North Canterbury News: September 21, 2023
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RURAL LIFE<br />
<strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>September</strong> <strong>21</strong>, <strong>2023</strong><br />
29<br />
Paddock becomes native habitat<br />
By DAVID HILL,<br />
Local Democracy Reporter<br />
An unused piece of <strong>North</strong><strong>Canterbury</strong><br />
farmland has become aconservation<br />
area rich in biodiversity.<br />
Eight years ago Pāmu (Landcorp)<br />
New Zealand completedanecological<br />
survey of a2.5 hectare paddockwhich<br />
was overgrown on its Eyrewell dairy<br />
farm, nearOxford.<br />
The survey found the paddockwas<br />
home to the rare Eyrewell skink,which<br />
were living under old car doors, and<br />
other interesting wildlife.<br />
Conservationalist Ruud Kleinpaste,<br />
known as ‘‘the bugman’’,and<br />
Conservation Volunteers New Zealand<br />
got involved and with the help of local<br />
school children, the paddock is slowly<br />
being restored into anativehabitat.<br />
Last week Pāmu New Zealand hosted<br />
students fromWest Eyreton and<br />
Swannanoa Schools, who spentpart of<br />
the day looking for skinks and insects.<br />
‘‘They are lookingclosely at the<br />
landscape and seeing things my old<br />
eyes can’t see anymore,’’ Mr Kleinpaste<br />
said.<br />
Volunteers also helped the children<br />
to plantkanuka, mānuka and matagouri<br />
trees.<br />
Conservation Volunteers New<br />
Zealandregional manager Hamish<br />
Fairbairn said he had been bringing<br />
volunteers to the sitesince 2018.<br />
‘‘It is aboutbringingpeople together<br />
and spending time in nature, planting<br />
trees and restoring habitat.’’<br />
Three speciesofskink have been<br />
found at the site, along withcrickets,<br />
the rare Alexander beetle and trapdoor<br />
spiders.<br />
The children also got ainvestigate ‘‘a<br />
crime scene’’, after the remains of a<br />
rabbit were found.<br />
Crime scene ... The bug man, Ruud Kleinpaste investigates ‘‘a crime scene’’ with children<br />
from Swannanoa School after finding the remains of arabbit.<br />
PHOTO: DAVID HILL<br />
The prime suspect was a kāhu,<br />
harrier hawk.<br />
Mr Kleinpaste saidthe site was agood<br />
example of what how farms could<br />
operate alongside nature.<br />
He hoped to encourage teachers and<br />
childrentobecome ‘‘naturenerds’’.<br />
The children tookaway ideas about<br />
what theycould do to enhance the<br />
biodiversity of their school gardens.<br />
‘‘If they became natureliterate, these<br />
kids are getting the tools to look after<br />
the planet thatmygeneration<br />
destroyed,’’ Mr Kleinpastesaid.<br />
Public interest journalismfunded<br />
throughNew Zealand.<br />
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Proposed WaiparaSolar<br />
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use in the face of the climate change emergency<br />
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Meet and talk with the development team and<br />
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