Fools and Dreamers: Regenerating a Native Forest

The incredible story of how degraded gorse-infested farmland has been regenerated back into beautiful New Zealand native forest over the course of 30 years. Fools & Dreamers: Regenerating a Native Forest is a 30-minute documentary about Hinewai Nature Reserve, on New Zealand’s Banks Peninsula, and its kaitiaki/manager of 30 years, botanist Hugh Wilson. When, in 1987, Hugh let the local community know of his plans to allow the introduced ‘weed’ gorse to grow as a nurse canopy to regenerate farmland into native forest, people were not only skeptical but outright angry – the plan was the sort to be expected only of “fools and dreamers”. Now considered a hero locally and across the country, Hugh oversees 1500 hectares resplendent in native forest, where birds and other wildlife are abundant and 47 known waterfalls are in permanent flow. He has proven without a doubt that nature knows best – and that he is no fool.

“Watch this natural Kiwi miracle: how the earth regenerates native bush if given half a chance.” – Bunny McDiarmid, Executive Director Greenpeace International “Fools and Dreamers tells the most important story of our time.” – Paul Hawken, founder Project Drawdown “This is an inspirational documentary.” – Dr Mike Joy, freshwater ecologist “A powerful ‘call to action’ for all of us to heed.” – Jonathon Porritt, Forum for the Future “Regenerating human rights can learn from nature: it takes ‘Fools and Dreamers’ to give life a chance….” – a personal message from Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International