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Pauline Smith’s resignation as chair of Hibiscus Coast Forest and Bird will leave an enormous gap, although her work for the environment will continue.
“My mantra is ‘what have I done for the environment today?” Pauline says.
It is more than 20 years (1999) since she joined the committee of the local Forest and Bird branch and she has been its chair for most of that time (16 years).
In that time, the 76-year-old has been responsible for many local projects, including starting Pest Free Peninsula, which has now become Pest Free Hibiscus Coast and is managed and funded by Forest and Bird’s national office.
Since 2011, Pauline has overseen the planting of more than 40,000 natives at Karaka Cove in Whangaparāoa, with the aim of closing the gap between open space and bush. That goal should be achieved with this winter’s planting.
One of the things she is most proud of is seeing native trees, including totara and kanuka, which she grew from seedlings, grow towards maturity at Raroa Reserve in Stanmore Bay. “At one stage I was nurturing more than 400 seedlings – they took up so much space at home that you could hardly park a car.”
It has been satisfying work, but Pauline says the time has come to move on.
“I want to refocus, and let Forest and Bird bring in new ideas and opportunities for people,” she says.
Pauline made the connection between human activity and the environment very early on. Her family had a short stint as farmers, when her father bought land near Manganui in the early 1950s.
“He cleared all the manuka off the hill behind the house until it was just bare orange dirt and after heavy rain, the dirt was a metre thick around the house,” Pauline says. “ I remember thinking ‘why did you cut down those trees?’”
She says her main contribution with Forest and Bird Hibiscus Coast has been as a catalyst – having a vision and planning and organising people to achieve goals.
“You have to look after the volunteers – people are the key,” she says.
Having lived on the Coast for decades, Pauline has seen a lot of environmental degradation come with significant housing intensification and population growth. However, she likes to focus on the positive.
“It’s about doing something where I can make a difference, like replanting. That’s the only way I can cope with it – trying to find a solution for a problem, or an offset to make things better after damage has been done.”
A long-held goal of hers is to see Archer’s Bush in Whangaparāoa become a public reserve as part of mitigation for the building of Penlink. With this, and other environmental work in mind, Pauline is staying on as deputy chair of Restore Hibiscus and Bays.
Her other passion is art, and as well as teaching watercolour painting and drawing, she will again lead an exhibition to be held at Estuary Arts Centre in September focused on seabirds.
Pauline is confident that she is leaving the local Forest and Bird branch, in good shape.
She says things are also looking positive on the Coast.
“This area is doing better environmentally – there is a lot more support for environmental groups, community awareness and involvement under Auckland Council than there ever was in Rodney District Council’s day,” she says. “We are finally being heard.”
A farewell was held for Pauline, and for long-serving committee member Johno Wells, at Whangaparāoa Library on April 8. Rhiannon Thomas thanked Pauline for her energy and dedication to the local Forest and Bird committee, and for “not taking ‘no’ for an answer”.
