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Conservation Minister Maggie Barry and Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner have presented traps to two community groups at a Predator Free 2050 event in Christchurch today.

Abel Tasman and Kahurangi national parks are now connected by a 169-hectare block of land purchased by the Nature Heritage Fund, Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner announced today.

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner and Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith today launched a new strategy and action plan to better equip New Zealanders, especially children and young people, with the knowledge, skills and motivation to tackle environmental issues.

Mātauranga Whakauka Taio – Environment Education for Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan sets out how government agencies will work together over the next 10 years to better support the delivery of environmental education.

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner today announced three appointments and two reappointments to the Nature Heritage Fund Committee.

Jan Riddell (Winton) and Dr Gerry McSweeney (South Westland) have been reappointed to the Committee for two years.

“As a Committee member since 2001, Ms Riddell brings a vast amount of knowledge and experience to table, so it’s my pleasure to announce she has also been appointed Chairperson,” Ms Wagner says.

A highly successful Hawke’s Bay stream restoration project has taken out the top prize at the 2017 Green Ribbon Awards, announced tonight by Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner.

“My congratulations to the Whangawehi Catchment Management Group for winning the 2017 Supreme Green Ribbon Award. This team effort over seven years involving iwi, councils and landowners has achieved significant improvements in water quality in the Whangawehi River and in protecting native plants and animals,” Dr Smith says.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry and Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner have announced a major upgrade and extension to the trap network in Canterbury to protect the critically endangered orange-fronted parakeet.

“This bird is the rarest of our five parakeet species, with the population between 200 and 400, so we installed 500 self-resetting traps in Lake Sumner Forest Park last week as part of DOC’s Battle for our Birds programme,” Ms Barry says.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry has welcomed plans by the Kiwis for Kiwi Trust to boost the number of kiwi chicks captured in the wild for later release in to predator free habitats.

“Through Operation Nest Egg the Trust will use kiwi crèches or kōhanga kiwi sites to raise chicks to 1 kilogram in weight so they are big enough to fend for themselves in the wild,” Ms Barry says.

Four ambitious conservation projects in Canterbury have received $137,000 in support from the DOC Community Fund, Conservation Ministers Maggie Barry and Nicky Wagner have announced.

The projects range from wilding conifer control to protecting and promoting indigenous vegetation, the Ministers say.

“Each of the groups is playing an important role in eliminating weeds and restoring biodiversity in the Canterbury region,” Ms Barry says.

Four ambitious conservation projects in Otago have received $263,000 in support from the DOC Community Fund, Conservation Ministers Maggie Barry and Nicky Wagner have announced.

The projects range from restoring wetland of ecological value to eradicating pests, the Ministers say.

“Each of the groups is playing an important role in protecting threatened bird species and enhancing ecosystems around the Otago Peninsula,” Ms Barry says.

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner says a recent acquisition by the Nature Heritage Fund (NHF) will protect 14 ha of rare coastal forest in South Westland.

“The land represents one of the four National Priorities for Protection. There are significant quantities of mature rimu and kahikatea within the forest and its acquisition protects one of the few remaining blocks of intact podocarp-hardwood forest on fertile coastal plains south of Hokitika,” Ms Wagner says.

Four ambitious conservation projects in Gisborne have received $78,000 in support from the DOC Community Fund, Conservation Ministers Maggie Barry and Nicky Wagner have announced.

The projects range from weed eradication on Gisborne’s Titirangi Maunga to protecting wild kiwi in Maungataniwha and represent the best of community conservation, the Ministers say.

“Each of the groups is helping wage the War on Weeds and protect native species from introduced predators and invasive plants,” Ms Barry says.

A new strategy for tackling wilding conifers in the Mackenzie Basin has been announced today by Conservation Ministers Maggie Barry and Nicky Wagner.

“Currently, wilding conifers impact on almost a quarter of land in the Mackenzie Basin, and without further control they will spread and take over large areas of farm and conservation land,” Ms Barry says.

“Wilding conifers are a major threat to our ecosystems, land and farms. These invasive self-sown trees spread fast and are very hard to eliminate once established.

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner has welcomed the acquisition of a significant area of forest on the West Coast. 

“The Nature Heritage Fund has acquired the 152 ha of lowland podocarp/beech forest in the Buller District on the West Coast on behalf of the Crown. The forest sits on fertile limestone alluvium between Ruff Creek and Yorke Creek on the eastern flank of the Paparoa Range. This is now a rare forest type due to clearance for agriculture,” Ms Wagner says.

Conservation Week 2016 begins on Saturday and is an opportunity for New Zealanders to enjoy the outdoors and discover our natural heritage, Conservation Ministers Maggie Barry and Nicky Wagner say.

“This year’s theme is again focused on Healthy Nature, Healthy People, and it’s all about the health and wellbeing benefits we get from the natural world,” Ms Barry says.

A new contract to support Enviroschools for the next six years and a new Strategy for Environmental Education for Sustainability were announced today by Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Associate Minister of Conservation Nicky Wagner.

“Education is a powerful, long-term tool for improving how we care for the environment. If people feel connected to nature and understand the problems of species loss, water pollution, waste and climate change, they will make better choices during their lifetime,” Dr Smith says.

Associate Minister of Conservation Nicky Wagner welcomes the Awaroa beach property becoming part of the Abel Tasman National Park today after its purchase through a Givealittle campaign.

Ms Wagner, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and West Coast based MP Maureen Pugh are today at the Awaroa beach for a celebration of it being gifted to the nation.

Associate Minister of Conservation Nicky Wagner says it’s great to see young people rolling up their sleeves and volunteering for conservation.

“This week is National Volunteer Week and is a chance to celebrate people of all ages making time in their busy lives to volunteer and help protect New Zealand’s natural heritage,” Ms Wagner says.

“More than 15,000 people participated in Department of Conservation volunteer programmes last year, working the equivalent of about 35,000 work days. 

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner has today welcomed an agreement between the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the State Forestry Administration (SFA) of China to protect wetlands in both countries used by migratory birds.

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner has today announced a Nature Heritage Fund (NHF) purchase of an important area of native forest, wetland and river flats near Dargaville, Northland. The $655,000 NHF grant is supported by a contribution of $55,000 from the Northland Fish and Game Council.

The 342 hectare site, 5 km east of Dargaville, is alongside the Manganui and Wairoa Rivers. Three hundred hectares is remnant kauri, podocarp, hardwood forest and wetland, with the balance being drained river flats containing remnant areas of kahikatea.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry and Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner have congratulated the successful Givealittle campaign to buy Awaroa beach.

“Duane Major, Adam Gard’ner and the almost 40,000 Kiwis who donated close to $2 million to buy Awaroa beach deserve the thanks of the nation for their generosity, energy and spirit,” Ms Barry says.

“It’s been inspiring to see how the campaign reflected New Zealanders’ deep connection to our land and our desire to see it protected.

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner is today signing a deed officially establishing the new Mackenzie Country Trust, which implements the vision and strategy of the 2013 Mackenzie Country Agreement.

“The establishment of the Mackenzie Country Trust provides a way forward for the Mackenzie Agreement and puts the future of the Mackenzie Basin firmly in the hands of local communities,” Ms Wagner says.

World Wetlands Day is a chance for New Zealanders to find out more about some of the country’s most important natural treasures, Conservation Minister Maggie Barry and Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner say.

To mark the day the Department of Conservation has released a new online resource, Our Estuaries, to help people explore and look after the wetland environment.

“New Zealand has more than 300 estuaries, and they are home to a wide range of native plants, fish and birds,” Ms Barry says.

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner has this weekend celebrated the Nature Heritage Fund’s significant contribution to conservation over the past 25 years, at a special ceremony held at Hakatere, Ashburton Lakes, in Canterbury.

“Over the past quarter of a century, the Fund has protected more than 340,000 hectares of critically important eco-systems including forests, wetlands and tussock lands that were under threat of logging or damage from introduced animals,” Ms Wagner says.

Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner today announced the Nature Heritage Fund is investing $235,000 to purchase 124 hectares of forested karst landscape on the western flank of the Abel Tasman National Park.

“This block of land, known as ‘Lindsay’s Block’, borders Abel Tasman National Park on two sides, so it will become an integral part of the district’s protected forest system,” Ms Wagner says.