Miranda Naturalists' Trust
Encyclopedia
The Miranda Naturalists' Trust is a charitable trust
, that established and maintains the Miranda Shorebird Centre, located at Miranda
on the western shore of the Firth of Thames
on the North Island
of New Zealand
. The Miranda Naturalists' Trust (MNT) was formed in 1975 to encourage people to visit the coastline and appreciate its wide range of flora and fauna. Nowadays the trust promotes education and public awareness of coastal ecology
, shorebird research and conservation
. Bird banding, research and data exchange are among the activities that are done by the trust, to advance knowledge of shorebird migration
. The Miranda Shorebird Centre is open to visitors all year. It has information displays on waders, a shop, a library and offers accommodation.
-based birdwatchers. One of them was Richard (Dick) B. Sibson. He had arrived in Auckland from England in 1939 to take up a position as a classics
' master with King's College
at Middlemore
. He was a keen birdwatcher, making bicycle tours to the Firth of Thames in the 1940s, e.g. in 1942 with a group of students from King's College. At Miranda, at the site of a then operating lime-works, he discovered a bird high-tide roost with Bar-tailed Godwit
s (Limosa lapponica), Wrybill
s (Anarhynchus frontalis) and South Island Pied Oystercatcher
s (Haematopus ostralegus).
Other founders of the MNT were author
and naturalist
Ronald Lockley
and Beth Brown. Beth was later to become the South Auckland representative and the first woman president of the Ornithological Society
.
In 1973 Beth Brown had the first serious thoughts about the building of a birders' lodge near a wading bird roost. Miranda provided a good spot as here birds could always be seen within walking distance. The plan was put to a meeting of Auckland members of the Ornithological Society in March 1974. Here a committee was set up to bring the idea to practice. Later in the year the idea developed into establishing a “wildlife trust”.
The Trust's constitution saw as its main objects:
The first donations were acquired, and a fund-raising campaign was started. An “Inaugural Appeal” letter was circulated, stating that “an Observatory should be set up at Miranda to maintain and amplify the study of birds in the Firth”. This letter also spoke of the hope that “the lodge could be an established fact by mid-winter 1975”.
Elaine Power painted a New Zealand Dotterel
(Charadrius obscurus) for the Trust, which was sold in print in a limited edition, signed by the artist, and Richard Adams
, author of Watership Down, made a fundraising speech, when he visited Auckland.
In 1976 Dick Sibson was elected chairman of the Trust. Important donations were received from Mobil Oil NZ, the Ornithological Society of New Zealand, the J.R. McKenzie Trust and the Recreation and Sport Fund.
In that same year “the first of the problems arose”. An application for permission to build an observatory and lodge on the site of the old lime-works was turned down.
Finally, the problems would not be solved until the end of the 1980s. In 1986 the Trust, still looking for a place to erect a building, changed focus to the west side of the Miranda to Kaiaua Road. Then the process got into a higher speed, and within a couple of years the building actually starts.
of Pukorokoro, Taramaire and Kaiaua. About 110 members and visitors assembled outside the gates of the centre at daybreak at 6 am. They were called on to the site by a karanga
and the blessing (te karakia
) and the greetings (te mihi) took place. Once in the building speeches of welcome from both sides, following marae
etiquette were held. These speeches were followed by waiata (singing).
One of the waiata had the following text:
Ka haere mai ano nga kuaka
Ka kite ano – te iwi pakeha
Ka kite ano – te tangata whenua
Na tatou katoa – Pukorokoro nei
Welcome again the godwits
For the Pakeha to see
For the first people to see
For Miranda is for all
Then the Miranda Trust executive council members welcomed the tāngata whenua
to the opening ceremony.
The early start and the procedures at this day were chosen, to show that the Trust was conscious to be in fact guests on the ancestral lands of Te Tangata Whenua. Following breakfast the tangata whenua left and Rev. Richard Fenton conducted a small dedication ceremony. Following this ceremony a number of speakers performed, among whom Sir Peter Elworthy, chairman of the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust
and Professor Max Maddock, from the University of Newcastle
(NSW), chairman of the Shortland Wetlands Centre.
In the same year a $50,000 grant from the N.Z. Lottery Grants Board
was received, which allowed the building of new rooms at the Centre.
John Gale would then become member of the executive council of the Trust and subsequently chairman (until 1998).
In 1993 the land surrounding the former lime-works were bought under the protection of a QE II National Trust Covenant. The area was called the “Robert Findlay Wildlife Area”, to commemorate the Findlay families, who, together with the Lane families, had allowed birdwatchers unimpeded access over the land since 1867.
In 1994 Adrian Riegen formed the New Zealand Wader Study Group, supported by the Trust. The group consisted of bird banders, and had developed from a local Miranda group within the Trust, to being a nation-wide group recording and reporting on bird banding results to do with waders from all over New Zealand.
In 1998 the site of the Centre was enlarged with the selling of an extra 3,000 m2 of land, on which the manager's house stood.
extends the Firth of Thames into the Hauraki Gulf
. To the east the Coromandel Peninsula
is found, to the west the Hunua Ranges
are rising.
The wetland
s of the Firth of Thames consist of extensive intertidal mudflat
s (about 8500 hectares), which are the feeding grounds for flocks of migratory wading birds. Along the Miranda coast large shell banks were formed over the past 4500 years, which provide roosting areas for the waders at high tide
. This offers excellent opportunities for watching the birds.
In 1990 the area was listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention
.
The Centre has a library, that is open to use for research purposes.
The Centre offers low budget accommodation in different forms: bunkrooms and self-contained units for individuals and (small) groups.
Keith Woodley is the Centre manager since 1 May 1993.
Visitor numbers have developed from 3,000 in 1993 to 16,000 in 2008.
The first newsletters were mostly bird reports, annual reports and interim reports. In 1980 for the first time a real “Newsletter” was produced. It was only a single page and the bird reports were still published as well. September 1981 brought another newsletter, this time of four pages, and by June 1982 the newsletter had eleven pages, and had incorporated the annual and interim reports. The next newsletter in May 1983 looked much more professional, with text in two columns and photos, and stated that it was now “registered as a newspaper”. From then on, newsletters and records (both in two column-print and with photos), alternately appeared, a newsletter in summer and the records in spring. From October 1984 the name of the editor, Stuart Chambers, was given. He actually became editor in 1983 and would remain until August 1996. The last “Records” showed up in November 1988. From then on the newsletter appeared bi-annually until 1990, when four newsletters were published. The newsletter of November 1990, published as “Newsletter 1”, gives an account of the “Opening Ceremony” of the Shorebird Centre. From then on, 3 or 4 newsletters were published every year. No. 21, of May 1996 was the first newsletter with a cover in full colour. It had 44 pages and was called the “21st Birthday Issue”. It was then called “Miranda Naturalists' Trust News” for the first time, the title it still holds (Issue 76, November 2010).
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
, that established and maintains the Miranda Shorebird Centre, located at Miranda
Miranda, New Zealand
Miranda is a historical fort and small village in the Firth of Thames, New Zealand, which is now best known as the location of the Miranda Shorebird Centre, owned and operated by the Miranda Naturalists' Trust...
on the western shore of the Firth of Thames
Firth of Thames
The Firth of Thames is a large bay located in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the firth of the rivers Waihou and Piako, the former of which was formerly named the Thames River, and the town of Thames lies on its southeastern coast....
on the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The Miranda Naturalists' Trust (MNT) was formed in 1975 to encourage people to visit the coastline and appreciate its wide range of flora and fauna. Nowadays the trust promotes education and public awareness of coastal ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
, shorebird research and conservation
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
. Bird banding, research and data exchange are among the activities that are done by the trust, to advance knowledge of shorebird migration
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
. The Miranda Shorebird Centre is open to visitors all year. It has information displays on waders, a shop, a library and offers accommodation.
History of the trust
The Naturists' Trust was established in 1975 by a group of AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
-based birdwatchers. One of them was Richard (Dick) B. Sibson. He had arrived in Auckland from England in 1939 to take up a position as a classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
' master with King's College
King's College, Auckland
King's College is an independent secondary school in New Zealand. It was originally a boys-only school but now also admits girls in the sixth and seventh forms . The school has strong links to the Anglican church; the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, and the Dean of Auckland are permanent members of...
at Middlemore
Middlemore
Middlemore is a suburb of Manukau City, one of the four cities that make up the conurbation of Auckland, New Zealand, in northern New Zealand....
. He was a keen birdwatcher, making bicycle tours to the Firth of Thames in the 1940s, e.g. in 1942 with a group of students from King's College. At Miranda, at the site of a then operating lime-works, he discovered a bird high-tide roost with Bar-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
The Bar-tailed Godwit is a large wader in the family Scolopacidae, which breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World...
s (Limosa lapponica), Wrybill
Wrybill
The Wrybill or Ngutuparore Anarhynchus frontalis is a species of plover endemic to New Zealand. It is unique in that it is the only species of bird in the world with a beak that is bent sideways ....
s (Anarhynchus frontalis) and South Island Pied Oystercatcher
South Island Pied Oystercatcher
The South Island Oystercatcher or South Island Pied Oystercatcher is one of the two common oystercatchers found in New Zealand. Its name is often contracted to the acronym "SIPO" .-Description:...
s (Haematopus ostralegus).
Other founders of the MNT were author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
Ronald Lockley
Ronald Lockley
Ronald Mathias Lockley was a Welsh naturalist and author who spent much of his later life in New Zealand. He wrote over fifty books, including The Private Life of the Rabbit , which played an important role in the plot development of Richard Adams' famous book Watership Down...
and Beth Brown. Beth was later to become the South Auckland representative and the first woman president of the Ornithological Society
Ornithological Society of New Zealand
The Ornithological Society of New Zealand was founded in 1940. It is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the study of birds and their habitats in the New Zealand region. It caters for a wide variety of people interested in the birds of the region, from professional ornithologists to casual...
.
In 1973 Beth Brown had the first serious thoughts about the building of a birders' lodge near a wading bird roost. Miranda provided a good spot as here birds could always be seen within walking distance. The plan was put to a meeting of Auckland members of the Ornithological Society in March 1974. Here a committee was set up to bring the idea to practice. Later in the year the idea developed into establishing a “wildlife trust”.
1975: Registration of the Trust
In 1975 the Miranda Naturalists' Trust was registered as a charitable trust under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957. The first president of the Trust was John Brown.The Trust's constitution saw as its main objects:
- To establish and maintain an observatory for the study of natural history, especially birds, in the Firth of Thames and adjacent areas.
- To collect information on the ecology of the Miranda Coast with a view to its conservation.
- To encourage and promote education for the greater knowledge and enjoyment of the natural life heritage of New Zealand.
The first donations were acquired, and a fund-raising campaign was started. An “Inaugural Appeal” letter was circulated, stating that “an Observatory should be set up at Miranda to maintain and amplify the study of birds in the Firth”. This letter also spoke of the hope that “the lodge could be an established fact by mid-winter 1975”.
Elaine Power painted a New Zealand Dotterel
New Zealand Dotterel
The New Zealand Dotterel, Red-breasted Plover, or New Zealand Plover is an endangered species found only in certain areas of New Zealand. Its Māori names include Tūturiwhatu, Pukunui, and Kūkuruatu...
(Charadrius obscurus) for the Trust, which was sold in print in a limited edition, signed by the artist, and Richard Adams
Richard Adams
Richard Adams was a non-conforming English Presbyterian divine, known as author of sermons and other theological writings.-Life:...
, author of Watership Down, made a fundraising speech, when he visited Auckland.
In 1976 Dick Sibson was elected chairman of the Trust. Important donations were received from Mobil Oil NZ, the Ornithological Society of New Zealand, the J.R. McKenzie Trust and the Recreation and Sport Fund.
In that same year “the first of the problems arose”. An application for permission to build an observatory and lodge on the site of the old lime-works was turned down.
Finally, the problems would not be solved until the end of the 1980s. In 1986 the Trust, still looking for a place to erect a building, changed focus to the west side of the Miranda to Kaiaua Road. Then the process got into a higher speed, and within a couple of years the building actually starts.
1990: Opening of the Centre
Mid January 1990 the builders arrive and on 29 September 1990 the Miranda Naturalists' Trust Centre on the road from Miranda to Kaiaua was officially opened with a dedication ceremony with the tāngata whenuaTangata Whenua
Tāngata whenua is a Māori term of the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and literally means "people of the land", from tāngata, 'people' and whenua land.-Meanings:...
of Pukorokoro, Taramaire and Kaiaua. About 110 members and visitors assembled outside the gates of the centre at daybreak at 6 am. They were called on to the site by a karanga
Karanga (Maori culture)
A karanga is an element of cultural protocol of the New Zealand Māori people. It is an exchange of calls that forms part of the powhiri, a Māori welcoming ceremony. It takes place as a visiting group moves onto the marae or into the formal meeting area...
and the blessing (te karakia
Karakia
Karakia are Māori incantations and prayers.Karakia are generally used to ensure a favourable outcome of important undertakings. They are also considered a formal greeting when beginning a ceremony...
) and the greetings (te mihi) took place. Once in the building speeches of welcome from both sides, following marae
Marae
A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
etiquette were held. These speeches were followed by waiata (singing).
One of the waiata had the following text:
Ka haere mai ano nga kuaka
Ka kite ano – te iwi pakeha
Ka kite ano – te tangata whenua
Na tatou katoa – Pukorokoro nei
Welcome again the godwits
For the Pakeha to see
For the first people to see
For Miranda is for all
Then the Miranda Trust executive council members welcomed the tāngata whenua
Tangata Whenua
Tāngata whenua is a Māori term of the indigenous peoples of New Zealand and literally means "people of the land", from tāngata, 'people' and whenua land.-Meanings:...
to the opening ceremony.
The early start and the procedures at this day were chosen, to show that the Trust was conscious to be in fact guests on the ancestral lands of Te Tangata Whenua. Following breakfast the tangata whenua left and Rev. Richard Fenton conducted a small dedication ceremony. Following this ceremony a number of speakers performed, among whom Sir Peter Elworthy, chairman of the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust
Queen Elizabeth II National Trust
The Queen Elizabeth II National Trust is a statutory New Zealand organisation independent from Government and managed by a Board of Directors...
and Professor Max Maddock, from the University of Newcastle
University of Newcastle, Australia
The University of Newcastle is an Australian public university that was established in 1965. The University's main and largest campus is located in Callaghan, a suburb of Newcastle in New South Wales...
(NSW), chairman of the Shortland Wetlands Centre.
In the same year a $50,000 grant from the N.Z. Lottery Grants Board
New Zealand Lottery Grants Board
The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board is a business unit of the Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand.The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board is governed by the Gambling Act 2003. Its purpose is to benefit the community by distributing the profits from state lotteries run by the New Zealand...
was received, which allowed the building of new rooms at the Centre.
Recent developments
In 1992 John Gale, a recently retired Auckland businessman, became honorary full time manager of the Centre. From then on the Centre could be open permanently for all hours. This only lasted for sixteen weeks however, when John left for a visit to England. It then became clear that a full-time centre manager was a prime necessity for the future. The next year a full-time manager was appointed, paid with funding from “Task Force Green”, a government agency involved with subsidising employment of people.John Gale would then become member of the executive council of the Trust and subsequently chairman (until 1998).
In 1993 the land surrounding the former lime-works were bought under the protection of a QE II National Trust Covenant. The area was called the “Robert Findlay Wildlife Area”, to commemorate the Findlay families, who, together with the Lane families, had allowed birdwatchers unimpeded access over the land since 1867.
In 1994 Adrian Riegen formed the New Zealand Wader Study Group, supported by the Trust. The group consisted of bird banders, and had developed from a local Miranda group within the Trust, to being a nation-wide group recording and reporting on bird banding results to do with waders from all over New Zealand.
In 1998 the site of the Centre was enlarged with the selling of an extra 3,000 m2 of land, on which the manager's house stood.
Miranda
North of the Hauraki PlainsHauraki Plains
The Hauraki Plains are a geographical feature and non-administrative area located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, at the lower end of the Thames Valley...
extends the Firth of Thames into the Hauraki Gulf
Hauraki Gulf
The Hauraki Gulf is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a total area of 4000 km², and lies between the Auckland Region, the Hauraki Plains, the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island...
. To the east the Coromandel Peninsula
Coromandel Peninsula
The Coromandel Peninsula lies in the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and extends 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west...
is found, to the west the Hunua Ranges
Hunua Ranges
The Hunua Ranges form a block of hilly country to the southeast of Auckland in New Zealand's North Island. They cover some 250 square kilometres , containing 178 km² of parkland, and rise to 688 metres at Kohukohunui...
are rising.
The wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s of the Firth of Thames consist of extensive intertidal mudflat
Mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats, are coastal wetlands that form when mud is deposited by tides or rivers. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of...
s (about 8500 hectares), which are the feeding grounds for flocks of migratory wading birds. Along the Miranda coast large shell banks were formed over the past 4500 years, which provide roosting areas for the waders at high tide
High Tide
High Tide was a band formed in 1969 by Tony Hill , Simon House , Peter Pavli and Roger Hadden .-History:...
. This offers excellent opportunities for watching the birds.
In 1990 the area was listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
.
Miranda Shorebird Centre
The Miranda Shorebird Centre can be found on the west side of the road between Miranda and Kaiaua. It's open to visitors all year, and it has information displays on wader birds of the Firth of Thames. It also houses a shop, which offers a collection of books on birds and birding and bird related souvenirs.The Centre has a library, that is open to use for research purposes.
The Centre offers low budget accommodation in different forms: bunkrooms and self-contained units for individuals and (small) groups.
Keith Woodley is the Centre manager since 1 May 1993.
Visitor numbers have developed from 3,000 in 1993 to 16,000 in 2008.
Newsletters
Four times a year the trust publishes a newsletter to keep members in touch, and to bring news of events at the Miranda Shorebird Centre and along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.The first newsletters were mostly bird reports, annual reports and interim reports. In 1980 for the first time a real “Newsletter” was produced. It was only a single page and the bird reports were still published as well. September 1981 brought another newsletter, this time of four pages, and by June 1982 the newsletter had eleven pages, and had incorporated the annual and interim reports. The next newsletter in May 1983 looked much more professional, with text in two columns and photos, and stated that it was now “registered as a newspaper”. From then on, newsletters and records (both in two column-print and with photos), alternately appeared, a newsletter in summer and the records in spring. From October 1984 the name of the editor, Stuart Chambers, was given. He actually became editor in 1983 and would remain until August 1996. The last “Records” showed up in November 1988. From then on the newsletter appeared bi-annually until 1990, when four newsletters were published. The newsletter of November 1990, published as “Newsletter 1”, gives an account of the “Opening Ceremony” of the Shorebird Centre. From then on, 3 or 4 newsletters were published every year. No. 21, of May 1996 was the first newsletter with a cover in full colour. It had 44 pages and was called the “21st Birthday Issue”. It was then called “Miranda Naturalists' Trust News” for the first time, the title it still holds (Issue 76, November 2010).
Literature
- Chambers, StuartStuart ChambersStuart Chambers is a New Zealand ornithologist. He has been associated with ornithologists Charles Fleming, A. H. Hooper, Ross McKenzie and R.B. Sibson. He is the author of "Birds Of New Zealand - Locality Guide" and "New Zealand Birds – An Identification Guide"...
. (n.d., c. 2000). The Story of the Miranda Naturalists’ Trust. MNT: Pokeno, New Zealand. ISBN 0-473-06493-6 - Heather, Barrie & Hugh Robertson; illustrated by Derek Onley (2005) – The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand Published by Viking (Penguin Books), Auckland, New Zealand.
- Woodley, Keith (2009) - Godwits, Long-haul champions. Publ. by Penguin Group (NZ), North Shore NZ. ISBN 978-0-14-301193-4.