Journal Number 88
September 2003
GUEST EDITORIAL
Friends of Iwitahi Native Orchid Protection Area
By Max Gibbs
We are forming a "Friends of Iwitahi Native Orchid Protection Area" as a way of maintaining the Heritage Protection Authority over the native orchid habitat under the Pinus nigra forest at Iwitahi. Why is this necessary'? Well it's a long story starting almost 20 years ago.....
In 1985, the superabundance and huge diversity of native orchid species under the pine trees in the Kaingaroa State Forest was first brought to the attention of the Taupo Orchid Society by Ken Scott, as the society was setting up for their annual orchid show.
The importance of the site was recognised and Taupo Orchid Society members Max Gibbs and Trevor Nicholls successfully negotiated with the forestry managers, Timberlands, and DoC to protect an area of the pine forest habitat and adjacent roadsides for these orchids.
In 1986, a reserve covenant was placed on a 5 ha block of 50 year old Pinus nigra, particularly well endowed with orchids, and the Iwitahi Native orchid Reserve was born. Conceptually, this reserve would provide native orchids to re-seed the new pine forests being planted as the old forest was harvested. We were naive....
Through annual meetings at the Iwitahi Native Orchid Reserve with the NZ Native Orchid Group and other interested visitors, and a series of surveys of the rest of the Kaingaroa State Forest, it became apparent that the proliferation of native orchids strongly favoured Pinus nigra for all but a few common species. It also became apparent that forestry activity was steadily removing this special habitat and replanting with Pinus radiata, for which most of the native orchids have little affinity. With the felling of adjacent tall trees, the vulnerability of such a small reserve was obvious as the under story became desiccated and overgrown with grass and other weeds.
In 1993, through the tireless efforts of Trevor Nicholls and his dedicated helpers, a clause in the 1991 Resource Management Act (RMA) was used to establish a Heritage Protection Authority to manage a somewhat larger and hopefully less vulnerable parcel of P.nigra forest as a Heritage Protection Area.
Unlike a reserve covenant, which precludes any manipulation of the area, a Heritage Protection
Area requires a sustainable management plan to maintain the area being protected. Also unlike
a reserve covenant, for which there is currently no legal means of removing, the Heritage Protection Authority and thus the area of protection can be removed by the Minister for the Environment if it is shown that the Heritage Protection Authority is no longer able to honour its obligation, or the need for the Heritage Protection Area no longer exists.
The Heritage Protection Authority for the Iwitahi native orchid area is vested in the Taupo Orchid Society Inc. Incorporation of the Taupo Orchid Society was part of the requirement for the establishment of the Heritage Protection Authority, and the whole process was supported and funded by the current forest owners, Fletcher Challenge Forests Ltd. A management committee was established with members drawn from the Taupo Orchid Society Inc., Fletcher Challenge Forests Ltd., and the NZ Native Orchid Group.
While the committee has formulated policy and a management plan, much of the work of
maintaining the Heritage Protection Area has fallen on the shoulders of Trevor Nicholls and
his helpers. The Rangitaiki School children have been very willing helpers and have adopted
the native orchid area as their conservation project. Other organisations such as Forest and
Bird and various botanical society members have also worked in the Iwitahi native orchid area.
Three major points of concern were the establishment of ground-level wind-breaks along the western boundary of the native orchid area, to reduce the impact of drying winds when the adjacent forest was felled; ensuring the native orchid area held representative species of all the native orchids growing on the forest floor; and managing the habitat for the orchids.
While the first two had finite ends, the third is ongoing (e.g. pest control and weeding) with long term objectives which include sequential replacement of the P.nigra to maintain the orchid habitat.
Fundamental to the continuing existence of the native orchid area is the continuing existence of the Taupo Orchid Society Inc., which is the Heritage Protection Authority. As with many small Orchid Societies, falling membership and aging members means that those societies become no longer viable and they close. The Iwitahi Native Orchid Protection Area received a very welcome donation of about $4500 from the Kapiti Orchid Society when the latter closed.
The Taupo Orchid Society Inc is facing a similar problem but, with the realisation that it must
continue to exist for the sake of the Heritage Protection Authority status, the society has voted
at its last AGM to become "less active" with a social meeting at least once a year (AGM); and for
the management committee for the Heritage Protection Area (i.e. the Iwitahi Native Orchid
Protection Area) to become the society's active committee with the power to co-opt. This last
is very important as the committee members are also aging and moving on.
Trevor Nicholls advises us that he is leaving New Zealand in November 2003. He will be sorely missed and his leaving highlights the need for new members.
Discussions at Iwitahi last December produced the suggestion of establishing a "Friends of
Iwitahi Native Orchid Protection Area" to ensure the survival of the native orchids at Iwitahi.
This would be a voluntary group with a donation of say $20 pa for membership. Annual meetings at Iwitahi as working bees will continue independent of or in conjunction with annual meetings of the NZNOG. Details of these will be announced through the NZNOG Journal.
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