FAQs
- Why is BHMET trying to restore habitat on Motupōhue?
- If we don’t restore habitat, the forest would fall silent as birds are killed by introduced mammalian predators. Worse, the forest itself would die because of possum browse.
- What’s so special about Motupōhue?
- Motupōhue is Te Taurapa o Te Waka o Aoraki - the sternpost of the South Island. The taurapa is where chiefs stand and oral history speaks of many Ngai Tahu chiefs buried on the hill. As such, Motupōhue is accorded Topuni status under the Ngai Tahu treaty settlement act of 1998. Bluff Hill is also an iconic place - the end of State Highway one and Te Araroa national trail. Everyone knows where Bluff is! But to really appreciate how special Motupōhue is, you need to walk along the Glory Track through our magnificent podocarp forest. Stand still. Hear the cacophony of birds. Rejoice!
- What are the threats to Motupōhue?
- Aotearoa split away from Gondwanaland before mammals evolved. As a result, manu (birds) never had to fear mammalian predators and therefore never evolved the defenses… making them uniquely vulnerable to introduced predators. Possums, rats, stoats, weasels and other introduced predators wreak havoc on bird populations. But rats and possums also consume vast quantities of native vegetation, killing the forest itself and reducing the carbon sequestration capacity. Finally, pest plants such as wilding pines and gorse displace native vegetation and provide no food for native manu.
- Does BHMET really need to kill animals?
- We wish we didn’t have to kill these introduced predators. But we must. The alternative is a nightly slaughter of native manu, their eggs and their chicks. We take every precaution to ensure that our trapping techniques follow best practice to ensure humane kills and avoid bycatch.
- Why is BHMET concerned about dogs?
- Motupōhue has Titi and penguin colonies that are extremely vulnerable to dogs. Most seabird kills are by lovely pet dogs who “wouldn’t harm a fly”. They don’t set out to kill the bird - they smell the bird and think it’s a toy. If you’ve seen your dog shake their favourite toy, then picture a penguin in its mouth. That penguin will be seriously injured and will die. And that will be on your concience. All we ask is that dogs are kept on a leash in the scenic reserves (bounded by the Foveaux Walkway, the Millenium Track and the Topuni Track.
- Why is BHMET concerned about cats?
- Every year, several litters of kittens get dumped on the hill. Of every 100 kittens, 95 will suffer horrible and die of starvation. The remaining 5 will become vicious killers of native manu. They’re the worst of the predators since they can tackle all sizes of bird. They’re not capable of being domesticated. There’s just no excuse for dumping kittens. Get your cat desexed. If you find a litter of kittens, contact the SPCA so that they can be rehomed.
- What about Mrs Tibbles? Most BHMET staff and volunteers have domestic cats that we love dearly. But we do several important things. We desex our cats; we microchip them, we keep them indoors at night, we keep them well fed, and we try to get them to wear collars with bells.
- Why do you bother - wouldn’t nature just look after itself?
- In Europe, a good start point for conservation is ‘do nothing’. ‘Rewilding’ occurs naturally as the ecosystem recovers its balance. That doesn’t work in Aotearoa. If we did nothing, within 50 years, Motupōhue would be a pine forest with almost no native manu. It would be a vanilla ecosystem that could be encountered almost anywhere in the world. But it wouldn’t be New Zealand, it wouldn’t be ‘kiwi’ and there would be no kiwi. Sure, we could cage in special parts of Aotearoa where native manu could ‘thrive’ and you pay an entrance fee to ‘experience’ nature. That’s been suggested by some surprising figures in the international conservation community. Really? Is that the height of our ambition? Spend nothing, do nothing, let ‘nature take its course’? Not on our watch.
- Won’t climate change destroy all your work anyway?
- It’s easy to despair in conservation. Climate change is indeed the elephant in the room. Motupōhue is fortunate in that in the ferociously maritime environment of the Southern Ocean, temperature increase won’t threaten the ecosystem. Neither will extreme rainfall events. But we are seeing a troubling trend in the increased frequency and intensity of wind events which are increasing the rate of mature tree fall in the forest. But with a vibrant undercanopy, the gaps heal quickly. And above all, a predator-free forest is back in full carbon-sequestering mode… we’re doing our bit. For those climate change denialists that want their opinion to be heard, answer this: if the byproduct of carbon sequestration is a glorious manu-filled forest, what’s wrong with that?
- How can I help?
- If you can afford to, please donate money. We turn money into native habitat… a great investment! If all you have is time, please give that - we always need volunteers. We turn time into native habitat and you’ll get a real kick out of the mahi! If you own a dog, keep it on a leash in the scenic reserves. If you own a cat, get it desexed & microchipped and keep it indoors at night.
