Primary succession in Westland National Park and its vicinity, New Zealand

A new species of Oligosoma is described from a slate scree in montane tussock grassland in Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand, where it is currently known from a single small site. The new species (Oligosoma kahurangi sp. nov.) can be distinguished from all congeners by its extremely long tail, 36–38 mid-body scale rows, head length/head width ratio of 1.66, and colour pattern. It is part of the O. longipes Patterson species complex. The species is currently very poorly known but likely to be highly threatened, and we suggest listing as Nationally Critical (Data Poor, One Location) in New Zealand, and Data Deficient in the IUCN red-list. Predation by introduced mammals, particularly mice, is assumed to be a threat to its survival.

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Stakeholder Values Inform Indigenous Peoples’ Governance and Management of a Former National Park in New Zealand

Human Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10745-020-00170-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 439-453

Author(s):

C.Y. Bataille ◽

K. Luke ◽

T. Kruger ◽

S. Malinen ◽

R.B. Allen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Indigenous Peoples ◽

National Park ◽

Legal Person ◽

Personal Connection ◽

Consumptive Use ◽

Stakeholder Groups ◽

Legal Personhood ◽

Common Interests ◽

Deliberative Processes

Abstract The global emphasis on stakeholder engagement in protected area management has increased over the last three decades. Here we present key values of statutory and non-statutory stakeholder groups as they relate to their relationship with the former Te Urewera National Park (NP), New Zealand, which is now recognised as “a legal entity” with “all the rights, powers, duties, and liabilities of a legal person.” Non-statutory stakeholders conveyed a close, personal connection to Te Urewera NP in terms of heritage and legacy, which include both consumptive (e.g., hunting; fishing) and non-consumptive use (e.g., sight-seeing, hiking, boating). In contrast, statutory stakeholders expressed a more distant and procedural relationship with the park. Both stakeholder groups perceived the possible transfer of ownership or governance of Te Urewera NP to Tūhoe (the Indigenous Māori peoples of the Te Urewera region) favourably and expressed a desire to be engaged in the future stewardship of the NP. Stakeholders considered the fostering of relations with Tūhoe and other stakeholder groups as important to nurturing and maintaining their links with the area in future. Importantly, common interests that emerge from these relationships can increase mutual understanding between cultures and willingness to collaborate. Moreover, we posit that the legal personhood status for protected areas will be a powerful tool for reconciling pluralistic values and enable deliberative processes and flexible modes of collaboration between Indigenous peoples and non-indigenous stakeholders.

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Seasonal litterfall composition and carbon and nitrogen returns in New Zealand shrubland

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt19070 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 67 (8) ◽

pp. 610

Author(s):

S. M. Lambie ◽

J. Dando

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

National Park ◽

Litter Quality ◽

Lower Altitude ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Leaf Material ◽

Degradation Rates ◽

C And N ◽

Seed Fall ◽

Kunzea Ericoides

Mānuka–kānuka shrubland is an important carbon (C) sink in New Zealand, yet little is known about C cycling within these systems. The objective of our work was to assess seasonal litterfall rates, composition, and C and nitrogen (N) inputs in mixed mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium J.R. Forst & G. Forst.) and kānuka (Kunzea ericoides var. ericoides (A.Rich) J.Thompson) stands. Litterfall was collected for 2years at Tongariro National Park (NP) and Stoney Creek, Wairarapa (SC), separated into leaf, twig, bark, seed and ‘other’, and the C and N content of each component measured. Total litterfall was between 3557 and 4443kgha–1year–1, of which leaf material contributed 46–67%. Litterfall peaked during spring–summer months at both sites, and the overall litterfall rate was greater (P < 0.001) at SC than NP. Litterfall at SC contained greater (P < 0.001) amounts of ‘other’ due to higher undergrowth contributions, and also greater seed fall (P < 0.001), possibility due to the lower altitude at SC. The proportion of leaf material in litterfall also peaked during summer (P < 0.001). C inputs in the total litter were 1941–2448kgCha–1year–1 and N inputs ranged between 28 and 37kgNha–1year–1. There was little seasonal difference in C and N contents and the majority of both C and N inputs in litterfall were in the leaf material (P < 0.001). C inputs peaked during summer, but N inputs were closely aligned with total litterfall maximums during spring–summer. The leaf:wood ratio was 1.9 at both sites, indicating litter quality was consistent at both stands, regardless of differences in composition. Although the sites had similar rainfall and shrub ages, the rate of total litterfall differed, reflecting the potentially site-specific nature of litterfall in mānuka–kānuka shrubland. Further work is needed assessing litterfall and degradation rates across New Zealand to establish if mānuka–kānuka shrublands would remain carbon sinks under climate change.

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Ecology: A Science of Nation? The Utilization of Plant Ecology in New Zealand, 1896 - 1930

Historical Records of Australian Science ◽

10.1071/hr06005 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 197 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Paul Star

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Plant Breeding ◽

National Park ◽

Plant Ecology ◽

Ecological Approach ◽

Plant Associations ◽

Breeding Station ◽

The Creation ◽

Plant Breeding Station

Following the creation of the Empire Marketing Board in 1926, Australia's development was influenced by an imperial science increasingly aware of ecology. The present paper traces similar New Zealand links in the ecological approach to pasture development promoted in the Dominion by Bruce Levy and fuelled by the vision of George Stapledon of the Welsh Plant Breeding Station, who visited New Zealand in 1926. However, plant ecology came much earlier to New Zealand by way of Leonard Cockayne, who in 1908 used ecological arguments to press for the extension of Tongariro National Park and who saw New Zealand's unique plant associations as emblems of nation rather than endowments of empire. By comparing the application of ecology, in New Zealand at different times, to the separate (though not necessarily opposed) goals of building a nation and supporting an empire, insight is gained into the changing ways in which any science may be drawn into the service of societal priorities and aspirations.

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