Avenues – August 2019

20

WORDSSue Hoffart PHOTOSSupplied

A

gutsyplantocultivatetourists

alongsidesheephashelpedsave

Canterbury’swhite-flippered

penguinsfromextinction.

In1989,fiveBanksPeninsula

landowningfamiliessetouttoconserve

theirlivelihoodsinthefaceofa farming

downturnandestablishNew Zealand’s first

privatewalkingtrack.

Thirtyyearson,theyhaverescued

muchmorethanthemselves;theBanks

Trackhasattractedtensofthousandsof

payingtouristsandsignificantlyboosted

conservationeffortsonthepeninsula.

ShireenandFrancisHelpshavebeen

workingtheir550-hectareFleaBayproperty

formorethan 40 yearsandhelpeddevelop

thetrack,alongsidesonDanieland

daughtersJosephineandJessica.They

havealsocreatedPohatuPenguins,a

companyofferingpenguinandnature tours,

kayaking,andaccommodation.

WhiletheHelpswereenvironmentally

aheadoftheirtime,Shireensaystourismhas

enabledthemtosetandattainloftiergoals.

“Itgaveustheexcusewewantedto

properlylookafterthispreciousplace,”she

says.“Beforethetrack,wehadtoscrape

everydollaroutoffarming.Whilewestill

runa successfulworkingfarm,fortypercent

ofit isnowinnativebushfor us and future

generationstoenjoy.”

Franciswasaged 21 whenheandhis

youngerbrotherStevenbeganfarming

inthelate1960s.Hewentontoprotect

nativebushareasundervariousreserves

andcovenants,includingTutakakahikura

ScenicReserve,whichwasgiftedtothe

DepartmentofConservationinthe1980s.

WhenFrancisandhisyoungwifeShireen

arrivedinFleaBay,it didn’ttakelongto

realisetheyhadcompany.Ontheirfirst

night, raucous penguins kept Francis awake.

“Wearebothfromlong-establishedBanks

Peninsulafarmingfamilies,soknewabout

thepenguinshere,butbecameincreasingly

disturbedbythe number of dead birds we

werefinding.

“Wedidn’thavemuchmoneybutwhenever

wehadsomesparecashwe’dbuya coupleof

trapstohelpkeepthestoatsandferretsaway.

Wealsocreatednestingsites,monitoredthe

penguinsandrehabilitated any that were

strugglingtosurvive.”

A conservationdepartmentsurvey,completed

in2000,foundonlya fewremnantcoloniesin

seacavesandundercliffseverywhereexcept

FleaBayandnearbyStonyBay.Collectively,the

Helps’ 717 breedingpairsandtheirneighbour

MarkArmstrong’s 45 breedingpairsensuredthat

savingthewhite-flipperedpenguin colonies no

longerseemeda lostcause.

“DOCthenputa traplinerightaround us and

gotridofthelastoftheferrets.”

Meanwhile,Markhadhelpedbringthe

Peninsula’slastsootyshearwaterseabird

colonybackfromthebrinkofextinction, to

morethan 50 breedingpairs.

AsBanksTrackapproachesits30-year

anniversary,FleaBayboasts 1260 breeding

pairsofpenguinsinFleaBay– thelargestlittle

penguinpopulationonmainlandNewZealand.

TheHelpsstartedofferingpenguintoursin

1998,soNewZealandersandoverseasvisitors

couldseethebirdsbutminimiseanyimpact

onthecreaturestheywantedtoassist.

Shireen,whooverseesthebusinesswith

helpfromvariousfamilymembers,saysit

providesessentialincomeforthefamily’s

ongoingconservationworkandshenever

tiresofsharingthepenguinswithguests.

“Peopleregularlysay‘wherearethese

penguins?I haven’tseenany,’andI’llseeone

undera rockorpiece of wood, right beside them.”

pohatu.co.nz

SAVING BANKS PENINSULA PENGUINS