Alton couple win an environmental award

For outstanding contributions to restoring biodiversity and efforts to plant native trees, control predators and maintain the quality of freshwater.

Damian and Jane Roper and their son Jack are on a mission to restore biodiversity and return native birds to homes and farms across Taranaki. The owners of a dairy farm in Alton in South Taranaki, the family are committed to using Māori values and have created a pā stockade to protect their gardens and native tree seedling nurseries. They’ve planted around 18,000 indigenous trees in 15 years and worked with Taranaki Regional Council to restore a damaged bush block, which is now classed as a Key Native Ecosystem and protected under a QEII Trust covenant. The Ropers have regenerated a 2.5ha lake and water quality on the farm is checked by an independent ecologist. Surveys have shown an explosion in water boatman numbers. Predator control is important to the family with Damian working with the Pātea Catchment Group and the farm has held pest trapping workshops with Te Kaahui o Rauru. The family are passionate about returning kiwi to the Tarere Conservation Area, working with the Taranaki Kiwi Trust to create a trapping plan for the local community. The Ropers also work with Taranaki Catchment Communities and Ngāti Ruanui.

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