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CONSERVATION
- is at the heart of everything Tony Howse does.
Tony's passion for nature and all it has to offer has inspired his last 20 years into a life filled with sculpture, music and organic gardening.
His love for the Kauri tree has led Tony not just to take care of salvaged Kauri that he finds, making it into beautiful works of art. To date he has planted hundreds of Kauri trees, in an effort to bring back the majestic tree that once covered The Coromandel Peninsula, and to conserve what it is left of it today. Conservation is at the heart of everything Tony Howse does.
The Coromandel has been Tony’s home for the past 45 years it and has been a major influence in his exploration of sea life and the coastal landscape through his Kauri wood sculptures. Tony began sculpting in 1991 and has exhibited and won awards many times in galleries and at art shows throughout New Zealand.
Before sculpting begins, Tony spends hours examining a piece of wood, seeing the artwork within.Tony works with many different kinds of wood, but Kauri lies closes to his heart. The Kauri he loves to work with the most is the root systems and head wood, which he finds all over the Coromandel Peninsula. The majority of the trees were felled in the 1870's onwards, and shipped to California during the American gold rush.
RECIPIENT OF PRIDE OF NZ AWARDS 2014
Tony Howse is a Dedicated Conservationist
Combining his passion for Kauri, Native birds and conservation, Tony has designed and developed the Karangahake Native Bird Reserve, located in the famous Karangahake Gorge, Coromandel, New Zealand.
Tony was a recipient of the 2014 Pride of NZ Conservation Award for his work establishing this reserve, and encouraging young people to participate in replanting it with native trees. This beautiful reserve continues to flourish, with populations of aquatic life and native birds returning.
Tony's current project is the development of the Spring Creek Reserve. This five hectare wetland is also situated in the Karangahake Gorge. Wetlands are an essential component to a healthy ecosystem. Tony's work in extensive planting and providing a safe habitat has increased both the size and the biodiversity of this conservation reserve.
The Karangahake Native Bird Reserve is open to the public. The Spring Creek Reserve is projected to be ready to be open to the public in early 2021.