Bay Harbour: February 19, 2020

PAGE 12 BAY HARBOUR
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Wednesday February 19 2020
News
Leading by example
THE LES Mills City2Surf is an
event close to the heart of Sport
Canterbury, with the Regional
Sports Trust sponsoring the 6km
course each year to promote
greater participation and people
of all ages having a go.
“The Canterbury region is
known for placing great value on
the benefits of being active,” said
Sport Canterbury chief executive
Julyan Falloon.
“It’s no wonder we are home
to one of New Zealand’s most
iconic participation events, which
encourages so many locals and visitors
alike to set a goal and reflect
on the benefits of being active with
family and friends.”
In 2020, community sport
adviser Jess Rodrigues is on a
special mission to walk – or run
– the talk and complete the 6km
distance, for only the second
time in her life.
Rodrigues is an inspiring
figure in the movement that
celebrates women and girls
in sport. She is particularly
passionate about breaking down
barriers to participation for girls
in the Canterbury region.
For seven years Rodrigues
has been actively involved with
surf lifesaving, and each year
ACTIVE: Jess Rodrigues (left) at Sport Canterbury’s MASH Tough
Kid event at South Brighton Domain in November. ​
endeavours to be involved through
volunteering as a lifesaver at South
Brighton. She also manages and
works alongside the youth development
team to help create pathways
for Canterbury lifesavers.
“Providing the community
with safe beaches in the summer
is something I am passionate
about. Our surf life saving club
has been committed to providing
this service for the past 90 years.
It’s awesome to see young volunteers
committing their weekends
to keeping the community safe,
so locals can play and enjoy our
beautiful coastline.”
As part of her role as a community
sport adviser, Jess
works with the team in growing
participation and developing
capability across the Canterbury
West Coast region.
“That’s part of the reason I am
participating in the Les Mills
City2Surf. I want to lead by
example and show other women
and girls, who lead busy lives,
that we can get involved and
compete in events as much as the
next person.”
As one of New Zealand’s
14 regional sports trusts,
Sport Canterbury believes
that people of all ages and
backgrounds deserve access
to sport and recreation. Sport
Canterbury enables individuals
and communities to create
opportunities for play, physical
activity and participation, as
well as healthier choices.
•To enter go to www.
city2surf.co.nz
BIRDS OF THE ESTUARY
Tanya Jenkins is the manager of the Avon-
Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust, a non-profit
organisation formed in 2002 to protect one of
New Zealand’s most important coastal wetlands.
Each week she introduces a new bird found
in the estuary. Her column aims to raise the
understanding of the values and uniqueness of
the area.
Amazing story of recovery
THE NEW Zealand scaup or
paponga are adorable chubby
black ducks with out-ofproportion
big feet.
The native birds are our only
diving duck, able to stay under
water for 30sec and dive up to
3m deep to feed.
They tell an amazing recovery
story starting in 1980 when there
were less than 100 scaup left in
Christchurch.
Aiming to save the scaup from
extinction in our city, the Lady
Isaac Wildlife Trust caught some
50 scaup and started a breeding
programme within the safe
compounds of the trust’s lake at
McLeans Island.
Once numbers increased the
Our owners are moving on so you can move in
scaup were returned to our rivers
and oxidation ponds where this
summer we counted as many as
4000 in the ponds alone.
This means that the ponds
hosts as much as 20 per cent of
the entire New Zealand population
and indeed the world’s
population.
During February you can see
several scaup rafts (or creches)
in the ponds comprising of a
few females with up to 70–90
ducklings.
How can we help the scaup
number to thrive? Keep dogs on
the lead when walking along riverbanks
and the estuary edge. Dogs
are a huge threat to birds needing
to nest, rest and feed in peace.
IMPRESSIVE: The
New Zealand
scaup is able to
stay under water
for 30sec and
dive up to 3m
deep to feed.
PHOTO: CLIVE
COLLINS
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Viewings:
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Mob. 021 633 669
Office (03) 384 4179
Ray White Ferrymead
Prier Manson Ltd.(Licensed REAA 2008)