John Cullen (police officer)

John Cullen ISO KPM (28 March 1850 – 26 October 1939) was a New Zealand police officer and commissioner. He was born in Glenfarne, County Leitrim, Ireland.[1]

John Cullen was the first warden of Tongariro National Park and in 1912, he introduced heather to the park[2] to provide cover for game birds such as grouse, which had been introduced for recreational hunting. The introduction of game birds was an attempt to attract more visitors to the park, however the grouse could not live in the climate of the area. The heather, on the other hand, thrived and is now considered a pest, with conservationists trying to eradicate it.[3]

References
  1. Hill, Richard S. "John Cullen". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. "New National Highway". New Zealand Herald. 6 March 1917. p. 6. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  3. Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Cullen, John". www.teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 November 2016.


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