Warren Begley and his family run two restaurants in Ōtautahi Christchurch – Tutto Bene and Formaggio’s – and they are also passionate environmentalists who support a range of conservation projects in the region. As Begley says, without the natural world, they would have no business, so, in his view, it is the most important stakeholder. The collaboration between the restaurants and the Ōtamahua Quail Island Ecological Restoration Project, which trust chair Ian McClellan says is a small attempt to right the wrongs of the past, is consistent with this ethos of kaitiakitanga or guardianship across time. “We have no right to operate if we can’t manage our footprint to the very best of our abilities,” Begley says. “My message is think about legacy, think about the future beyond your life, think long-term and find a conservation project that’s important to you and support it. The reward will be immense, beyond your imagination. And be ambitious … The most important thing you can hand on to your children is the natural world – in the same or better condition than you received it.”

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