SI’s braided rivers ‘need protection’
young, rapidly eroding mountain systems and are characterised by wide gravel or alluvial beds, many winding channels, and highly variable water flows.
The braided rivers are also a habitat for a number of endangered wading birds, including the black stilt (kakı¯), banded dotterel (turiwhatu), and the wrybill (ngutu pare).
They are also home to several native lizard species, while two migratory and eight non-migratory native freshwater fish are found in the braided rivers and streams of the Mackenzie Basin.
Forest and Bird Canterbury field officer Jen Miller said there was a need for management of braided rivers to become more integrated.
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage agreed DOC needed to take greater ownership.
‘‘The department is active in discussions on how the riverbeds of the Tasman and the Godley can be best protected and managed,’’ she said.
Sage, who is also Land Information Minister, said DOC was discussing the possibility of land transfer with Land Information New Zealand (Linz) and with Ngai Tahu.
‘‘As a result of the recent Mackenzie review report, DOC and Linz are working more closely together. Regardless of land tenure I would expect both agencies to ensure the outstanding habitat and landscape values of the riverbeds are recognised and protected to ensure that increased visitor numbers are managed to protect these values,’’ she said. rachael.comer@stuff.co.nz Pupils at a small South Canterbury primary school now have a big reminder of their awardwinning conservation work.
For the past week Aucklandbased New Zealand artist Hayley King, aka Flox, has been painting a mural on the side of a classroom at St Andrews School, south of Timaru.
Her trip was organised by the school’s parent-teacher association (PTA) to acknowledge the pupils’ environmental work, which includes helping with the survival of New Zealand’s most critically endangered fish as well as helping with work rescuing and rehabilitating native hawks and endangered native falcons.
On Friday, scaffolding around the mural was removed to reveal a bright, colourful work of art which pupils had a hand in designing.
King also took pupils for art classes during her time at the school.
St Andrews School principal Steve Fennessy said the environment was one of the school’s key focuses.
In 2016 the school won the Young New Zealanders award and was a joint winner of the overall conservation award at the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board evening for its work conserving and rehabilitating the habitat of the Canterbury mudfish.
In recent years mudfish numbers at St Andrews had increased to the point of being one of the last thriving populations of the nationally endangered species that had been reduced to living in a ditch in a nearby natural spring, about one kilometre north of the school, before pupils started creating more ponds.
A teacher at the school, Vaughan Skea, heads The Raptor Trust, a group that rescues and rehabilitates native birds. Pupils have also been working with him on projects.
‘‘We have also won the Hurdley Shield [a South Canterbury trophy aimed at encouraging pupils to take care of their schools grounds],’’ Fennessy said.
‘‘The environment is a big focus of the school.’’
He said school staff had come up with the mural idea and approached the PTA for assistance.
King was chosen for the project as her art tied in with the ‘‘big impact’’ they hoped the mural would make.
‘‘The support from the PTA and businesses have made it all possible.’’
Pupils had contributed ideas of what they wanted on the mural, including a reference to the school’s logo and the region.
With the scaffolding just off when Stuff visited, pupils stopped to have a look and appeared impressed by what they saw.
‘‘The ‘wows’ we’ve been getting when they walk past . . .’’ Fennessy said.
King said she enjoyed the project, which had taken two days to complete and two weeks to prepare for with assistance from another artist.
The mudfish were a special part of the mural, she said.
‘‘They’re really specific to this school, so needed to be celebrated.’’