Learn about our beautiful taonga species, the Pekapeka or long-tailed bat and check out our games, activities, arts and crafts and how you can better protect them! Pekapeka-Tou-Roa ~ Long-tailed Bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus) Did you know we have bats in New Zealand? Our long-tailed and short-tailed bats are Aotearoa's only native land mammals! Our long-tailed bat populations are classified as nationally critical, meaning they are extremely rare, and face extinction if we don't protect them. Pekapeka Facts! Pekapeka are extremely rare, but can potentially be found all around New Zealand, including right here in Marlborough at the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve. Pekapeka are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night and sleep during the day. If you have a keen eye (and are lucky!), you might spot them flying above the tree line or even feeding off insects under a streetlight. Pekapeka fly super-fast - you need to be quick to spot one in the air. You can also use a special bat detector to help pick up the pekapeka's high-frequency echolocation calls into a sound that is audible to humans and can tell us they are nearby! General Image Credit - Science Learning Hub ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, GAMES AND QUIZZES Throughout this page you'll find some fun activities and resources you can explore at home with your whānau and friends. Some of these resources have been put together with the help of our fantastic local organisations. A huge thank you to those people who have helped put these together for us, we appreciate your support! Don't forget to share your activities with us, either tag us on social media or email them to us at conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz Māori folklore refer associate pekapeka with the mythical, night-flying bird, hōkioi, which foretells death or disaster. The Pekapeka is even part of the Mataora (full face ta moko). Above the eyebrows on the forehead is the tiwhana, represented by the pekapeka with wings outspread. I mōhio rānei koe? Did you know? From a Māori worldview, pekapeka (as well as moths, butterflies and cicadas) are considered manu (birds)! Pekapeka Facts! Te Ao Maori Image Credit - Community Waitakere Art - Pekapeka Wings Pekapeka Wings Test your scientific skills of observation! Have a go at drawing wings on our pekapeka's body. Use the image below or any other image you might find of a pekapeka in flight for reference. Click on the image to download! Pekapeka like to live in the hollows of tall, large like old rimu trees. The pekapeka is rather selective when choosing a roost, they prefer low altitude locations like the bottom of valleys. You will often find the bats roosts in large groups for warmth. Their natural habitat is older mature forests. Three-quarters of roost trees identified in the South Island were at least one hundred years old. This is why we need to protect our old growth forests so much! Pekapeka Facts! Habitat Image - Creator: - Science Learning Hub CRAFT - KCC Build a Bat KCC Build a Bat Head on over to the Kiwi Conservation Club page and have a go at building you very own pekapeka! Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Pekapeka Facts! Ecology & Diet The pekapeka diet is made up of flying insects, such as moths, midges, mosquitoes and beetles. Pekapeka will use their mouth to send out a pulse of sound and then listen for that sound to bounce back. When the sound bounces back it paints a picture for the Pekapeka of what is around them - this is called echolocation. These tiny bats use this echolocation to not only to find their way in the dark, but to find and capture their food. Image -Credit - Department Of Conservation Pekapeka GAMES Grab some of your friends or whānau and have a go at these fun Pekapeka games and activites. Ecolocation Game Click on the image to the right to head on over to the Kids Greening Taupo website where you can have a go at playing the Ecolocation Game! This is a fun way to demonstrate how echolocation works and how our native bats find their food. Do you know any other mammal in the world that also uses echolocation? Click on the image to download the instructions. If you give this game a go with your class or some friends take a pic or video a nd share it with us! Female Pekapeka only give birth to one live offspring a year, meaning their reproduction is very slow. A baby pekapeka is called a pup and is completely flightless for the first 4-6 weeks of life. Pekapeka pups will be left in the roost with other pups while the mothers head out to hunt and feed. Male pekapeka don't roost with the mothers and pups at all. Image Credit - Rob Morris NZ Geographics Pekapeka Facts! Breeding ACTIVITY - Test Your Knowledge Test Your Knowledge - Species Quiz! Have a go at testing wh at you have learnt about the pekapeka-tou-roa. Click on the image below to download the quiz as a PDF and draw or write in your answers! Click the image to download the quiz! Click the Bat to download the answers. Pekapeka Facts! Short-tailed bat Did you know? The only other native land mammal in New Zealand - aside from the pekapeka-tou-roa (long-tailed bat) - is the pekapeka-tou-poto or short-tailed bat. What's special about these short-tailed cousins is that they don't just fly! They also like to scurry around on all fours on the ground. Their wings can fold like origami, tucking them away and using their forearms as front legs. This allows them to move around the forest floor looking for insects, fruit pollen or nectar. These pekapeka, like many of our native species in Aotearoa, evolved to safely move around on the ground as they had few to no threats on the ground until humans began introducing them. Image Credit - Department Of Conservation Other Pekapeka Resources Below you will find links to other Pekapeka resources, click the images to take you to the websites. Check them out! Pekapeka New Zealand Bats by David Bell Build a Bat Roosting Box Activity by Resene DOC - Toyota Kiwi Guardian Activity Help look after our Long-tailed Bats and become a Backyard Detective! Although the Toyota Kiwi Guardian programme has now finished and you can no longer claim the medals, their activities are still a fantastic way for you and your tamariki to support the conservation of these beautiful taonga species. Below is a link to the "Backyard Detective " activity instructions. Find out what lives in your backyard ... then take action to help protect it! Click the image to download a PDF Instruction sheet to learn how to become a Backyard Champion Image Credit - Community Waitakere Pekapeka-tou-roa are at risk of extinction due to introduced species like rats, stoats, possums, and cats. These species often feed on the extremely vulnerable young pekapeka pups, as well as the adults. Another threat is Kauri dieback. The loss of large old trees like Kauri that are often 100's of years old, means the loss of habitat and roosts for the pekapeka and many other species out there. Pekapeka Facts! Threats Pekapeka Facts! What YOU can do! There are many ways you can help our Pekapeka to thrive, even in your own backyard. Getting involved in your local pest control and trapping group is one way you can help. Helping to lower the pests that harm our native species, not only helps the Pekapeka but other native species as well. Another way you can help our Pekapeka is by helping with tree planting. This can go a long way to helping protect our pekapeka and all of our native species. They need large trees to makes roosts in for their homes. The Te Hoiere Bat Recovery Project hosts a tree planting day every year that you can get involved in - follow them on Facebook to see when their next one is - Click the link below Forest & Bird Te Hoiere Bat Recovery Project Image Credit - CKNZ Event, Meika O'Donnell Visit a Pekapeka In Marlborough you can go bat spotting at the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve at certain times of the year. The best time of day to see them is right on dusk between December and March. Keep a keen eye on the treeline and under the streetlights and if you're lucky you can spot them feeding on the bugs in the air. It's truly a magical experience... give it a try! Pekapeka / Long-tailed Bat Gallery Images from some of our Pekapeka events 2024 Pekapeka Evening 2023 Pekapeka Evening 2020 Ten Year Forest & Bird Te Hoiere Pekapeka Project Celebration 2020 Pekapeka, Marlborough Youth Trust Event 2019 Pekapeka Event

Acerca de Volunteer Let’s Work Together! Envirohub Marlborough's aim is to unite, inspire and assist Marlburians to achieve their environmental goals. By encouraging locals to get more involved we maximise our environmental efforts in the region and strengthen our community. We have a variety of different volunteer opportunities available within our own organisation or through the environmental groups we work closely with so if you have a few hours of free time a week, a fortnight or even just occasionally, we would love to hear from you! Please submit the form below and we will be in touch. First Name Last Name Email Thanks for submitting! Message Send

Species Superstars As part of our Save Our Species Programme, we celebrate one stand-out individual at each event by crowning them our Species Superstar! We're looking for someone who shows, in their own unique and wonderful way, their passion and aroha for a species and its protection. Whether they're quietly dedicated or loudly enthusiastic, we are looking for that spark of kaitiakitanga that makes them shine! After each event, we'll announce our Species Superstar who wins an awesome prize pack to encourage and inspire them to keep going on their journey as kaitiaki for our taiao. Check out our past Species Superstars below! 👇 Species Superstars

Zoe Luffman's Environmental Fund is a fund dedicated to supporting young women aged 13 to 18 years fighting to protect our local environments in Marlborough. Zoe Luffman's Environmental Fund Recipients 2024 Recipients Congratulations to all our recipients - we look forward to hearing the progress of your various projects and supporting you in various ways. Go you amazing young women! MCG Enviroteam Bess Cuddon-Corlet, Sydney White and Laura Elliot-Whale Photo courtesy of William Woodworth, Marlborough Weekly These young entrepreneurs are collecting disused PVC pool toys and are turning them into waterproof bags! Reducing waste by diverting these old pool toys from landfill, their practices are exploring the avenues of reuse and recycle and giving new life to these toys as a part of the 2024 Young Enterprise Scheme. With a percentage of sales donated back to Surf Lifesaving New Zealand and Envirohub Marlborough the Refloat is also a social enterprise. Donate your pool toys or purchase one of these amazing bags today at the Picton Environment Centre! March 2024 Recipients Congratulations to all our recipients - we look forward to hearing the progress of your various projects and supporting you in various ways. Go you amazing young women! REFLOAT Bess Cuddon-Corlet, Sydney White and Laura Elliot-Whale Photo courtesy of William Woodworth, Marlborough Weekly These young entrepreneurs are collecting disused PVC pool toys and are turning them into waterproof bags! Reducing waste by diverting these old pool toys from landfill, their practices are exploring the avenues of reuse and recycle and giving new life to these toys as a part of the 2024 Young Enterprise Scheme. With a percentage of sales donated back to Surf Lifesaving New Zealand and Envirohub Marlborough the Refloat is also a social enterprise. Donate your pool toys or purchase one of these amazing bags today at the Picton Environment Centre! MGC Enviroweek Alex Phelps and the Malrborough Girls' College Environment Club Photo courtesy of Anne-Gaelle Photography at Earth Day: Picnic in the Park 2024 The awesome young women of the Marlborough Girls' College Environment Club run an Enviroweek each year to celebrate and raise awareness. These girls work toward changing practices within their school and educating their fellow students on ways to operate day to day while treading lightly on the environment we rely on so heavily for survival. Envirohub Marlborough was honoured to be invited to run a workshop during Enviroweek and have been speaking and mentoring a number of students at MGC. APPLY NOW I fit the criteria and would like to apply! Click on the button to the left to enter in your application online. Want to complete a form by hand or manually rather than digitally? No worries - click on the link to the right to download a paper copy and email it to: info@envirohub.co.nz . Download form For more info on criteria and about the fund, keep reading or email: info@envirohub.co.nz . I am a fund recipient and I need to do my accountability. Click the button to the right! Accountability DONATE This fund also welcomes any additional donations to keep the fund, and the support for these young Marlburian women, continuing for as long as possible. To donate, please go to: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/zoe-luffmans-environmental-fund to make your donation. Any funds collected via this page will automatically be allocated to Zoe Luffman’s Environmental Fund.

Pelorus April 2020 We went to learn all about the NZ Giant Weta at the Koru Wildlife Centre The kids were very lucky to go and learn all about the Giant weta and NZ's very own parrot at the Koro Wild Life Center in Link Water. They got to see some awesome animals up close and test out the centers new microscope room to look at some bugs and things up close and personal. Such a fantastic facility right in our own backyard. Visiting the Koru Wildlife Centre

Envirohub Marlborough's Directory - find the organisations, businesses, groups in our community working for a more sustainable future. Community Directory and Map Wanting to live more sustainably? Looking to support a conservation organization? Need to know where to recycle something? Check out our Marlborough directory and map for all things eco-friendly. The map has been created by the Environment Hubs of Aotearoa as part of their Interactive Maps project. It is amazing, please use a computer to view as it is not yet set up to work on a mobile phone. Directory Menu Conservation Organisations Op Shops Recycling Alternative / Sharing Economy Climate Change Action Farm Stalls Community Garden Bulk Food Stores Ethical Fashion Retail Community Map Conservation Organisations Endeavour Inlet Conservation Trust Kaikoura Ocean Research Institute (KORI) Kaipupu Wildlife Sanctuary Koru Native Wildlife Centre Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust Marlborough Sounds Restoration Trust Picton Dawn Chorus Te Hoiere Bat Recovery Project Op-Shops Havelock Charity Shop Marlborough Hospice Shop SPCA Op Shop St Vincent de Paul Salvation Army Family Store St John Opportunity Shop SaveMart The Blue Door Recycling Envirohub Marlborough Collection Point Recycling Mitre 10 Plant Pot Recycling MySpace Collection Point Recycling Recycling at the Transfer Stations Rural Community Recycling Trillo Metals Marlborough Warehouse Stationary Ink, Toner and Printer Cartridge Recycling Alternative / Sharing Economy Blenheim Menz Shed Blenheim Salvation Army Toy Library Havelock Menzshed Picton Men's Community Shed Renwick Menz Shed Repair Cafe Ritual Cafe - CupCycling cup swap program Unwanted Household Good Project Climate Change Action Climate Karanga Marlborough Farm Stalls Daltian Figs Fresh2U Organic Food Delivery Hedgerows Hydroponic Strawberries Isobel Olives Marlborough Farmer's Market Marlborough Food Network Oaklands Milk Old Road Estate Spudz n Greens Windsong Orchard Community Garden Waitohi Picton Community Garden Marlborough Community Garden Bulk Food / BYO Container Stores Bin Inn J Bush & Sons Honey Mr. Asian Picton Environment Centre The Karaka Kitchen The Vines Village Store Williams Green Grocers Ethical Fashion Retail Op Shops Recycling Climate Change Action Conservation Organisations Alternative / Sharing Economy Community Garden Farm Stalls Bulk Food Stores Ethical Fashion Retail Ethical Fashion

Learn about our beautiful taonga species, the Tohorā | Southern Right Whale and check out our games, activities, arts and crafts and how you can better protect them! Tohorā Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis) Southern Right Whales are found throughout the Southern Hemisphere and are a native migrant to New Zealand. They are typically black in colour, have large paddle-shaped flippers and have a large head covered in callosities. Follow along to learn more about Tohorā below. Southern Right Whales are slow swimmers and also very acrobatic! They are easy to identify by their unique callosities on their heads. Callosities are large, white, rough growths that can be made up of parasitic worms, whale lice and barnacles. The callosities on a southern right are unique to each southern right making them easy to identify and track their movements. They also has a unique V blow, with the water rising in two columns to a height of 5m. Tohorā Facts! General ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, GAMES AND QUIZZES Throughout this page you'll find some fun activities and resources you can explore at home with your whānau and friends. Some of these resources have been put together with the help of our fantastic local organisations. A huge thank you to those people who have helped put these together for us, we appreciate your support! Don't forget to share your activities with us, either tag us on social media or email them to us at conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz Image Credit - Andrea Izzotti Some tribes see whales as the descendants of Tangaroa, the god of the ocean. Whales possess a tapu (sacred) significance to Maori as both supernatural beings and as harbingers of personal change and spiritual growth. When whales appeared on long journeys by waka across the Pacific ocean, they were seen as a sign that the iwi should settle in that place. They were also seen as benevolent guardians when they swam alongside the waka, guiding the way through tumultuous Pacific storms towards the safety of land. Tohorā Facts! Te Ao Maori Art - Create Whale Watching Binoculars Binoculars Have fun making your own whale watching binoculars. Go out and explore the coastline and see what you can spot in the sea. Click the image to download the PDF! Tohorā Facts! Ecology & Diet Southern Rights feed on zooplankton in the cold nutrient-rich Southern Ocean. They are skim feeders and swim with their mouths open for long periods of time, filtering krill and plankton through their baleen plates. Baleen plates are made of keratin, the same substance which makes up our hair or fingernails. CRAFT - Tohorā Snacks Southern Right's Snacks Have some fun making an upcycled southern right whale from paper roll! Don't forget her baleen! Give your whale a name and make her some tasty snacks. This craft is to show how the large baleen plates in a baleen whale's mouth help to catch all their food! Don't forget to share your Tohorā with us, we would love to know its name. Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Tohorā live and migrate in the Southern Ocean. They are found in the South Atlantic between June and December. They migrate from the icy Southern Ocean to their breeding grounds in the South Atlantic along the African coastline. Click on the image to watch a video about how a group of Southern Right whales were discovered again in New Zealand, at the brink of extinction. Tohorā Facts! Habitat Tohorā GAMES Grab some of your friends or whānua and have a go at these fun Tohorā games and activities. How Baleen Works This activity aim s to demonstrate how baleen plates work and how whales uses them to eat. Click on the image to download the instructions. If you give this game a go with your class or some friends take a pic or video a nd share it with us! How Long is a Southern Right? This activity aim s to demonstrate how larg e/long a southern right is. Get your friends and family toge ther, using the cards, measure out and compare the different sizes of baleen whales and toothed marine mammals. Click on the image t o download the fact cards. Southern Right whales are mammals and give birth to live young, just like us humans. A baby whale is called a calf. Females usually give birth to their first calf when they are eight to ten years old. Female Southern Rights only produce a calf every 3-5 years. Tohorā Facts! Breeding ACTIVITY - Baleen whale or Toothed marine mammal? Test your knowledge - download the cards below and see if you can guess which are baleen whales and which are toothed marine mammals. Click the image to download the cards! Ever wonder how the Southern Right Whales stays warm while swimming in the cold waters of the Southern Ocean ?? Well they have blubber - a fatty substance below their skin that helps to keep them warm. Check out this neat video from SciShow Kids that demonstrates how blubber works. Have a go at it your self - Did the blubber keep your hand warm? Tohorā Facts! Crazy Facts! Other Southern Right Whale Resources Below you will find links to other Tohorā resources, click the images to take you to the websites. Check them out! NOAA Fisheries For more Tohorā information click the image below. Tohorā The Southern Right Whale by Ned Barraud Department of Conservation For more Southern Right whale information click the DOC image below. Southern Right Whales were hunted to near extinction in the 18-1900s. In 1920 there were only 400 left on the planet. The Souhthern Right whale gets it name from being the "right" whale to hunt. This was because they are so slow moving and are very buoyant in the water. Since whaling become illegal in NZ in 1978, NZ has made large efforts to help protect our whales and help bring the numbers back. Current threats to Tohorā include: predators, climate change, net entanglement, large boat strikes and ocean pollution. Check out the next Tohorā Fact to find out how you can help! Tohorā Facts! Threats Tohorā Facts! What YOU can do! So... How can you help protect our whales? Glad you asked! Firstly, help to reduce our plastic waste. Plastic can end up in our oceans and harm not only our whales but other marine species. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse and Rot where possible! Keep an eye out for a beach cleanup near you and lend a helping hand. Image Credit - Envirohub Beach Clean Up event What can you do if you see a stranded whale? Reduce plastic use! If you'd like to be prepared to help in a whale stranding you can attend Marine Mammal Medic Course run by Project Jonah. Click HERE to find out what DOC does when there is a stranding. Image Credit - Department of Conservation NZ Act safely on the water around marine mammals When out on a boat there are ways you can safely observe any marine life you come across, especially whales and other marine mammals. Click HERE to learn how you can safely share our coast lines with our beautiful taonga of the ocean. Go Spot a Southern Right! KORI's annual Great Kaikoura Whale Count Each winter, around June/July, the Kaikōura Ocean Research Institute holds an annual whale count, where they count as many whales migrating past Kaikōura as they can. You can even vol unteer to head along and help them out and be a part of the action! Click on the KORI logo alongside to go to their website and find out more. Tohorā Whale Gallery Images from our Southern Right Whale events 2024 Whale Day

SAVE OUR SPECIES PROGRAMME Each month, Conservation Kids NZ will be hosting one major event focusing on a particular species or habitat, that will be held all around Marlborough! Each event will also have all the information, fun, resources, arts & crafts, videos and so much more right here on our website! Accessible anywhere, any time, and by any one - EVERYONE can be a Conservation Kid and help Save Our Species! Save Our Species! Want to check out our online content? CLICK HERE!!! Each of our events are aimed at a primary school aged audience, but they are a whānau event, with everyone in the family invited to join the fun! They run for 2 hours and are jam packed with information and ways you can help to Save Our Species. Each event aims to collaborate with another group or organisation, celebrates a campaign (like plastic free July or World Wetland Day, etc) and has an arts & crafts element as well as outdoor games and activities. You can find all the resources, information and more right here on the website shortly after each physical event! Keep an eye on the Envirohub Marlborough Facebook Page for updates and events coming up and sign up here on our website by clicking the button below! Sign up to our next event! Click on the image to download our information pack outlining our Save Our Species programme in more detail Species Superstars! After every event, one child will be carefully chosen as our Species Superstar! This is the tamaiti who has truly shone — someone whose aroha for the species, and their passion to protect it and care for our taiao, has stood out from the crowd. It might be a question that stopped everyone in their tracks or a quiet dedication that didn't go unnoticed..however it shows up, we notice. 🌿 To celebrate and inspire that spark to keep growing, every Species Superstar walks away with a Species Superstar Prize Pack — packed full of species-focused goodies and sustainable living treasures to fuel their journey as a kaitiaki of Aotearoa. Check out some of our past Species Superstars here Tell me more! If you'd like to know more about supporting or sponsoring this whānau programme, we'd love to hear from you! Reach out to our Conservation Kids NZ Youth & Whānau Coordinator: 📧 conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz

Learn about our beautiful taonga species, the Tūpoupou Hector's Dolphins and check out our games, activities, arts and crafts and how you can better protect them! Tūpoupou ~ Hector's Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori ) The Tūpoupou or Hector's dolphin is one of the smallest oceanic dolphins in the world! Did you know they can ONLY be found in New Zealand? We even have our own population of Hector's right here in Marlborough! Follow along to learn all about our tiny Tūpoupou and enjoy the fun and games along the way! Tūpoupou Facts! The Hector's Dolphin, found only in New Zealand, are the world's smallest oceanic dolphins. There are two sub-species, the Maui's that are super rare and found in the North Island, and the Hector's Dolphin found along the coastlines of the South Island. You can easily identify them by their small, rounded black dorsal fin that looks like mickey mouse's ear popping out of the water! General Image Credit - Ailie Suzuki ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, GAMES AND QUIZZES Throughout this page you'll find some fun activities and resources you can explore at home with your whānau and friends. Some of these resources have been put together with the help of our fantastic local organisations. A huge thank you to those people who have helped put these together for us, we appreciate your support! Don't forget to share your activities with us, either tag us on social media or email them to us at conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz Hector's dolphins are revered as a taonga by Maori. Some believe that the spirits of the dead would become tutumairekurai (Hector's Dolphins). Tutumairekurai is the most common of the Maori names for Hector's dolphin, meaning "ocean dweller". Papakanua, tūpoupou, hopuhopu and upokohue were names also used - these can vary depending on hapu and iwi. Image Credit - Ailie Suzuki Tūpoupou Facts! Te Ao Maori ACTIVITY - Tūpoupou / Hector Fact Wheel Tūpoupou Spinning Fact Wheel Have some fun making this spinning wheel of Hecto r 's facts. Download and print off the template, make it nice and col ourful ... and don't forget to add some of your own facts to it as well! Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Tūpoupou are social, but it' s not unusual to see them in small groups of less than 5 or 6. They tend to prefer shallower waters along the coastlines, which is why you can often spot them from the shore if you look at the right place at the right time! They general prefer waters shallower than 100m deep, and often in murky waters where their food likes to hang out. Tūpoupou Facts! Habitat Image Credit - Ailie Suzuki ARTS & CRAFTS - Make a Tūpoupou Puppet Tūpoupou Puppet Otago University have a fantastic Hector's Dolphin Puppet activity you can do at home! Click on the image to download the template and give it ago - don't forget to share the finished puppet with us. We would love to see your creation and your conservation message. Click the image to download! Tūpoupou Facts! Ecology & Diet Hectors are opportunistic and like to feed on a wide range of prey, but they mostly feed off bottom-dwelling fish and other species. This means food that swims or hangs along close to the ocean floor. Hector's like to feed on small red cod, āhuru flatfish, stargazer, sprat and arrow squid to name a few! GAMES - Food Web Game Grab some of your friends or whānua and have a go at the food web game. Learn all about the part Tūpoupou play with in the food cycle. Food Web Game This game aim s to demonstrate how the food chain works and how each species eats and the roles they play. This also shows the important role the Hector's play in the food chain and how their numbers can affect the entire food web. Click on the image t o find out how to play! (Video instructions coming soon). If you give this game a go with your class or some friends take a pic or video and share it with us! A baby Hector's Dolphin is called a calf. A female Tūpoupou typically has one calve every 2 to 4 years, which is not very often, especially as the adults only really live for around 25 years. The calves stay with their mothers for 1 to 2 years before heading out on their own. Tūpoupou Facts! Breeding Image Credit - Ailie Suzuki ACTIVITY - Test Your Knowledge Test your knowledge - Tūpoupou Facts Have a go at testing your knowledge on what you have learnt about the Hector's Dolphin. *HINT* You can find the answers to the questions right here on this page! Click on the image below to download the quiz and have a go. See how many you can answer! Click the image to download the quiz! Click the Hector to download the answers. Tūpoupou Facts! Crazy Facts! Did you know that Dolphins communicate by making very short, high-frequency clicking sounds and even various whistles. They also communicate by slapping their tails on the water or leaping into the air. Dolphins are also very tactile, meaning they like to touch and can even leave little marks on each other's bodies with their teeth! (These are called 'rake marks'). Image Credit - Ailie Suzuki Other Tūpoupou Resources Below you will find links to other Tūpoupou resources, click the images to take you to the websites. Check them out! Hector's Dolphin, Kiwi of the Sea by Michal Bush Little Hector meets Mini Māui by Ruth Paul Department of Conservation For more Hector information click the image DOC - Toyota Kiwi Guardian Activity Help look after the Hector's Dolphins by becoming a costal protector! Although the Toyota Kiwi Guardian programme has now finished and you can no longer claim the medals. The activates are still a fantastic way for your tamariki to help support our conservation and native species. Below is a link to the "Costal Protector " activity instructions! Explore a coastline near you, discover what wildlife lives there. Then take action to help protect it. Click the image to download a PDF Instruction sheet to learn how to become a Coastal Protector! Some of the biggest threats to not only our Tūpoupou / Hector's dolphins but also our Māui dolphins, are fishing nets. Dolphins can become entangled and trapped, and as they need to breathe air, they can die in a matter of minutes. Ocean pollution and litter is also a large concern and threat. Our Hector's can accidentally eat plastic and other rubbish, or be affected by illness caused by human impact. Because our Hector's and Māui like to live close to shore our boating activities can also be a threat. Hector's can be accidentally hit by boats or struck by propellers. Tūpoupou Facts! Threats Tūpoupou Facts! What YOU can do! Don't worry! There are lots of ways you can help protect our Tūpoupou Hector's and other dolphins, while still enjoying the ocean: Be a responsible with your rubbish, make sure you dispose of your rubbish correctly, so it doesn't end up in the ocean. If you are fishing, make sure you follow the correct rules to keep our Hector's safe. You can find them all here - Fishing Rules Dispose of your cat litter properly - cat feces are a source of the disease toxoplasmosis which can harm Hector's and Māui dolphins. We don't want it ending up in our oceans! Image Credit - Ailie Suzuki Act safely on the water around dolphins When out on a boat there are ways you can safely observe any marine life you come across including the Hector's dolphin. Click HERE to learn how you can safely share our coast lines with our beautiful taonga of the ocean. Image Credit - Department of Conservation NZ Visit a Tūpoupou - Hector Dolphin If you want to see Hector's here in Marlborough, why not head out to explore our beautiful sounds! Just remember wildlife is wildlife, they go where they want to so it is never a guarantee you will spot them, but keep an eye out just in case! Here are a few different business you can go explore the Marlborough Sounds with: Tūpoupou Punga Gallery Images from some of our Hector events 2023 Hector Day Event

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Learn about our beautiful taonga species, the Tūpoupou Hector's Dolphins and check out our games, activities, arts and crafts and how you can better protect them! Moko kākāriki ~ Marlborough Green Gecko (Naultinus manukanus) Here in Aotearoa we have over 44 species of geckos! Some of which you can only find right here in Marlborough - including the very special Marlborough Green, or 'Manuka', Gecko. Gecko Facts! General There are a few ways you can spot the difference between a gecko and a skink. Geckos have broad heads with rounded snouts and large bulging eyes. They also have soft velvety-looking skin that sits almost loose on its body, whereas a skink's skin is tight and shiny. The Marlborough Green gecko is mostly an emerald, green colour, with a gold start like markings on them. Sometimes they can even be yellow in colour as well. Image Credit - Koru Native Wildlife Center ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, GAMES AND QUIZZES Throughout this page you'll find some fun activities and resources you can explore at home with your whānau and friends. Some of these resources have been put together with the help of our fantastic local organisations. A huge thank you to those people who have helped put these together for us, we appreciate your support! Don't forget to share your activities with us, either tag us on social media or email them to us at conservationkids@envirohub.co.nz Image Credit - Ben Barr Māori first described the vocalizations of green geckos to Europeans as being like that of the kaka - laughter, being a repetitive call somewhere between a bark and a squeak. Māori call lizards (skinks and geckos) mokomoko. Geckos and skins were often believed to be evil and brought the feeling of miss fortune or death with them. Gecko Facts! Te Ao Maori Art - Gecko Colouring In Gecko Coloring In Download this fantastic gecko scene drawing by talented artist Larissa Larimar. Have fun colouring it in and don't forget to share it with us. We would love to see your creation! Click the image to download a PDF Sheet Marlborough green gecko is a tree-dwelling lizard, this is one of the reasons it is also called the Manuka Gecko. They like to live in low lying shrubs and small trees, with a particular fondness for Manuka and Kanuka trees. Geckos have 'sticky' feet! They have toe pads that are covered in thousands of microscopic hairs called setae. These hairs create an electromagnetic attraction known as van der Waals forces. This is what allows them to climb up walls, trees, rock... even upside down on the ceiling if they wanted to! Image Credit - Unknown Gecko Facts! Habitat CRAFT - Make a Pet Gecko Make your own pet gecko! Have a go at making your own pet gecko! You can decorate your pet gecko any way you like. You might like to create your own design or research what geckos are found in your area and decorate your pet gecko to look like them. You can find out more about the different types of geckos in NZ on the Department of Conservation website: Types of geckos: Lizards (doc.govt.nz) Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Gecko Facts! Ecology & Diet Like most of New Zealand Geckos, the Marlborough Green Geckos are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Their diet mainly consists of insects such as moths, flies, small crickets, and larvae, however, they also eat some berries and take the nectar from certain flowers too. Image -Credit - Nick Harker Gecko GAMES Grab some of your friends or whānau and have a go at these fun Gecko games and activities. Predator Game This game helps to demonstrate the effects different predators have on our gecko population. You can also add in some cool gecko 'helping hands' to see how this can also affect our gecko population. Click on the image to download the instructions. If you give this game a go with your class or some friends take a pic or video a nd share it with us! Marlborough Green Geckos are very slow breeders, normally only breeding once a year. One of the things that makes our geckos so unique is that they give birth to live young rather than laying eggs. This is called being 'ovoviviparous' - the eggs hatch inside the gecko mum's body! Most of our NZ geckos only give birth to one offspring at a time, and only occasionally have twins. Image Credit - Jole Knight Gecko Facts! Breeding ACTIVITY - Test Your Knowledge Gecko Names Word Find Have fun testing your knowledge and see if you can find all the different Marlborough Geckos common names. If you want a real challenge see if you can find all of their scientific names awell! Click the image to download the quiz! Click the Gecko to download the answers. Gecko Facts! Did you know that geckos can't blink? They have transparent (see-through) eyelids that are are fused together. They have to lick their eyes with their spoon-like tongue to keep them from drying out. Can you reach your eyes with your tongue? Crazy Facts! Image Credit - Orana Wildlife Park Other Gecko Resources Below you will find links to other Gecko resources. These books can be found at most book shops and library's around NZ. You can also order them online. Gecko by Raymond Huber and Brian Lovelock GO Green Gecko by Gay Hay and Margaret Tolland Reptiles and Amphibians of NZ by Dyland van Winkel DOC - Toyota Kiwi Guardian Activity Become a Habitat Creator and make a Lizard Lounge for your backyard! Although the Toyota Kiwi Guardian programme has now finished and you can no longer claim the medals. The activi ties are still a fantastic way for your tamariki to help support our conservation efforts and our native species. Below is a link to the "Lizard Lounge " activity instructions! Make a Lizard lounge to help attracted Lizards and Geckos to your back yard. Click the image to download a PDF Instruction sheet to learn how to become a Habitat Creator! Some of the top threats to our NZ geckos are introduced predators, including mice, rats, hedgehogs, weasels, stoats, ferrets, cats, possums, and pigs. These predators are often active at night and hunt on the ground. Loss of habitat is also a large threat to the geckos. Clearing of grounds for human planting or building can cause geckos to lose their homes. But don't worry there is things you can do to help protect these amazing Geckos, keep reading below to find ways you can help out. Threats Gecko Facts! Image Credit - CKNZ Event, Marcus O'Donnell Gecko Facts! What YOU can do! So how can you help to protect our fantastic Geckos? There are lots of things you can do at home to help. Here are some things you can do: If you own a cat, keep it well feed and inside the house at night time. Put a bell on its collar to help alert our geckos to the cats presence. Help do predator tracking to find out if you have geckos in your back yard. More importantly do you have pests in your yard that might be harming them? Create areas in your garden for shelter for geckos, things like piles of bricks and sticks and branches. Old tin from sheds and lots of leaves and bushes. In the summer leave some small containers of water out for them around the fence line. Image Credit - CKNZ Event, Antonia O'Donnell Visit a Marlborough Green Gecko If you live in the Marlborough region, you can see some Geckos at these places below. Click the logo to be taken to their websites. Gecko Gallery Images fro m some of our Gecko events 2021 Gecko Day 2020 Koru Wildlife Visit

Envirohub Marlborough is proud to be a member of Environment Hubs Aotearoa and one of 15 EHA environment centres around NZ. Environment Hubs of Aotearoa Envirohub Marlborough is proud to be a member of Environment Hubs Aotearoa (EHA). We are one of 21 environment centres and hubs around Aotearoa that make up EHA. "We bring together 21 leading regional environmental organisations, from Kaitaia to Riverton. We provide our hubs with opportunities to partner and learn from each other, capacity and capability-building activities, and organisational development. Through a collaborative approach, our mahi empowers community organisations to increase social cohesion, community resilience and environmental stewardship." From the EHA website. Together, we have seen huge collective impact across the entire of Aotearoa. For more information on our fellow members and the work done by EHA check out our collective impact on their website: Or you can view the most recent Impact Report by clicking on the image or click on the button below: EHA member Collective Impact EHA Impact Report 2024 Environment Hubs Aotearoa is a Charitable Incorporated Society whose members are independent local community hubs that provide practical support for people to look after themselves, their neighbours and their environment. All members have strong local connections and individual strengths. In 2015 a national organisation was created that allows us to share our vast experience with each other and better empower more New Zealanders to create a thriving and sustainable Aotearoa. For more info, check out: www.environmenthubs.nz