$3.2m committed to help make Wellington predator free

Tuesday, 7 August 2018

About 70,000 households will be targeted in a push to make Wellington predator free.

Wellington has been called the city of craft beer, coffee and the 'urban trapper' at a funding announcement to make the city entirely predator free.

But residents are expected to get some predator blood on their hands to achieve that goal.

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage on Wednesday said urban trapping had become a 'cultural identity' in Wellington.

'[There's] and upsurge of interest … people can see it's really making a difference.'

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Predator Free 2050 say it's not a dream anymore, and have committed a $3.27 million funding boost to Predator Free Wellington and Capital Kiwi over five years.

70,000 households are part of the target, and a council chairman said every family needs a trap.

The plan is to eradicate pests from Miramar Peninsula, to the South-West corner of the greater Wellington landmass, and north to a boundary roughly aligning with the SH1 motorway through to the Porirua City boundary, an area of 30,000ha.

The target does not include Hutt Valley or Porirua City.

After the announcement Sage said everyone needed to be trapping.

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage at the Predator Free 2050 announcement to commit a $3.27 million funding boost to Predator Free Wellington and Capital Kiwi over five years.

Thousands of households were already part of the action, she said.

'[There's] an upsurge of interest … people can see it's really making a difference.'

There had been a huge growth in community groups showing enthusiasm, she said.

The Polhill Protectors, people out mountain biking checking the traps, and groups like the Predator Free Mt Vic were providing the traps.

Sage said Wellington already had the country's first predator free suburb, Crofton Downs.

Eventually, the dream was to see kiwi reintroduced into urban Wellington.

Capital Kiwi project leader Paul Ward said the city had become the home of 'craft beer, strong coffee and the urban trapper'.

When he grew up in Johnsonville all he saw was black birds and 'manky pigeons', he said.

Even five years ago, the goal to return the kiwi to the backyards of Wellington would have seemed ridiculous, he said.

'It's ambitious, but achievable.'

Greater Wellington Regional Council chairman Chris Laidlaw said the most important work started in backyards, and called it 'the first hit', to get the numbers down.

Ideally, every family would have a trap, he said.

Next year, they would start to target Island Bay and further afield, he said.

Wellington mayor Justin Lester said people had strongly indicated they wanted a predator free Wellington.

Thousands of households were already involved, backed by more than 120 community groups, he said.

'A predator-free Wellington will support the continued flourishing of other native species now present in Wellington City, including kākā, tieke, kārearea, kākāriki and little penguin.'

Predator Free 2050 CEO Ed Chignell said the goal was 'not a pipedream'.

'[The funding] over the five years means the world's first predator free capital is within reach.'

Predator Free 2050 Limited is a Government-owned charitable company established to support co-funding arrangements to rid New Zealand of introduced predators.

Predator Free Wellington and Capital Kiwi are just the third regional project to receive funding.