Swapping the Mayoral chambers for gumboots and an eTuatara electrical 4WD, previous Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown now invests most days bring back a block of Wairarapa land back to its natural state.
Wade-Brown purchased a 200-hectare sheep and beef farm in the foothills of the Tararua Ranges back in 1987 and got to work, very first eliminating the stock and after that letting nature take its course.
“One of the first things to come back is the manuka and some kanuka,” Wade-Brown says.
“Then it’s a bit slower on the more exposed bits of grass, and then I’m hurrying things up a bit.”
A propagating nursery has actually just recently accelerated the regrowth of – to name a few native plants – kowhai, kotukutuku, and puawhananga.
Originally from England, Wade-Brown discovered it rather a difficulty getting used to southern hemisphere plants and animals.
“Standing in the New Zealand bush, it smelt different to the English forests and I just stood there and thought ‘I don’t know a single one of these plants’,” she says.
“So I’ve really enjoyed learning about the different plants and the Maori history, Maori names and their Latin and English names.”
With native trees slowly returning on the property, Wade-Brown has actually set her sights on eliminating the insects that are annihilating native animals. Using 130 traps, more than 2000 predators have actually been eliminated up until now.
“We’ve been catching lots of weasels, rats, one or two ferrets, and quite a few stoats,” Wade-Brown says.
“They all prey, not just on birds, but also on the lizards. And I’m very keen on the lizards that live in this place. We’ve got about four different kinds.”
Following the old train track running along her property that as soon as utilized to perform dropped logs, Wade-Brown has actually positioned a modest home, taking off-grid living to the limitation.
“For a few summers, we just camped here and then decided we were going to build a little cabin. We decided we’d go into the furthest corner because otherwise, we’d never get there, and we thought it would be safe from people burgling!”
Off the tuatara, it’s a brief walk through the bush to Wade-Brown’s rustic home. Built completely from scratch, the one-bedroom home offers a commanding view of the Mangatarere Valley and the foothills of the Tararua Ranges.
Inside it is quickly evident that Wade-Brown’s love of nature and fascination for reptiles is off the scale. Reptile art is plentiful on walls and surface areas, and she even has an ornament box holding a cherished collection of lizard skins discovered around the property.
“As geckos grow – or any lizard grows – they shed their skin,” she discusses.
“I call it their pyjamas and they shed it similar to one cell thick. And every gecko has actually got a somewhat various pattern on it. The entire thing comes off like a onesie.
“Mice will get smaller lizards and geckos, and certainly weasels will. I did the dissection of a weasel and it had the little feet of the skinks in its stomach, which is really tragic.”
Wade-Brown understands she is lucky to have a block of arrive at which she can do her bit for nature, however individuals without land – or the time to develop their own biodiverse piece of paradise – still have a function to play.
“Neoliberalism and capitalism somehow pulled us away, made us think that the theories of economic growth were more important than the theories of ecology,” she says.
“We need to in fact alter practices rather rapidly if we’re not going to wind up with more catastrophes.
“We need to do quite a lot – and we need to do it everywhere, and everything all at once, is the conservation message.”
