ARTICLE : PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT

Monday 15 August 2005 – PRESIDENT’S REPORT TO 66th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF WELLINGTON BOTANICAL SOCIETY

The Society has had an interesting and rewarding year with many people aiding us in our endeavours.   I would like to mention all of these people but fear I may miss some out.

A very grateful thank you to all committee members:
Vice-Presidents :   Chris Horne, Leon Perrie,
Secretary :   Barbara Clark,
Treasurer :   Rodney Lewington.
Committee :   Barry Dent, Ian Goodwin, Dave Holey, Gordon Leary, Sunita Singh,
Auditor :   Peter Beveridge,
Bulletin Editor :   John Sawyer.

All have given their support and gone the extra mile with added responsibilities.

Encouraging interest in NZ botany

Our Society’s main aim is to encourage interest in native plants.   As part of this drive we make three types of financial awards.

We offer an award to an entrant in the Wellington NIWA Science Fair for the best project involving New Zealand native plants.   Last year’s winner was Ella Mayston from Muritai School with an interesting project testing the strength of native plant extracts as antiseptics.

Grants are also available to Victoria University students for botany field work.

BotSoc Jubilee Award is given to assist applicants to further their NZ botanical study involving either field work, literary effort or research.

We also acknowledge the efforts of others in encouraging interest in botany.

The Loder Cup is a Department of Conservation award to honour New Zealanders who work to investigate, promote, retain and cherish NZ’s indigenous flora.   This year BotSoc nominated Wellington’s Dr John Dawson, respected academic, enthusiastic teacher and producer of many beautiful books on NZ and overseas flora.   At the time of writing no decision has been made.

Field Trips

These are highlights for many members, and in my opinion, what BotSoc is all about.   We have had twenty interesting field trips this year with an average of 15.8 members at each, compared with 14.7 the previous year.

The ten-day late December / New Year field trip when so many natives are in flower is an event all members should experience.   Enjoy good fellowship, plus the bonus of increased fitness, weight loss, and a bloom on the cheek produced by ten days of exercise, fresh air, good food and a modicum of sunburn.   The cost is minimal especially compared with the thousands you would spend to attend a health farm.

Last summer’s trip was to western Canterbury.   Thirty BotSoccers enjoyed excellent facilities at Staveley Camp and experienced the best weather at that time in NZ.   We traversed many challenging landforms, explored and botanised many varied ecosystems, and compiled or added to existing plant lists.

This year’s camp is easy with no ferry crossing.   Camp Wakarara is at the foot of the eastern side of the Ruahines close to many diverse plant communities.   It has good facilities and we have sole occupancy.   The planning and organisation of food and its preparation will again be done by the Learys (many thanks to Sheelagh and Gordon), ensuring delicious and wholesome meals.

Monday evening meetings

Our ten evening meetings have had an average attendance of thirty-six, two up on last year.   We have enjoyed an amazing variety of topics (thank you Sunita).   I especially enjoyed Stephan Halloy on global warming and alpine plants.   Fungi by Geoff Ridley was a pleasant change.   In my view we should pay more attention to the “lower plants”.

Marine Education Centre

This topic occupied some time at committee meetings over several months in 2004 due to differences in opinion over some aspects of the proposal.   The final decision was that while the committee fully supported the building of a marine centre, and offered to help with suitable planting, we had no set view on the most appropriate site.   A letter was sent to the Marine Education Trust to this effect.

Northern rata, Metrosideros robusta

Northern rata will become much more familiar in our area owing partly to groundwork done by BotSoccers Dave Holey and Barbara Mitcalfe.   Dave, a Hutt Valley resident, devised a day walk around the valley that took in a number of mature northern rata trees.   A trip was led in December last year when the trees were in magnificent bloom and in so doing helped to inspire Hutt City Council and Project Crimson to take a wider interest in northern rata.   Hutt City Council intends running a similar walk every December and Project Crimson will add this walk to an existing list of Crimson Trails.   As well Wellington City Council are using many northern rata seedlings in the replanting of Tinakori Hill.

Members list

Plans for a member’s name, telephone and e-mail list are underway and only waiting the next time around a subscription form is filled.   If any member wishes to be excluded, this will be allowed for.

Brochure

We are in the process of revising our brochure.   Although its present form is very good, the committee feels that it should be sharper with fewer words and a more eye-catching format and illustrations.   This activity inspired the production of a business card we can hand out to acquaintances to boost interest and membership.

Congratulations

To Ian Atkinson for receiving the H H Allen Mere Award.   This was presented at our September meeting last year.

To Bev Abbott who has been chosen to serve another term on the Wellington Conservation Board.

Another of our members has been active in the battle to save endangered species and I offer congratulations to Chris Hopkins for his Wellington Conservation Week Award 2005.   This award acknowledges his painstaking work and expertise studying mistletoe species in our region.

In conclusion

A large amount of work is done by our society in the interests of protecting and encouraging our indigenous flora.   Much of this work involves formal submissions and contact with several local bodies and Government agencies, and covers a surprisingly wide field.   Fortunately we have had two people, Chris Horne and Barbara Mitcalfe, who are not only expert in the field but skilled and industrious in the exchange of ideas at higher levels.   In the last two years this work has been almost overwhelming and many committee members and others who joined BotSoc just to get out among the plants find they are overloaded with debate on policy matters.

Should we all get back to botanising and forget politics or should we, as the strongest promoters and carers for native plants, join in the public debate on every occasion as we do now?

A problem recently has been deciding what the club policy is, and as President I have tried to limit recommendations to where club policy has been clearly decided by members and we are within our botanical areas of expertise and concern.

The amount of this “political” work is causing some unrest in the club and some further discussion would probably be of benefit.

I am honoured to have been your president.   Thank you for your support.   Best wishes for happy botanising.

Joyce Stretton

Field trips 2004/05

We had 20 field trips.   Attendance totalled 317 people – average 15.8 per trip.   (2003/04 year: 16 trips, 235 people, 14.7 average).

Evening meetings 2004/05

Victoria University’s Murphy Building Lecture Theatre M101 is ideal for our meetings.   We thank Professor Phil Garnock-Jones, School of Biological Sciences, and Jude Urlich, Director of Public Affairs, for making this room available, and for providing teaching aids.

We had 9 talks, plus our annual members’ evening.   Attendance totalled 366 people – average 36.6 per meeting.   (2003/04 year: 10 meetings, 321 people, 32 average) We thank Julia White for promoting the programme through her e-mail contact George Jones, and Richard Herbert for promoting it through our web site.