Taits receive a golden tick

Reporter Amy Milne spent a weekend discovering Stewart Island and what it takes to get a Gold Qualmark Green enviro-rating.

Stewart Islanders have always been renowned for their resourcefulness.

And it's resourcefulness that's developing the island into one of New Zealand's main eco-tourism hubs.

Almost half – 40 per cent – of the island's 400 residents have business interests in tourism.

Stewart Island couple, Peter and Iris Tait, are among those mastering their skills in the industry.

The couple moved from fishing to tourism more than a decade ago and pride themselves on sustainable tourism practices.

After more than 35 years' living and working on the island, the Taits are experts at making a living off the island, while limiting adverse environmental impacts.

The couple's accommodation businesses Sails Ashore last year scored its second Qualmark Green Enviro-Gold Award and their daughter's business, Kowhai Lane, which they manage, has also been awarded its first.

Qualmark introduced the new standard in 2008. It judges Qualmark businesses on environmental practices.

Businesses performing at the top levels must be engaging in energy efficiency, conservation initiatives, waste management, community activities and water conservation.

The Taits admit it is a challenging exercise – and have a five-inch folder, documenting all their environmentally friendly initiatives, to prove it.

Guests are required to book a minimum of two nights, which Iris says not only ensures a better financial return from every client, but is also more environmentally friendly because it cuts washing and cleaning costs.

With electricity $0.52c a unit, finding ways to cut energy costs is paramount, Peter says.

The Taits use LEDs and low consumption fluorescent bulbs, saving about $10 a month on their electricity bill.

They have a Vestfrost energy efficient refrigerator and a rotary iron to save time on ironing.

Time is money on the island and Iris and Peter are meticulous in keeping track of both.

Peter has also done sums on installing photo-voltaic solar panels to heat their water. But this option is not viable at the moment because it would require a capital investment of up to $100,000 to produce the 10kW of power needed to heat their water.

Standard solar water heating had also been considered but Peter could not find a manufacturer who would guarantee an even break-even on investment, he says.

Qualmark Enviro-Gold is judged on community initiatives too.

The Taits donate a $1 of every bed night is donated to the Te Kokano Aotearoa Trust in Wanaka for tree planting. This offsets their carbon footprint created through their main energy supply being diesel, Peter says.

A more closer-to-home project is rat trapping, managed by the Stewart Island Rakiura Community Environment Trust. The Taits sponsor a trapping line of about 30 traps set around the homes neighbouring their house and business.

Trust pest control manager Jessi Nichols says the line is one of 50 the trust monitors in Oban with the help of community volunteers.

Each line has between 10 and 30 traps each.

About 15 per cent of the community are involved in checking traps regularly, she says.

It is a big commitment and it was intensified this year because there has been a rat plague from a mast year where the trees produce more seed than usual meaning more food for the rats.

In June and July last year traps were being checked about twice a week and in that time 250 rats were caught, Jessi says.

While numbers have died down, rats are prolific breeders and populations can recover very quickly.

SIRCET measures live numbers using rat tunnels with ink pads. Tunnels with rat foot prints are counted and divided by the total to give a percentage, she says.

Last year's highest was 33 per cent, or about 20 of the 60 tunnels with rat footprints. "They're pretty smart and you've got to keep changing your approach (to trapping them)."

The trapping is making a noticeable difference to native birdlife with locals recording a significant increase in bird calls.

"Once the rats are gone, everything is going to flourish."

Peter is noticing a difference.

Native orchids are appearing in places previously not seen, he says.

Ulva Island is a great example of the impact eradicating rats has on biodiversity.

The 3.5 kilometre-long island sanctuary is located in Paterson Inlet/Te Whaka a Te Wera, off Stewart Island/Rakiura.

About 7ha of the island is privately owned by the Hunter Family Trust with the remainder being part of Rakiura National Park but managed by the Department of Conservation.

The whole island open to the public as a nature reserve.

It is home to some of the country's most endangered bird species such as Saddleback and Riflemen.

Ulva Island Trust trustee Ian Wilson says the trust wants to continue building the island as a native bird haven.

It hopes to be able to release North Island kokako, the bird known for its haunting "dawn chorus", he says.

In the last two years, DOC has released about 30 of the birds to Secretary Island – another predator free island sanctuary in Doubtful Sound, Fiordland.

"We were always aware there would be that stepping stone into Fiordland first, but hopefully next year we'll be on the list," Ian says.

Peter and Iris' links to the island span four decades.

Peter moved to Stewart Island in 1969 as ranger in charge for the Government's Forest Service, which included managing Ulva Island. He was involved in the eradication of the island's introduced animals.

He believes he was too young to be managing one of New Zealand's most important ecological reserves, but says it taught him a lot.

When the Forest Service tried to transfer Peter he literally jumped ship to the lucrative fishing industry.

Peter fell in love with island life, as well as an Auckland nurse – Iris who came to visit the island in 1971 for a holiday with her girlfriend.

Iris stayed and she and Peter married two years later.

During the early 1970s it was boom-time for the fishing industry.

Peter went crewing for a season and then skippered the boat the next season before he and Iris purchased their own small fishing boat and set up business, catching blue cod and crayfish.

Peter would catch and Iris would pack the product for New Zealand wide sale.

Being sustainable has always been a way of life for the couple.

"You have to be," Iris says.

"There's no shops around to just go buy whatever whenever you feel like it."

Iris taught herself how to garden and swears by the Star Garden Book.

Composting just made sense as it cuts down waste, which would otherwise be shipped off to Invercargill.

When the fishing industry went bad in the 1990s, the Taits decided to pursue tourism.

They purchased Talisker, a 17m yacht, and set about taking people on adventure cruises around Stewart Island and Fiordland.

It was a rewarding lifestyle but after Iris slipped a couple of discs, it soon became apparent sailing life was not a good option anymore.

They decided to build a boutique bed and breakfast and start island tours.

In 2004 Sails Ashore opened. The luxury two-bedroom accommodation is both intimate and inviting.

Iris and Peter's attention to detail is reflected in every part of this business.

Native recycled rimu, immaculately crafted by Otahuti builder Finlay McCrostie, gives this bed and breakfast a real wow factor.

Coupled with stunning views of Halfmoon Bay, it's pretty close to a heaven.

THE FACTS
The Stewart Island/Rakiura Community Environment Trust is  a non-profit organisation. It was formed in 2002, the result of a group of Stewart Islanders enthusiastic about protecting and enhancing the environment and community of Stewart Island. The trust was formed to promote local projects, which benefit both the community and the environment of Stewart Island. The goals for the future are to control pests consistently low enough to re-introduce other species that were once in the area, before the pressures of predation really resulted.

Qualmark introduced the new Qualmark Green standard in 2008. It judges Qualmark businesses on environmental practices. Businesses performing at the top levels must be engaging in energy efficiency, conservation initiatives, waste management, community activities and water conservation and are awarded either an Enviro-Gold, Enviro-Silver, or Enviro-Bronze. Gold is the highest standard a business can be awarded.

- © Fairfax NZ News