Predator eradication project on Stewart Island gets momentum boost

Thursday, 2 May 2019

Bridget Carter, project manager for Predator Free Rakiura.

An ambitious project to wipe out all the predators on Stewart Island has received a boost from the Provincial Growth Fund.

The Government has committed $100,000 to fund the salary of a manager for the Predator Free Rakiura [Stewart Island] project for a year, though it was unlikely all the money would be needed.

Bridget Carter, who has the job, said Stewart Island was the 'bomb' for wildlife and wilderness and she wanted to help protect it for the future.

No-one was sure if it was possible to make Stewart Island predator free, but she would work with a raft of people and agencies and look at new pest eradication technology which could be trialled on the island.

* Invercargill CBD big winner from Provincial Growth Fund

* Stewart Island residents back DOC's plan to get rid of feral cats**

'We are still in the early stages, working out if it is possible … rather than being at the stage where we are doing the predator removal,' she said.

The Predator Free Rakiura group she works for has multiple representatives including from Ngai Tahu, Department of Conservation, Environment Southland, Southland District Council, Rakiura Titi Islands Administering Body and hunting, fishing and business interests.

Among her main drivers to succeed was to protect Stewart Island's bird life and once again have Kakapo living there.

Stewart Island was a home for Kakapo before they were removed to pest-free islands due to feral cat predation.

'There could be Kakapo if we got rid of the predators.'

Many of the titi islands around Stewart Island were already rat free, so a next step was to secure Stewart Island from rats so they couldn't swim to those islands, she said.

The Predator Free Rakiura project has been going for five years.

'Now we have reached the stage where we are keen to get focused and get the funding and expertise in to help us work through the technical challenges.'

Carter, originally from Tasmania, moved from the Coromandel Peninsula to Stewart Island with her young family to work for DOC, and fell in love with the island so stayed there.

Numerous groups and organisations were already doing pest control on the island, with Carter saying she hoped the Predator Free Rakiura group could work with them to determine 'if pest control could turn to pest removal'.

'We know this is really hard and this is a long game, but there are so many people that want to see this happen'.

Predator Free Rakiura chairman Paul Norris said the Provincial Growth Fund money meant Carter could be employed on a one-year contract and give the project momentum.

He reiterated that no-one knew if it would be possible to remove all pests from the island, but said technology around pest eradication was improving each year.

'We have got a technical working group looking at methods of pest eradication,' he said.

'They might come to the end of that and say it's feasible or they might say the technology doesn't support the viability of it.'

A Southland District Council spokesman said the Provincial Growth Fund money was originally for a fulltime role but Carter was doing 15 hours a week so there was no intention to spend all the $100,000 if not necessary.

# Southland projects approved for Provincial Growth Fund funding so far:

- Hokonui Huanui [Community Networking Trust], $2,100,000, 18/04/2019

- Maruawai precinct project [Hokonui Heritage Centre Trust and Gore District Council], $1,648,000.

- Southland Action Plan - Southland Story, Southland Destination Strategy and Bluff Oyster World, [Environment Southland], $18,000.

- Milford Highway Fibre Connection [Crown Infrastructure Partners], $12m.

- Invercargill inner city development [HWCP Management Limited], $995,000.

- Sheep and Goat feasibility*nationwide programme [NZ Food Innovation/Food South], $490,000.

- Southland Hatchery and Nursery feasibility [Environment Southland] $424,976.

- Water: People Water and Land Strategy Pilot [Southland Regional Council], $300,000.

- Rail Freight Opportunities - South Port [KiwiRail], $250,000.

- Programme Manager - Predator Free Stewart Island [Southland District Council], $100,000.

- Southland Story Development [Venture Southland], $18,000.