Everyone is delighted to see Russel and Teresa recognised  for their  passion and commitment to giving some of our most vulnerable bird  species a chance to thrive.

This is the  story as it appeared in the  Southland Times.

Long before predator eradication became a national priority, Russel and Teresa Trow had devoted themselves to protecting and restoring native biodiversity on Kundy Island and across the wider Tītī Islands.

The couple’s commitment, spanning more than 40 years, has been acknowledged with their selection among the Tower Local Hero Medallists award.

This puts them among 100 medallists who, in turn, form a pool from which the New Zealander of the Year Awards draw.

The Trows had recognised the threat posed by invasive weka and led painstaking work to remove them, creating a safe haven for taonga species such as tīeke (saddlebacks) and mātātā (fernbirds)

Kundy has now become “a thriving sanctuary and a vital source for repopulating other islands and even mainland sanctuaries like Orokonui’’, their citation reads.

“The Trows have pioneered bird transfer techniques, mentored others and modelled collaborative conservation.’’

This had transformed relationships between local birders, iwi and government agencies.

“Their decades of hands-on, voluntary effort have helped bring back endangered species, inspired trust and partnership, and shown the power of community-led conservation to restore ecosystems for generations to come.

Picture by Kerri Topi.