A mighty tōtara has been planted to honour the memory of late Dunedin author, journalist, photographer and conservationist Neville Peat. On Saturday, the friends and family of Mr Peat gathered at the Orokonui Ecosanctuary to plant the tōtara tree in the site’s memorial garden. Wild Dunedin co-chairman Neil Harraway said with Mr Peat’s passing, a great tōtara tree had fallen, so it was only right to plant one. "Neville was our patron for Wild Dunedin . . . we got the name of our festival from his book, Wild Dunedin: The natural history of New Zealand's wildlife capital, that he did with Brian Patrick, an entomologist.” He said Mr Peat was a great thinker and storyteller about nature and conservation. "But more than that, he also put a lot of work into nature . . . he was on the board of Orokonui Ecosanctuary, he was a Dunedin city councillor, a regional councillor, and did a lot of volunteer community work.” The tree was planted by his grandchildren Gracie, Oscar and Florence Rutherford-Peat in the ecosanctuary’s memorial garden. Already at the location was a carved limestone koru. Mr Harraway said the tōtara was an important tree in New Zealand forests and within Māori culture. “There's a Māori proverb which goes ‘a mighty tōtara has fallen in the forest’ on the death of somebody who's achieved prominence, mana.” He said that was what made the planting all the more significant. laine.priestley@odt.co.nz
