Author: envirohistory NZ

Landscape and history

envirohistory NZLeave a comment

Prefacing the Introduction of Geoff Park’s masterpiece of ecology and history “Nga Uruora – Ecology and History in a New Zealand Landscape” is a quote from Frank Gohlke, American landscape photographer and writer [click here to view website]:

Landscapes are collections of stories, only fragments of which are visible at any one time. In linking the fragments, unearthing the connections between them, we create the landsape anew. A landscape whose story is known is harder to dismiss… Continue reading →

Forest clearance in 1880s New Zealand – the views of Mrs Robert Wilson

envirohistory NZ1 Comment

In 1962, A.G.S. Bradfield published “The Precious Years”, a sequel to his earlier book “Forgotten Days”; both books recounting stories of the “pioneering days of Palmerston North and Districts in the Manawatu”. These are charming little books, in which Bradfield draws on first-hand memories of older Manawatu residents, giving it an authenticity and poignancy that would not be achievable today, nearly half a century on. Continue reading →

The history of a little fish – whitebait decline in New Zealand

envirohistory NZ4 Comments

The front-page article in yesterday’s Kapiti Observer, showing a photo of a local man peering glumly into the his near-empty whitebait net at the mouth of the Waikanae River, prompted me to think about whitebait decline and its historical causes.

But first of all, what are whitebait? Many New Zealanders (including myself, until embarrassingly recently) may vaguely assume that it is a type of small fish – but in fact it is the juvenile form of five species of the fish family Galaxiidae (the most common being inanga). Continue reading →

The biscuit (or “Ode to Harriet II”)

envirohistory NZ1 Comment

x

Biscuit in hand

He turns to the door

Expectantly,

Head tilted, softly hooked finger pointing:

“Haait”

x

I crouch, imploringly

Looking into his questioning face

Seeking to explain;

Words my only weapon against the searing sadness.

x

See also: An ode to Harriet

See also: An ode to Harriet

An ode to Harriet

envirohistory NZLeave a comment

Deep brown eyes, still vibrant

Despite the pain

Despite the indignity

Despite the crumbling limbs.

x

Moments before she left us

Those eyes looked into mine

Knowingly,

As if to comfort me. Continue reading →

Halting the great sand-drift: the “exoticisation” of our coast

envirohistory NZ2 Comments

Growing up in the Manawatu, I took for granted the largely homogeneous dune landscape of Himatangi, Foxton and other west-coast beaches – oblivious to the fact that this was a primarily man-made landscape. As Raewyn Peart explains in “Castles in the Sand”, the appearance of sand dunes have been extensively modified, firstly through deforestation, and then through intensive re-stabilisation efforts from the 1930s onwards. Continue reading →

The school teacher and the egg – the remarkable story of the Taiaroa Head albatross

envirohistory NZ1 Comment

In her book outlining the history and development of the New Zealand coast, “Castles in the Sand”, Raewyn Peart relates the remarkable story of the Taiaroa Head albatross. This is a tale of determination – both of the albatross itself, and the man who decided to intervene on its (and our) behalf.

The majestic royal albatross  – among the world’s largest flying birds, with a wingspan of 3 metres – nests mainly on offshore islands. Taiaroa Head, on the Otago Peninsula [click here to view map], is now the only mainland albatross nesting site in the world. However, even here, its ongoing survival has been a tenuous one.

The first recorded albatross egg laid at Taiaroa Head was found in 1920. However, before the egg could hatch, the residents of the nearby lighthouse had taken it to eat. Continue reading →

Top search terms for envirohistory NZ

envirohistory NZLeave a comment

Search terms (the key words you put in Google or any other search engine to find information about a particular topic) are an important way for readers to find a particular website or web-based article. They tell you a lot about what readers of a website are interested in. And envirohistory NZ is no exception. We are really interested in what our readers are interested in!

So, what are the top search terms that brought internet users to envirohistory NZ? Continue reading →

envirohistory NZ podcast now on iTunes!

envirohistory NZLeave a comment

All the episodes of the envirohistory NZ podcast are now on iTunes! To listen to them is super-easy: just click on the iTunes symbol in the right-hand sidebar and it will provide a list of all episodes. The iTunes page also provides listening suggestions for other environment or environmental history-related podscasts. You do not need iTunes to listen – they can be played using the web-base application. Happy listening!

Japanese satoyama – a model for sustainability?

envirohistory NZLeave a comment

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. Continue reading →