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Learn more about our taonga species - the Kotare | Kingfisher. Find facts, games, arts, crafts and activities here! Kōtare ~ Kingfisher (Alcedinidae) The Sacred Kingfisher is native to New Zealand. Found widely across NZ, they are easily identified by their bright blue feathers and unique silhouette of a prominant beak and tail. Native - Not Threatened Kōtare Facts! General NZ kōtare grow to about 23cm in length are very easy to spot. They have a distinctive bright green and blue set of feathers on their backs down to their long tail and across their wings. They have a distinctive white band that runs around their necks with a yellow and white chest. Male kōtare are normally much brighter than the females. You will also notice a kōtare has a larger bill-shaped beak, rather than the slender, more narrow beak often found in other birds. Image Credit - Marie-Louise Myburgh via NZ birds online ACTIVITIES, CRAFTS, GAMES AND QUIZIES 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 CRAFT - Kōtare Mask Image Credit - Totaea Art Kotare / Kingfisher Limited Edition Print – Totaea Birds in general hold a vital place in traditional Maori life, providing food, feathers for adornment. Whakataukī (sayings) and metaphors are often used to compare birds with people’s behaviour (favourably or unfavourably), which is also the case with the kōtare. Kōtare are admired by Maori for being a watchful sentry. A sentry is person who guards or controls access to a place. Kōtare are admired for the way they perch, without moving, while stalking and waiting for prey... then suddenly attacking in a blur of speed and colour! A good sentry was complimented by being likened to a kōtare. The word ‘Kōtare’ was also sometimes referred to as the elevated platform in a pā, used to watch out for enemies. Kōtare Facts! Te Ao Maori Kōtare Mask Have a go at making a kōtare mask over at Wildlife Watch . See if you can recreate the bright, beautiful colours that you can see on a kōtare! CRAFT - Kōtare Mask Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Kōtare Facts! Kōtare like to live all over NZ in both coastal and inland freshwater habitats. They live in a wide range of locations including: forest, river margins, farmland, lakes, estuaries and rocky coastlines. Basically, they can be found anywhere where there is water and elevated perches for them to watch from. This is one of the reasons they like wetland areas so much. Although kōtare make nests in a lot of places, one of the neat places they will build a nest for their chicks is in the side of a bank. They dig into clay banks to clear out a hole for their nests. Sometimes, if you are careful, you can lean over the side of a bank and spot a wee kōtare chick popping its head out. Habitat Image Credit - Bruce Buckman by Bruce Buckman www.flickr.com/photos/brunonz/ ART - Draw Your Own Kōtare Draw Your Own Kōtare Have a go at drawing your own kōtare, take a close look at all the details shape, size and colour. Make sure you share your final drawing with us as we would love to see it! Click the image to download! Kōtare Facts! Ecology & Diet Their diet when living in estuarine mudflats is mainly small crabs, with a range of tadpoles, freshwater crayfish and small fish in freshwater habitats. When living in open country they eat insects, spiders, lizards, mice and small birds. Image Credit - dalous p. GAMES - Beak Test Game Grab a few items and have a go at the Beak Test game. Learn about the diffrent types of beaks and how they . Beak Test Game Birds have lots of different beak shapes, have a go at picking up items with some different beak shapes. Can you guess why the kōtare has a larger beak? If you give this game a go with your class or some friends we would love to hear all about it! Click the image to download the PDF sheet! Image Credit - Eugene Polkan via NZ Birds Online Did you know that you will very rarely see more than two kōtare together? Kōtare are mostly solitary and prefer to hang out by themselves or occasionally in pairs. If you see more than two kōtare together, you can almost guarantee it is breeding season. Kōtare don't build nests like other birds; they prefer to hollow out areas to nest in. Places like trees, banks or even the side of a cliff are prime real estate for kōtare. The female kōtare repeatedly flies at a site using her bill to create a hole. Once there is enough space to perch on, she continues to hollow out the area with her bill until she has an area large enough to lay her eggs. A female kōtare will lay 4 to 7 eggs at once and she will often have 2 or 3 broods a year! Kōtare Facts! Breeding ACTIVITY - Test Your Knowledge Test your knowledge - Species Quiz Have a go at testing what you have learnt about the kōtare/kingfisher. Click on the image below to download the quiz as a PDF and write in your answers! Click the image to download the quiz! Click the Kōtare to download the answers. Kōtare Facts! Crazy Facts! Have you ever wondered what a kōtare sounds like? Maybe you have heard them in your backyard but not realized it! Click this link to go a video of a kōtare call - let us know if you have ever heard one at home. Maybe you could head to a local wetland or area in your backyard where you can try and hear one for your self. CLICK THE LINK BELOW: Kingfisher Bird Call ~ bird song - YouTube Image Credit - Brian Anderson, BaPhotographic Other Kōtare/Kingfisher Resources Below you will find links to other Kōtare / Kingfisher resources, click the images to take you to the websites. Check them out! The Adventures of Hutu & Kawa by Avis Acres Kotare Birds of NZ Activity Pack by Green Grubs DOC - Toyota Kiwi Guardian Activity Have a go at a Garden Bird Survey! 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 "Garden Bird Survey " activity instructions! Help to find out what species you have in your backyard!! Click the image to download a PDF Instruction sheet to carry out a Garden Bird Survey. Image Credit - Antonia O'Donnell The kōtare faces several threats including cats, possums and even windows. Kōtare, like many other birds, can accidentally fly into glass windows and suffering injuries, being stunned or even sadly breaking their necks. Don't worry, though, there are some simple things you can do to help our beautiful kōtare! Kōtare Facts! Threats Kōtare Facts! What YOU can do! There are some simple things you can do to help protect our kōtare. If you own a cat, keep it well feed and inside the house at night. Put a bell on its collar to help alert our kōtare, and other birds, to the cat's presence. Kōtare can accidentally fly into windows as they may not realise the window is there as they are clear. You can help make the window stand out by putting reflective stickers on them - you can have fun making some of your own with our instructions below! Image Credit - Antonia O'Donnell Visit a Kōtare - Kingfisher If you want to try and spot a kōtare in your own region, head to any local wetland, lagoon or coastal area to see if you can spot them. Better yet, keep your eyes peeled, even in your own neighbourhood, up trees and on powerlines. You never know what you might see or when you might spot one! If you live in the Marlborough region you could go check out the Wairau Lagoon or Grovetown Lagoon. Click the images below to find out more information. Wairau Lagoons Kōtare - Kingfisher Gallery Images from some of our Kōtare events 2024 World Wetland Day - Kōtare Event 2023 World Wetland Day - Kōtare Event

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 "Each person leaves a print on the world. Identifying or building their legacy reminds us that their life mattered." , Dr. Denise Quinlan. 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 . 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.

How the Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer Works Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer Interested in learning more about organizing a Zero Waste Event? Want to book our Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer and Recycling Stations for your event? Email zerowaste@envirohub.co.nz

Learn more about our community garden project and how you can become more involved! Waitohi Picton Community Garden Project FAQs The structure of the Waitohi Picton Community Garden will be influenced by our local community, it’s your garden after all! At the moment we are gleaning many ideas from the community, please keep them coming. We have also been communicating with other community gardens from around the country to see what has (or hasn’t) worked for them. This will provide some valuable learnings in these initial stages. There are however a few common questions that we have provided initial thinking on below. Please note that these may change as the process continues. How will it work? We envision that plots can be rented for a minimal fee by individuals, community groups, educational groups, and businesses such as cafes. Any income made from renting out plots would go back into the maintenance and management of the garden. The garden will have community plots managed by volunteers to provide fruit and vegetables for those in need and be distributed via Picton food bank, Waikawa Marae and other organisations. The garden will provide space and opportunity for workshops and educational programmes on sustainable living, organic gardening techniques, composting etc. What is the structure of the administration? The garden will be administered by Envirohub Marlborough (www.envirohub.co.nz ). Envirohub Marlborough is a Charitable Trust and has been operating since 2014. We are based in the Picton Environment Centre at 14 Auckland Street, Picton and we work in 4 key environmental areas; Sustainable Communities, Marine Conservation, Zero Waste and Conservation Kids NZ. Funding permitting, we would like to have a part-time paid coordinator. This is to avoid too much responsibility and accountability being placed on volunteers, and provide resilience to the project over time. We envision there will be a volunteer Focus Group, which will function as a 'think tank', assist with working bees and events, be a community liaison and various other roles. Where will it be located? The garden will be located in the paddock at the end of Huia and Ranui streets. This land is administered by the Marlborough District Council under the Victoria Domain Management Plan. Will it be organic? Envirohub Marlborough’s overarching ethos is to reduce our impact on the environment. Therefore, the community garden will be run using organic principles. Non-organic products may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Mentors and regular workshops will allow us all to learn about and incorporate organic practices into individual plots or at home. What about Bronte the horse? Bronte will remain on-site and contribute to the garden! What about parking? Other than working bee days, we are not envisioning large amounts of people in the garden at any one time. However, we are investigating with Council whether we can put parking inside the reserve to reduce any possible congestion on the streets. The paddock can get wet in winter, what about drainage? We will be investigating what drainage options we will need. The site is cold and dark in winter... We scoped out different potential sites for the community garden and found that this is likely to be the sunniest available. Other sites assessed were in flood zones, too small, or were already used as areas of recreation. Why do we need another community garden when there is one in Blenheim? Blenheim has a fantastic community garden and they have been very helpful and supportive of the development of one in Picton. Often travel is a barrier to gardening, so we think that a local one will give people more options that suit their needs. How much will plots cost to rent? We’re not sure yet. We will try and set a fair and reasonable amount; we don’t want the cost to inhibit people from using the garden. Some community gardens ask for volunteer time as payment so this could be an option for some plots too. Picton is a town of gardens, why do you think there is a need? Section sizes are getting smaller with greater in-filling in Picton. As well as providing space to garden, the garden will provide social and learning opportunities. We will be starting small, with the ability to grow as interest grows (pun intended!). We certainly don’t want to over-invest at this stage Where will we get water from? The Council is organising for the garden to be connected to the mains system. While we’d like to use rainwater and may set up some tanks, the reality is that we are unlikely to be able to store enough for the needs of the garden in critical dry times. We are also not intending on using the nearby stream, the stream's inhabitants would prefer the water to remain there. I live close by, I'm worried about the impact on the neighbourhood? If you have any concerns, we want to talk to you. Having a great relationship with our neighbours is critical to us and the successful running of the garden. Please contact us and we’ll make a time for one of our team to meet with you and work through your concerns. The community garden will adhere to a “Good Neighbour” policy at all times and will prevent any smell and unreasonable noise created by our activities. If you have any further questions, please get in touch at communitygarden@envirohub.co.nz or pop into the Picton Environment Centre, 14 Auckland St (Picton). Follow us on Facebook to keep up-to-date- with news www.facebook.com/pictongarden

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SAVE OUR SPECIES PROGRAMME Save Our Species! Click on the links below to reveal all sorts of fun, information and ways YOU can help Save Our Species! Each link will become available after we have run the physical event, so if you see 'Coming Soon' you'll just have to wait a wee bit longer (but the wait will be worth it! We promise!!). Kōtare Kingfishers Click here Pekapeka Longtailed Bat Click here Moko Kākāriki Green Gecko Click here WēTāpunga NZ Giant Weta Click here Tūpoupou Hector's Dolphin Click here Hamupēke Humpback Whale Click here Kārearea NZ Falcon Click here Tuna NZ Eel Click here Waiharakeke Grass Skink Click here Rowi Kiwi Click here Kororā Little Blue Penguin Click here Tohorā Southern Right Whale Click here

Pelorus June 2019 We built Weta Motels to hang up at the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve We had a lot of fun one night building weta motels as a group to hang up at the Pelorus Bridge Scenic reserve. The kids all got in to groups and helped out making Weta motels, the finished product looked amazing. Then we bundled up and went for a walk to have a look up in the Weta tree in the dark to see if we could spot some Cave wetas. What a fantastic night. Building Weta Motels

Our Events Come and join Envirohub Marlborough and environmental organisations around Marlborough at our next event! We work with and run Zero Waste events, Conservation Kids NZ family events, beach and town clean-ups, fundraisers, workshops, and more! Sign up to our mailing list or our social media pages to stay in the loop for our next event. Want to work with us, or interested in running an event with us? Drop us a line : info@envirohub.co.nz ! CKNZ Save Our Species- Pekapeka Evening Fri, 30 Jan Pelorus Bridge RSVP here Every Bite Tasty Food Hacks- Save Your $$ And The Planet! Sun, 01 Feb QCC College Technology Building, Picton RSVP here

Branford Park Jan 2019 Exploring Branford park the Edible walk As a Pelorus group we went to explore Branford Park in Nelson, full of fruit and nut trees. The kids had a scavenger hunt to do along the way and we finished up with a picnic lunch in the shade.

Envirohub Marlborough's Guide to Zero Waste Resources - How to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Zero Waste Resources 1/1 Looking for resources for more sustainable, zero waste living? Check out the links below for some of our favourite websites: Reusable Nappies Top 10 Tips for Cloth Nappies from "Raising Ziggy" Kiwi Families - Getting Started with Cloth Nappies Love Food Hate Waste Reducing Food Waste Commuting by Bike Love to Ride - Bike Info on Everything! Cycling Action Network - Bike Commuter Tips Sustainable Event Alliance Reusables at Events Hygiene Zero Waste Events Beyond the Bin- Let's Talk Rubbish Videos Composting Composting a "How To" Guide from the Nelson City Council The Compost Collective A Guide to Bokashi Composting from the Marlborough District Council Household Repairs iFixit: Repair Guides for Eveything, by Everyone Eco-Friendly Kids Activities Department of Conservation - Activities with Kids Live Lightly - Kids Activities at Home Outside Adventures from Sparklers NZ Energy Efficiency Warmer Kiwi Homes Programme Grants Calculate your Carbon Fooprint with Future Fit NZ Government Guide to Energy Efficiency at Home Backyard Gardening Food Forest Gardens Tui Garden Planting Calendar Edible Backyard's Garden Blog Plant Based Eating NZ Heart Foundation Plant Based Eating Basics NZ Vegetarian Society Recipes Food Sustainability Food Sustainability Zero Waste Toiletries "The Rubbish Trip's" Guide to DIY Zero Waste Toiletries

Learn more about our community garden, future living skills courses and eco-friendly retail. Sustainable Communities In light of the recent global pandemic Envirohub Marlborough acknowledges the need for increased support to create more self sufficient and sustainable households and communities in Marlborough. Our Sustainable Communities Program has three main components: Establishing and managing a community garden for all members of the Picton community. Facilitating Future Living Skills Courses from the Sustainable Living Education Trust Selling environmentally friendly and affordable sustainable living products at the Picton Environment Centre. Photos from the 2020 Future Living Skills Course with Steve and Rebekah Community Garden Envirohub Marlborough is in the process of setting up a community garden in Picton. The community garden will provide a shared space that allows locals to grow their own fruit, vegetables and plants whilst promoting a peaceful surrounding for social interaction and development, bringing our community together. We also plan for surplus vegetables from the community garden to be distributed to those in need Watch this space, we hope to be up and running early 2022! For more information contact Wendy Sullivan at pcgprojectmgr@gmail.com Future Living Skills Courses from the Sustainable Living Education Trust Envirohub Marlborough facilitates the Sustainable Living Education Trust Future Living Skills Courses. These courses explore practical and fun ways to reduce your environmental impact. The topics range from organic gardening to water and energy conservation, from waste minimisation to community resilience. The courses are run at various times throughout the year and are about finding simpler, healthier, less wasteful ways to live good quality lives here in New Zealand To learn more about the Future Living Skills Programme visit https://sustainableliving.org.nz/ To find out when the next courses will be run contact Heather Barnes at zerowaste@envirohub.co.nz Environmentally Friendly and Affordable Sustainable Retail We sell a wide range of earth friendly products at our retail location, the Picton Environment Centre. This is the home of our our social enterprise aspect of the trust but you can also find us fundraising and selling our retail at local markets and events around Marlborough. Our focus is on making these products and environmentally friendly choices accessible and affordable to our community. We work hard to ensure that not only are our products kind to the environment but they also come with packaging that can be reused, recycled or composted. All proceeds from our retail sales support the programs and campaigns of Envirohub Marlborough Charitable Trust. To find out more visit “Earth Friendly Products”

EARTH DAY 2024 Planet vs Plastics Envirohub Marlborough's Earth Day Picnic in the Park is our annual Flagship event, bringing our Marlborough community together to celebrate our beautiful Earth and share ways in which we can better protect it! A full family day of earth friendly fun awaits at Pollard Park in Blenheim, to mark international Earth Day, organised by Envirohub Marlborough. This annual zero-waste community picnic, which includes local musicians, awesome giveaways, environmental activities, tips about how to be environmentally sustainable at home and information about Marlborough’s fantastic environmental projects is a must on the Marlborough Events Calendar. Bring your own picnic, a blanket to sit on and enjoy Earth Day sustainably. Entry is free! This event is going to be entirely zero waste - and will be supported by our brand new Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer and service. We will be supplying food vendors and the public with dishes, bowls, cutlery, cups (you name it!) that can be picked up by the public at stations and taken to the vendors, or if preferred, we can supply the vendors with a supply as well. We encourage the public to bring their own picnic set and/or their own cups/plates etc to eat with so we produce NO waste during the course of the event. The system is simple and we will have our team of staff and volunteers on the day to help you out. People grab what they need (clean and sterilised!), they take this to the vendor of their choice, the dirty dish is then placed at a collection station (signed and placed around the grounds and/or taken directly to the trailer) where we hygienically clean and sterilise everything for reuse again, and again, and again... and again! Keen to volunteer some time to help us out on this awesome community day out? We'd love to hear from you! Email: info@envirohub.co.nz and pop your hand up. We need help in the following areas: Zero Waste Dishwashing Trailer Set up & Pack Down Conservation Kids NZ Tent Envirohub Marlborough tent and/or market stall Let us know where you'd be keen to help and see you there! I would like to volunteer - click here! Proudly a part of the earthday.org movement! "For Earth Day 2024 on April 22nd, EARTHDAY.ORG is unwavering in our commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health, demanding a 60% reduction in the production of ALL plastics by 2040." earthday.org 1/1