Momentum is building in a small island community in Auckland’s upper harbour to rid its shores of pests.
Since September 2017, 126 of Herald Island’s 275 households – along with its six reserves – now have predator traps that are regularly monitored and cleared.
“The aim is to bring back the native birds and their song,” says long-time resident and spokesperson for the Herald Island Environmental Group Jan Diprose.
“Our island makes up an important section within the North-West Wildlink corridor, so we want to pull our weight and do our bit to bring back morepork, tūī, kererū and other amazing native birds to the island.”
“Achieving this means eradicating the pests that prey on them,” says Diprose.
“We’d like to get everyone here on the island on board, but understand that some people aren’t fond of killing animals, including rats, and get squeamish at the thought of clearing and cleaning traps,” she says.
“For those people, we are here to help with those less pleasant aspects.”
Upper Harbour Local Board member Nicholas Mayne says efforts on the island are tremendous and the result of effective collaboration and empowerment.
“The Herald Island Environmental Group has done a fantastic job of working with their community to improve their local ecology,” says Mayne.
“Outside of their local community, the group works with restoration partners like Gecko Trust, Auckland University, Kaipātiki Project and the Upper Harbour Ecology Network."
"Upper Harbour Local Board provides funding to the Ecology Network to enable and support community initiatives just like this one,” he says.
“By partnering with the Ecology Network, we’re empowering our community to make decisions tailored to improving their local environment and creating a healthier and happier community.”
Find out more
To find out more, or have your property added to the predator control zone, contact Jan Diprose at jjdiprose@xtra.co.nz.
