documentaries, a song, news, and other stories...

Okarito Boat Ecotours continuously strive to share the stories of wetlands, conservation and this unique environment...following are just a few of the features they have been highlighted in, helping to raise awareness and care for our wetlands.

Documentary:  Birds on the Brink - Can New Zealand escape a conservation crisis before it's too late? | 101 East/Al Jazeera
Participation in this documentary was an extraordinary experience to help speak to the world about protecting the bird life of the area with the ZIP South Westland program.  Paula and Swade very willingly spent 8 hours on the water with this team and are included in this 20 minute documentary at the introduction and final 5 minute section. 
While a “science based” documentary, the connection for us as owner/operators who live here is the connection with nature that we can provide to the general public - it is this “connection” that can lead others to take action, both here and abroad in their own environments.

Okarito Ways - An international collaboration:  Song & video for wetlands protection
Paula and Swade donated a week of boat time plus editing time to assist a UK based singer/songwriter to help fulfil his wish of launching his recent song along with video from Okarito.  The song/video are a plea to people around the world to help protect their wetlands.  Paula sent raw video to the UK team and Okarito Boat Tours helped to promote the song/video through their channels as a contribution to raising awarenes of and for the protection of wetlands.  Over 90% of NZ's wetlands have been compromised or lost - Okarito is the largest unmodified, and still in its original state, yet its waterways are wholly unprotected....
 Okarito Ways,  by Larry Mindel  video footage by Paula Sheridan & friend Rina Sjardin Thompson all recorded via the Explorer Douglas, Okarito Boat Tours June/July 2021

“Okarito - an Ancient and Pristine Wetland” a short "Frank Film" by Gerard Smythe
After touring with Okarito Boat Tours, a Christchurch journalist referred one documentary filmmaker to us to help promote awareness of the fragility of wetlands - specifically Okarito.
Gerard Smythe filmed  this short “Frank Film“ with Okarito Boat Tours in May of 2021.