Ferry passengers entering Tōtaranui Queen Charlotte Sounds will notice something unusual on the iconic Arapaoa Island.
Thanks to funding from the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme, hundreds of dead wilding trees spot the hillsides of the island, clear evidence of the wilding conifer eradication efforts on the island.
Sherman Smith, manager of the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme at Biosecurity New Zealand, says the decision to support the Marlborough Sounds Restoration Trust’s control work with $500,000 in funding is in recognition of the historical, cultural and ecological significance of Arapaoa Island.
"The island is steeped in history but the native forest on the Island and the nearby headlands were at risk from mature wildings throwing seed. We agreed with the Marlborough Sounds Restoration Trust on the need to act, and they offered experienced hands to lead the work – as the results show.
"The funding from the programme put us about 5 years ahead of schedule," says John Hellstrom, chair of the Marlborough Sounds Restoration Trust.
"The control work has had a really significant impact because of the location of Arapaoa within the Sounds."
Seen by around 250,000 ferry travellers every year, Arapaoa Island lies where Tōtaranui Queen Charlotte Sound meets Kura Te Au / Tory Channel.
The National Wilding Conifer Control Programme funded work on 2 scenic reserves at the south end of Arapaoa Island, totalling about 900 hectares: Rūaomoko Point Scenic Reserve, and Ngaruru Scenic Reserve, which includes the site of a village inhabited hundreds of years ago.
Sherman explains that while the initial sight of dead trees might seem alarming, it’s a welcome view for the local community, celebrating the start of the process of the return of native biodiversity.
"Within a few years, those wilding trees are breaking down, birds drop seeds onto the ground beneath, dappled light gets through, and the native forest comes back. That restoration of Te Mana o te Taiao, the wellbeing of the environment, is an important driver of the programme’s work," Sherman says.
"The Trust has the support of Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Māui, Ngāti Kuia and Rangitāne o Wairau to protect this section of the Sounds. That was an important factor for us and our local partner Marlborough District Council, in granting the funding. They’ve worked with the whole community."
The Trust hosted a boat tour of the area recently to show the progress at Arapaoa and nearby Maraetai Bay.
"In 10 or 15 years, the entire Sounds would be wilding conifers instead of native bush, without all the efforts put in on Arapaoa, and the wider Sounds, by many people over many years," John says.
"People loved seeing the wilding trees browning and disintegrating, and then areas of fully restored native forest – that’s the long-term reward we’re all aiming for, and we’re showing that it can be done."
The National Wilding Conifer Control Programme and Marlborough Sounds Restoration Trust recognise the Tangata Whenua to the wider area of Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Maui/Marlborough Sounds.