Botanist, conservationist and ecologist Neill Simpson turned up to the Arrowtown Community Hall to dutifully give a presentation about the journey of Pig and Pigeon islands’ native regeneration, as part of this year’s Conservation Week — thanks to the Simpsons’ efforts, through the Wakatipu Islands Trust, Pigeon Island is a living sanctuary for locally rare plants, including 13 species of coprosma, and home to reintroduced bird species, such as weka.
It was standing room only as Mr Simpson spoke about the conservation efforts on the islands after a fire tore through Pigeon Island in 1996.
Over 15 years, the couple led the trust’s native planting efforts and predator eradication to restore the once bare and weedy islands into a haven for native birds, where native vegetation is now regenerating itself.
It was not until after Mr Simpson had finished his presentation he was informed the whole thing had been an elaborate hoax to ensure he celebrated his 90th birthday in style.
Mrs Simpson detailed her husband’s journey from Whanganui to Queenstown, where he arrived in 1981 as a senior ranger with National Parks and Reserves Department, now the Department of Conservation, to oversee the development of The Remarkables skifield.
Previously, Mr Simpson had been in the Tongariro area, where he had been pulling out wilding conifers for years.
Realising the pest species was just starting to take off around the Wakatipu, he started attacking them, enlisting participants from the government’s Pep (pre-employment) scheme to help.
Mr Simpson and his crew also started building and enhancing walking trails across the Basin, including Queenstown Hill and Ben Lomond.
After successfully regenerating Pig and Pigeon islands, Mr and Mrs Simpson formed the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust in 2013, to focus on the mainland.
Almost a decade ago they established a native nursery at Kelvin Heights’ Jardine Park and the trust is now close to having planted 100,000 natives on public land across the Wakatipu.
Mrs Simpson estimated since arriving in Queenstown, her husband had personally planted about 130,000 native plants across the area.
Fellow botanist Dr Geoff Rogers said Mr Simpson had also been involved in 38 tenure reviews, which helped boost the amount of protected land in Central Otago.
His efforts have been rewarded many times, including in 2001 when Mr Simpson received the New Zealand Botanical Society Allan Mere Award, in 2009 when he received the Otago Conservation Award and in 2014 he was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for services to conservation.
In 2015, both Mr and Mrs Simpson won the Loder Cup, New Zealand conservation’s most prestigious award.
Mrs Simpson said she and her husband had enjoyed "a wonderful life", one full of love, particularly for the Wakatipu.
"We have a very interesting life and I’m very grateful that I’ve had the chance to go along the journey as well, and have that as well, so thank you Neill."
