Events

The critically endangered fairy tern could disappear from the Mangawhai harbour in Northland if a local group keeps removing mangroves, conservationists say.

The Mangawhai Harbour Restoration Society was given consent to clear some mangroves from the middle of the harbour in 2012, and earlier this month they announced plans to remove more.

The fairy tern is New Zealand’s rarest endemic breeding bird with half of its 10 breeding pairs living in Mangawhai, and the restoration society’s plans put the birds at risk, said Forest and Bird’s seabird conservation advocate Karen Baird.

The birds nest on the beach and forage for small fish called ‘gobies’ that live in the mangroves, to feed themselves and their chicks.

A public meeting is being held in Mangawhai on March the 19th to discuss future plans for the harbour.

For the full story go here.

Some of you have been asking… and we are excited to be able to tell you the dates and venue for our next conference.

It will be held 30 March -1 April at the Wanui Surf Life Saving Club, Moana Road in Gisborne.

The format will be much like last year, which means about 1,5 days of fieldtrips as well as presentations by local and national speakers and a chance for local groups to show their progress.

This is a part of the country that is a bit out of the way for many of us, so it might be a good chance to have a good look around before and/or after our conference. Please remember that you can support our trust by booking your accommodation through Kiwi Karma and select us as your favourite charity.

More information will be published here as it becomes available.