Botanical legends, innovators and trailblazers for the next generation have all been honoured in the awards announced by the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN) in Whangārei this week.
The awards recognise exceptional people, and projects that have captured the interest of local communities . These individuals and groups are the leading champions of our country’s native plants and ecosystems and includenational champion of threatened plants, a legendary botanist from the Far North, an innovative Southland primary school, a longstanding plant conservation initiative in the Bay of Plenty, the Northland Regional Council, and a plant nursery in Pukekohe specialising in threatened native plant species.
Lifetime Achievement Award
In 2024, the award for the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ have been given to Shannel Courtney.
Shannel has been a plant ecologist for over 40 years, having worked in that capacity for Department of Conservation for 37 years and other government departments prior to DOC’s existence. Shannel has worked around the motu during his career so far, from the braided rivers of Canterbury to the East Cape of the North Island. During this time he has built up a comprehensive knowledge of the indigenous flora and ecosystems of New Zealand, especially in the northern South Island. His knowledge of ecosystems, taxonomy, rarity, ecology, biogeography and threats nationally has resulted in many collaborative works with other researchers and membership on national panels such as the Threatened Vascular Plant Panel. Most recently he has focused on threatened plants throughout the Nelson Marlborough Region which is a hub of botanical biodiversity, indeednew species are still being discovered, named and given a conservation status. Shannel deeply involved in this work - hs vast knowledge of the indigenous vascular flora of the northern South Island is unrivalled.
Shannel has contributed to plant conservation nationally through his ongoing work in many ways, here are some of the highlights:
- Being a member of the national vascular plant conservation status assessment panel for over 25 years. This is an inter-agency panel which every 4-5 years reviews the conservation status of all of NZ’s indigenous vascular flora. The scope of influence of these review processes in restoring and maintaining our natural heritage is profound. The reviews feed directly into DOC’s species and ecosystems management work through the prioritisation and streaming process. Conservation status information is relevant to work undertaken by local government, the RMA judiciary and central government agencies. Conservation groups rely on conservation status information for planning, regulation, and advocacy.
- Being an authority on taxonomy - describing new species and working collaboratively with the botanical community to continue resolving species assemblages.
- Leading by example and giving support and advice to threatened plant rangers, enthusiasts and administrators
- Working closely with local iwi to share knowledge and work collaboratively.
- Helping administer programmes and priorities within DOC to fund better outcomes for all plants, in particular highlighting those threatened or at risk of extinction.
- Building relationships between the myriad of people involved in plant conservation, including botanic gardens, nurseries, herbaria and the wider research community.
Individual
In 2024, the award for the ‘Individual Involved in Plant Conservation’ has been given to Kevin Matthews.
Kevin comes from a strong botanical family, his great, great stepfather the namesake of the rare species Myosotis matthewsii and Thelymitra matthewsii. He continues to uphold the botanical mantel in the Far North as well as maintaining a larger interest in the natural world and history including archaeology. Over his entire life Kevin has had an interest in all things botanical and has explored more of the Far North than anyone else. He has also been a mentor to many other younger and aspiring botanists and a great colleague to those of us lucky enough to visit his patch, happy to share information, send photos and explain in full the intricacies of his identifications. He is a farmer in Kaitaia and has been heavily involved in many local conservation projects including the Bushlands Trust which works on the rehabilitation of the dune lakes of the Aupouri Peninsula over the last 35 years, orchid conservation and many contributions and photos to the New Zealand Orchid Native Orchid group, conservation of threatened species and management in forestry and countless other conservation projects. Replanting, restoration and providing a track for the public around Lake Ngatu and Lake Gem with its population of Myriophyllum robustum was a project he undertook with landowners, iwi and community. He has a lifelong connection with Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe observing the constant changes occurring on the coast and dune fields and had a long relationship with local hapu. Kevin deserves to be recognised for a lifetime of contribution to the conservation of threatened plants in the Far North, all the while being a local farmer.
Kevin’s family family has farmed at Kaitaia/Awanui at the same property since 1835. He is an expert naturalist in a wide range of fields, including plants, birds and local and Māori history. He has made numerous contributions of knowledge across these fields.
Kevin is a chairperson for Bushland Trust, a charitable trust registered in 1990, operated by volunteers from communities in the Far North of New Zealand. They are dedicated to preserving and restoring the Sweetwater Lakes for the benefit of the community, visitors to the region and future generations. The Trust aims to restore the ecological balance of the lake shores and wetlands and to re-vegetate with eco-sourced and locally grown native plant species; to improve the quality of the waters with filtration zones - against nutrient waste from farm animals, metal roads (lime), household septic tank seepage; to provide an improved environment for wildlife to flourish; to enhance the visible appeal and provide recreational amenities and walkways to benefit the community and visitors to the Far North; to preserve a heritage of native reserve for the future generations.
Kevin has been outspoken about countless projects involving water use in the Far North, such as algal blooms in dune lakes and the negative effects of taking from water aquifers. Recently he discovered the second incursion of sea spurge (Euphorbia paralias) for Northland while walking his dog and has since been involved in its eradication. He is a great local guide to visiting naturalists and botanists, supporting many botanical society trips and scientific endeavours in the Far North.
Kevin has been an advocate for conservation in the Far North for many years and draws on generations of knowledge. Anyone who speaks to Kevin quickly becomes aware of his breadth and depth of local knowledge, and his keen observational skill. He deserves to be recognised for his volunteering and countless contributions to the conservation in the Far North all the while managing a farm.
Community conservation Project: Rotorua Botanical Society
Local Authority: Northland Regional Council
Plant Nursery
Joy Plants have won the ‘Plant Nursery Involved in Plant Conservation’ award.
Terry and Pam Hatch started Joy Plants over 55 years ago and these daystheir son Lindsey manages the nursery. They grow rare and uncommon native plants for supply to restoration projects around the North Island. Joy Plants have had a long involvement with native plant conservation with over 50 years of native plant collection and production for projects such as, the re-planting of Tiritiri Matangi in early 1980’s. Other projects include 30 years of private conservation plantings on Ahuahu / Great Mercury Island, and several other private restoration plantings around the North Island, from Northland and as far south as Wellington. Joy Plants were also one of the main suppliers for Project Crimson in the early days growing thousands of pōhutukawa, and they supply of many other native plants for community plantings through associated groups in schools, community restoration projects and landcare plantings.
Many of the native species produced by Joy Plants are nationally critical in the wild, even down to the last 1 or 2 plants in an area. Terry and Lindsey’s philosophy is to collect from seed for production so there is as much diversity and resilience possible, which they believe is very important for the long-term survival of native rare plant species. They are also very generous with their time and knowledge and believe in sharing and distributing plants to as many nursery conservationists that show interest to help protect and keep secure the plant populations.
Some of the rarer or lesser-known native species Joy Plants have played a part of introducing to the industry and conservation projects are as follows:
- Nestegis apetala (At Risk - Naturally Uncommon)
- Streblus banksii ewekuri/large-leaved tūrepo
- Streblus smithiiThree Kings milktree (At Risk - Naturally Uncommon)
- Planchonella costata tawāpou (At Risk - Naturally Uncommon)
- Pennantia baylisianaThree Kings kaikōmako (Threatened – Nationally Critical)
- Metrosideros bartlettiirātā moehau (Threatened – Nationally Critical)
- Elingamita johnsonii (At Risk - Naturally Uncommon)
- Pittosporum obcordatumheart-leaved kōhūhū (Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable)
- Pittosporum umbellatum haekaro
- Pittosporum pimeleoides(At Risk – Naturally Uncommon)
- Pittosporum cornifoliumtāwhiri karo
Terry and Lindsey have given many years of service to plant conservation, inspiring others with infectious enthusiasm and helping to save the native plant species in their care.
School conservation project
This year the ‘School Plant Conservation Project’ award goes to Hedgehope School for their work in Sherwood Forest, Southland. Sherwood Forest is privately owned and protected with a QEII covenant fille with Threatened and At Risk plant species within an rare floodplain forest ecosystemThese plants also support a wide range of native moths (161 species have been recorded so far) and birdlife. The forest was originally protected in 1991 by Derek and Pat Turnbull and named ‘Sherwood Forest’ because whentheir kids were young they liked playing ‘Robin Hood’ in the forest.
The original covenanting and subsequent landowners have been very supportive of the local school usingtheir forest for educational activities over the years. It’s an excellent arrangement – the kids get a great spot to learn and explore, their work supports the forest health, more people learn about nature and how to care for it and the landowners get some help and the pleasure of sharing their precious forest with others.
Hedgehop School is very passionate about Sherwood Forest and regularly use it as an outdoor classroom. They try to get down weekly and have been known to happily carry on with their activities in -5 degree temperatures and hailstorms! Hedgehope School kids are supporting Sherwood Forest and biodiversity in Southland in the following ways:
Learning more about nature and the threatened species at Sherwood through the following activities
• Holding a Bioblitz
• Visiting regularly and exploring with their teachers, parents, visiting experts and regional council staff.
• Doing research on things they see in Sherwood Forest
Active stewardship activities
• Pest control
• Weed control
• Supporting threatened plant species (built a shade house at the school, collecting seed and growing plants to return to Sherwood Forest)
Sharing their knowledge with others
• Repairing threatened plant signs at Sherwood Forest
• Presenting at the National Biosecurity Institute NETS conference to explain how they are protecting a threatened forest
• Visiting with another Southland school, Heddon Bush, to swap notes on how both schools care for rare floodplain forest remnants.
• Holding the inaugural Southland EnviroSchools Hui
• Producing a Youtube series called “Sherwood Sharp” which includes updates on all their activities and discoveries.
Community Group
The NZPCN’s ‘Community Plant Conservation Project’ award has gone to the Rotorua Botanical Society for the Ōkāreka Mistletoe Restoration Project/Tikitapu Scenic Reserve Pest Control Project.
This project was established in 2002 with one of the main objectives being to increase the distribution and population size of two mistletoe species (Ileostylus micranthus & Tupeia antarctica) within the management area – Tikitapu Scenic Reserve at Ōkāreka near Rotorua. This is a key project for Rotorua Botanical Society and Rotorua Forest and Bird which started the project with support from Landcare Okareka, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Department of Conservation. One of the main reasons why mistletoe species are threatened in Aotearoa New Zealand is ongoing possum browsing so the presence of two species of mistletoe in Tikitapu Scenic Reserve was one of the key drivers for the initiation of the project in 2002 at this particular site. Since then, there has been ongoing plant pest control workdays several times per year undertaken by volunteers from Rotorua Botanical Society and more recently Landcare Ōkāreka along with ongoing sustained animal pest control using toxins undertaken by volunteers from Rotorua Forest and Bird. Plant pest control reduces competition from a range of significant weed species such as cherry trees, tradescantia, ivy, Japanese honeysuckle and jasmine which in this area is an additional significant threat to mistletoe and their host plants -five finger.
In 2001 DOC completed a mistletoe survey in Tikitapu Scenic Reserve before any plant or animal pest control started, which showed an estimated mistletoe population of 218 plants – all Tupeia. Another census was completed over two days in 2016, which revealed a total of 2,034 live mistletoe plants present at the Ōkāreka end of the reserve with 2017 of these being Tupeia and the remainder Ileostylus. In 2024 DOC staff and volunteers assisted by several other volunteers, resurveyed the population counting over 8,100 mistletoe plants present in the management area. The significant increase in population size, density and distribution of Tupeia and Ileostylus since 2001 in Tikitapu Scenic Reserve is due to sustained low animal and plant pest numbers as a result of the ongoing efforts of Rotorua Forest and Bird, Rotorua Botanical Society and Landcare Ōkāreka volunteers. As stated, this was a key objective for the Ōkāreka Mistletoe Restoration Project/Tikitapu Scenic Reserve Pest Control Project, and this census reconfirms that this objective has definitely been met. Due to these efforts this is now by far the largest known Tupeia population in the Rotorua District and wider Bay of Plenty. A great outcome for mistletoe in the Bay of Plenty and for all the volunteers who have worked so hard on this project over the past 22 years.
Local authority
The 2024 local government plant conservation award has gone to Northland Regional Council.
The Northland Regional Council (NRC) undertakes many work programmes which contribute to the conservation of native plants either directly or indirectly. In the main NRC’s role involves fostering enduring partnerships with mana whenua, community groups and landowners to give them the understanding and skills to take positive action and pass on their knowledge to others. The NRC monitors lake ecology including submerged and marginal wetland communities in over 100 lakes and supports or undertakes in-lake and catchment actions which protect or improve water quality, thereby safeguarding critically rare species such as Trithuria, Utricularia australis and Isolepis lenticularis. NRC also monitors more than 30 wetlands on a five yearly cycle which feeds back into recommendations for the landowners helping to improve wetland scores. On the coast, NRC led weed control, dune building, replanting, monitoring and advocacy helps restore precious foredune and backdune communities. In the past year NRC enabled the planting of around 15,000 dune plants and supported 30 CoastCare community groups. As one of the weediest places on earth, NRC Biosecurity Plant team has been busy over the last 10 years delivering weed workshops to upskill the public in weed recognition and control and supporting weed action co-ordinators and volunteers in Whangārei and High Value Areas. The terrestrial biodiversity team supports community events, bioblitzes and surveys which help people understand habitat values, rare species and how to look after them. Monthly botanical rambles are run by NRC staff in their own time for keen staff and others to explore the plant biodiversity in the region, giving ramblers access to botanists and mana whenua plant experts and helping to develop their botanical literacy in the company of like-minded people. The NRC Land Management team has contributed to plant conservation by fencing off stands of native forest within highly erodible land as well as providing fencing and planting grants for native forest, wetlands and riparian margins protecting plants from grazing and reducing sediment input into sensitive freshwater and marine habitats.