Newspaper Article 2019 – Wimbledon farmer keen to preserve New Zealand’s heritage

Dave Murdoch

Wimbledon farmer Brian Hales is keen to preserve New Zealand’s heritage.

Last year Brian was on Country Calendar which featured not only his flock of exotic sheep, but his work with Weber School developing wetlands and the discovery and protection of ancient velvet worms called peripatus.

These were found eight years ago in the bush by Brian’s farm by Khan Coleman and were previously thought to be extinct.

From there the drive to preserve the way the environment used to be has gained momentum.

Last Sunday the public got to view how far Brian and a keen band of locals have come.

It started with the peripatus and examples of this ancient velvet worm that has hardly changed in 500 million years were displayed.

They were found just days ago by Emma McLaughlan who, with her family, has been travelling to Wimbledon from Napier periodically for six years to be part of the study.

Also found on the hunt was a gecko – a lizard so rare 21 of the 39 species are endangered due to predation and habitat destruction and all are protected.

It is hoped the wetland developments, started in conjunction with Weber School, will help the gecko in the Wainui catchment but also there is a programme to raise awareness of whitebait and other fresh water fish.

Doug Bailey, who was raised in the district, has been studying the ecology of the Wainui catchment for many years. He is keen to raise awareness of fish life in the area’s streams because they are endangered, particularly whitebait due to overfishing.

His samples of whitebait and displays of work from Weber School showed whitebait are the juvenile forms of three fish varieties in the catchment – inanga, koaro and kokopu – all endangered, especially the long-finned eel and the almost extinct koaro – a native trout.

Add in three types of bully – redfin, cran and common – and there is a real presence of fish in the catchment which need to be protected by habitat management, including riparian planting to cool the water, increasing its oxygen content and food sources.

With the passing of the Fresh Water Fish Bill in Parliament recently it is hoped the residents of waterways will become protected but Doug says everyone can help, especially farmers.

Also almost extinct are rata trees killed by possums and now myrtle rust. A survey shows there are only 12 healthy ratas in the Tararua district, but with a campaign to identify existing trees, propagate cuttings and seedlings ready for the 2020 autumn in the headwaters of the Wainui, where Brian’s property sits, Doug hopes in time the hillsides will be red with blossom in summer.

He hopes people will volunteer to help plant rata or donate warratahs [waratahs], wire netting and mulch to protect the young trees.

As to a fossil on display, it may not be what it was first thought to be. A five-tonne mostly siltstone boulder sat on the hill above Brian’s woolshed with an interesting imprint which was thought to a fossil dating 65 million years. Brian had recently recovered this ammonite fossil in the rock.

If it does date back 65 million years the fossil could tell an interesting story, but on Sunday GNS senior scientist Hugh Morgans said the jury was out and only further investigation would establish its authenticity.

Photo caption – Doug Bailey with his Wainui rata project.