Canty kids saving the Eyrewell skinks

More than 60 local kids from West Eyreton and Swannanoa schools came out for the 6th year of planting out habitat for the endangered Canterbury Grass Skink on Eyrewell farm in September 2024. 

They had a fantastic day learning about biodiversity with Ruud Kleinplast (The Bug Man); Lizard specialists from Ecan and the Waimakariri Regional Council, and pollination experts from Plant and Food Research, as well as planting out 100 more native seedlings with Conservation Volunteers NZ. Synlait kindly ran a BBQ for some well-earned sausages!

In 2015 we found at-risk Canterbury Grass Skink in a corner of the farm, as well as McCann’s skink. Pāmu decided to restore the site with more rock piles and native plantings over time to slowly create a better habitat for the skink and other biodiversity. 

Eyrewell dairy farm is near the Eyrewell Scientific Reserve, a protected 2.3ha remnant of kanuka forest managed by the Conservation Department. The area is also known to be a habitat for McCann’s skink, the exotic golden bell frog and the critically endangered ground beetle (only ten of these beetles were found in the last survey). 

Canterbury grass skinks prefer dry open spaces to bask in, with hiding spaces from predators, and some damp areas. 

In 2017 we started to work with Wildlands Ecological Consultants and Conservation Volunteers as well as local schools West Eyreton, Cust, Swannanoa, and Oxford Area School, to plan the planting of several thousand native vines, tussock grasses and small trees for the skinks, and to educate students about pest control and biodiversity. This programme has now been running for seven years with more planting each year.