Back to the Past

It’s quite obvious by even just taking a drive through New Zealand towns that conservation is a huge deal in the island country. There are preservations and sanctuaries set up everywhere, and the people (at least in appearances) are much more environmentally friendly than any other country I’ve visited, with composting and recycling containers in almost every building. The country has had societies based around conservation since the 19^th century, and has had a governmental department purely based on conservation since 1987. With deforestation, extinction of native species, destruction caused by introduced species, and the usage of poisons harmful to the environment, New Zealand has had quite the struggle in the past 30 years to reverse some of the damage done to the environment.

During the morning spent zip lining, I was amazed at what this one company had accomplished in the forest. I had never heard of one company- whose main business wasn’t focused on preservation to begin with- that had put in so much work to repair a natural environment. The declining environment situation is one that I’m passionate about, as both a nature and animal lover, and while things are improving, the United States is doing far from its most to help the situation. So it was refreshing to see such a small country working so hard to repair some of the damage that had been done there.

It’s also a very popular literary subject, the environment playing an important part in many works such as the poem “Verses of Maoriland.” It speaks of a tranquil land, with the rustling of English grass over which walk the Pakehas’ herds. It seems like a perfect picture of peace, until you realize that nothing native to New Zealand remains in this land; it’s a land now made up of imported items that overtook the natural ones. “Here once the Haka sounded… and now such peace upon this isthmus narrow, With Maori blood”; this is a story of loss and mourning for the ways things once were. The natural state of New Zealand has been so erased and taken over, in a lot of places it is impossible to see it as it once was.

While we were zip lining, I was able to ask our guide Julian a few questions about how New Zealand handles its conservation. I found out that while the government sets up a majority of the national parks and large preservation sites, the government gets “nowhere near enough” funding for conservation and environment preservation. The budget is about 300 million a year, of which only 50 million can be put into projects such as this. As the environment continues to degrade people are (finally) becoming more concerned and environmentally aware, so that’s why private companies such as Rotorua Canopy Tours are taking things into their own hands. While this is a great thing to hear, Julian also told us about how the small company almost failed when they first started, and it wasn’t until they got “friends in high places” that they were finally able to start making a difference. So while what the company- and I’m sure many others- is doing is admirable, it’s a bit disheartening to see how much work is truly required and the amount of aid that is still required.

One thing that Julian said was really stuck with me (and I’m paraphrasing here)- if we’re coming in here and using the forest, it’s our job to take care of it and help the area. It’s a simple yet wonderful philosophy that I wish more people in other countries shared. I can’t help but compare the situation here to the one in Australia- both had had similar problems with destruction of environment, induced species, and overhunting. However, from my time in Australia, I remember people commenting on how the government had cut back on environmental procedures, and that the situation was not improving, and they feared for the safety of the animals and the Great Barrier Reef. Both countries are relatively small population wise, and while Australia does have slightly different environmental concerns than New Zealand, it seems to me that the Kiwis are doing a much better job than any others I’ve met at taking care of Mother Earth.