FRIDAY FIELDSHOPS
From ‘grave robbers’ to collaborators
Ticket price: $20.00 per person
Max numbers: maximum number 45
In 2009 Rangitāne, in collaboration with Canterbury Museum and the University of Otago, repatriated koiwi tangata (ancestral remains) back to Te Pokohiwi o Kupe (Wairau Bar). This was a remarkable achievement particularly when we consider the very fraught history between the iwi and the archeological and museum communities. The repatriation afforded a unique opportunity to learn more about the day to day lives of Aotearoa-NZ’s first people. Since then, Rangitāne has worked alongside researchers to grow our understanding of the world tūpuna discovered, and the world we in the present must deal with. This session asks the question: how did ‘grave robbers’ became collaborators?
This fieldshop will take you on a tour of our local sites where you can hear the pūrākau, experience our cultural history and find the answers, followed by a visit to Astrolabe Wines Small Town Winery, Blenheim’s local urban winery and cellar door.
Kaipupu Point Reserve
Ticket price: $20.00 per person
Max numbers: maximum number 24
Perfect for those who like a high step count! An exemplar in conservation efforts within a highly developed area, Kaipupu Point Sanctuary is located just out of Picton and between two busy port operations. A short boat ride will take attendees out to the sanctuary, where passionate volunteers will guide the group through the conservation area and discuss local restoration efforts. Then, attendees will have the opportunity to view Shakespeare Bay, highlighting the juxtaposition between the pristine natural environment and a working port. The wider area is chock-a-block with resource management activities within a small area and in the future, will house updated ferry infrastructure.
Kura Te Au (Tory Channel)
Ticket price: $120.00 per person
Max numbers: maximum number 45
Kura Te Au (Tory Channel) is where Kupe killed the giant octopus, Te Wheke-a-Muturangi, causing its blood to run through the channel, turning the water red. In this drowned valley, the cool water and strong currents give life to ecologically significant marine sites along its margins and is a significant source of mahinga kai. It is a main thoroughfare for inter-island ferries, the centre of New Zealand’s salmon farming industry and the erstwhile home of Perano Whaling Station, the last whaling operation in New Zealand which closed in 1964. That alongside forestry, farming, tourism and other aquaculture Kura Te Au is a veritable cauldron of resource management issues.
Many Voices, One Vision – Te Hoiere Project
Ticket price: $40.00 per person
Max numbers: maximum number 45
The Te Hoiere project is a nationally recognised catchment care programme working to restore the mauri of the land, waters, and coast in the area and implement the regional plan on the ground. This Field shop will include visits to multiple aspects of the project, including areas being restored as habitat for the Pekapeka bat, a native taonga species and New Zealand’s only native land mammal. Just as the Te Hoiere Project has brought together multiple parties including iwi, Council, farmers and Department of Conservation, this field shop brings together the past land uses, current efforts, and future aspirations for long-term outcomes for the area to benefit present and future generations to come.
Sun and Salt
Ticket price: $25.00 per person
Max numbers: maximum number 27
Most of the world’s salt works are close to the equator, but not this one! The very same high sunshine hours, low summer rainfall, and warm nor’westers which cause headaches for South Marlborough farmers are the crucial factors for success in New Zealand’s only solar evaporative salt field. Operating at Lake Grassmere/Kāpara-Te-Hau since World War 1, the fields now cover around 1,400 hectares. This field shop will include a guided tour of the area before moving on to explore the Seaview solar farm. Both locations comprise unique production systems spanning a variety of complex resource management issues which will only become more intricate with a changing climate. Don’t be salty about missing out, secure your spot today!
Tiny trains and vintage planes!
Ticket price: $20.00 per person
Max numbers: maximum number 20
Embark on a voyage back in time and ponder the future of our region during this field shop, which will tour Brayshaw Heritage Park and the Omaka Heritage Centre. Both world class facilities, Brayshaw Heritage Park celebrates Marlborough’s diverse history with an exquisitely accurate historical living village, while Omaka Heritage Centre pays tribute to aviation feats of the last 100 years in minute detail.
Included in this tour is a miniature train ride – what more could you ask for?!
Wine in a million!
Ticket price: $50.00 per person
Max numbers: maximum number 45
How did Marlborough become a world leader in viticulture and Sauvignon Blanc? Instead of keeping the answer bottled up, this field shop will explore the journey that this region has undertaken over the last 50 years to end up as an internationally recognised wine producing area. The complex and never-ending resource management matters spanning freshwater, land, and spatial planning which have evolved to support this land use are unique to this area and this field shop is designed to be a robust discussion on past, present, and future issues facing the sector and region. Before you ask, yes. Wine is included in this field shop!