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It’s with a sense of pride that we present our 2017/18 Annual Report. When we use the word “our”, we really do mean everyone who contributes to the work of Forest & Bird. The people who make up Forest & Bird number in their thousands and come from all walks of life, from communities far and wide. What unites us all is our love of nature. Together, we take action, and this report celebrates our many successes.
2017 in numbers
- 1,040,502 people watched our Vote 4 Nature advert and made environmental issues an election priority.
- 27 people included a gift in their will to Forest & Bird, totalling more than $1.5m
- 1 Supreme Court win for nature
- 7 steps in the Freshwater Rescue Plan, protecting the health of people, wildlife and waterways
- 50 Forest and Bird branches, grassroots conservation in action.
As you read this report, we hope you gather a sense of how dedicated and diverse these people are and that you are a part of something good and something great. Perhaps you don’t feel you are. Can we please challenge your thinking? New Zealand is a place like no other on Earth, but more and more New Zealanders are realising that it’s not what it once was. Our rivers aren’t what they used to be. Our climate’s not what it used to be. What was once discussed in science class is now, finally, being talked about in everyday life. The conversation may be conservation, but you don’t need to be a conservationist to see that we need to change.
People are talking. Environmental issues became one of the top three policies in the election – for the first time since 1972, when New Zealanders changed the face of conservation and demanded the government save Lake Manapouri. Talking has to turn into action. We are proud to be a charity that enables Kiwis to take action. New Zealand is changing. We can feel uncomfortable about that, or we can see this as an opportunity to make changes in practical, positive ways, if not for us, then for future generations.
Surely what unites us all is our love of this place – Aotearoa New Zealand. We are all stakeholders. Right now, much is at stake. Through Forest & Bird, you can be a voice for nature and a voice for a better New Zealand. Be inspired. Take action today.