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IN REMEMBRANCE  Betty Rowe - the loss of a champion
The New Zealand animal rights movement has lost one of its greatest members. Betty Rowe died in Blenheim on May 18th after suffering a stroke two weeks earlier. Born in the United States, Betty and husband Walt emigrated to New Zealand in the early seventies and settled to become sheep farmers on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Arapawa Island is also the home for the rare Arapawa goats, a species no longer found anywhere else in the world. As an introduced species, Arapawa goats were considered a pest and when the New Zealand Forest Service planned to kill the goats, Betty sprung into action in their defence. By lobbying, protest action and raising awareness, Betty managed to get the plight of the Arapawa goats on New Zealand's radar. Whilst not always succeeding in halting the kills, Betty managed to reduce their scale and preserve a viable population of the goats. Betty and Walt gave up farming and turned their farm into a sanctuary for the goats and many other animals. The Arapawa goats sparked Betty's interest in animal rights issues and she became a strong supporter of the movement.  Betty established alliances with a wide range of animal rights groups including SAFE. She inspired activists from all over the country and many visited Betty at her sanctuary on Arapawa Island. Betty also instilled respect for animals in many young people by encouraging school and youth group visits and even camping trips on her property.
SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek attended Betty's funeral service on behalf of SAFE and found that Betty was not only respected by animal campaigners but also by many other people in her community including some she fought her biggest battles with. "Betty's life offers us hope for the future," says Hans, "By changing her life from livestock farmer to vegan animal rights activist she showed that anything is possible. Her commitment and dedication to the animals in this country and her support to many young activists will be sorely missed".
 If you wish to make a donation towards the sanctuary you can send to:
Arapawa Wildlife Trust
Arapawa Wildlfie Sanctuary
Private Bag, Picton OR make deposit directly into their account:
Arapawa Rescue
38-9000-0223555-01
From Scoop:  One of the Marlborough Sounds most enduring and high profile people, Betty Rowe, died in Fairview Hospital, Blenheim, on 18 May 2008, aged 76.
Mrs Rowe, who originally came to the Sounds from the United States with her late husband Walt, spent 30 years fighting for the preservation of Arapawa Island's goats. Mrs Rowe suffered a stroke on Anzac Day and family and friends knew at that time the animal advocate was unlikely to return to her East Bay home that meant so much to her.
She fought long and hard to protect the Arapawa goats from shooters sent by the former New Zealand Forest Service and more recently the Department of Conservation. Mrs Rowe and rare breed societies worldwide believed the animals to be descended from old English goats released on the island by Captain Cook in 1773.
But the authorities have sent in shooters over the years to cull the goats to protect a scenic reserve containing important Cook Strait forest and plant species.
Mrs Rowe set up a sanctuary in East Bay for the goats.
Mrs Rowe is survived by her daughter Mary, sons Mitch and Roy, nine grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren.
Background Arapawa Island lies in the Queen Charlotte Sounds near Picton; it is a remote island that is home to the Arapawa Wildlife Sanctuary, run by an amazingly resilient and compassionate woman. Betty Rowe, 76, founded the 300-acre sanctuary with her husband Walt in the 1970s. The sanctuary is mostly fenced and the animals are free to roam. These unique animals are recognised as being endangered by the Rare Breeds Society and Betty comments that one of the main roles of the sanctuary is to raise people's awareness of calls for immediate species conservation. Many school and tourist groups also visit and Betty always emphasises the conservation message. When people arrive at the sanctuary they are met at the jetty by two friendly Arapawa goats, ‘Miracle' and her son ‘Merlin', eager to get to know the new arrivals. 
Walt sadly passed away three years ago, leaving Betty to manage the sanctuary by herself, although she does seek assistance from families and friends. "I cannot afford to hire anyone, so I rely on people who just want to come and help. Also, because I'm not getting any younger, I've cut down on things like the tourist parties." Betty recently established the Arapawa Trust, which will ensure that this marvellous sanctuary will have a secure and bright future.
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