(The on-site aspects of this report cover the period 1 September 2019 – 31 August 2020 so that all the 2020 planting activity is covered; the financial aspects cover the Society’s financial year, 1 July 2019 – 30 June 2020.)
Once again I am pleased to report that the Society has had a very successful year.
The tragic fire in the marae buildings in June last year still leaves a huge hole, both physically and mentally. As I noted in my report last year, Kaumātua Bruce had always been clear that Manawa Karioi is part of the marae and until rebuilding takes place, Manawa Karioi continues to be the primary visible face of Bruce’s vision for the marae.
Relations with the Tapu Te Ranga Trust and the marae whānau
The Society has enjoyed constructive contact with the marae whānau throughout the year and has maintained communication with the Trust, as required, through Dean Stewart (General Manager, Tapu Te Ranga marae). The whānau have frequently expressed their appreciation of the mahi done by the Society.
During the year the Trust has been developing a master plan for the rebuild and consulted with the Society regarding a proposed wetland and a risk assessment for the marae, including Manawa Karioi.
The Komiti and members of the Society
Once again I would like to acknowledge the major contributions made over the year by the members of the Society’s Komiti (Ross Gardiner, Vanessa Patea, Tom Box, Tim Owens, Kevin Thomas, Mary Thomas, Paul Blaschke, Papri Paul, Jerry van Lier, Johanna Knox) – these people’s efforts are absolutely critical and are what drives and enables everything that we accomplish at Manawa Karioi.
I would also like to acknowledge all other members of the Society – your membership is a valuable form of support for us.
Volunteers
As always, we are critically dependent on volunteers. Ross Gardiner’s write-ups to publicise our working bees, Mary Thomas’ follow-up emails re. working bees and Ness Patea’s attention to the website, fabulous photography and mastery of social media have resulted in a steady stream of volunteers.
Our membership of Volunteer Wellington has also been important for bringing volunteers to Manawa Karioi. During the year we hosted three groups of volunteers arranged through Volunteer Wellington: staff from Z Energy, Treasury and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. We received a Volunteer Wellington award for excellent hosting of groups.
In addition, we had a volunteer group of staff from Xero (organized by Kevin Thomas) and once again, a group of Rongotai College students on their Social Action Day.
In 2019-20 we recorded over 600 hours of on-site volunteer labour (worth at least $15,000 @ $25/hr): at least 500 volunteer hours at working bees and more than 60 volunteer hours from Komiti members at other times. Turnout at working bees ranged from 12 – 30.
In addition to their on-site work Komiti members have contributed substantial amounts of time organizing activities, keeping the accounts, fund-raising, collecting information for the signage project, etc.
Planting
Ross Gardiner again ably identified our planting needs and arranged for the supply of trees. As I noted in last year’s annual report, now that canopy cover has been achieved over most of the plantable area in Manawa Karioi, the focus is shifting from mass plantings of pioneer species to selective planting of late- succession and climax species.
Planting during 2020 saw at least 1150 trees planted during four planting bees in June and five in August.
Once again almost all of our trees for planting came from the WCC Berhampore Nursery – a very big ‘thank you’ to Wellington City Council for that – with a smaller number coming from Forest & Bird’s Highbury nursery and from the Southern Environment Association (SEA) – a big ‘thank you’ to Forest & Bird and SEA.
Rabbits
In the open, warm area around Greens Lookout rabbits are a problem: they have decimated many of the plantings done there this year. I have retrofitted some homemade protection devices and, in consultation with Ross Gardiner and Paul Blaschke, have purchased a pack of 25 plant protectors. Hopefully these will enable most of the rabbit-damaged plants to recover.
I think that we should consider investing in a further 100 plant protectors before the 2021 planting season so that we can effectively protect our plantings in rabbit areas.
Whenua plantings
One whenua burial and planting was made during the year and the family involved gave a very generous donation to Manawa Karioi. The fact that whenua plantings are welcomed at Manawa Karioi is now on the Society’s website.
The need to record the location of whenua plantings has been agreed on for several years and is something that I think we need to actually do over the next year. I envisage a digital database that would be able to be accessed by the Tapu Te Ranga Trust, designated officers of the Society and the families involved – details around exactly who would be able to access how much of the information would need to be worked out.
Releasing of climax plantings
I am increasingly concerned that significant numbers of climax species plantings in Manawa Karioi may be in danger of being suppressed or dying from lack of light. If this is correct I think that we should aim to recruit and train a small group of volunteers to recognize at-risk situations and cut back surrounding vegetation appropriately.
Weed control
Ross Gardiner has continued his excellent work controlling weeds – primarily blackberry, Japanese honeysuckle and tradescantia – and I have continued poisoning wild cherries. Several infestations of climbing asparagus fern have also been dealt with.
During the year Paul Blaschke has advanced the concept of a Southern Suburbs Co-ordinated Weed Control Strategy involving Manawa Karioi, Paekawakawa Reserve, SEA (Tawatawa) and Friends of Owhiro Stream.
In December members of the four groups travelled to Matiu/Somes for a weed control workshop with Peter Russell and in July we had an afternoon of field visits to each of the areas that the groups work in, followed by a discussion session. That session established an Action Group that was asked to report back to the larger group by the end of October.
We have informed Taranaki Whānui (Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust, Wellington Tenths Trust and Palmerston North Māori Reserves Trust, Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki te Ūpoko o te Ika a Māui), Ngāti Toa Rangatira and also the two Paekawakawa Ward city councillors, of the Co-ordinated Weed Control Strategy initiative.
Control of animal pests
Chris Walsh, a resident of Rhine St and active supporter of Manawa Karioi, continued his modest trapping operations in Manawa Karioi with traps supplied by Predator Free Island Bay.
Note: in early September 2020 a grant of $7.6M to Predator Free Wellington (PFW) was announced as part of the Government’s Jobs for Nature programme and PFW outlined its plans to rid the Wellington Peninsula of predators in 5 Phases over 5 years. Phase 1, the Miramar Peninsula, is almost completed and Phase 2, scheduled for 2020-21, is to be Island Bay to the CBD. Manawa Karioi is included in the area to be covered by Phase 2 but I am not clear yet whether PFW will actually do the trapping and monitoring at Manawa Karioi or whether they will just provide the equipment.
The work we are embarking on in collaborative weed control may well be helpful in working towards a coordinated approach to trapping and animal pest control in our four areas and adjoining areas.
Encouraging recreational use
Track maintenance
Our team of track mowing volunteers put together by Ross Gardiner continued their great work throughout the year using the new scrub bar.
This year the last two sections of track formation were completed: the section of Whakatūranga linking the top of Seed Source Gully to Te Uma i Mokotia, and the section of Te Uma i Mokotia linking Greens Lookout to Moemoeā.
There will be ongoing work to widen some of the tracks and to cut vegetation back to keep the tracks easily and safely passable.
My observations suggest that water flowing down the tracks after heavy rains may be starting to erode some of them – I wonder whether this is being aggravated by mountain bikes using the tracks. I think we need to monitor this closely and where it is an issue, establish appropriate drainage before any significant erosion takes place.
Signage project
During the year Ness Patea again put a huge amount of work into pulling together the text and images for the new map panels, the new panels for the Information Shelter, the new panels for Seed Source Gully, the new panels for the reservoir and the track markers.
Two members of the Wellington MENZ Shed helped me install map panels at each of the six entrances to Manawa Karioi and at the reservoir. Various volunteers helped me install the new panels in the Information Shelter, one of the Seed Source Gully panels and all the track markers.
Two Seed Source Gully panels, two ‘Put your dog on a lead’ signs and the new reservoir panels are still to be installed.
In 2018 the Walking Access Commission approved a grant of $5000 towards our signage project and feedback from the Commission on the completed work was very complimentary.
Also, a number of us have received very positive feedback on the map, the information panels and the track signs from people we have met around Manawa Karioi.
Facilities development
The picnic table was installed by the reservoir in September 2019.
Covid-19 and recreational use
Covid-19 has been a great threat and challenge throughout the country since early 2020 but one of the upsides for us is the large number of local people who discovered Manawa Karioi during lockdown. Our tracks were extensively used during lockdown and I met many people who said “We had no idea that this was here – we only discovered it during lockdown”.
Health and Safety (H&S)
Covid-19 has been the big H&S issue this past year. We stopped all work at Manawa Karioi during Level 4 lockdown and developed appropriate protocols and practices for working there during Levels 3 and 2. No working bees were held during Level 3.
H&S briefings were given at the start of each working bee and at Level 2 this included collecting contact details of all volunteers.
We had no Health and Safety incidents during the year.
Capturing the history of Manawa Karioi
The Manawa Karioi project was kicked off at a dawn tree planting ceremony in June 1991 so in June next year the project will celebrate its 30th anniversary. All the key people involved in the early days of Manawa Karioi are getting older (some have passed away) and now seemed an appropriate time to capture both the natural and the cultural history of Manawa Karioi to date.
Johanna Knox, Paul Blaschke and I have developed a 2-phase project: Phase 1 (from now until the end of 2020) will collect the base information through interviews, written documents and images; Phase 2 (as long as it takes in 2021) would use that base material to craft ‘stories’ that would engage the interest of the public – what form the ‘stories’ would take would partly depend on what base material was available and would be decided at the end of Phase 1.
We have discussed the project with Dean Stewart (Tapu Te Ranga Trust) and Pare Sannyasi (marae whānau) and have their blessing to proceed. Johanna Knox has volunteered to undertake Phase 1.
Engagement with our neighbours
Paekawakawa
In October we joined with Paekawakawa and SEA for a joint working bee on the new track from Te Ahi Kā/Kōiwi Tohorā that links Tawatawa Reserve with Paekawakawa Reserve. This track is now passable.
Southern Environmental Association (SEA)
We have continued to consult as necessary and work cooperatively with SEA who manage Tawatawa Reserve. SEA provided us with some plants and a very generous donation towards our track signage project.
Paekawakawa/SEA/Friends of Owhiro Stream
We are working with these three neighbours on the Southern Suburbs Co-ordinated Weed Control Strategy.
Wellington City Council
The Berhampore Golf Course and Tawatawa Reserve are Council land. Council officers have been involved with the early stages of the Southern Suburbs Co-ordinated Weed Control Strategy and the two Paekawakawa Ward councillors have been informed of this initiative.
Home of Compassion
The HoC held a Suzanne Aubert Heritage Centre Open Day on 3 November 2019 and as part of that Sister Margaret Anne and I took a guided walk up to the reservoir.
Engagement with the wider community
The Society now has 330 people on its email contacts list, all of whom receive notification of the regular postings (put together by Ross Gardiner and Ness Patea) on the Manawa Karioi website. This has been an effective way of attracting the volunteers on whom the Society depends for getting its work done.
Under the leadership of Mary Thomas, assisted by Tim Owens, we had a very successful stall at the Island Bay Festival’s Day in the Bay in February. In addition to displaying our map and publicity panels we sold donated baking and raised $321.40.
Once again we ran a Guided Walk through Manawa Karioi in February: this year it attracted about 25 people.
As mentioned above, one of the upsides of the Covid-19 lockdown for us was the number of local people who discovered Manawa Karioi.
Fundraising:
Sources of income, apart from the WAC and Trust House Foundation grants, during the year were:
Members’ subscriptions: $180.00
Members’ donations: $246.25
Give-a-little page online: $306.75
Koha: $604.20
Stall at Island Bay Festival: $321.40
Guided Walk (koha): $57.20
SEA donation: $300.00
DB Breweries (Karma Keg): $884.00
Tennent Brown Architects: $800.00 (in lieu of buying the trees)
Special thanks to Kevin Thomas for suggesting, negotiating and arranging the Karma Keg, and to Mary Thomas for organising the Karma Keg event at the Tuatara Third Eye.
Finances
The Society ended the 2019/20 year in a satisfactory financial position. At 30 June 2020 we had $1,088.89 in the bank and were waiting to receive the final payment of $2,386.47 from the Walking Access Commission for Signage Project costs.
This total of $3,475.36 is sufficient to cover the coming year’s ongoing operational expenses (which are estimated to amount to $700-$1,000) and to cover any modest unexpected one-off expenses. However, we will need to raise further funds this year for operational expenses beyond 2019/20 and for any special projects that we may embark on.
Special thanks to Papri Paul, our Treasurer, who has again kept track of our finances over the year and prepared the annual accounts. And thanks also to Maria Kerensiana who has done an extremely thorough job of reviewing the annual accounts.
Research and monitoring activities
There were no new research or monitoring activities at Manawa Karioi in 2019-20. Our involvement in the Waikato University-led People, Cities & Nature research programme continues “and we look forward to getting relevant results next year, the final year of the programme”.
Registration of Manawa Karioi under the NZETS
Nothing further has been done directly on this during 2019-20. However, I am involved in the registration process for a similar Wellington re-vegetation block and will utilize the experience I gain there to progress the registration process for Manawa Karioi.
The year ahead
Apart from:
the ongoing activities of weed control, the Southern Suburbs Co-ordinated Weed Control Strategy, the History project, planting and track maintenance
the likely involvement in Phase 2 of Predator Free Wellington’s programme
the three matters that I have mentioned above (establishing a database of whenua plantings; releasing at risk climax species plantings; assessing possible erosion on some of the tracks)
The following are matters/projects that the Society may wish to address over the coming year:
Developing facilities/programmes to help people, especially children, develop their relationship with different elements of nature
Kaumātua Bruce always emphasized that he wanted Manawa Karioi to be a place that helped people, especially children, come to understand that they are part of nature and to develop their relationship with different elements of nature.
As a first step towards this, in 2018-19 we gave a visiting French volunteer, Camille Eme, the task of researching how best to facilitate giving visitors, especially children, an in-forest educative experience. As part of this Camille interviewed a number of people in Wellington who have experience in this area. Camille provided us with a report setting out her findings.
On the new map panel showing the Manawa Karioi tracks we have identified an as yet undeveloped Nature Trail.
Developing a sculpture trail at Manawa Karioi
This idea was raised at the 2018 AGM and could be further progressed.
Discussion of whether, given the changes over the last 30 years, a Charitable Trust would now be a more appropriate form of governance for Manawa Karioi rather than an Incorporated Society
an Incorporated Society is based on membership, with members paying an annual subscription. To conduct its business in a way that meets the requirement of the law an Incorporated Society has to have a minimum number of financial members present at its annual (and other) general meetings and has to elect its officers (Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Committee) each year at its annual general meeting.
in today’s world, formal membership and attending meetings are unattractive to many, especially younger, people who use social media extensively.
a Charitable Trust is not membership-based. Trustees are appointed when the Trust is formed and they, as the Trust Board, are then responsible for running the organization. Only members of the Trust Board are required to attend annual general meetings of the Trust, but the Trustees can invite whomsoever they wish to attend the annual general meeting or any other meeting of the Trust Board. Generally, the power to appoint additional, or replacement, Trustees lies with the Trustees.
Chris Livesey
Chairperson, Manawa Karioi Society
26 September 2020