Jack Clerke’s Story

Ka te ahau i runga i te maunga whakahi ko Tapuae-o-Uenuku.

Ka hoia te waka o Cressy ki runga i te moana o Tōtaranui rāua ko Te Hoiere.

Having grown up in the idyllic Marlborough Sounds for the majority of my life, the opportunity to develop a further connection with my whenua through the Sustainable Leadership on Blumine Island program was not only an amazing opportunity, but a profoundly empowering experience.

I vividly recall the first moment I met the 2018 cohort of untouched world students, outside my local marae in Waikawa. Any nervousness I had was quickly dispelled by the friendly, passionate and inspiring group that I would come to call my whānau over the next week.

The program began with a powhiri at Waikawa Marae. Our group of 27 was warmly welcomed through a karanga, hongi and various waiata. This experience was one which was very special to me, as I got to see other students from around the country becoming part of the land I whakapapa to. That night we slept in the wharenui, awaiting with anticipation the DOC quarantine that we had been told was “pretty rigorous” by programme leader Peter Sutton. The quarantine didn’t disappoint. The time it takes to get out all your gear, inspect every piece of clothing inside and out for seeds and rodents, then clean them if necessary and pack everything back up again proved to be both a thorough and time consuming process. However, it definitely highlighted to me the value and importance of Oruawairua’s biodiversity, with the rigorous nature of the quarantine reflecting on how important it is that Oruawairua remains a pest free sanctuary for native wildlife.

Over the course of the next week, our group began to truly understand why the quarantine process was so strict. We were woken up each morning at around 5 am by a deafening dawn chorus, a melodies cacophony of Bellbirds, Tui, Kereru and even the rare Tieke (Saddleback) all singing out together. After this, we would rise from our beds, cursing the tree roots that always seemed to be in the most uncomfortable spots and make our way to breakfast. The daily tasks would then begin. This included a multitude of different activities such as setting out tracking cards (cards covered with ink that show the footprints of different species) clearing tracks covered in rock and windfall, bird monitoring, penguin box locating and even going out at night to monitor one of New Zealand’s most undervalued critters- the Flax Weevil. I was lucky enough to lead the team monitoring the different bird species on Oruawairua. This involved locating the “bird monitoring sites” laid out by the previous year’s group, recording the coordinates and vegetation of each site, and beginning to collect some data on what birds are found where. During this process, our team was lucky enough to see at least a dozen Mohua and Kakariki Karaka, both of which are extremely rare birds that aren’t observed by many. By the end of the week, all the sites had been recorded and mapped, along with a procedure I wrote, which outlined the methods in which we collected the data, so that groups in the years to come can collect consistent data that can be used by DOC.

When the week sadly came to an end, we all had the opportunity to present what we had learnt from our experience to representatives from DOC, Te Ati Awa, Kaipupu Point, Picton Dawn Chorus and the Marlborough District Council. We split into five groups, with each group focussing on a specific topic. My group looked into biodiversity on Oruawairua, a topic that really excited me, as it allowed me to tell everyone about the exciting bird monitoring work completed by our team and how the process has the potential to be used for years to come. The presentation became quite emotional, with all of us in tears by the end. I think this emotion truly represents the connection we all made not only to each other, but to the whenua of Oruawairua. The island is a very special place, and to have the opportunity to be involved in its ongoing protection and sustainability was both a humbling and rewarding experience.

However, my Untouched World story didn’t end after Blumine. This year, I got an email out of the blue from Mark Prain and Barry Law, from the Untouched World Foundation. Little did I know that I had been selected to attend the second iteration of the ALP (advanced leadership program) that was to be held at Glenthorne Station, Lake Coleridge! I could barely contain my excitement as I quickly typed my reply; “yes!”

Soon enough, the date for the ALP rolled around and I was packed off to Canterbury. Just like Blumine Island, I didn’t really know what to expect, but this only added to my anticipation. The following three days were a whirlwind of valuable information, with us focussing on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and how we, as untouched world alumni and developing leaders, can bring about behavior change. I met some truly incredible young leaders that weekend, people I look up to and am excited to work with moving forward. This program ended with very valuable conversations with Mark, Barry and Peter, in which we discussed the direction in which I planned to head next.

The exciting prospect is, the future is what we make it. Every day is a new opportunity to make a positive difference, whether it be in your life, or someone else's. Untouched World has shown me that the relationships we make with others and the environment don’t just stop, they are kept with us all and can help to forge our own pathways in the direction we want to head moving forward into the future.

I am Jack Clerke, and this is my evolving story so far.