The Government is sharpening bulldozer blades and oil-rig drills. It’s prioritising digging and drilling for non-renewable resources over regulation and protection of the natural environment that our economy depends on.
Undeterred by the embarrassing u-turn on Schedule 4, Minister Brownlee is charging ahead with efforts to facilitate mining wherever possible. A review of the Crown Minerals Act, while quite technical, means making mining permits easier to get. More alarming is the Minster’s blatant advocacy for mining, unmatched by Government advocacy for the environment.
From the intoxicating fumes of the petroleum industry conference, the Minister announced a massive funding boost Crown Minerals – the agency that calls the mining industry “clients”. Unsurprising there is no corresponding boost for the Department of Conservation to advocate for the other side of the coin (just a $13.5m p.a. cut). This reflects the priorities in the proposed Energy Strategy: “develop resources” first, “environmental responsibility” fourth.
Guest blogger: Campaign manager for the White-faced Storm Petrel, Chris Gaskin
We’ve all been amazed by the trans-Pacific journeys of godwits, Alaskan breeders that make their way to our shores. For my mind, the migration journey’s prize must go to this bird – the white-faced storm petrel – my contender for Bird of the Year.
White-faced Storm Petrels, Photo: Chris Gaskin
Come February through to March, these diminutive seabirds (45g) will depart our waters and then hop, skip, flutter and glide their way across to the eastern Pacific (off Ecuador) to feed in the rich waters of the Humboldt Current before making the return journey in August-September.
Guest blogger: Co-campaign manager for the Fernbird, Anne Fenn
Fernbird (Bowdleria punctata to science, Matata, Kotata or Toetoe to Maori, and swamp sparrow to early European settlers) is truly deserving of the title ‘Bird of the Year’.
Fernbird, Photo: Craig Mckenzie
This bird is unique to New Zealand and spends the large majority of its time in the tangled scrubland of our wetlands.
Indeed, the Fernbird is also one of the few native birds in the list of nominees that tolerates life in saline estuary mangrove areas, although for those whose love goes to high country he has been seen there as well.
He doesn’t claim dominance in the North Island or the South Island, in urban areas or rural areas, as do a number of his competitors, which their campaign managers point to with some sort of pride. Go figure?
Blogger: Campaign Manager for the kea, Tiff Stewart
It’s hard to understand why anyone’d consider any of the other birds.
Kea, Photo: Andrew Walmsley
The kea have it all – attitude, physical prowess, grace, style, strength, stamina, curiosity, brains. And to top that off, they spend their lives playing! What more recommendation is there? A kea’s day is taken up with soaring over pristine snow-fields, executing dare-devil stunts above lofty mountain peaks, checking out the taste of the tyres of new 4WDs, and playing rough-house with one another.
And they’re great comedians. Everyone who’s spent time in the mountains has a kea story. It’s as if they show up when you’re tired just to give you a laugh, a flash of that glorious underwing, and grab a couple of your sammys.
Who wouldn’t want to end every day relaxing in an alpine meadow, with a handful of friends and family, and a glorious view of nature’s finest playground spread before them?
Blogger: Campaign Manager for the kokako & co-leader of the Green Party, Russel Norman
Why vote for just a bird when you can have a new national park as well? That’s right. As a politician, I can promise you a new Giant Totara National Park to go along with your support for the hauntingly beautiful but endangered North Island kokako.
Kokako, Photo: Simon Fordham
This crazy bird is the Robin Hood of our local fauna. Behind its bandit mask lies a heart of gold…and a song to leave all other birds looking a little out of key.
The last best stronghold of the kokako is in the Pureora Forest Park just west of Lake Taupo. Most of our lowland forest has now been destroyed along with the giant totara trees that once were everywhere.
Pureora is today in pieces, split up by one of the Crafar farms. These farms are up for sale so we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy the farm and join back up the Park. With a little planting, we can create a single national park to protect the kokako and the giant totara. This is my dream…and your vote would sure help.
So don’t vote for the pukeko — it’s the poster child for coal and we all know how bad coal is for climate change. And don’t vote for the tui either. How many times have I found a tui in my garden drunk and disorderly? The kahu (hawk) might look like a safe bet but, given the chance, he’d have sent our birds off to fight in Iraq.
Blogger: Campaign Manager for the kakariki, Phil Bilbrough
My green crimson friend
You are bright bubbly beautiful
My grandson; see these birds
They used to play in my orchard.
I didn’t mean for you to go
I’m pleased to see you again.
My young fellow
These birds are bright and full of life
Yes, like you.
They aren’t meant to be here not really
They are for the forests.
If I could I would let you free to feed again on my orchard
Like flames bouncing between the trees.
When my time is come, and if given a choice
I’ll be back as Kakariki
For my measure is to ignite, inspire and bring happiness.
And this is you kakariki.
Blogger: Campaign Manager for the kereru, Kiri te Kanawa
In what some may see as a cruel move, European settlers failed to class our kereru as a dove, instead choosing to put them amongst the pigeons, or ‘rats of the sky’.
Kereru, Photo: Michael Hamilton
You see, the term dove and pigeon can be used interchangeably – they all share small heads, a cooing call, slim bills and rounded bodies – and once upon a time they were probably loved equally.
Unfortunately, the introduced Rock Pigeon sullied the name ‘pigeon’ in New Zealander’s eyes by becoming urban riff raff after they become redundant as messenger birds*.
Although the kereru shares many of the traits of a pigeon – namely its voluptuous size - it can be argued that it has the personality of a dove: gentle, innocent and romantic.
As part of its courtship display, the kereru will bob its head , inflate its body, energetically jump up and down and sometimes career skywards, only to stall and plummet to the ground.
Watching these sumo-sized birds perform these display dives is one of life’s true pleasures.
Blogger: Campaign Manager for the kiwi and BNZ Save the Kiwi Executive Director, Michelle Impey
Picture it: you’re on holidays on the streets of London, chatting to someone who asked your nationality and saying “Hi, I’m a Tomtit”? Or explaining to visitors why we have a pukeko (”a what?!” they ask) on our one dollar coin? Kiwi are pretty unique - just like New Zealanders! After all, there are plenty of kingfishers, warblers and wrens around the world, not to mention parrots and harriers.
Kiwi, Photo: Helen Mitchell
Without kiwi, we aren’t Kiwis. The kiwi are part of a group of flightless birds known as ratites; these birds date back to Gondwana times – making kiwi more Kiwi than we are! It would be pretty embarrassing (not to mention sad) if we lost our national icon or if our national icon lost this vote.
Bloggers: Campaign Manager for the shag, Room 16, Birkenhead Primary School, North Shore, Auckland
The pied shag in Maori is called karuhiruhi.
Photo featuring some of the campaigners, and their favourite bird: the Shag.
We think the pied shag should be bird of the year because they are found all over New Zealand, in cities and the country.
They are extra special because they can be easily seen because of their large size, in fact there is a nesting colony 15 minutes from downtown Auckland, at Chelsea Heritage Park
They eat off the bottom of the sea floor, and their diet consists of smelt, bullies, flounder, mullet and eels.
All shags have yellow bills and they have pink or yellow webbed feet. When they are young they are completely black.
Their nests are very strong and messy, in the branches of large trees. Shags have few predators, but can be killed off by polluted water.
We like them because we can visit the nearby colony in Birkenhead and see the baby birds shortly after they are born.
Blogger: Campaign Manager for the Bellbird, David Winter
Voting is already under way in 2010’s most brutal high stakes political battle – the Bird of the Year poll. A scroll down the current standings reveals plenty of birds that have sunk to employing murky political ties and celebrity endorsements to sell their case.
Bellbird, Photo: Rosalind Cole
There is one bird in this race that can speak for itself.
There is an expression used in Māori to describe the most gifted orators: “Ka rite ki te kopara e ko nei I te ata”, like the bellbird singing in the morning. Listen to Radio New Zealand’s recording of of the bellbird’s song and you’ll see why it’s such an honour to be compared to kopara (also known as korimako and mokamako).
From the intoxicating fumes of the petroleum industry conference, the Minister announced a massive funding boost Crown Minerals – the agency that calls the mining industry “clients”. Unsurprising there is no corresponding boost for the Department of Conservation to advocate for the other side of the coin (just a $13.5m p.a. cut). This reflects the priorities in the proposed Energy Strategy: “develop resources” first, “environmental responsibility” fourth.
