News
February 26th, 2021
Listen to Nicola Toki from Department of Conservation talking about the new EDS case-study of Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula report and […]
More
February 20th, 2021
Wonderful weather, great music and food and the stunning setting of Orton Bradley Park made for a most successful Banks Peninsula Festival. The […]
More
February 19th, 2021
Congratulations to Raewyn Peart and Cordelia Woodhouse of EDS for their comprehensive report on how legislative and policy tools could be more effectively […]
More
February 15th, 2021
Trust Manager Suky Thompson has been on the speaker circuit talking to local Christchurch groups about the Rod Donald Trust and the Te […]
More
January 27th, 2021
Don’t miss the wonderful Banks Peninsula Festival happening at beautiful Orton Bradley Park on Saturday February 20th with a great line-up of musicians, […]
More
December 23rd, 2020
We are delighted to have raised $236,623.00 toward our funding shortfall of $600,000 since publicly launching the Te Ahu Patiki project at the […]
More
December 23rd, 2020
We are delighted to announce a new partnership with Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū / Banks Peninsula Geopark Trust, enabling development of the first […]
More
December 17th, 2020
A group of Trustees, Trust supporters and Banks Peninsula Walking Festival ticket holders enjoyed a magnificent tramp up Mt Bradley in beautiful weather […]
More
December 1st, 2020
Give a planet-friendly gift to your friends and whanau this year with donations to the Te Ahu Pātiki fund Christmas Gift Special. Your […]
More
November 29th, 2020
It was another sucessful Festival with most of the walks running to capacity and fine weather for the majority of the days. We […]
More
November 17th, 2020
Janis Haley was delighted to have the opportunity to tour the Godley Head Military Museum as part of this year’s Walking Festival but […]
More
November 17th, 2020
Christchurch City Council Councillors and Banks Peninsula Community Board members were invited to join the Rod Donald Trust on a walk to the […]
More
November 7th, 2020
This years Walking Festival has got off to a great start with the first days walks all running to full capacity. ‘Lands End […]
More
October 29th, 2020
Rod Donald Trust is delighted to announce that it has an agreement with the landowner to purchase Te Ahu Pātiki – 500ha of […]
More
October 20th, 2020
Rod Donald Trust Manager Suky Thompson will be speaking at the upcoming Rod Donald Memorial Lecture on Sunday 1st November. Watch the speech […]
More
September 11th, 2020
The 2020 Banks Peninsula Walking Festival has now been launched and will be running every Saturday and Sunday from 7th-29th November. Come and […]
More
August 12th, 2020
A large crowd enjoyed a ferry trip to Ōtamahua/Quail Island on the on Sunday 9th August to hear the official announcement of a […]
More
July 30th, 2020
Congratulations to the Whaka-Ora group for running an excellent showcase day at Living Springs. This provided a wonderful location to appreciate the beauty […]
More
July 30th, 2020
Rod Donald Trustees and staff celebrated the Trust’s 10th birthday at their most recent Board meeting. The Board was delighted to hear that four of […]
More
July 12th, 2020
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the Rod Donald Trust when the organisation was formally constituted as a Charitable Trust on July […]
More
June 22nd, 2020
DOC are in the process of setting up a new Hut booking system on their website and registration for this system opens tomorrow […]
More
June 11th, 2020
We wish to congratulate Peter Te Rangi Hiroa Ramsden who has been named on the Queen’s Birthday honours list receiving a New Zealand […]
More
May 22nd, 2020
Congratulations to the winners of our Rod Donald Trust Photo Competition! The high standard of entries and the large variation of subjects were […]
More
May 15th, 2020
Check out the latest features on the Banks Peninsula Walks website. A ‘Track Search’ capability has been added, enabling you to quickly find […]
More
May 15th, 2020
We are delighted that under Alert Level 2 the Rod Donald Hut has now been able to re-open. At this stage there will […]
More
May 1st, 2020
Something for fun – we have a ‘lock-down’ challenge for you! See what images you have in your photo collection or have taken […]
More
March 26th, 2020
Under Covid 19 Alert Level 4 restrictions you are permitted to leave your house to go for a walk, or exercise and enjoy […]
More
March 22nd, 2020
With great sadness and heavy hearts, we let you know that Rod Donald Hut is closed from Monday 23 March 2020 due to […]
More
March 17th, 2020
Rod Donald Hut remains open during the current Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. You are responsible for your own safety and precautions. We encourages all […]
More
March 6th, 2020
The Trust is saddened to learn of the sudden and unexpected death of Jeanette Fitzsimons. Jeanette shared the co-leadership of the Green Party […]
More
February 24th, 2020
Choose your next adventure using the handy Banks Peninsula Walks Directory. It lists all the walks available and gives you an idea of […]
More
February 24th, 2020
Happy Birthday to Hugh Wilson and his twin sister Hilary on their 75th milestone. Excellent organisation by Tricia Hewlett and the whole Hinewai […]
More
February 11th, 2020
Suky Thompson, on behalf of the Banks Peninsula Native Forest Climate Change group, presented an oral submission, via video conference, to the Environment […]
More
February 3rd, 2020
Brian Patrick, a former Trustee of the Rod Donald Trust, has been busy working alongside NZ Post to create a beautiful six stamp […]
More
January 21st, 2020
The Trust has convened the Banks Peninsula Native Forest/Climate Change group – a collaboration of organisations and agencies with knowledge of, an interest […]
More
December 16th, 2019
The Rod Donald Trust was delighted to launch its new Governors Bay walking brochure in November, in conjunction with the Banks Peninsula Walking […]
More
December 2nd, 2019
Congratulations to Scott Smith and his team for organising the highly successful Banks Peninsula Adventure Race on Sunday December 1st. 170 incredibly fit […]
More
November 25th, 2019
This years Walking Festival was a huge success, with over 500 participants out and about enjoying all sorts of walks in various locations […]
More
November 6th, 2019
The weather was beautiful for the first weekend of this year’s Banks Peninsula Walking Festival. Walkers were spread far and wide over eight […]
More
October 13th, 2019
The Rod Donald Trust was delighted to host a community function welcoming new Ranger and Park Staff to the Peninsula area. With around […]
More
October 2nd, 2019
Many thanks to our incredible volunteers from the Christchurch office of Jacobs – the international engineering firm – who cheerfully slaved away at […]
More
September 26th, 2019
Our annual newsletter is hot off the press and you can view it HERE to get an update on the Rod Donald Trusts […]
More
September 20th, 2019
The Head to Head Walkway is an aspirational project to create a continuous walkway around the coastline of Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour, from Awaroa/Godley Head […]
More
September 18th, 2019
The Trust has been building knowledge on the Emissions Trading Scheme this year, and made submissions stressing the opportunity the Peninsula offers for […]
More
September 13th, 2019
The Trust is delighted that the Council has set up a joint working party with us to discuss our future. The Trust was […]
More
September 6th, 2019
The Banks Peninsula Walking Festival will be running once again in November and ticket sales are now underway and selling fast! This event […]
More
August 20th, 2019
Maintaining the Te Ara Pātaka walkway and its large network of tracks is a big job and this year the Trust has engaged […]
More
August 17th, 2019
With Christchurch City Council recently declaring a Climate and Ecological Emergency, the Trust strongly supports this decision and recognises how serious the problem […]
More
August 12th, 2019
The Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust would like to pay tribute to George Waitai Tikao (28 January 1933-27 July 2019) whose memorial service […]
More
July 31st, 2019
It is with sadness that we hear of the passing of Maurice White, well known as the founder of the Maurice White Native […]
More
July 25th, 2019
With more than 40 guests enjoying a luncheon at the Governors Bay Community Centre, it was a lovely way to honour Simon Mortlock […]
More
June 27th, 2019
We are delighted to be able to release our carbon research report to the public – “Facilitating Biodiversity Enhancement using Income from Carbon […]
More
June 27th, 2019
After serving faithfully on the Rod Donald Trust board for nine years it was with great sadness that we shared a final board […]
More
June 27th, 2019
The last few months have been a busy time for the Trust as we have worked through the process of compiling our Strategic […]
More
June 14th, 2019
The Trust is so delighted that our Woodills subdivision is complete at last, after working through this project since we first purchased the […]
More
May 16th, 2019
Yes, we have done the maths and 19 bags weighing 850kgs each means that over 16 tonnes of shingle was delivered by helicopter […]
More
March 26th, 2019
Our March Rod Donald Trust Board meeting began in a different way than usual, with a stop at the Little River cemetery to […]
More
February 20th, 2019
Work has begun to produce a new walking brochure for the Governors Bay area and Suky and Sue recently spent a day scouting […]
More
January 20th, 2019
The Rod Donald Trust has been working to secure public access on the whole Te Ara Pataka track network. Most of the track […]
More
January 4th, 2019
We are delighted to have David Brailsford on board as the new Manager for the Rod Donald Hut. Having been the builder who […]
More
December 31st, 2018
Congratulations to our chair, Simon Mortlock, who has been awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Years Honours list. Simon […]
More
December 7th, 2018
Congratulations to the Josef Langer Trust on the opening of the new Panama Stream Family Camp at their reserve in Le Bons Bay. […]
More
November 5th, 2018
Hon Eugenie Sage, Minister for Conservation, opened the new Ōtamahua Hut on Quail Island as the first event in the Banks Peninsula Walking […]
More
November 4th, 2018
Banks Peninsula Walking Festival opened with wonderful weather. On the Lyttelton side of the Peninsula, over 100 people took the ferry to Quail […]
More
October 2nd, 2018
The Trust has released its 2018 newsletter. Find out more about our projects and progress over the year. To download a PDF copy […]
More
October 2nd, 2018
Thanks to Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust and Student Volunteer Army we had a great working bee to improve the Rod Donald Hut access […]
More
September 28th, 2018
Rod Donald Hut is now re-opened after annual maintenance. Repeat visitors may spot that the VIP toilet has shifted to the other pit […]
More
September 18th, 2018
The Trust was delighted to receive an award from Department of Conservation at the Conservation Week function held in the Air NZ Aviation […]
More
September 11th, 2018
Did you know that famous Antarctic hero Frank Worsley lived in Akaroa as a boy? Enjoy a walk to the site of his […]
More
September 5th, 2018
The 2018 Banks Peninsula Walking Festival is now open for bookings on Eventfinda. There is something for everyone with 29 wonderful guided walks […]
More
August 11th, 2018
The Trust enjoyed a field trip to Orton Bradley Park to see the progress made since entering into a partnership arrangement in 2013. […]
More
July 30th, 2018
Christchurch City Council has supported the Trust’s recommendations regarding Trustee appointments. At its meeting on July 10 it extended Cynthia Robert’s term for […]
More
July 12th, 2018
The first attempt to eradicate a pest species from Banks Peninsula has been trialled at Little Akaloa with a big push to eliminate […]
More
June 30th, 2018
We said a sad farewell to Trustee Chrissie Williams who retired from the Board on June 30 at the end of her term […]
More
June 17th, 2018
The Rod Donald Banks Peninsula Trust was delighted to visit Living Springs and witness first-hand the discipline, dedication and delight their 60 LSV […]
More
June 6th, 2018
A weekend visit to Ōtamahua/Quail Island revealed the conversion of the caretaker cottage into family style tramping accommodation is progressing well. “This builds […]
More
April 1st, 2018
Walkers and mountain bikers were delighted that Kennedy’s Bush Track re-opened on Easter Sunday having been closed for over a year since the […]
More
March 27th, 2018
The Trust and Department of Conservation formalised their working relationship with a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at a meeting at the DOC […]
More
February 5th, 2018
The Trust is concerned that Kennedys Bush Track remains closed a year after the Port Hills fires. The track is approximately 3.7km long […]
More
December 8th, 2017
The Trust is delighted to announce that Department of Conservation’s Montgomery Park Scenic Reserve along the Te Ara Pātaka track near Hilltop has […]
More
November 29th, 2017
A new walking brochure featuring 5 Coastal and Village Loops around Diamond Harbour launched at the Walking Festival Guides dinner event, and is […]
More
November 12th, 2017
The Waking Festival continues to delight participants exploring Banks Peninsula. Walkers on the Port Hills Phoenix were able to hear first hand from […]
More
November 5th, 2017
Walking Festival participants who headed to the wonderful Hinewai 30th Anniversary celebrations on November 5 were entertained by a surprise speaker, Eugenie Sage, […]
More
November 4th, 2017
Fabulous weather meant the first day of the Walking Festival has been a great success and a huge amount of fun was had […]
More
October 3rd, 2017
Banks Peninsula Walking Festival 2017 is underway with 30 exciting walks. Explore new places, experience properties not usually open to the public, enjoy […]
More
October 3rd, 2017
The Trust’s audited Annual Report for financial year 2016-17 is now. We recommend reading it in conjunction with our colourful newsletter.
More
September 15th, 2017
Rod Donald Hut is sparkling and ready for the new season after its annual maintenance and spring cleaning this week. Builder David Brailsford […]
More
September 12th, 2017
Banks Peninsula was the star of the show at a Predator Free 2050 event hosted in Christchurch by Minister for Conservation Maggie Barry […]
More
September 7th, 2017
Building Environmental Stewards of the Future with Sustainable Long Distance Trails was the topic discussed with U3A (University of the Third Age) members […]
More
August 31st, 2017
Read all about the Trust’s activities in 2016-17 in our Storehouse Stories newsletter just released. To read it on ISSUU click here. To […]
More
August 28th, 2017
Trust Manager Suky Thompson updated the Regenerating Banks Peninsula forum in Diamond Harbour on Trust activities. “I was impressed by the turnout from […]
More
August 6th, 2017
The Trust said a fond farewell to departing Trustees – Stuart Wright-Stow, Brian Patrick and Debbie Tikao, and formally welcomed new Trustees – […]
More
July 28th, 2017
Back in June the Trust held a seminar to thank you landowners who allow public walking access across their land, and to answer […]
More
July 27th, 2017
You know you must be doing something right when 70 people attend your AGM on a wet and windy night and everyone is […]
More
July 7th, 2017
Last year Lyttelton Information Centre invited the Trust to produce walking brochures describing the many walks in the Lyttelton harbour basin, and we […]
More
July 1st, 2017
The Banks Peninsula Walking Festival will run on four weekends in November. The only pan-Peninsula event, the festival is co-produced by Project Lyttelton, […]
More
June 30th, 2017
Sharpen your thoughts around biodiversity and access on Banks Peninsula. Christchurch City Council has begun its initial consultations on Reserve Management plans for […]
More
June 15th, 2017
The Trust and Christchurch City Council collaborated on a joint project to update the Akaroa Country Walks trail head boards and these were […]
More
June 9th, 2017
The Rod Donald Trust hosted a well-attended seminar and panel discussion at Kaituna Homestead on June 9 to help landowners better understand where […]
More