Poised for poison drop despite vandalism
Preparations are continuing for a poison drop at Nelson’s Brook Waimarama Sanctuary in the wake of vandalism and a continuing court challenge.
The controversial drop of brodifacoum-laced bait to wipe out predators in the sanctuary before the reintroduction of native birds was planned for Monday.
On Sunday workers discovered several holes had been cut in the 14-kilometre perimeter fence, including the removal of a twometre by one-metre section on the south-west side.
Two sets of footprints were visible entering the enclosure, sanctuary general manager Hudson Dodd said.
Dodd said Brook volunteers, who were also trained search and rescue personnel, followed the tracks for some distance on Monday but did not find anyone in the enclsoure.
He said the missing section of fence was replaced and several smaller holes in the fence nearby were repaired on Sunday. But when workers turned up on Monday morning ahead of the planned start of the operation they found ‘‘more sabotage’’.
That included a security fence around the helicopter loading site being dismantled and thrown into bush, locks being added to sanctuary access gates, existing locks being glued and two pine trees being felled across an access track.
Chainsaws were needed to cut up the trees for removal, and contractors and workers replaced the locks and re-erected the fence by 9am.
However, a logistical problem with the helicopter meant the drop eventually had to be postponed, Dodd said.
He said the sanctuary was ‘‘dismayed and shocked at the level of wilful damage and sabotage’’.
Police had been called when the holes in the fence were discovered, and were continuing to investigate. Officers had also spoken to a group of people who had parked cars across an access road on Monday morning before the drop was postponed, Dodd said.
Dodd said he understood the opposition to the use of brodifacoum-laced bait in the 791-hectare sanctuary.
But he said the drop had been subject to rigorous consent and legal processes, including a ‘‘comprehensive’’ High Court judgement this month that clearly rejected a bid by the Brook Valley Community Group to stop it.
‘‘We believe we are doing it for the great benefit of the community and there is a huge amount of support for this project, so to have people take the law into their own hands is disappointing,’’ Dodd said.
Dodd said the drop would proceed in the next suitable weather window after the sanctuary had given the required 48-hour notice to adjoining landowners.
A fence inpsection yesterday found no further vandalism.
Brook Valley Community Group chair Christopher St Johanser said he had repeatedly stressed publicly and privately that the group did not support or condone any illegal activity by ‘‘any person, at anytime, anywhere’’.
However, he believed it was understandable that people ‘‘may feel aggrieved at the position of the trust has taken and the manner in which the decision making about this drop has been managed’’. The group’s lawyer, Sue Grey, said the Court of Appeal had agreed to hear its bid tomorrow for a stay of proceedings against the drop.
The High Court last week rejected its application for a stay.
The group argues that regulations allowing the drop are invalid and it contravenes a section of the Resource Management Act. Both grounds were rejected in the High Court judgment by Justice Churchman. When musician Jasper Hawkins heard about the death of his school friend Ben Rose, he felt compelled to pick up his guitar.
Now, the song he wrote as an instinctive response to the 27-yearold’s sudden death has helped Ben’s family in their grief, and been aired on a national radio show.
Ben died after his car crashed off a one-way bridge at Whenuakite, on the Coromandel Peninsula in October 2015.
Hawkins said the news of Ben’s death had been devastating.
Within minutes of hearing the news, a song had begun to take shape in his mind.
‘‘I literally just picked up a guitar and started playing around, I think three hours later I had this song in its entirety.’’
The result is called Letter to My Mother, which much to Hawkins surprise was featured on Jesse Mulligan’s RNZ show earlier this month.
Ben was born and raised in Nelson and together with Hawkins, attended Grove Street Kindergarten, Hampden Street Primary School and Nelson College.
‘‘I just thought he was a really nice guy, I always enjoyed it when we met up and there would always be great chats.’’
Both were into music. Hawkins remembers working with Ben on the band room at Nelson College and that he had a great sense of humour.
‘‘I just remember all these great qualities and I think that was the thing for me, I sort of came to the realisation it doesn’t matter how close you are to people for whatever reason, it was just a sad thing to happen to such a nice person.’’
Hawkins recorded the song professionally and thought about sending a copy to the family, but he wasn’t sure how it would be received. He didn’t know them, but after thinking over it in the weeks after Ben’s death, he decided to reach out.
‘‘I deliberated for a while and ended up writing [Ben’s mum] a card and just said I hope that you will take this in the spirit that it is intended and it turned out she was so grateful for it and said it has been a huge help in their grief.
‘‘I got a beautiful response from her, she was so, so thankful and it was more than I expected to be honest.’’
Ben’s mum Chrissie Rose said when she opened the card with the song from Jasper, she didn’t know what to expect. She certainly didn’t expect to hear a professionally finished, wonderful sounding piece of music. My Mother