Located between the Waiau-Uwha and Okarahia Rivers, the Conway Landcare Biodiversity Group involves mainly farmers, who since the turn of the century have collectively placed over 800 hundred hectares of native bush under covenant protection. These covenants occasionally contain old growth podocarp forest in gullies, which survived the fires over the centuries. There are examples of mature totara, matai and kahikatea up to 900 years old. These remnants are often surrounded by young re-growth forest dominated by kanuka, mahoe and ngaio, which, in time, are likely to become dominated by the podocarps again. There are currently 32 registered covenants, and additional covenants are still being progressed.

The landcare group initially formed to collaboratively tackle possums. Feral pigs and deer are other targeted pest species.

The popular Kaikoura Coastal Walkway passes through some of these magnificent covenanted areas.

Contact: Peter Handyside [email protected]