After moving to Kāpiti, wildlife photographer Holly Henderson has filled her garden with native plants and an ever-evolving lizard garden, named Mokomoko Manor, taking over her sunny backyard. We asked Holly to tell us a bit more about how she created her lizard garden and what advice she’d give to others wanting to do the same.
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With this current season’s wasp nests starting to be discovered in Zealandia, it feels timely to do a closer dive into one of the ultimate bees in our bonnet: wasps. While the impact of mammalian predators is well known throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, there are also invasive plants, fish, and insects which throw out the balance of our local ecosystems. But there are steps you can take to assist.
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by Adrian Brown, Al Jazeera
“Birdsong is no longer drowned out by traffic”, Al Jazeera English reports on the inspiring recovery of native manu/birds in Wellington.
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In 2019, our Bicultural Engagement Lead Ranger Terese McLeod (Taranaki Whānui) was carrying out a rubbish audit in the Kaiwharawhara stream. She noticed that a lot of the rubbish being collected consisted of plastic flowers blown off graves from the nearby cemetery. Since then, Terese has helped enable plastic reduction in cemeteries, including Mākara urupā which is now plastic-free.
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By Kirsten Anderson, Senior Vet at Te Kōhanga The Nest at Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo
We are so fortunate to share our spaces with kākā again, but like with any new housemate, we are still learning how to do this respectfully and mindfully.
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This is a delicate time of year for a lot of wildlife across the city and in the sanctuary. Many manu/birds are sitting on nests or looking after their fledglings. The way you behave around them can make a big difference to their family’s wellbeing.
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By Conservation Lead Ranger, Ellen Irwin
Imagine being in a forest filled with manu/birds and trying to count them all. A kākā swoops past in the blink of an eye. Is that tīeke/saddleback, foraging noisily, one that you’ve already counted? Pōpokotea/whiteheads chatter and flutter everywhere, causing you to recount every time they shift around you. How could anyone hope to estimate these numbers?
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To help businesses look after the catchment, the Kia Mouriora te Kaiwharawhara Sanctuary to Sea collective started an initiative called Te Ohu Kaiwharawhara (previously Every Business Restoring Nature), which supports businesses to take nature-positive steps in their workplace.
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We are only one generation into our 500-year journey of restoration, but together we have transformed Wellington as a city. The fence that surrounds Zealandia has provided sanctuary for precious native species and now they are reaching into the suburbs and beyond.
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By Dr Nate Rigler
Did you know that the Kaiwharawhara is the only catchment in Wellington City with an open estuary connected to Wellington Harbour? Beginning in Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, the Kaiwharawhara catchment is home to many fish species which need to move between fresh and saltwater to complete their lifecycle.
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