Great turnout for QEII Celebration

Blessed with a magnificent Spring Day, over 70 people joined Fish & Game and FoBC to celebrate the protection of the 2.7ha Bullock Creek wetland site under a QEII Covenant.

Speakers on the day were : Ian Hadland Fish & Game, Rob Wardle QEII, Dave Madden Dept.of Corrections and Ben Irving, FoBC President. Rob Wardle’s speech highlighted the significance of achieving a QEII covenant over land in an urban area. Bullock Creek is unique in this regard.

Some interesting statistics about The QEII Trust and QEII Covenants:-

  • The QEII Trust was established in 1977 at instigation of some farmers wising to protect mostly forest remnants.  It is an independent charitable trust that partners with private landowners to protect sites on their land with covenants registered in perpetuity on land titles. 

  • A QEII Covenant is an agreement between The QEII Trust and a landowner to protect land forever. The landowner continues to own and manage the protected land and the covenant and protection stays on the land, even when the property is sold to a new owner.

  • As at· 2023, almost 70% of NZ is in private ownership. Protecting biodiversity and heritage on private land is critical to reversing the decline of indigenous biodiversity and preserving our history.

  • Currently, there are 5117 registered Covenants, protecting more than 177,000 ha of private land. Added together would rank QEII Covenants fourth in size with our national parks behind Fiordland, Kahurangi and Mt Aspiring.

Following the speeches, the rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing under the shade trees to enjoy a drink, some delicious nibbles organised by FoBC and good conversation.

FOBC Trust