Army takes on new high country enemy
The New Zealand Defence Force is laying down its guns and helping regenerate the delicate natural environment of the South Island high country.
The pristine highland area of the Mackenzie Basin is home to more than 30 native, endangered plant, bird and insect species, including the black stilt (kaki), jewelled gecko, rockwren and at least six native lizard species.
After years of decline, the NZDF joined forces with the Department of Conservation, the Next Foundation, local landholders and iwi to protect native broom and tussock.
The NZDF is helping the project, because of the size of its 17,000 hectare military camp at Tekapo.
It is the largest stretch of continous non-grazed land in the upper Mackenzie Basin.
Principal ecologist for the NZDF Stephen Phillipson said it had been ramping up its regeneration work over the last five or so years, particularly after the Tekapo Military Camp received an extra 8300ha of land as a result of tenure review.
‘‘There were all sorts of species that were declining all over the place,’’ Phillipson said.
‘‘Thanks to our planting and pest control, we have been able to restore a lot of species, or at least provide habitats.’’
Phillipson said NZDF’s vegetation monitoring system at Tekapo was centred around determining the effects of its activities on indigenous ecosystems. The approach to fauna is different, here NZDF simply avoids the areas that are known to be important for fauna.
One of the projects of Te Manahuna Aoraki involves the NZDF, in partnership with Ngai Tahu, creating diversion weirs to stop invasive trout clogging up the waterways, and improving the passages for native fish.
NZDF Tekapo warden Sam Staley said they were already seeing the results. ‘‘Since we put the weir in, we’ve been able to collect hundreds of trout and diverted them to other river systems,’’ Staley said.
‘‘What we’ve been able to determine from early surveys is that the native fish population is sustainable.’’
Phllipson said the native fish project came about after years of ‘‘idle chatter’’ between various agencies, but it was only through Te Manahuna Aoraki that it actually gained ground.
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage said the Te Manahuna Aoraki project has brought various agencies together, and could be a model for other conservation projects.
‘‘I’m hugely optimistic about what it can achieve for the Mackenzie Basin,’’ Sage said.