA unit standards for vegetation fire management and control and is developing a highly qualified and competent fire personnel. "We need to perform in a professional manner, maintaining a high level of competence in all our fire activities, not just in suppression but prevention, detection, and all other aspects of fire management" says Tony Teeling. Roy believes education is a key in preventing fire, especially with children at primary level. "They take the message home to their parents!" Roy says.
Roy has no regrets about his vocation. "I've enjoyed what I've done on the fire side for the department. I have lasting memories, and satisfaction from a job well done, when you see the fires put out and what you've achieved," he says. "It's a sad day when I go cause you're leaving all the friends you made in the DOC, and probably a few enemies as well. I think DOC doesn't advertise enough of the good things it's done. We need to show the flag, that we do good." Thanks Roy. You did good.

Roopu Kaitiaki
The Department of Conservation and Ngäi Tahu are working co-operatively under a new formal forum.
Roopu Kaitiaki is a working group between Nga Runanga and the Department, set up to help develop and improve relationships, and to provide a regular means of passing on information. The meetings are held every two months, with at least one person from each local runanga officially nominated to attend the meetings. This forum will advise the department when consultation is needed and help ensure consultation occurs in an appropriate way whenever there is an iwi interest.
In late March the North Canterbury area held two inaugural Roopu Kaitiaki meetings, one with Horomaka (Banks Peninsula) Runanga, the other with Tuahuriri and Taumutu Runanga, in which the Waimakariri Area also participated.
These initial meetings were great for establishing better communication lines. Martin Rutledge from Conservancy gave an excellent presentation on freshwater fish. Annette Hamblett explained the process of producing a Conservancy Interpretation Plan and invited input into the draft from Nga Runanga.
The next bi-monthly Roopu Kaitiaki meeting with Tuahuriri and Taumutu Runanga was held on Monday 29 May. Waimakariri Area issues were at the fore of the meeting and the Waimakariri draft business plan was presented. The Area Manager, Bryan Jensen, introduced the staff who all spoke on their areas of responsibility. RMA issues are of great interest to Nga Runanga and Bruce Arnold of the North Canterbury Area, and Richard Suggate Area Manager chaired this amicable meeting. Through these meetings the partnership between DOC and Nga Runanga will be strengthened with mutual benefit.

Mrs Bones fit and well
In January, a captive female kakï/black stilt at the Twizel aviary underwent an emergency operation to repair her broken bill. It was the first attempt in the world to fix a kaki bill and possibly the first stilt bill. Mrs Bones gained her name after she broke both her upper and lower bills and could not eat, thus rapidly lost weight. The nervous kakï broke her bill when frightened; she flew into the aviary netting. Mrs Bones was one of the most productive females of this endangered species, having bred 12 chicks last season, which were successfully raised at the DOC aviary in Twizel. She was a valuable member of the kakï-breeding programme, so the advice of a vet and then a dentist was called for.
Dentist John Jensen and Vet Mark Colson carried out Mrs. Bones' first operation in January when she was fitted with bill splints to help the healing process. She was able to feed herself and re-gain her original weight. Her progress was followed with keen interest by local newspapers and even by TV1, when she briefly made headline news around the country. The lower bill mended well but the upper bill gradually shifted out of alignment. Several repairs using dental glue by Aviculturalist Emily Sancha did not last very long.
The second operation was more complicated, involving setting pins to hold the upper bill together. This time the media was not invited because of concerns for Mrs. Bones' safety. "She survived the second operation well," says Emily Sancha, "and even though it has not mended into a perfect fix, she is able to feed herself. We're hopeful she will again play a key role in boosting the kakï population this spring and summer."
The kakï recovery project is very grateful for the help they received from dentist John Jensen and vet Mark Colson, both from Geraldine.

Canterbury Conservation Day

"Planting for the Future" was the theme of the Canterbury Conservation Day at Motukarara Nursery on Sunday, April 16. The weather was pretty close to perfect, attracting a steady flow of visitors throughout the day who came to find out more about conservation, native plants and to make a purchase from the nursery.
This annual event, originally known as the Motukarara Nursery open day, has grown over the last ten years into a diverse conservation gala. While native plants and planting remained a main focus, other conservation themes were introduced to reflect the contributions made from a variety of other organisations such as the Christchurch Environment Centre, Christchurch Agenda 21 forum and Addington Bush society to name just a few.
Well-known local artist and passionate gardener Nancy Tichbourne gave the keynote talk. Nancy moved to Banks Peninsula (Wainui) five years ago but didn't waste any time in establishing a garden that takes on the challenge of growing exotics in "comfortable juxtaposition" with the existing natives.
Second speaker was national mainland island co-ordinator Alan Saunders with a well-received talk on "Islands of Hope" – the role and purpose of mainland islands – highlighting our very own in the Hurunui. Just in time to support his talk, DOC has produced a leaflet about the Hurunui Mainland Island project. This mainland island is not readily accessible to the public but the leaflet will provide information for those who are interested in the work DOC is achieving in this area.
Nursery manager Jorge Santos and Ranger Robin Smith led several nursery tours, showing people the combination of plants that formerly grew in different environments in Canterbury. "Of all the parts of New Zealand, the Canterbury Plains have the least natural vegetation left" says Jorge Santos. "People can come here and have a choice of plant combinations from their own areas of Canterbury". Botanist Nick Head guided a threatened plant tour around six display gardens and a planting workshop was held by the Otamahua/Quail Island Restoration Trust. A number of environmental groups, the City and Regional Councils had displays and stalls, as did retailers such as Scorpio Books and Wild Places.
The day highlighted the work of the nursery and Canterbury native habitats as well as the work done with associates within the wider community. "The nursery stays because of support and demand from the local community," says Jorge.
Plans for next years Canterbury Conservation Day are already underway with the chosen theme of streams, rivers and wetlands, with a Canterbury-wide focus.

Volunteers celebrated!
Those who pay a visit to Motukarara Nursery may recognise the faces of Jenny and Roger Mountfort. What you might not realise is that this couple have worked voluntarily for the nursery since 1995. "Jenny and Roger have mucked in with whatever jobs need doing – weeding, carrying plants, propagation, pricking out and potting," says Nursery Manager Jorge Santos.
Jenny and Roger have a long history of volunteer and community support work behind them. They are both retired teachers and Roger a counsellor, who have spent 13 years working as missionaries in the Solomon Islands. They have participated in many community projects such as a revegetation scheme at Island Bay in Wellington and on Banks Peninsula with Hugh Wilson. The couple spends one day a week at the nursery. "We regard working at the nursery as a privilege" enthuses Jenny. We have learnt a lot, have thoroughly enjoyed our work and the staff are nice people" says Jenny.
Jenny and Roger met Jorge when they visited the nursery to source plants for their property in Yaldhurst. "Their dedication is immense, highlighted this year by their decision to celebrate Jenny's 70th birthday helping to run the Canterbury Conservation Open day" says Jorge. "They have amazing relationship with staff, and everyone enjoys their company, their enthusiasm and dedication".

Pit pat proves popular
Staff from Canterbury, Otago and Nelson met in March to discuss the future direction of work on the threatened species Pittosporum patulum, more affectionately known as pit pat. Standardisation of data collection was the main topic and all conservancies are now using the same survey and monitoring sheets. The round up of work undertaken by conservancies was very informative and bodes well for the future of this species.
Pit pat is an endangered plant found only in Nelson, Canterbury and Otago. These trees look exactly like lancewood, even down to the juvenile and mature leaf form, but have different flowers and fruit.
Unfortunately pit pats are like ice cream in the world of possums - the foliage smells good and tastes even better. Pit Pat will revert to it's juvenile leaf form in response to the stress of browsing by possums or deer.
Surveys for Pittosporum patulum in areas containing likely habitat were undertaken in Waimakariri Area. There were 48 plants located in the head of the Cox River. The team that conducted the survey found a browsed thirty-three year old pit pat with juvenile leaves and a 4mm diameter trunk.
Surveys were also conducted on Saturday 28 April in the Twizel area with the help of a helicopter. The survey covered several valleys in the Ohau Conservation Area, looking for new sites for pit pat within the alpine scrub zone. The magnitude of existing sites was clearly seen from the air, with one numbering several hundred adult trees. One new site was discovered, and will soon be explored on the ground. The use of the helicopter was ideal, however conditions, especially speed and altitude were critical.
Pit pat Planted
To mark the first Arbor Day of the new millennium, Pit Pat was planted as part of the Arthur's Pass beautification by planting project. Members of the local school accompanied Mrs Judy Charles and Mr Bob Vaile and DOC staff to brave a minus 7.1 degree frost to mark this auspicious occasion.
The ten year recovery programme for pit pat involves determining more precisely the distribution, abundance and threats to the plant. In the 2000/01 season, volunteer programmes for surveying pit pat will be held in the Waimakariri and Twizel Areas.

Roadworks with kiwi in mind
Since February 2000 there has been massive earthworks between McGraths Creek and Jacks Hut on the approaches to the new Whites Bridge on State Highway 73. These earthworks involve the cutting of new batters, realigning and reducing the gradient of the road, which entails the movement of 51,000 cubic metres of material!
The environmental impact of this work within the Arthur's Pass National Park is monitored by Bruce Watson (an independent contractor), and Wayne Beggs (Conservation Officer responsible for Resource Management monitoring). The Department of Conservation also monitors adherence to the resource consent conditions imposed by Environment Canterbury.
A comprehensive Environmental Protection Plan has been formulated by Opus to remedy and mitigate potential damage in the National Park. Two areas of mitigation deal with the roroa/great spotted kiwi and vegetation restoration.
Previous surveys have pinpointed kiwi in and near the road works. Before construction started, checks were made to ensure there were no kiwi nesting or living in the area. Fences were erected to keep kiwi away from the area and prevent them falling into trenches that are being constructed at various times. While helping to position the latest fence Wayne Beggs found kiwi probe marks in the wetland to show skeptical construction workers. Skepticism soon turned to interest and enthusiasm, and kiwi near Whites Bridge are now in safe hands.
The vegetation restoration plan requires 13,500 square metres to be re-vegetated. The Department of Conservation's Motukarara Nursery has been contracted to provide 50kg of seed of four native species. The seed is collected locally, dried, and treated with a protective coating. These seeds will will be scattered in the spring once construction has been completed.

Photo: Staff from the Waimakariri Area Office recently helped Nicky Robb from Motukarara Nursery collect seed from Hoheria lyallii (Mountain Ribbonwood) beside Lake Misery.

Speights Coast to Coast
The Department has recently granted a new 10-year concession contract to the organisers of the Speights Coast to Coast. The contract recognises the co-operations achieved between DOC and the concessionaire to manage the effects of this major event within Arthur's Pass National Park.
"After careful research into the effects of the previous concession, it became clear that training had a significant physical, ecological and social impact within the park." Says Community Relations Officer, Andy Thompson. "Training takes place during the breeding and fledgling season for the endangered whio/ blue duck, when they are the most vulnerable to disturbance." To deal with these concerns and to ensure the sustainability of the event within the national park, DOC and race organiser Robin Judkins have agreed that a voluntary ban on training runs will be implemented. The amount and level of training will be monitored over the next two seasons.
To inform competitors of this change, 7000 fact sheets were produced outlining the reasons for the voluntary ban and sent out in the application packs to competitors. "The ban will be reviewed after two years. It is hoped that people will recognise the issues and that a stronger stance will not be necessary," says Mr Thompson.
The Department of Conservation would also like to thank Robin Judkins for the contributions he has made to conservation. Mr Judkins provided financial assistance to move the track out of prime whio/blue duck habitat in the upper Mingha River and has supported department staff in other ways in the spirit of co-operation and partnership.

Concessions overload
The concession team of Andy Thompson, John Scriven and Sarah Toxward are currently managing around 400 concessions. They are presently processing 52 new concession applications, which represents a very high workload for this small but dedicated team. "The recent rise in concession applications reflects the buoyant mood of the tourist industry," says team leader Andy Thompson.
A concession is an official authorisation to operate in an area managed by DOC. It may be in the form of a lease, licence, permit or easement. Concessions for activities on conservation lands can be granted when they do not compromise the intrinsic, natural and historic value of areas, or do not conflict with the enjoyment of visitors. A concession also helps to ensure that services and facilities provided for visitors are appropriate and of a suitable standard.
After the first of July the concessions team will have full access to cost-recovery funds that applicants provide. This will be used to employ staff for processing and management of concessions in a more efficient way – thus providing a better balance between work demands and resources.

Tourism industry partnerships show promise
DOC is holding regular meetings with the Tourism Industry Association (TIA) and Christchurch & Canterbury Marketing. These meetings aim to build better working relationships between these key players in the local tourist industry.
TIA and Christchurch & Canterbury Marketing represent the proactive force working at the front end with operators to shape the tourism industry for the next 5 years. "DOC's concession management is currently reactive," says Community Relations Officer Andy Thompson. "Managing environmental impact is the whole focus of concession management. Unless the management of resources and effects are as proactive as the marketing, resources will suffer," says Andy.
This is one small example of the government and private sector working jointly on the long-term sustainability of tourism in NZ. The results so far show promise for the future, with increased awareness of DOC's role in the tourism industry, in the management of land, visitor centres and concessions.
"It's great to have key people such as Malcolm Anderson of the TIA involved in training workshops for DOC concession staff," says Andy Thompson.
Coming up
Up-coming events include a joint workshop with TIA, DOC and Ngäi Tahu for concessionaires and a meeting with marine permit holders and DOC over research findings and management of DOC's operations research levy.
The NZ Marine studies centre, University of Otago is holding a "Marine Mammal Ecotour Operators" workshop. The workshop will be held over August 5 – 7th, and is specifically designed for marine mammal tour operators. For more information, contact Andy Thompson; phone 371 3747 or email at athompson@doc.govt.nz

More weeds bite the dust
Department of Conservation's Waimakariri Area administers 234,500 hectares of land, which has been divided into 61 Weed Management Units. These units contain 102 infestation sites, covering 35,833 hectares. Sites are surveyed and prioritised according to the threats posed to conservation values. Rolling back infestation from forest and park interiors and protecting habitats of endangered plants and animals are amongst the highest priorities.
A long-term control plan is developed for each site. This plan covers control of the weeds and follow-up reviews of the site over the years, to ensure control has been achieved. Some weeds have a seed life of up to 80 years; therefore it is not enough to just remove the plant. Some are sprayed with herbicide and others are grubbed out. Weeds can sometimes be left because they form a useful nursery crop for seedling native plants. When the native plants grow through they will suppress and eventually kill the weeds. Highly visible weeds are not always a threat.
This year Waimakariri has treated 3,050 hectares containing gorse, broom, wilding pines and Hawthorne.
The accompanying photo shows heli-weeding at the bottom of Porters Pass. The boundary edges were sprayed to comply with the department's legal obligations. Beech forest duff has been collected and the Department's Motukarara Nursery is growing the seed contained in it. When these plants are about two years old they will be planted in clumps amongst the untreated broom. This natural succession technique is a slow process but is far more effective in the long run.

Boxthorn boxed out
Early in May the annual boxthorn control programme was carried out on Motunau Island. DOC Staff spent a week on this remote island in an effort to eradicate this particularly vicious weed. They were lucky in their timing, losing only half a day because of rain, and on the whole having very good weather. Staff found though some of last year's cut boxthorn had resprouted, there was a very low percentage of regrowth. Some seedlings had regenerated on bare ground. All the regrowth and seedlings were treated. Initial control was continued on the northeast and western faces of the island. This requires a certain amount of agility and dexterity in dangling from a rope to get access and using loppers to cut the boxthorn. This process is considerably slower than in past years when staff were able to use chainsaws for cutting. The battle against this thorny pest continues.

Ahuriri River restoration
The Ahuriri River is nationally and internationally recognised as a wetland system with outstanding conservation values, and as an important trout fishery. Project River Recovery (PRR) intends to apply for resource consent to extend its weed control operations to cover the entire Ahuriri River. The aim is to retain braided river habitat and increase wildlife populations.
The Ahuriri River provides breeding and feeding habitat for 25% of the world population of endangered kakï/black stilts and 14% of the world population of 5000 tarapirohe/black-fronted terns. Other birds reliant on braided riverbed habitat include waders such as the threatened ngutu pare/wrybill, turiwhatu/banded dotterel, törea/South Island pied oystercatcher, poaka/pied stilt, and waterbirds such as shags, gulls and ducks.
Introduced exotic plants such as willow, Russell lupin, gorse and broom threaten these outstanding conservation values.
Since 1992 PRR has carried out weed control below the State Highway 8 bridge, in the lower Ahuriri. Monitoring of surface water, ground water, soil, fish, aquatic insects and birds was carried out during and after weed control operations. No adverse effects were detected. Surface water monitoring is regularly carried out after control operations. Weed control has benefited birds and many are breeding in restored areas of riverbed. Prior to weed control few birds were able to use these sites.
After consultation with landholders adjoining the river, fishing guides, Fish and Game, Forest and Bird, Iwi and others, a discussion document has been written and circulated amongst the stakeholders. All feedback will be considered prior to applying for the resource consent to carry out weed control throughout the Ahuriri River. If you would like a copy of the Discussion Document please contact Kerry Brown, DOC, Twizel Area Office, Private Bag, Twizel.

Tracks, huts and other facilities
Huts are an important part of the backcountry recreation experiences of many New Zealanders. A new fact sheet outlining DOC's commitment to manage these huts on a sustainable basis has just been produced. Copies can be obtained from your local DOC office.
At a local level, the usual round of hut maintenance, general cleanups and toilet emptying was carried out over the summer months at Aoraki/Mt Cook. Sefton Biv has been upgraded and Liebig Hut has been moved to a new position 100m along the valley floor out of the way of avalanche and rockfall danger. Empress Hut remains closed after the engineers' report identified substantial rockfall danger.
Hooker Valley track has been upgraded to wheelchair standard from just past the carpark to Mueller Glacier lookout point. Other tracks received general maintenance.
Repairs and maintenance to tracks and structures has occurred on the St James Walkway. A section of boardwalk was replaced and redundant boardwalk sections removed. Magdalene Hut has a fresh coat of paint and a concrete slab instead of a bog at the door. The woodshed has been rebuilt and stocked with wood, as has Boyle Hut.
Two 10m bridges in the Ann, which had been identified as structurally unsound for their length, have been recycled into four 5m bridges. One has gone to Twizel; two to Aoraki and one will go to Kiwi Saddle to replace a pole bridge.
An engineer's plan has been developed for the Nikau Gully staircase and materials will be purchased this financial year. As the track is extremely slippery at this time of year the building work is deferred until spring.
A contractor has completed track maintenance in the Ashley, Mt Thomas and Mt Oxford Forest areas. This includes work on the Mt Grey Track, Red Pine Track, Grey River nature trail, Wooded Gully track, Track 1, loop 2, Coopers Creek to View Hill, Coppers Creek to Ryde Falls, and Mt. Oxford route.Structure repairs have occurred on the Grey River nature trail, and a bridge was removed from Grey River picnic area.
The Punchbowl and Bealey footbridges in Arthur's Pass National Park have been painted, and a contractor is currently constructing new approaches to the Punchbowl Falls Bridge. A contractor will also work on structure repairs and removals in the Mingha Valley.
A landscape architect carried out landscape assessment of Cave Stream Scenic Reserve, looking specifically at redevelopment of the access tracks. DOC is currently consulting with Ngäi Tahu with the Punchbowl Falls track being the next project in the pipeline.
Geological hazard assessments of Hawdon, Anticrow, West Harper and Cass Saddle huts identified no significant hazards!
The Department would like to pass on their thanks to those individuals and groups who have volunteered their time to work with staff in maintaining and upgrading recreation facilities. Great work was done recently at NapeNape by the Motor Caravan Association, and at Tweedy's Gully.
Informal discussions between tramping clubs and department staff have highlighted suitable jobs that clubs may wish to help out on in the near future. Stay tuned for further details.

Historic heritage workshop
Ian Hill, Historic Heritage Technical Support Officer gathered together 5 staff from Area Offices involved in Historic Heritage Management to meet in South Canterbury. The group spent two days together to share information and be brought up to date on national issues, as well as visiting some of the historic sites in the area. The historic Monavale School (1911) was an ideal venue for discussing standard operating procedures (SOPs) strategies, archaeological site management, historic settings, Ngäi Tahu Settlement implementation, business planning and performance measures. The afternoon was taken up with site visits to Raincliff Historic Reserve, Pioneer Park, and NZ Historic Places Trust covenant sites at Hazleburn and Pleasant Point. Raincliff and Hazleburn are both rock art sites and management issues and legal obligations under the NZ Historic Places Act were discussed. Pioneer Park and Keane Cob cottage were viewed to acquaint staff with a variety of management issues.
The morning of day two was spent on implementation of a national Historic Asset Management System (HAMS). "HAMS looks at where we have come from, where we are at and where we are heading with historic resource management," says Ian Hill. "This was a valuable session as the Department's Annual Conservation Directions for historic heritage cite HAMS as a national priority for 2000/01".
In the afternoon recent work which opened up an historic bush tramway at Peel Forest to visitors was viewed. "This development shows what can be achieved with good communication between staff working in different disciplines to meet both historic values and recreation needs for a particular site," says Ian. The original "big tree" track was badly in need of realignment and upgrading. This was achieved with an easier gradient using the 1895 bush tramway line. "This opens up the site for historic interpretation," says Ian Hill.
A visit was also made to the Staveley Lime Kilns to look at stone stabilisation and to discuss Health and Safety (HSE) issues when working on historic structures.

Up-coming events

Conservation Week
This year's theme is "Enjoy our Parks". Conservation week activities are co-ordinated by your local Department of Conservation offices, in association with a wide range of agencies and groups including regional and city councils, schools, community groups and sponsors. Check out the website for ideas on how you can get involved. www.doc.govt.nz Make sure you get out and enjoy a park near you!
Clean-up the World Day
The second nation-wide Clean-Up New Zealand campaign is to be held 18 –24 September this year. This is an opportunity for New Zealanders from all walks of life to truly make our country the cleanest and greenest in the world. Register your project with the Clean up New Zealand Trust to help clean up, fix and conserve our environment.
Heritage Week
Celebrated in October, this is your opportunity to visit things "historic". Stay tuned for further details.

ENDS

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