Surely, it’s a joke. It’s not even April First. With all the voting happening in Martinborough for Mayor and Council, there’s no vote more important than ‘Bird of the Year’. Only in Martinborough and New Zealand will you be asked to vote for a bird.
On Thursday 18 September, the birds hit the hustings – just like ‘Meet the Candidates’ for local elections. In the democratic republic of Tonic and Dr Beak Gin, we were told exactly who to vote for, and in true election-rigging style, how to vote more than once. There was no squawking between candidates. Only the RiroRiro (Grey Warbler) took the podium –even nocturnal birds didn’t show.
Dr Beak Gin served as campaign manager, promoting everything from dawn chorus delights to the RiroRiro’s charming inability to multitask. The male can’t sing and fly simultaneously – most unusual. Michael from Tonic created special Dr Beak RiroRiro cocktails to fuel the campaign.
Feeling shy, the RiroRiro enlisted Charlotte to champion the Dark Sky Reserve, explaining how light pollution reduction benefits our feathered friend.
Gavin from Forest and Bird delivered the essential plug for both the organisation and, naturally, the RiroRiro.Meanwhile, Jeff Shaw serenaded us with bird-themed songs, opening with ‘Blackbird singing in the Dead of Night’ – clearly John Lennon had never heard of the RiroRiro.
So far, Bird of the Year has attracted 25,000 votes from 89 countries, including one from Guam.
Democracy in action, Martinborough style – where even the birds campaign with cocktails and community spirit.
