Kelcey’s Bush conservation work earns award recognition
A small group of Waimate volunteers putting thousands of hours into protecting two of the district’s native forests has been named a finalist in the 2026 Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Awards.
Some of the team behind the work at Kelcey’s Bush: Peter Willemse, John Begg, Brod Wigley and Lionel Whitwell, pictured at a gathering of locals involved in conservation at Point Bush on Friday night.
Friends of Kelcey’s Bush (FOKB) has been selected as a finalist for its work at Kelcey’s Bush and Gunns Bush, where volunteers are working to protect native plants, birds and insects and support the regeneration of the forests.
The Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Awards recognise community-led conservation projects from across the region and are sponsored by the Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust, which has supported the awards for the past 10 years.
Finalists will be recognised at an awards ceremony in Christchurch on October 22, where the overall winners will be announced.
Trapping some, putting others up in motels
For FOKB, the recognition follows years of steadily expanding conservation work.
At Kelcey’s Bush alone, volunteers now operate 214 active traps across 117 hectares of native forest and have contributed more than 2,000 volunteer hours.
Between July 2021 and June 2026, the trapping programme removed 618 predators from the bush.
The programme has grown significantly, with 372 predators removed during the 2025/26 year alone, compared with 32 in its first year.
The traps target possums, rats, stoats, weasels, feral cats, hedgehogs and mice, with results recorded to help the group identify areas of high pest activity and adapt its programme.
Predator control is also underway at Gunns Bush, where the trapping network is progressively being expanded.
Outside of trapping, restoration planting and protection of natural regeneration are helping rebuild the forest understory, while volunteers monitor native plants, birds and invertebrates through field observations, wildlife cameras, eDNA sampling and wētā motels.
The forests provide habitat for species including kererū, bellbirds, fantails, tomtits, rifleman, grey warblers and kārearea/New Zealand falcon, alongside significant stands of tōtara, mataī and kahikatea.
Be part of the next chapter
Kelcey’s Bush itself has a long history.
The forest has been regenerating for around a century after earlier logging and fire, while remnants of another chapter in its history may still be waiting to be rediscovered.
It’s always been a popular spot for picnics and walking. FOKB member John Begg is interested in finding some of the old walking tracks that once wound through the bush in the 1920s, when there were considerably more tracks than there are today.
The group hopes its work will continue to improve the health and resilience of the forest while creating better habitat for the native species that depend on it.
Anyone interested in finding out more about FOKB can attend the group’s AGM on Wednesday, October 28 at the Point Bush meeting room, 228 Point Bush Road (time TBC). Everyone is welcome.
Connecting Waimate’s conservation community
FOKB volunteers are part of a wider network of people involved in environmental work around Waimate District.
Some of that network came together at Point Bush meeting rooms on Friday night for one of a series of informal gatherings organised by Gary and Ann Dennison.
Held roughly every three months, the evenings bring together what the Dennisons describe as “environmentally minded folk” - people involved in trapping, planting, conservation, botany, hunting and a range of other work connected with the local environment.
The idea is to connect people who are working on projects around the district, give them an opportunity to share what they are doing and help ensure they are not working away in isolation.
The gatherings include time to catch up over a meal before hearing updates from people involved in local biodiversity projects.
At the latest gathering, Rob Smith and Mike Bennett from Living Landscapes spoke about updates in wallaby control in the district.
It is another indication of the breadth of environmental work underway around Waimate - on farms, in native bush, around town and in public spaces - and the growing connections between the people doing it.
For Friends of Kelcey’s Bush, the next stop will be Christchurch on October 22, when the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Award winners are announced.
Explore Kelcey’s Bush and Gunns Bush
Kelcey’s Bush and Gunns Bush are beautiful places to experience some of Waimate’s native forest on foot.
Expect bush-covered tracks, waterfalls, native birds and plenty to explore. At Kelcey’s Bush, be prepared to get your feet wet as the track crosses the creek in several places - it’s all part of the adventure.
Both reserves offer a chance to see the native forest these volunteers are working so hard to protect.
Find walking information, directions and more at Explore Waimate.