New Zealand’s Outdoor Athletes Turned Environmental Champions
A young female sailor who untangles plastic bags from her rudder…
A surfer who battles seabed mining on the ocean floor…
A whitewater paddler, like the rare blue duck, who seeks out habitats unmolested…
A legally trained surfer with a mission to create sustainable coastlines…
These are four of the outdoor athletes I met after the first ten weeks of my recent journey to New Zealand. They reinvigorated my faith that this island nation can live up to its reputation as a top adventure destination with a scenic, pristine environment (i.e. the 100% Pure New Zealand marketing campaign).
As I paddled and tramped my way across the country, I saw an incredible amount of scenic beauty, no doubt. But over time, I started to become disheartened after ceaseless exposure to pest control, marine plastic debris, intensive dairy farming and endless expanses of California pine forestry, not to mention, a frequent series of tropical ex-cyclones. Between Kauri tree die-off and a 90% decline in the iconic kiwi birds, I began to question the fate of New Zealand’s endemic birds, bush and waterways. “Was all this beauty imperiled?”
As a Geographer who has worked in conservation and sustainability in Hawai’i, I admit I’m sensitized more than most people when it comes to analyzing landscapes. Hawai’i and New Zealand are both islands of birds and unique flora in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. They share many of the same ecological threats and solutions.
There’s very important environmental factors visitors should bear in mind when traveling here. Kauri Die-off being the perfect example. Hikers need to wear clean shoes to prevent spreading fungal infection to these special giant trees. 1080 poison on trails is another sensitive topic in kiwi land. Its purpose is to eliminate New Zealand’s countless pests so that native birds like kiwis have a chance of surviving the next century.
During my travels, I was very fortunate to meet many incredible local outdoor athletes. There were four of them, whose stories of hope and inspiration stood out to me the most. Serendipitously, they are all avid water sports athletes…there’s certainly no shortage of water to play in in New Zealand! Each is deeply connected to their place–the environment they recreate in. I sought to find out what inspired them most, and share their stories with the world! (More on these stories to come..)
The four Kiwi champs include:
- Bianca Cook is the first Kiwi woman to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race since the 2001-02 edition. Cook and her crew, Turn The Tide On Plastic (TTOP), deliver an important message to the world about ocean health. On February 28th Cook’s Kiwi supporters cheered on TTOP as they completed Leg 6 arriving into Auckland’s Inner Gulf, where Cook grew up sailing.
“My whole life is on the sea…We see a lot of ghost nets, plastic bottles…We’ve even had to clear off our rudder of plastic bags many times… One of the most profound experiences in my life was sailing through the NW Passage of Greenland and seeing no ice from profound rates of melting. Even in Auckland, this summer there’s been record flooding and cyclones.”—Bianca Cook
- Phil McCabe is a surfer and co-founder of an eco-resort. Offshore his epic surf town, Raglan, lies a decade long seabed mining controversy. McCabe successfully defeated a series of mining proposals in his tenure running Kiwis Against Seabed Mining (KASM). His work continues to pave the road ahead for New Zealand’s marine sanctuary expansion, and marine mammal protection, including rare Maui dolphins and blue whales. McCabe now has his eye set on a global moratorium on seabed mining in international waters.
“Surfing for me is a multi-dimensional endeavor … So much I’ve learned from surfing I can apply to life, like commitment, courage, patience, and perseverance … When you understand the state of the ocean, how much impact we have, and the complexities, it’s irresponsible of us to drop an activity like seabed mining in … I saw this dumb idea coming to our waters and I couldn’t stand watching it happen.”—Phil McCabe
- Bernie Kelly, is a class 4 whitewater paddler who loves native birds in New Zealand. When he’s not paddling, Bernie volunteers with Birds NZ, supporting native bird survival efforts on offshore islands. He is also an active member of Whitewater NZ, a whitewater recreation organization partnered with Forest & Bird who advocate for environmental protection in New Zealand.
“There is a rare, threatened species of duck in New Zealand, the blue duck. Whitewater paddlers, like blue ducks, seek out healthy, fast flowing rivers in the wild for its habitat. These birds are the whitewater experts of the avian world and are similarly under threat from extraction, pollution, hydro schemes etc.”—Nigel Parry, President, Whitewater NZ
- Sam Judd, is a surfer and lawyer from Wellington. Sam endured a near death experience on a surfboard while participating in a marine debris cleanup mission in San Cristobal. Shortly after, Sam co-founded the charity Sustainable Coastlines in 2008. Sam’s knack for negotiation, collaboration and governance well prepared him for empowering communities to prevent marine litter, live greener lifestyles, clean beaches and replant native trees in New Zealand and all throughout the Pacific region.
“If the shark bite was one more inch closer, I would have died … When it comes to protecting our rivers, coasts and ocean, it’s important for everyone to work together.”
—Sam Judd
Photo by March Bow/ Volvo Ocean Race
