Unlikely Beauty
March 6, 2017
Doing it natures way...
I accidentally discovered the Lincoln Wetlands
while test flying my new Mavic Pro
over the weekend. Who would have thought storm water treatment ponds could be so darn beautiful? 130 thousand natives were planted just five years ago, they've now taken hold and transformed the drainage area into a wetland sanctuary that performs an important function for the resident's of Lincoln township, while at the same time providing a new protected habitat for local birdlife. It's a win - win!
Pictured in the background you'll see the Port Hills which suffered so badly during the recent fires, yes very different terrain and ecosystems, but we should take heart because what has been lost can be replanted and will eventually regenerate thanks to the help and hard work of such wonderful groups as Trees for Canterbury, the Summit Road Society, The Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust, and of course the local City council
and other government agencies. Much has been lost but perhaps there is a silver lining, a growing sense of shared responsibility for the future protection and regeneration of what remains of our bush. It's reported
that 90 percent of what was destroyed was privately owned land, including reserves.

There are important lessons here for those watching New Zealand's own homegrown platforms which are taxpayer supported through NZ on Air. Whether freeview or payview, what are we actually seeing and why? what are we actually paying for and why? Are we simply paying millions to subsidise commercially fragile kiwi media platforms or are we paying to ensure a future for kiwi made factual content? These questions are particularly relevant as the government considers new funding models for both film and television.