Ashley River birds threatened by vehicles
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Volunteers fear for the welfare of birds at the Ashley River Estuary as ‘‘hoons’’ are caught on camera tearing through nesting sites.
Waimakariri district councillor Al Blackie says volunteers are fed up with people driving around nesting sites with no regard for the welfare of threatened species of birds.
‘‘We do have a bylaw, but there is not much we can do until they actually do some harm - other than naming and shaming them on social media.’’
Blackie said the council’s Pegasus Bay Bylaw Committee, which he chairs, would be reviewing the bylaw soon and was keen to hear any suggestions of how to better manage the area.
Ashley Rakahuri Rivercare Group operations manager Grant Davey said nesting birds were threatened by four-wheel-drives, helicopters hovering in the area and predators such as rats, cats and dogs.
Threatened birds included wrybills, black-bill gulls, banded dotterels, black-fronted terns and pied oystercatchers.
Some of these bird species were also endangered.
He said the presence of these multiple threats could scare the birds off, and lead them to abandoning their nests.
‘‘Along the river, we have most access points blocked, but there are areas we cannot block like State Highway 1 near the estuary.
‘‘Access is allowed for white baiters and some of them are pretty horrified by what is happening, and most of them are pretty helpful. They yell at the hoons and report it back to us.
‘‘You’ve got hoons who drive around all over the place and do donuts and sometimes it is in the early hours of the morning.’’
Motion sensor cameras have been placed in the nesting areas to monitor the presence of rats and cats, but they also picked up vehicles - and sometimes even the number plates.
Davey said Environment Canterbury’s rangers did an excellent job, but there was not enough of them.
‘‘They go and talk to people and give them a warning, but there is not much you can do.’’
Anyone caught harming the nesting birds could be fined or serve time in jail, but prosecutions were expensive, he said.
‘‘If you catch someone like the person who shot a white heron recently then you can prosecute them, but you are unlikely to actually catch people doing something like that.’’
Davey said dogs running loose were also a threat, with people ignoring or not reading signs.
‘‘It is usually perfectly respectable people doing it, but they just don’t understand.’’
The Rivercare group has received funding from the Waimakariri Zone Committee to fund a researcher to complete a thesis to better understand the full extent of the multiple threats to the birds.
■ The Ashley Rakahuri Rivercare Group is looking for volunteers for its annual bird count on the Ashley Rakahuri River on Saturday, November 19, at the Cones Road picnic area from 8.30am.
‘‘We like to have about 25 people, preferably with some ability to identify braided river birds including the wrybill, banded dotterel, pied stilt, black-fronted tern and black-billed gull,’’ organiser Beverley Alexander said.
‘‘If people are interested, but have little knowledge of the birds they can come along and we will partner them with others who have done the count previously.’’
Volunteers formed into teams, with each team taking a couple of hours to walk their designated zone.
Wet feet were guaranteed, but volunteers were rewarded with a barbecue.
Anyone interested can register by contacting Beverley Alexander on 027-3184713 or email birdiebev@xtra.co.nz.
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
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