SAVING THE ORCHIDS

Finding Ōtari conservation and science advisor Dr Karin van der Walt and research technician Jennifer Alderton-Moss is a bit of a mission. The pair work from a small cottage behind Ōtari's plant nursery, hidden from visitors who wander the trails exploring New Zealand's single largest collection of native plants.

Yet they are delighted to have this laboratory. Until recently they'd been squashed into a portacom. Community funding plus an Environment and Heritage Lotteries grant enabled them to move and equip what is