Aroha NewsMarch 2016

A fun day of weed-busting

A small group of dedicated supporters turned out on 20 February to tackle clearing pest plant species on the island. The volunteers spent a lovely sunny Saturday morning weed-busting moth plant, ivy, jasmine and regenerating wattle. This is an ongoing effort and we are beginning to see

results. The age-old adage ‘many hands make light work’ makes it more fun than chore, and the board encourages more members to join in the weed-busting fun next time. The good effort was rewarded with a delicious morning tea and good company on the deck.

AROHA NEWS | MARCH 2016

New kitchen plansPlans are underway for this year’s largest proposed development, a new kitchen for campers. A concept plan shows the kitchen as an extension of the ablution block into the barbeque area. This frees up the current kitchen area for a wheelchair accessible toilet and shower. An existing shower will be converted to a toilet and a new shower added at the end of the block.

Formal plans will now be drafted, and a building permit will be needed, although not a resource or building consent. The QEII Board is supportive of the idea.

Kiwi update The past quarter has brought mixed news on the kiwi front. A kiwi egg spotted in a burrow on the island in December was found in January to be infertile, laying waste to hopes of a new Island baby. However, this sad news was countered by the introduction of a new young kiwi. An emaciated baby kiwi found in Opito Bay late last year and nursed back to health at the Whangarei Bird Recovery Centre was released on to the island in mid-January.

Marco just before his release on to the island

Named Marco by volunteer Mihi Bagnall, the young bird was released by the island’s DoC representative Adrian Walker at a small ceremony on 14 January. The three-month-old was seen feeding naturally and looking well in the weeks after its release. However, sadly, there have been no sightings in recent weeks.

Simon Martin said Marco’s arrival brought the number of resident kiwis on the island to five: the breeding pair of Henrietta and Hayden, another female sharing their burrow (possibly their offspring) and an itinerant male. He has recently seen an additional mature female.

Summer kiwi walk participant numbers were high, with 33 in December, 32 in January and 21 in February. Multiple sightings of kiwi were also high over the past three months, with about half of all those on the walks seeing more than one kiwi, and some reporting seeing a chick. One group even reported seeing four kiwi.

For health and safety reasons, the board has decided to restrict kiwi walks to those 16 years and over, unless they are accompanied by an adult.

Aroha Island is a 12ha sanctuary in the Kerikeri Inlet. It is a natural haven with a wide diversity of New Zealand plants and birds, including the rare North Island brown kiwi. The island offers camping, accommodation, kiwi walks, an Eco Centre, picnic space, bush walks and kayaking. The island is managed by the Aroha Island Charitable Trust and has been lovingly restored by volunteers. If you would like to contribute to its ongoing development, please contact Wendy or Simon at manager@arohaisland.co.nz.

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Sponsor a kiwiOne way to support Aroha Island is to sponsor a kiwi for $150. American visitors Claudia and Glen Wiseman recently purchased a sponsorship and a plaque, reading ‘In memory of Marian Green’ will be installed. Members are encouraged to think of people who may wish to follow suit.

New health and safety law Aroha Island is affected by new health and safety legislation coming into force in April. Any charity or volunteer organisation that employs someone has a duty under the new law to ensure the health and safety of its workers and anyone else who comes into contact with the organisation’s activities.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 means employees and regular volunteer workers (but not casual ones) need to be provided with a safe work environment, and the trustees have the same health and safety duties as company directors or CEOs. This means the board needs to ensure staff and regular volunteers have appropriate knowledge of and training in health and safety, and must ensure the organisation has appropriate health and safety resources and processes.

Fortunately, volunteer officers (i.e. the trustees) cannot be prosecuted for breaches of these duties. The board has been looking into the consequences of this law change, which will include a code of practice for kiwi walks being developed.

Membership newsWelcome to new members Jennifer Karl and Michael Petrey. There are now 52 life members and 103 annual members.

UV water system approvedThe UV water system completed at the end of last year received a perfect pass rate from Transfield Services. This system provides a more consistent level of water quality.

The new UV water system

Secretary Wade Rowsell said he thought this was one of the most important developments in the past year, as it guarantees safe water for the island’s visitors.

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AROHA NEWS | MARCH 2016

The UV water system installed in the garage

Guest numbers upOvernight guest numbers have been up significantly over summer, with guests so far this financial year totalling 724, compared with 509 by this time last year. This is good news for the island’s accounts, as most income is generated by camping fees, followed by accommodation in the lodge and cottages.

Pub Charity supports water tank Pub Charity has granted the Trust $2000 towards a new water tank to store rainfall from the ablution block roof, as this is currently being wasted. The Trust thanked Pub Charity very much for this kind donation and its ongoing support.

The tank was delivered and installed by Devan Water Tanks from Tauranga on 23 March. The project will cost about $2600 and the new tank will boost water storage by 15,000 litres to bring the island’s total capacity to about 250,000 litres.

The new tank in place

News briefs A ramp has been built to provide

access for wheelchair users to Tui cottage. Further renovations to make the cottage more disability-friendly are being considered.

The old fridge in the camp kitchen was replaced as it was frosting up and therefore wasting electricity.

An influx of pests from the DoC land on the road has kept the team busy trapping pests over the summer. The board is approaching DoC to discuss their trapping methods.

Sea erosion of the beach means Simon has been moving rocks from around the island to shore it up.

About 150 metres of effluent piping had to be replaced as it had been stolen.

The board is exploring the possibility of a sleep-out in order to offer mid-level accommodation between the camping/caravan options and the cottage or lodge accommodation. They are looking into the cost and suitability of portable hire cabins, which would plug into one of the caravan sites. The overnight fee for

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this accommodation would be in the range of $60-$80.

As part of its ecological ethos, the island offers a plug share outlet for electric vehicles, situated behind Tui cottage. The trickle-feed outlet means cars charge slowly, but still provides an additional benefit to visitors, for a small donation.

Update contact details please Please advise the office if your contact details change, as it takes time and money following up when emails bounce or mail is returned. manager@arohaisland.co.nz

Profile: ManagersWendy and Simon MartinAroha Island’s managers Simon and Wendy Martin bring a combination of extensive business experience, practical skills and environmental values to their roles.

Fresh from a year’s travelling from Adelaide to Cairns, the Martins arrived in April last year to take up a stint as relief managers, little knowing that in July they would sign up for two years as the island’s first paid employees.

Their business experience makes them very aware of the responsibility that comes with being paid by the Trust to manage the Island, and in conversation they are clear that they aim to do their best to build on and improve what has already been developed, balancing the long-term financial viability of the Island with its environmental protection role.

“In tourism you’ve got to give a good experience,” Simon says. “And the best way to serve your customer is to know what they want.”

The Martins have plenty of first-hand knowledge of how to please customers, having owned five businesses together, while working as employees for other organisations and raising their family of two daughters and one son.

Wendy was born in Morrinsville, the third of four girls, but spent most of her life in Whitianga, where her first job at 12 years old running the camp store in the local camping ground foreshadowed this final job in her working life. The Martins plan to retire after this job, but stay on in Northland.

Wendy’s first job after school was working for the BNZ, and when their

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children were little she brought a second-hand clothing store for $3000 and turned it into an emporium.

Her career continued to be in the financial and retail sectors, and so she runs the administrative and financial side of the island’s management, and also uses her customer service skills when tending to the island’s guests, including the young campers a long way from home who sometimes need a shoulder to cry on.

Simon was born in Auckland and can claim an interesting position in his family: the middle child of seven, but the youngest of the first four his mother had with his biological father, and the oldest of those raised with his step-father.

Living in the Coromandel from five to twelve years old with his environmentally aware parents, before returning to the city to complete his schooling, pointed to his future.

He returned later and worked for 24 years for the Thames and Coromandel District Council, working his way up from a labourer to Operations Manager, and then as a contractor to the Council for Smart Environmental Services.

This experience and knowledge of issues such as water systems has already had an impact on how efficiently they function on the island.

Day jobs weren’t enough for these two, and after the clothing emporium they developed four businesses of their own: a sporting goods store, a wholesale and importing business, a wood chipping business and a commercial cleaning business. The customer-focus they developed through these years has led to an improved website, and also awareness of health and safety for guests on the island.

In 2013, with the children all well grown up (and in fact now as grandparents of four grandsons), Simon and Wendy sold all their businesses before their year on the road in Australia.

The two stress the value of hard work, and contribute much more than their 20 hours paid work each per week. As a team they note they complement each other well, and their business nous, practical skills, hard work and passion for the island means they are making a valuable

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contribution not only to its present, but also the island’s future.

Newsletter editorAt its December meeting, the board passed a vote of thanks for David Hill in appreciation of his five years editing Aroha News in a voluntary capacity from the other side of the world. The new editor is Julie O’Brien, a fairly recent Auckland refugee now living in Kerikeri. Julie works as a freelance editor. www.julieobrienediting.co.nz

Membership fees Chasing members for fees takes time and

money, so we ask that members either set up an annual automatic payment for your membership fee ($22 for an individual, $33 for a family), or pay $220 or $330 to become an individual or family lifetime member.

Encourage your friends, colleagues, neighbours and other family members to join as well, or invite your employer to take out a corporate membership ($200 per year or $2000 for life) to demonstrate their support for local community and environmental projects.

Aroha News © Aroha Island Charitable Trust www.arohaisland.co.nz

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