Writer Johanna Knox interviewed some of New Zealand’s most inspiring environmental, cultural, and social guardians for her best-selling book Guardians of Aotearoa. Here, she talks about five things she learned from these conservation heroes, many of whom have Forest & Bird links. All photos by Jess Charlton.
Conviction trumps fear
The people in Guardians have pushed through personal fears as well as tough circumstances to get their work done. Many describe holding a belief in what’s right that is so strong they feel they have no option but to act. And when exhaustion or self-doubt threaten, they grip those convictions even more tightly to get themselves through.
The environmental is indivisible from the social and cultural
I did, briefly, try to write this book about environmental guardianship alone. I gave up fast. Many interviewees expressed a world view where that divide made no sense. For Māori in particular, human well-being and that of the natural world are indivisible. Climate advocate Trish Tupou recounts the way her deepening concern for the planet was entwined with her quest to reclaim her Tongan cultural identity. While freshwater ecologist Dr Mike Joy talks about his partner Alli Hewitt, a psychologist, saying: “She’s fighting for kids that have had shit upbringings. I’m dealing with stuffed rivers. This neo-liberal model is to blame for both ... a few people taking everything and making life worse for everyone else. Social and environmental are linked completely.”
Fulbright scholar, climate advocate,and speaker Trish Tupou.
Humility: a double-edged sword
Many interviewees acknowledged colleagues and mentors. Wingspan founder Debbie Stewart did. So did Pia Bennett, a Rena disaster clean-up leader, as well as ‘Bat Lady’ Catriona Gower; kaitieki Tina Ngata; Chinese Conservation Trust founder Estella Hin Ling Lee; farmers Alec and Marian Milne; and more. For these guardians, fostering collaboration and appreciating other people’s work has been vital to their effectiveness. The flipside? Some were uncomfortable talking about their own achievements. It’s a feeling that many readers will relate to. Yet, as Tina Ngata says, we mustn’t let humility keep us too quiet: “We perceive speaking out as arrogance.” But, “If you’re going to keep your experiences and struggles and triumphs to yourself, you are, I think, denying everybody a great opportunity to progress through your experiences, for them to inspire others.”
Environmental and indigenous rights advocate Tina Ngata. Photo credit: Jess Charlton
Forest & Bird nurtures community
Writer, educator, and Kiwi Conservation Club leader Ann Graeme influenced thousands of young environmentalists through her 21 years of pioneering work leading Forest & Bird’s children’s wing. She is still deeply involved in conservation in the Bay of Plenty where she lives. Photo credit: Jess Charlton
Unsurprisingly, many interviewees had Forest & Bird connections! From marine advocate Anton van Helden, retired Chief Kiwi Ann Graeme, to the remarkable members of Young Birders New Zealand, there is a lot of love for the organisation in the pages of this book. One Forest & Bird stalwart featured is the legendary Andy Dennis. When he passed away in 2016, I hadn’t gathered enough information from him to finish his chapter, so I talked with people close to him: Craig Potton, Debs Martin, Nicky Hager, Mary Fisher, Shaun Barnett, and others, as well as Andy’s sister Sarah Dennis. Their words combined to build a poignant portrait of a man who dedicated his life to the wilderness. I think, also, they reveal the way that organisations like Forest & Bird can foster enduring communities of friends and colleagues, where people become bound together by a common cause.
Hold onto hope
Johanna Knox and Jess Charlton found working on the book gave them hope for the future.
Photographer Jess Charlton found working on Guardians as much of a privilege as I did. She says: “It was an awesome experience to meet and photograph the environmental activists in the book. When they talk about their areas of expertise, their faces light up and you can see the aroha and determination in their eyes. This is what gives me hope that our taonga will be protected for future generations.”
Johanna Knox is a writer, researcher, and former editor of Forest & Bird’s Wild Things magazine. This article first appeared in the Autumn 2019 issue of Forest & Bird magazine. For more free articles, see www.forestandbird.org.nz/magazine.