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Meet The Locals
Kepler Inhabitants
Meet The LocalsLocals
Inspired by the TVNZ / DOC documentary series with the same name, ‘Meet the Locals’ is a great initiative for young people to discover a weekly 'local' to the Kepler area. Each week a local is showcased together with links to find out more, and related activities that can be carried out during school time as well as during free time.
There are some fantastic resources on the World Wide Web, waiting to be discovered. While this page cannot comprehensively include all the possible information, and useful links, about each local (organism), we endeavour to cover two key aspects that are deep-rooted in any conservation effort:
- Understanding the role of each organism within an ecosystem. This can be as simple as recognising whether the organism is a producer (able to make its own food, like most plants are); a consumer (not able to make its own food, and must obtain food eating other organisms, like herbivores and carnivores do) or a decomposer (able to gain energy by breaking down dead materials, like most fungi do).
- Understanding the interactions between organisms and how the life strategy of each organism (for example: length of its life cycle, number of offspring, adaptations, tolerance and diet) determines its overall success or its demise.
Click on the below links to be taken on a journey of wonder through the Kepler forest, meeting its inhabitants and discovering their connections.
Please note: this website went live on 29th July 2019. 'Meet the Locals' is a programme followed by the schools in the Te Anau Basin. Starting from July 29th, classes can explore a new local each week during term time. First up is the Sun, followed by the Beech Trees, the Water and the Kepler Mountains. The next following local will be uploaded on August 26th, and the categories will be compiled in the coming months. You can join the programme too, and explore a different local each week: it's free! Happy browsing. The KRTK Team.
New Zealand Otter / Waitoreke
14th October 2020- NZ Classification Unknown / Myth or Reality?
- Conservation Status Unknown
Native bees / Ngaro huruhuru
19th May 2020- NZ Classification Endemic, apart from one species, which is also found in Australia
- Conservation Status Unknown
Johannes Kepler
02nd May 2020- NZ Classification Seventeenth-century German Mathematician and Astronomer
- Conservation Status Extinct
Caddisfly
06th March 2020- NZ Classification Some species are Endemic, others are Native
- Conservation Status Unknown
Freshwater ecosystems / ‘Ko wai mātou’
11th February 2020- NZ Classification Irreplaceable
- Conservation Status At Risk / Degrading
Bellbird / Korimako
05th February 2020- NZ Classification Endemic
- Conservation Status Not Threatened, however two of the three subspecies of bellbird are at risk
NZ Mountain parrot / Kea
04th December 2019- NZ Classification Endemic
- Conservation Status Threatened / Nationally Endangered
House mouse / Kiore
25th November 2019- NZ Classification Introduced / Invasive
- Conservation Status Not protected in New Zealand
Sooty mould fungi / ?Hekaheka
18th November 2019- NZ Classification Native
- Conservation Status Unknown
Australasian Crested Grebe / Pūteketeke - Kāmana
04th November 2019- NZ Classification Native
- Conservation Status Threatened / Nationally Vulnerable
Brushtail Possum / Paihamu - Paihama
21st October 2019- NZ Classification Introduced / Invasive
- Conservation Status Not protected in New Zealand
Mistletoe / Pirinoa - Pikirangi
14th October 2019- NZ Classification Native / most species are Endemic
- Conservation Status Depending on the species, but most At Risk or Threatened
South Island Robin / Toutouwai
23rd September 2019- NZ Classification Endemic
- Conservation Status At Risk / Declining
Leaf Litter / Rau Kauamo
16th September 2019- NZ Classification Hard to classify, but crucial for many ecosystems
- Conservation Status Unknown
Fungi / Harore
09th September 2019- NZ Classification Native / some species are Introduced
- Conservation Status Unknown / some species are At Risk
Deer / Tia
02nd September 2019- NZ Classification Introduced / Invasive
- Conservation Status Not Threatened
South Island Fantail / Pīwakawaka
26th August 2019- NZ Classification Endemic
- Conservation Status Not Threatened
Kepler Mountains / Takahea
29th July 2019- NZ Classification Endemic
- Conservation Status Protected National Park and Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site
Water / Wai
22nd July 2019- NZ Classification Hmm... Introduced (by comets and asteroids)
- Conservation Status Threatened
Sun / Rā
08th July 2019- NZ Classification Star
- Conservation Status Not Threatened: another 5 billion years to go (born about 4.6 billion years ago)
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