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Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Regeneration reaches new heights
Orokonui's rare plants garden in 2010. PHOTO: ODT FILES Tracking change at Orokonui Ecosanctuary goes in leaps and strides, writes Madison Kelly. For a project with a 1000-year plan, reaching milestones can be a waiting game. Eye-catching outcomes like gangs of kākā in flight, or a casually roaming whānau of takahē are obvious even to first-time visitors to Orokonui. Other developments take their time, building slowly until, suddenly, change can't be ignored. The sanctuary's re-planted zones are one such gauge of progress, measured in careful proliferations of leaves, branches, roots — and a whole lot of human effort. Comparing photos of the rare plants garden from its first planting in 2010 to the present day, an immense story unfolds. Introduced as a bespoke site for threatened plant species to grow, safe from browsing mammals, the garden is found just inside the fenceline along the Kākā Track. Along a gentle loop, visitors can find examples of uncommon plants, such as east coast mountain daisies Celmisia hookeri, or spiny perfumed taramea, Aciphylla ferox. Many plantings represent species rare in the wild, such as the fierce lancewood Pseudopanax ferox, or intricately branching Olearia fragrantissima. The garden's plot and tracks were established with the help of volunteer Graeme Cook. A suite of volunteers and sanctuary staff supported the garden's early growth with sourcing, growing and planting treasured species. At its initiation, dedicating a site to plant advocacy and seeing those first sweeping blooms of Celmisia was a landmark achievement. Nowadays, new planting milestones are occurring throughout the valley. Further along the Kākā Track, just before the first feeding station, regenerating habitat is beginning to converge. Once separated in their youth by wide gravel tracks, trees dispersed from early sanctuary plantings are finally forming the early hint of a canopy. Guiding groups along regenerating sections of the Kākā Track in 2025 yields wildly different results compared to even five years ago. What were once exposed trails are now rich tapestries of light and shadow, harbouring an understorey attractive enough for foraging kakaruai/robins. Orokonui's rare plants garden in 2024. PHOTO: ODT FILES As regeneration (literally) reaches new heights, sanctuary mahi leans on vital tasks like weeding and track maintenance. Regular volunteer groups such as the Eastern boundary "Gorse Assassins'' tackle invasive species making a home in the valley, and kaimahi of the Pā Harakeke keep plants in the living archive safe. With each season of habitat growth, track maintenance becomes more necessary for both public experience and conservation operations. Clearing track boundaries or crowded understoreys creates safe passage and sightlines for visitors. Away from public areas, more than 60km of narrow monitoring trails also need to be carved out and maintained. Monitoring tracks are integral lifelines for Orokonui's operational work. More than a thousand tracking tunnels and hundreds of traps are situated along these tracks, ready to be deployed in the case of incursion. At least twice a year, the same tracks become causeways for skilled conservation dogs and their handlers undertaking biosecurity audits to ensure the sanctuary is still predator free. Recently, months of collective surveying along monitoring paths have helped us record and understand the distribution of South Island tīeke, a taoka species still in the early crucial stages of translocation. It may be surprising to learn that such an essential part of the sanctuary is currently being maintained by just a few staff and volunteers. This dedicated cohort is never short of jobs — vegetation cutting, gravelling, clearing windfall, raking leaf buildup, sweeping structures and signs, digging out culverts and water tables. While much of the mahi happens away from the public eye on the sanctuary's "closed'' days, the demand is constant. In this new era beyond active planting, towards a self-dispersing ecosystem, caring for our most utilised yet underrated track systems is a must. A new season of life and work in the sanctuary is afoot, with the need for a dedicated track team growing almost as fast as the grasslands! If you're interested in helping us clear the paths ahead, contact volunteer@ Madison Kelly is head kaiārahi/guide at Te Korowai o Mihiwaka Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
BBC News
25-04-2025
- BBC News
Man who raped 15-year-old girl on Isle of Man jailed
A man who raped a 15-year-old girl before telling her it would not "end well" if she told anyone about it has been jailed for nine Smith, 41, threatened the girl three times after the attack, which took place in Courthouse heard Smith had claimed he and the girl had been in a Graeme Cook said he had taken away the teenager's innocence in the attack. The court heard Smith assaulted the victim after drinking gin and beer on 23 July told the girl three times following the events that it "wasn't going to end well" if she told anyone what he had girl went on tell family members in September and Smith was arrested but answered "no comment" when interviewed by later pleaded guilty to one count of rape and one count of assault by a victim impact statement read to the court, the girl said she had suffered flashbacks of the events, in which she relived the assault "over and over again".Jailing him, Deemster Cook said there had been an element of "victim-blaming" by Smith when he had claimed he was in a relationship with the threats he had made towards her, and the 25-year age gap between them, had been aggravating factors in the case, he deemster placed Smith on the Sex Offenders Register for life, and made him subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which places restrictions on his contact with anyone under the age of was also placed on extended licence for 10 years following his release. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
BBC News
07-03-2025
- BBC News
'Thug' who rained punches on floored Peel pubgoer jailed
A man who walked away from an unconscious pubgoer after repeatedly punching him in the face as he lay on the floor has been jailed for two years and two Barrow, 39, was seen having words with the man in the Marine Hotel in Peel on 30 December before the two men got into a fight Courthouse heard witnesses saw Barrow knock him to the ground before continuing to hit him in the face for another 15 Graeme Cook said Barrow's behaviour was "thuggery at its worst". 'Restraining order' The court heard Barrow had been drinking in the pub on Peel Promenade at about 22:30 GMT before he approached the other man.A witness said she had seen the two men have a verbal argument in the pub before later spotting them fighting left the scene after onlookers pulled him away from his unconscious victim, and an ambulance was court heard the man suffered a broken nose and fractured eye socket in the was arrested by police the following day and later pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily told the court that, at the time of the December incident, Barrow was on probation for assaulting the same man in January Cook said the type of behaviour displayed by Barrow on streets around the island was making some places "unsafe".The Isle of Man could "do without complete thuggery", he was also given a restraining order which bans him from contacting or approaching the man he had twice assaulted. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
BBC News
24-02-2025
- BBC News
Man jailed for sexual assault of young girl in Manx capital
A man who followed a young girl through the Manx capital before sexually assaulting her has been jailed for six years and eight Jabbar, 43, had been finishing work at a fast food restaurant in Douglas when he followed the victim, who had walked past the establishment on the night of 28 court heard Jabbar spoke to the girl shortly before leaving work and asked if he could take her home. She said no and walked away, but he followed her before sexually assaulting her on Douglas him for sexual assault and sexual activity with a child, Deemster Graeme Cook said Jabbar had targeted a "particularly vulnerable victim". The court heard Jabbar had followed the girl to the bus shelter on Duke Street, where one count of sexual activity took place shortly before from CCTV showed Jabbar then following the victim at about 12:10 BST on 29 July, past the sea terminal and through the bottleneck carpark. One count of sexual assault and two counts of sexual activity then took place on the beach. 'My life forever changed' There was an 18-minute period before the girl was seen walking away alone on CCTV, and Jabbar could be seen walking in the opposite direction, Douglas Courthouse was victim told police she kept on telling Jabbar she needed to leave when the offences took place and her phone was out of was arrested on 8 August and subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault and three counts of sexual activity with a child. In a victim impact statement read to the court, the girl said: "My life forever changed that night, he took away my innocence."She said she had not been able to sleep since the incident, struggled to get out of bed, and was struggling to form any kind of relationship with new people."Although he pleaded guilty, I still have to deal with the trauma for the rest of my life", the girl Cook said the offences had caused "severe psychological harm" to the victim, adding: "I do hope she has a recovery from this at some point."Jabbar was placed under a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely and an exclusion order, banning him from returning to the island after he has served his was also placed on the sexual offenders' register for after the case, Det Insp Nick Haxby praised the courage of the victim and said he hoped that "with the right support which is in place", the sentencing would "assist and provide some level of closure for her and her family". Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
BBC News
21-02-2025
- BBC News
Man who drank on Isle of Man ferry before driving jailed
A man who drank alcohol on an overnight ferry to the Isle of Man before driving off the vessel has been jailed for 15 Askari, 27, was traveling to the island on the Manxman on 11 February for a trip when he was reported to the authorities for being Courthouse heard he failed a roadside breath test after being stopped by port officers after he drove his Alfa Romeo off the vessel in Douglas at about 05:40 him for driving while under the influence of alcohol and disqualified, Deemster Graeme Cook said he had an "appalling" driving record. The court heard he roadside breath test had recorded a result of 45 micrograms of alcohol per 100 micrograms, the legal limit is 35 were called by port officers after Askari became "argumentative", and he was was subsequently found out that the UK resident was disqualified from driving at the time. 'Blatant disregard' The 27-year-old pleaded guilty to driving while over the legal alcohol limit and while court heard he had several previous convictions for similar driving offences in West Cook said Askari had a "blatant disregard" for court orders and for other vehicles and while he had pleaded guilty straight away, he would only be given some credit for that due to the overwhelming evidence against him. The deemster noted that although the maximum sentence for driving while disqualified was six months in the UK sentencing guidelines, it was 12 on the Isle of him, Deemster Cook said it was "one of the most appalling driving records I have ever seen".Askari was also banned from driving for five years, and banned from returning to the island for five years after being released. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
