Mataia Restoration Project Newsletter

July 2014

HELLO family, friends and supporters of the Mataia Restoration Project (MRP) This time we will not start with kiwi news, though it makes for very interesting reading/looking.

BUT we will start with a VERY BIG THANK YOU to those of you who joined us tree-planting this year.

Firstly to Hidden Treasures Walking Group – and what Hidden Treasures they were- being our first group they set the standard for others to follow – not only in what they planted or how they planted but the fun they had doing it! We shall not mention ankle/boot bracelets!

Hidden Treasures all working hard. Next came 24 Kings College students fresh (?) from an overnight camp in bush at Ahuroa on a very wet night! An hour in the Homestead bush pulling out persistent Jerusalem Cherry, lunch (with chocolate cake/bribe) and then planting, with 5 adult helpers including Peter Gardner.

Kings College Student’s and adult helpers – a beautiful afternoon – phew!

Job finished - hooray The next day Tauhoa School, our new Trees for Survival partner, came to plant the trees they had grown for us this year. They have begun planting in a new catchment, the Omaumau at the northern end of the farm. A large amount of fencing was done in this area this year with the help of funding from the Auckland Council Environmental Initiatives Fund and the Natural Heritage Fund. Our special thanks to Carol for her special care and attention which resulted in wonderful plants and to Eve Clarke from Trees for Survival for her help on the day.

Parents and students of Tauhoa School planting in the Omaumau Gully

On Sunday 27th June, Gail Johnstone from the ANZ Bank in Warkworth persuaded some staff and their families, not only from Warkworth, but from other branches as well to come, plant some trees at Mataia.

ANZ Bank staff and families planting at Mataia. After hot soup and buns Kevin and I took the children and some parents to track Charlie, Ako and Pare down the Mataia Track. We got good signals for Charlie and Ako but Pare was over the ridge. We also had a look at Charlie’s old nest. A week’s break and then the Family and Friend’s planting. What a wonderful turn-out – we started off with 60 buns for lunch and only had 10 left over!! We were delighted to have Jake Phillips and his family to help with planting this year. In April 2010 I wrote in the newsletter:- In Memory Two members of our team passed away last year – Kevin’s brother Bruce, and Louise Phillips, wife of Jake and dear friend of Jenny and Shane. We had two very special times with friends and family planting a matai for Bruce and a kowhai for Louise in recognition of the work they have done for the project.

Louise and Jake’s kowhai tree.

Every year Louise’s mum, Ngaire, chooses somewhere to go to plant trees and as many as the family as possible get together to remember Louise particularly on this day. And this year Ngaire and Jake chose to come to Mataia.

Jake and Shane -2011 Still at in 2014 And there are some other people (at least 40) planting too! So 1800 plants went into the ground in very quick time! So quick I had to ask Ngaire for some photos! And after lunch a group went out to plant some canopy trees in an area planted about 5 years ago. If you feel you have missed out on all the fun, never fear, there is still one planting to go!

Meadowbank School TFS Planting on Tuesday 29th July Kiwi News:- These two pictures are very good reason for having our motion sensor camera. In the first photo, Taranaki is visiting the first nest that she and Charlie used last year to raise Mataia’s first chick. Note the date and time 6.43am on June 27th. That same morning at 9.47am, the camera caught a ginger tom marking the nest.

Taranaki visiting old nest site Ginger Tom marking old nest site

And then on Tuesday 8th

July, Shane was out shifting his heifers and spotted the ginger tom. He rushed

home and got a gun and then spent 20 minutes stalking the cat until he could get a good clean, close shot.

Shane with DEAD ginger tom cat

The cat is now in the freezer and will be part of a research project. Kathryn Strang from Massey University is comparing the diets of cats in an area where they are the top predator as they are on Ponui Island, to those in an area where they are competing with other predators as at Mataia. Cats do make great pets but to keep our wildlife safe just follow these few easy steps:-

Have your cat spayed

Feed your cat well

Keep your cat inside at night

Make sure your cat wears a collar with 2 bells

More Kiwi News:-

The most exciting news is that Charlie’s transmitter is telling us that he is incubating. Thank

goodness he and Taranaki chose another site and not the one above. We’ll pop a camera nearby when we can find the new site so we can monitor progress. Check it out on:- http://www.naturespace.org.nz/groups/mataia-restoration-project

What else is coming up?

Kiwi Aversion Training Day for Neighbours ( well, their dogs really!) This was also postponed due to inclement weather in March and is now being held on

On Sunday July 20th

At Cue Haven 2704 Kaipara Coast Highway

Contact Gill or Kevin ( 0275514140 or kgadshead@xtra.co.nz) for a time

We have been battling with weather issues all week, but not as bad as further north. It was bad enough that we had to cancel a couple of days of kiwi catching and to postpone the telemetry workshop. Note the new date below.

Telemetry Workshop run by David Wilton. (Dave is a recently retired senior lecturer in IT at Massey University (Albany) where he conducted research aimed at improving the telemetry system used at Moehau kiwi sanctuary (northern Coromandel).)

Date: Friday 25 July Time: 9.30am – 2.00pm Location: Glorit Hall, 2997 Kaipara Coast Highway, Glorit Cost: - Registration Fee $10 to cover hall hire and morning tea Please contact Kevin and Gill on 0275514140 or kgadshead@xtra.co.nz to register.

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. We very much appreciate your support.

Gill and Kevin and the Mataia Restoration Project Team

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