envirohistory NZ

The United Nation’s 10th Conference of Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity is due to be held in Japan in October, and the pictorial Kyoto Journal has issued a special biodiversity issue.*

In this special issue, Dr Catherine Knight, the convener of this website, explores the validity of the model of sustainable management, or satoyama, touted by Japanese officials and conference organisers in the lead-up to the conference.

Read or download the PDF version of the article here. (more…)

envirohistory NZ has been selected for the Guide to Online School’s list of the Best History Blogs. Nathan Grim, Program Manager of the SR Education Group, based in Kirkland, Washington State, US, said that his team “hand-picked a list of our favorite blogs by people who are writing about different periods in history and outlined the unique reasons why we love them. We are truly impressed with the content of your blog, envirohistory NZ.” HOORAY for envirohistory NZ!

From Guide to Online Schools

The fact that the Horowhenua district has such a rich written and photographic history, as well as ethnographic, archaeological, cartographic and geological record, is almost wholly down to one man – a Horowhenua farmer and irrepressible self-taught scholar of geology, archaeology and ethnology (as well many other subjects). Indeed many of the photographs used on this site are the work of this highly methodical and observant man who took his camera everywhere – including up the Tararuas on numerous exploratory expeditions to map, make geological observations, rescue lost trampers or simply for adventure.

George Leslie Adkin was born in Wellington on 26 July 1888, the first of seven children of William George Adkin, a draper, and his wife, Annie Denton. (more…)

Episode 4 of the envirohistory NZ podcast series is now out. This episode explores three environmental histories – which, while diverse in both their time-spans and their human protagonists, are all connected by a common theme. The first of these stories begins in the early 1800s, and features a Maori hapu and its relationship with its coastal Horowhenua environment [click here to read original post]. The next one, is of pioneering Scottish settlers in the 1840s, and their longsighted protection of a remnant of swamp forest in what was to become Christchurch [click here to read original post]. The third and final, more recent, story is of a dairy farmer and the indigenous forest remnant encompassed by his south Waikato farm [click here to read original post]. (more…)

Today – the first day of spring – dawned crisp and clear, so Carter and I decided to venture out to one of our favourite hang-outs: Nga Manu Nature Reserve, just north of Waikanae township, on the Kapiti Coast [click here to view map]. (more…)