Ducks Unlimited Annual Conference

o the uninitiated, the name Ducks Unlimited conjours up images of guns and birds falling from the sky. However, this organisation is anything but one that focuses on duck shooting. It is, in fact, New Zealand’s leading wetlands and waterfowl conservation group. Ducks Unlimited – or DU for short – “works to save our wetlands through protection, funding, technical aid and education so that the flora and fauna of our most endangered ecosystem are a legacy we can pass down to future generations” (www.ducks.org.nz) .
Attendees from as far north as Auckland gathered recently at Brackenridge for DU’s annual conference. The conference included a trip to the Wairio Wetland on the eastern shores of Lake Wairarapa to catch-up on restoration progress. Delegates saw the results of recent earthworks to create a 1.2 kilometre bund wall which has increased the open water area at the wetland providing ideal waterfowl habitat.

During the visit about 100 black swan lifted off, creating quite a spectacle. Delegates also saw the results of the annual planting exercises which average 3000 odd sedges, flaxes and swamp trees.
Steve Playle from the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC ), and also a DU member, provided details of the predator trapping programme he had in place at Wairio and the adjoining wetlands of Matthews Lagoon and Boggy Pond. Since July 2013 Steve has caught 50 ferrets and a number of other undesirables!
Local wetland environmentalist Jane Donald received the Bill Barrett Trophy for her contributions to wetland restoration, at a dinner superbly catered by Providore, and during the evening a fun auction raised $6,500 for wetland restoration work.
On the Sunday morning Mike Camm from the Northland Pateke Recovery Group gave a very up-beat talk on the progress of the group in trying to remove Pateke from the endangered species list.
Peter Russell from the DU Manawatu Chapter also provided an update on the Whio (Blue Duck) recovery programme. DU has been a member of both recovery groups since their inception.
Those interested can check out DU’s activities on www.ducks.org.nz or visit the Wairio Wetland on Parera Road, just south of Kahutara.