Arthur’s Pass – 29th -30th April
(Department of Conservation Visitors Centre – West Coast Rd, Arthur’s Pass Village)
Thank you to all of those people who were involved in the first ever NZ Kea Konvention held in Arthur’s Pass on the 29th and 30th April! Almost 100 people attended this event and contributed either by facilitating panels and workshops, presenting on current research and knowledge, sharing experiences and enthusiasm and volunteering behind the scenes to make this weekend an epic success! Thank you in particular to the Konvention Team who worked tirelessly to get this event off the ground; Tamsin Orr-Walker, Andrea Goodman, Laura Young and Annika Werner and our sponsors FMC. Also to our wonderful presenters including our Keynote speaker Peter Hillary and to the Arthur’s Pass DOC team (headed by Chris Stewart), Arthur’s Pass Wildlife Trust and the wider Arthur’s Pass Community who welcomed us all as we shared their little piece of paradise for the weekend!
And last but not least an enormous thanks to Shelley Hersey of Core Education who processed all the video footage and presentations after the Konvention was completed – these are all now available to view on our Kea Konvention – 2017 Outcomes page below.
Kea Konvention – 2017 Outcomes – please visit this page to view all videos, presentations, discussion outcomes and photos of the Kea Konvention weekend.
About the Kea Konvention
The first ever NZ Kea Konvention aims to bring people together from around NZ and beyond, to present current knowledge on kea status, threats and conservation measures and, to provide a forum for networking, sharing information, brainstorming conservation strategies and generating community action to save our most charismatic and endangered mountain parrot, the kea.
The 2017 Kea Konvention is being run by the Kea Conservation Trust in partnership with Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC) and with support from Department of Conservation – Arthur’s Pass and the Arthur’s Pass Wildlife Trust (APWT).
Day 1:
Presentations by leading researchers and key stakeholders on latest kea research outcomes, threats and current mitigation measures, captive kea status and the importance of education/advocacy. The day will provide opportunities to network and build lasting relationships to support kea conservation initiatives for the future.
Day 2:
AM: A choice of attending a workshop to support community kea volunteers looking after injured/sick kea or a field trip to see current kea projects in and around Arthur’s Pass Village.
PM: Brainstorming discussion sessions. Topics include key stakeholder roles, threat mitigation, conflict resolution, future proofing and connecting through education and advocacy. The aim of the afternoon session is to generate real actions to drive community –led kea conservation initiatives.
Full programme
More about our speakers >>
| Day 1 | Item | Speaker/facilitator |
| 8:30 | Opening – welcome | Nigel Harris (Ngai Tahu), Lou Sanson (Director General DOC), Pete Neale (Chair APWT), Peter Wilson and Jan Finlayson (President and Vice President FMC), Tamsin Orr-Walker (Chair KCT) |
| 9:30 | Key note speaker | Peter Hillary |
| 10:00 AM-10:15 | Morning tea | |
| Session 1 | Kea – distribution, status and threats | Chaired by Peter Wilson (FMC) |
| 10:20 | general overview | Josh Kemp (DOC; KCT Science Advisor) |
| 10:35 | monitoring kea – new technologies | Corey Mosen (KCT Field Coordinator) |
| 10:00 | University of Canterbury kea research | Ximena Nelson (UoC) |
| 11:15 | Feeding kea and the wildlife Act | Damien O’Connor (MP) |
| 11:30 | Kea and sheep – past to present | Clio Reid |
| 11:45 | Kea, 1080 and habituation | Josh Kemp (DOC; KCT Science Advisor) |
| 12:00 | Kea – lead and other injuries | Pauline Howard (Hornby Vets; South Island Wildlife Hospital) |
| 12:15 – 12:55 PM | Lunch | |
| Session 2 | Protecting kea | Chaired by Jan Finlayson (FMC) |
| 1:00 | Kea safe pest control – what are the options | Josh Kemp (DOC; KCT Science Advisor) |
| 1:15 | Threats and solutions – repellents | Paul van Klink |
| 1:30 | Nest protection programmes | Emma McCool (DOC St Arnaud) |
| 1:45 | A community proposal to remove lead from kea habitat | Tamsin Orr-Walker (KCT) |
| 2:00 | Kea conflict – and resolution | Andrea Goodman (KCT) |
| 2:15 | How cooperative are kea? Learning what makes them tick | Dr Alex Taylor (UoA) |
| 2:30 | Arthur’s Pass citizen science project | Dr Laura Young, Mark Brabyn and George Moon (AP Kea Team) |
| 2:45 | Arthur’s Pass display opening | Dr Laura Young, Mark Brabyn and George Moon (AP Kea Team) |
| 3:05 -3:25PM | Afternoon tea | |
| Session 3 | Communities and kea | Chaired by Dr Lorne Roberts (KCT) |
| 3:30 | Introduction to Community – Kea Conservation | Tamsin Orr-Walker (KCT) |
| 3:45 | Living with kea in Arthur’s Pass | Chris Stewart (DOC Arthur’s Pass) |
| 4:00 | Supporting kea in our managed forests | Brendyn Horrell (PF Olsen) |
| 4:15 | The Fiordland Wapiti Foundation Kea Project | Stuart Hamlett (Paradise Valley Springs) |
| 4:30 | Education – connecting with communities | Shelley Hersey (Core Education) |
| 4:45 | Zoos for kea conservation | Meg Rutledge (Natureland Wildlife Trust; ZAA) |
| 5:00 | Captive-wild crossover – what are our expectations | Dr Lorne Roberts (KCT; Unitec NZ) |
| 5:15 | Closing end of day 1 | |
| 6:30 | Evening social and dinner | Bealey Hotel |
| Day 2 | The future of kea conservation – where to now | |
| 8:00 – 9:30 AM | Discuss strategic plan for kea conservation and key stakeholder roles | |
| Directed discussion on the following; Strategic plan draft and management docs; key stakeholders – who are they and what is their role (discussion between KCT, DOC, iwi, captive group, research community (education) and wider community); Strategic plan aims and outcomes clarified; stakeholders expectations and involvement in kea conservation initiatives discussed. | Tamsin Orr-Walker, Dr Lorne Roberts, Dr Nigel Adams and Josh Kemp (authors) to facilitate discussion. | |
| 9:30 – 9:45AM | Morning tea | |
| 9:45 – 11:15 AM | Brainstorm workshop sessions | |
| Future proofing (Insurance populations/breed to release programmes etc) | Dr Lorne Roberts (KCT; Unitec NZ) | |
| Mitigating threats to kea (lead, conflict, predation, pest control by-kill, vehicle strike etc) | Tamsin Orr-Walker (KCT) | |
| Education/advocacy – getting the message out there | Shelley Hersey (Core Education) | |
| Conflict resolution | Andrea Goodman (KCT) | |
| 11:15 – 11:45PM | Lunch | |
| 11.45 – 2:00PM | Activities – workshop/fieldtrip | |
| Injured/sick kea protocols – community training workshop – max 20 people (2hrs) | Dr Janelle Ward (Wildlife Health Solutions) | |
| Whats happening in Arthur’s Pass? (kea conflict areas; Hawdon Valley work; education and advocacy) | Paul van Klink, Corey Mosen, Mark Brabyn, Josh Kemp | |
| 2:00 – 3:00PM | Konvention wrap up – summary/outcomes/closing | (Ngai Tahu), (DOC), (APWT), (FMC), (KCT). |