LAST CHIRP
AUTHOR SHERYLL STEELE-BOYCE IMAGES JADE WELCHPARROT SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND
Convention Success
NEW ZEALAND IS A BEAUTIFUL
COUNTRY. She proudly describes her
heritage—the Land of the Long White
Cloud. Mind you, I am thankful that the
volcanic terrain we visited was extinct,
unlike the volatile eruptions that the poor
people of Hawaii are experiencing!
On the day prior to the Parrot Society
of New Zealand Convention, speakers
and sponsors were invited on a trip
across Hauraki Gulf, to the wildlife
sanctuary on Tiritiri Matangi Island. I
was not aware of this haven when I lived
in New Zealand when I was young—nor
were conservationists aware then of the
probable demise of many birds, largely due
to predators. Here, the birds that originally
inhabited the island, including the Kiwi,
and other fl ora and fauna, are protected
from harm, such as rats, and encouraged to
increase in number. We divided into groups
led by volunteers, who introduced us to the
sights, sounds and habits of these endemic
species and the special melody of the Tui.
Next day, the hard-working Parrot
Society of New Zealand (PSONZ)
committee members, led by president
Mary-Lee Sloan and Mark Davies,
gathered to welcome more guests and
New Zealand Tui—the melodic voice has to be hearddelegates. We were all greeted by a
moving, traditional Maori welcome and
blessing, fi nishing with the Haka! Thus
began the offi cial proceedings.
In a recent issue, we presented the
speakers and their topics but I must
make mention of the diversity of overseas
presentations—including individualaspirations and the governing marketplace
that infl uence techniques and management
of commercial operations that Anil Garg
(India) and Eric Antheunisse (USA)
explained. Jason Crean and Scott Echols
(both from the USA), and Australian
macaw researcher and breeder, Michael
Lee, covered many aspects of the diet,