Rural news in brief
Ross Birchfield competed at various wood chopping events at the 2024 Murchison A&P Show. Photo: Sara Hollyman.
No axe to grind
Ross Birchfield knows his way around an axe. The Richmond man has been involved in the sport of wood chopping for more than 50 years. Competing at the Murchison A&P Show on Saturday, he and his cousin Pete Birchfield took out the top spot in the 2-man combination event. Ross also made the finals of two other events on Saturday. Straight after the show he was off South Westland for a fishing holiday before competing again this Saturday at the South Westland A&P Show and an event in Hokitika on Sunday.
Protect your land and water
Typical hilly farmland in the Motueka Valley has erosion patches, bare soil, and sediment mitigation measures like fencing and planting. Are areas of your land prone to erosion? Do you need advice about practical techniques to reduce soil loss from your farm, lifestyle property, or forestry block? Motueka Catchment Collective invites you to a free event at the Tapawera Rugby Club Rooms on 21 February from 10am - 1.30pm, aimed at answering questions landowners and residents have about ensuring effective control of sediment on their rural property. They have a line-up of speakers who will provide practical examples and case studies, along with a panel discussion. Light lunch will be provided. To register, visit the Motueka Catchment Collective Facebook page.
Hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin awareness
Despite being dubbed ‘the people’s penguin’ and winning Bird of the Year in 2019 and 2024, the hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin faces extinction with only 143 nests remaining on mainland New Zealand. The species, featured on our five-dollar note, is among the world’s rarest penguins. Recent nest counts by the Department of Conservation (DOC) for the 2024/25 season show a significant decline compared to previous years, with an ongoing 80 per cent per cent decrease since 2008/09. Scientists warn that without intervention, hoiho could disappear from the mainland within two decades. The Hoiho Governance Group, composed of DOC, Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust (YEPT), Ngāi Tahu, and Fisheries New Zealand, is working together on Te Kaweka Takohaka mō te Hoiho, a strategy to save the species.