Kia ora e te whānau o Karioi,

Recently I visited Rakiura National Park / Stewart Island and hiked the 3-day Rakiura Track with friends. We had a bumpy ride flying from the mainland to the island surrounded by dark rain-filled clouds and choppy seas below. Despite fighting off waves of motion sickness I could not ignore the amazing sight of the island, nearly completely covered in dense native forest fringed by golden sand beaches and clear blue coastal waters. A little slice of heaven, as Dave Dobyn would say! Despite invasive predators still being a persistent problem on the island we were delighted to find kākā on our doorstep the next morning, and kākāriki, kererū and tūī galore. A highlight was two evening encounters with a local kiwi (bird!) literally residing down the driveway from our accommodation.

Anyway, the point of this story is that this trip was a fresh reminder of the dream we have, of nature flourishing in Aotearoa and what it could be again!

Back home, it was equally delightful to find a number of new ōi burrows with species dog Miro and banding some of the 12 remaining ōi chicks currently in burrows ready to fledge around Christmas. Check out the amazing footage captured by our monitoring cameras showing juvenile ōi chicks spreading their wings and preparing to launch themselves into life at sea. These birds will return to our coastline in 5-6 years’ time to raise their own chicks. 

If you want to help - even in a very simple way - it's still possible to get a trap for your own backyard before Christmas from the Backyard Hub- it's good for nature and for you. I recently trapped 6 rats from under the roof of my own house!

Despite the ambitious goal for Aotearoa to achieve Predator Free status by 2050, funding opportunities continue to be limited and access to those funds has tightened since COVID. Thankfully support from within our community continues to help - and we are so grateful to local businesses and individuals that are stepping up to support the goal for a Predator Free Whāingaroa, where nature and people can flourish. If you can help, with a Christmas gift to the project, donate today.

A big part of the Karioi Project’s kaupapa is connecting people to nature to inspire the next generation of kaitiaki. We do this by providing volunteer opportunities as well as an environmental education programme. This recent feedback from a local parent was so encouraging - “thank you for your awesome mahi in our community... We love the programme and are really excited by what you are creating for rangatahi in Whāingaroa! … I have organised a climate crisis youth group for teenagers. I asked them who had done Karioi Rangers and they all had!! It shows you are creating lifelong committed Environmentalists.” 

We’re delighted to continue our education programme in 2023 - both the after-school Karioi Rangers and Kids programmes and the school holiday programmes. We will also continue to work with local and visiting schools, especially Raglan Area School.  At RAS the Manaaki Ao programme will focus on years 1-10 as well as a bespoke Hauora programme that connects rangatahi to whenua to create opportunities for well-being and belonging. 

A graduate of the Manaaki Ao programme, Dayton Keremeta has been working for the Karioi project as a ranger for the last 4 years. Dayton will be leaving the project and Whāingaroa to spread his wings and pursue new adventures next year. Dayton has been such an asset to the team and though we are sad to see him go we wish him all the best! 

As we head into the Christmas season I hope you will have time to pause, take a deep breath and reflect on all that is good - it's been a very full year as we have gone about our work and life at a frantic pace! I am grateful for all that has been achieved, and to our amazing team of volunteers, staff, and community for supporting us in so many ways! 

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari kē he toa takitini.

Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia!

Ngā mihi mahana,

Kristel

Project Manager