This is the speech that Averil Drake gave at the Flora and Fauna 2025 Kaitiaki Forum. She shared her powerful and heartfelt testimony of hardship through the Christchurch earthquake, the challenges of living among West Coast forests that are regularly poisoned by the Department of Conservation, and ultimately the resilience, abundance, hunting, foraging and freedom of off grid life.
You can watch/listen to Averil’s speech on the recording of the Kaitikai Forum: Averil Drake 32:14
Averil Drake: Off-Grid Life, 1080 and Resilience
I stand against 1080 from both an ecological and food security point of view.
Background
My interest in Food Security started before the Canterbury earthquakes. We had a small lifestyle property with an orchard, paddocks and chicken run. Kept pigs, cattle and sheep, however I was not particularly good at growing food. We had a good income. I ran a mind and body studio while my husband worked as a joinery manager.
When the Canterbury earthquakes hit – everyone’s basic living was impacted. Access to food was difficult with restricted travel due to hazards everywhere. People suffered with no running water or electricity. We personally had no power to pump water from our well.
Many people had no way to heat homes or cook food. There were long cues at supermarkets – not just at the checkout but cuing to simply enter the supermarket. Fuel was hard to access due to only two alternating service stations supplying all of Christchurch and its satellite towns.
Having always lived pay cheque to pay cheque we suffered – money was tight – my husband’s job ceased due to earthquake damage, and our studio remained shut for a time.
Much like the covid situation – movements, supplies, income and food were impacted. Our family struggled on an earthquake subsidy which barely covered the mortgage. Unpaid Bills stacked up.
All that we had taken for granted revealed themselves to be unreliable. – the job, the mortgage, the business, the supermarket, and even civil infrastructure. It became clear that true security comes from the ability to produce sustenance, power, heat, and water oneself.
We decided to never be this vulnerable again and left Canterbury seeking a self sufficient life.
West Coast dream
We moved to a bush block we owned on the westcoast, after fitting out a Bedford RL truck. Sleeping 6, it had everything a regular home could provide. We set up rainwater collection, solar panels, had a good source of fire fuel, raised poultry, then established gardens.
I had a lot to learn because I was not a gardener and growing conditions proved challenging. With poor soil I experimented with various gardening techniques and introduced methods for changing soil structure to make it suitable for growth.
I now have extensive gardens which provide for the family in abundance, fencing and pasture to keep pigs and sheep – of which we raise for meat. My husband hunts deer in the forest around us. My older boys have learnt how to bow hunt and my younger two are able to prepare a carcass and butcher it. We fill the freezer with meat for the price of one bullet. We forage and we also fish on occasion.
We absolutely love life in the wilderness – the scenery is magical – connected to nature, a rawness of experience – we feel like we are living ‘A Little House on the Prairie’ existence. It’s been rewarding for our children who we homeschool – they’ve learnt to be resourceful, and capable with a great appreciation for native flora and fauna.
Our off grid life has brung resilience in hard times –
During covid we were ok without income, shops, or services. And have been able to live long stretches without any income at all.
Its feels like freedom – but its tainted by the feeling that we are being pushed out of the wilderness.
1080
In the 8 years we have lived here we have been subjected to 3 1080 drops.
When 1080 is dropped a constant succession of helicopters surround our home, coming again and again. The loud drum of engines last for days at a time, choppers constantly dropping buckets of poison on the land around us.
I worry that 1080 dust is carried into our garden and into our water from air drift. I’m concerned for health.
The first year, before 1080 was dropped, there were possums, goats and deer. But I was struck by how little bird life there was in our remote bush setting. I recall just the one tui that would perch itself at the edge of the hill and we would lean into its song we heard from a distance. There were kiwi, morepork and one kea coming to visit us occasionally. I later learned that a few decades back kea had been prolific in the area. We have even spotted bats on a few occasions. But compared to the dry grasslands of Canterbury the bird life is much less than we had expected.
Predator free nz offered a water tank that first year, so we wouldn’t have to rely on our stream which ran in front of our home. The stream where the children played, where our animals drank, and where we collected water for bathing. The choppers were dropping on the peaks above us.
I was concerned about down stream contamination. I deterred the children from their play and some people suggested covering our roof and blocking our collection pipes till the poisoning was over.
When the first drop was due we were sent a topographic map of the 1080 drop zone – This area was marked in red apart for a white lollipop shape in the middle. The lollipop represented our property and the road in. Yes we were literally surrounded by 1080 helicopters flying all around us. It felt terrifying and threatening, me up there alone in the bush with 4 kids. It felt like we were under military attack. I learned that people in town said we might even die.
Our road in had a ‘danger poison’ sign posted at the entrance warning others not to enter. We had to travel this road and we also had to walk it. I recall walking out with the children. There were green pellets everywhere and I had to tell the kids not to touch them.
After the drop there was a significant decrease in bird activity.
With 2 more subsequent drops – not only do we not see possum…we don’t see deer either. And now due to scarcity of game we can’t hunt. There had once been deer at every trip in and out of the forest – and now it’s rare to see them. The bush is quiet – not a bird, not an insect. It’s appears that biodiversity is being wiped out at every level.
Food Security
What with rising food prices in nz. I see Families struggling to feed themselves healthily if at all. So why is wild game being culled like this?
Hunting deer is a viable source of food for all. Instead of treating game like a pest to eradicate, our government should be respecting game as an essential food supply. All New Zealanders should have the right to hunt. But no one can safely hunt in poisoned forests.
This Backcountry Life
For about 2 years now I’ve been running a page called This Backcountry Life. Initiated to encourage nature connectivity, living self-sufficiently, growing food and homeschooling children.
I write about our life in the bush, encouraging appreciation for nature and speaking on how 1080 is impacting bush biodiversity.
My interest in fighting 1080 has increased the more I have observed first hand. Like when I hiked the Heaphy last year and heard about a 1080 drop, dumped right where rare Takahe had been introduced. 10 Takahe were released but only around 5 survived the drop. Our group spotted just 3.
A friend recommended I make contact with an amazing fellow who I interviewed for This Backcountry life. – Laurie collins, Laurie an ex deer culler now in his 80s., was involved with 1080 in the early days when he worked for DOC. He hated it then and has been speaking out ever since. Laurie was a key researcher for the documentary “poisoning paradise”.
Mad Fm
I wanted Lauries message to travel far so I connected with friends who are starting up a radio station called Mad Fm. Their intent is to speak out about important issues, giving common folk a platform to voice concerns.
I discussed my interviews with Laurie and invited MadFm to get involved. In the past month MAD FM has done around 6 hours of recording with Laurie – gathering his stories. He has a lot of shocking first hand accounts with 1080 poisoning including dissections of possum, and the killing of birds, game, and bees – together with Madfm we wish to produce a series of Lauries accounts for broadcast.
Last weekend we had the crew up home, sharing kai and creating footage with Laurie – this is to be published by mad fm, This Backcountry Life and also shared with Flora and Fauna NZ.
I intend to continue speaking further Old Timer Bushfolk – gathering first hand stories – speaking out about 1080.
Gene technology Bill
Other areas that I’ve been working on include making a short video showcasing Mary Hobb’s submission against the Gene technology bill. A horrendous bill which will allow unknown consequences through the manipulation of dna in nz, The repercussions will be irreversible – I believe this to be a very dangerous bill.
In addition, I see further threat to food safety with the raising of Glyphosate levels on our food.
Foraging
Living in the bush and with my background in herbal medicine and naturopathy – I wanted to expand my knowledge of plants in the bush. I wanted to know what we could eat and use as medicine should we ever be caught out. My angle was bush survival.
In 2020- 22 I began to teach bush foraging and medicine. Travelling and teaching in forests around nz.
As the economic climate tightens, I’m seeing a growing popularity in foraging. The need for such knowledge has increased, as many people are suffering for lack of access to good food. But when forests, roadsides, beaches, ditches, farms, parks are poisoned – how can one safely forage?
I would love to see councils cease this harmful practice and instead plant out wild verges with food and fruit trees – allowing for insect highways and safe opportunities for foraging.
Food Sovereignty
Hunger is rising, in 2023 World Vision added Nz to one of the world’s poorest countries.
Nz People are choosing between feeding their kids and heating their homes. To address this issue I presented before Buller council this week in a speech detailing the degree of poverty, and challenging our local council’s plan to hike the rates. Which will put further pressure on its citizens.
With 73% of Buller community in a state of severe financial hardship there has been evident increased need for support. Families seek to regain control over the food they eat. People are hungry, forced to eat cheap/nutrient poor food.
My desire is to seek solutions to hunger. In this line I will soon be moving into an opportunity to teach ‘Food Sovereignty’ here on the coast. Reaching those most in need.
Areas of focus will be – hunting, fishing, foraging, growing, raising farm animals, and preserving. Nutritional needs and how we can mindfully get the best from our food.
However, the majority of these focus areas are affected by 1080 and toxic sprays.
Our government needs to recognise that its policy for poisoning habitats is destroying important flora and fauna. Flora and Fauna which could solve the problem of hunger for New Zealand citizens.
You can find Averil over at This Backcountry Life on Facebook, sharing important tips and thoughts on off-grid family life, resilience and much more.