Newsletter #111
Tēnā koutou katoa,
Last chance: the annual Braided Rivers Conference, will be held at Lincoln University Wednesday 08 July, 2026. Cost is $49pp; booking is essential (deadline 02 July)
Congratulations to all the winners of the 2026 ARRG Young Writers’ Competition. Take a few minutes to read the winning essay by 10-year-old Hazel Hobbs here.
Two months ago, wearing my other hat as a climate change technical advisor, I was tasked with putting together an outlook for the coming super El Niño. I mention this because braided rivers and the birds that will be trying to nest on them in the coming months will definitely be impacted. During the 2016 El Niño, for example, tarāpuka black-backed gulls gave up nesting in rivers and instead settled on a Waikuku dairy farm’s irrigated paddock.
I’ve explained the atmospheric and oceanic coupling of El Niños here. One of the historic markers of El Niños is that ocean temperatures around Aotearoa are cooler, which is why we get such a mixed bag of weather patterns. But that’s not the case this time:
That throws a spanner into the forecasting works. Still, expect extreme temperature swings, less rain east of Kā Tiritiri o te Moana the Southern Alps, and more rain along the West Coast. While Waiataha Canterbury is currently in a meteorological drought, the possibility of floods in rivers fed by alpine catchments is much higher. You may want to consider where your traps lines and trail cameras are located and be prepared to move them at short notice.
Conversely, there’s likely to be lower water flows, even drying out of some springs and foothill-fed rivers such as the Rakahuri and Hakatere. Then there’s the concurrent impacts on estuaries and hāpua (flood and drought) as high ocean temperatures, low oxygen levels, and even lower pH are having an impact. In sum, expect the unexpected as this is shaping up to be an extreme event on top of existing record-breaking high temperatures. Forewarned as they say.
Ngā mihi,
Sonny Whitelaw
News/articles
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MainPower Biodiversity Fund 2026: Open now The Waimakariri Biodiversity Trust, with support from the Waimakariri District Council, has teamed up with MainPower to deliver the third round of the Waimakariri Biodiversity Fund. This contestable fund offers up to $10,000 to support local projects that enhance biodiversity in the Waimakariri region. Applications close Friday 3rd July 2026
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Newsroom: Labour asks for comfort, Potaka asks for trust in preserving public land “The conservation minister says some conservation land may be swapped, but any deals would have to have a net benefit…. ‘You have to read that with Shane Jones in mind, and what he wants to do on the conservation estate, which is, you know, ‘drill baby drill, mine baby mine’.”
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Scimex: Public land up for sale under the Conservation Amendment Bill – Expert Reaction
- Quanta magazine: How Ecotypes Harbor the Genetic Memory of a Species’ Past
“Evolutionary biologists are uncovering genomic mechanisms that allow populations to adapt quickly to different, hyperlocal habitats without splitting into new species.” - Scimex: When seeds mislead, weeds succeed: Researchers uncover surprising ways NZ weeds spread
- RNZ: FERAL The advance of destructive wild cats across New Zealand’s native heartland
Reports & research papers
- Ashley Rakahuri Rivercare Group: Tarapirohe/black- fronted tern 2025/26 nesting season report
