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About Us
What is Southern Regional Office?
What
is Forest and Bird?
The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society is the oldest and largest
non-government environmental lobbying organization in New Zealand. Nowadays
it is usually just called Forest and Bird. The best place to gain an overview
of Forest and Bird’s concerns and activities at the national level
is through the national
website.
Forest and Bird produces a quarterly magazine called Forest and Bird and
has a Central Office in Wellington with paid employees (including the
Conservation Manager, Kevin Hackwell) who attend to environmental issues
of national significance and to national administration. While every member
will belong to their particular local branch, the magazine is distributed
nationally and subscriptions are paid to Central Office.
In addition to workers at Central Office, there is a National Executive,
a small group of experienced Forest and Bird members (including the President,
Gerry McSweeney, and currently also both Alan Mark and Liz Slooten from
Dunedin) who have overall responsibility for the organisation at the national
level. Forest and Bird employees, the National Executive, and one or more
councillors from each of the local branches get together twice a year
for national council meetings and for the national annual general meeting.
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What is Dunedin branch?
There are branches of Forest and Bird throughout New Zealand. Each branch
is made up of the members who live in the area, and has a particular concern
with and interest in local environmental issues in its area. Dunedin branch
is one of the oldest and largest branches in the country, with about 600
members. We used to be called Otago branch, but have become Dunedin branch
in recognition of smaller more recent offshoots in other parts of Otago
- South Otago branch (based in Balclutha), North Otago branch (based in
Oamaru) and Upper Clutha Branch. There are also active neighbouring branches
in Southland (based in Invercargill) and in South Canterbury (based in
Timaru).
Dunedin branch is run by a management committee, which meets monthly and
is made up of about a dozen active members of the branch. We are always
keen to have members volunteering to join the management committee! Like
the national executive, committee members are unpaid. The management committee
will include a chairperson, vice chairperson (or persons), secretary and
treasurer, who are elected at the Dunedin branch’s annual general
meeting, held each June and open to all branch members. The management
committee also elects one person from among its own members to act as
branch councillor at national council meetings.
The management committee sends out an annual calendar of events and a
twice-yearly branch newsletter to all branch members. It organises monthly
indoor meetings in Otago Museum (usually on the third Tuesday of the month)
at which an invited speaker gives a talk or slide show on an environmental
or natural history topic. The branch also has monthly field trips, to
different areas of interest within Dunedin or Otago, usually led by a
branch member with special knowledge of that area or its animals and plants.
Non-members are welcome at indoor meetings and on field trips, but we
encourage people to join the branch.
These branch activities are run regularly every year. In addition, there
are always a succession of issues which we become involved in, particular
projects we look after, and other activities for which we provide financial
support. These matters are dealt with through the management committee,
but the more input from general membership the better.
Local issues we become involved in are ones of environmental concern.
We will lobby, for instance, for improvements in Dunedin City Council’s
sewage disposal system, or for extensions to Otago Regional Council’s
requirements for weed control. Projects we look after are often to
do
with the revegetation of particular reserves or removal of particular
problem species. Forest and Bird owns Moore’s
Bush in Dunedin, which is managed by our branch, and the extensive
Lenz Reserve in the Catlins behind Tautuku Lodge (well worth a stay),
which is managed jointly by Dunedin and Southland branches. We also have
ongoing revegetation programmes on Quarantine
Island, around Tomahawk Lagoons, and elsewhere. We are currently
under contract to the Department of Conservation to control weeds
within Otanomomo
Scientific Reserve near Telford, and we assist Dunedin City Council to
look after their Caversham Bush Reserve. We have been particularly active
in running a wilding tree control programme
throughout Otago, removing wilding exotic pine species and other non-native
trees which threaten to damage or destroy indigenous ecosystems. We also
support a kereru (New Zealand pigeon) recovery
programme in Dunedin, currently operating from an aviary within the
Botanic
Gardens, and we are involved in the proposal to create a ‘mainland
island’ at Orokonui, behind Waitati. We are also involved in writing
submissions on proposals and policies that affect the environment.
Another important function of the branch is to provide financial support
for projects of conservation value undertaken by others in Otago. Sometimes
we provide money from our own funds, but we also make donations to suitable
projects in Otago on behalf of the Dr Marjorie Barclay Trust, a completely
independent charitable body which, through other avenues, also supports
a wide variety of other worthy projects which do not have a particular
environmental focus. Either indirectly (through the Trust) or directly,
we have contributed to work done by the Department of Conservation on,
for instance, board walks at Aramoana and in the Fleming Estuary, and
interpretive signs throughout this part of South Island.
What is KCC?
The Kiwi Conservation Club is the junior wing of
Forest and Bird, with many local branches throughout New Zealand. The
Dunedin branch of the Kiwi Conservation Club produces its own newsletter
and has frequent field trips and other activities for young children and
their parents. The Dunedin branch of Forest and Bird gives financial support
to KCC Dunedin, and one KCC parent always reports to and is a member of
F&B Dunedin branch management committee.
What is Southern Regional Office?
In addition to its Central Office in Wellington, Forest and Bird has
regional offices, with paid employees, in Auckland, Christchurch and
Dunedin. The
Southern Regional Office, while it is based in Dunedin, is involved in
conservation issues throughout all of Otago, Southland, Fiordland and
the Sub Antarctic Islands. It also provides support to all the Society's
southern branches. The Dunedin
branch of Forest and Bird gives financial support
to national Forest and Bird in their running of the
Southern
Regional
Office.
Because
it happens to be in Dunedin, there is considerable interaction between
the office and Dunedin branch, and Sue Maturin, the Southern Regional
Officer, regularly reports the office’s activities to Dunedin
branch management committee. However, the roles of Dunedin branch
and Southern Regional Office are quite distinct. The regional office
addresses particular environmental concerns throughout the region
which are of sufficient national significance for national Forest
and Bird to direct time and funding towards them.
The Southern Regional Office is staffed by a full time Conservation Officer, Sue Maturin, and a part time Planner, Sally Dicey. Currently they are working on protecting the high country, tussock grasslands, wetlands, shrublands, and alpine environments through the tenure review campaign, promoting a marine park for underwater Fiordland, marine reserves in Paterson Inlet and the Nuggets, Protecting our Ocean from Dunedin City Council's - Dunedin sewage, protecting the wilderness and natural sounds of Fiordland, through controlling tourism, protecting native vegetation remnants around Dunedin and throughout the South through obtaining vegetation clearance rules in District Plans under the Resource Management Act, advocating for improved and more extensive integrated pest management to protect wildlife. Sue's areas of expertise are high country, marine ecology, forest conservation and the South Pacific. She also leads the Forest and Bird annual tour to Vanuatu to support the Vatthe Conservation Park on the Island of Espiritu Santo. Sally has legal and resource management expertise and is currently studying for a Masters in Regional and Resource Planning at Otago University. The focus of her study in 2004 will be on the cumulative effects of charter boat operations in Fiordland.
This summary only provides a partial picture of the many ways in which
Forest and Bird is involved in learning about, supporting and protecting
the environment, and especially the natural indigenous environment, of
New Zealand. The best way to find out more is to come along to one of
the meetings of the local branch. See you there.
Paul Star, Secretary
November 2003.
03-478-0315
starmulq@es.co.nz
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