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Pest Free Dairy Flat and Waitoki is the latest group to join the nationwide Predator Free 2050 movement.
With a name change, some funding, and burgeoning community engagement, founder Anne-Marie Hopkins said the group is gaining traction in its effort to eradicate pests and revegetate rural properties.
When Hopkins found that her new home in Waitoki was overrun with possums, she contacted local pest free groups for guidance, but found they were already at capacity and unable to help. So, she did a trapping course to tackle her own property and then joined forces with Olaf Jones and Roberta Mek to coordinate local efforts (Hibiscus Matters, July 1).
Three months later, the trio has secured funding from the Dairy Flat Community Trust. The trust was established by Waste Management NZ as required by the consent they received for the Redvale Landfill. The trust provides grants to individuals and groups within the Dairy Flat community. Hopkins said the funding will enable the group to supply subsidised traps to Dairy Flat and Waitoki residents.
The group negotiated with manufacturers to secure lower cost traps and plans to offer them as a bundle, based on advice from trapping experts. A standard bundle designed for a four hectare lifestyle block will include traps for mustelids, possums and rats. Hopkins says the group will also be able to provide variations on the bundle, but priority will be given to landholders who commit to the programme.
At the end of October, the group held an official launch at the Dairy Flat Community Hall. Hopkins engaged speakers from Pest-Free West Rodney, Auckland Council, and Mountains to Sea. This provided the opportunity for residents to learn about their options for trapping and predator control, as well as understanding more about the biodiversity and ecology of the area. The launch attracted more than 60 residents..
“It was such a great evening, connecting us with the passion we all have for nature, and just so lovely to meet everyone,” Hopkins says. “There’s a lot of work involved in establishing a group like this, so the energy and level of interest at the launch was very much appreciated.
“Regardless of the name Pest Free Dairy Flat and Waitoki, we won’t be stopping at trapping. Restoring the environment to support native birds means also giving them a safe place to rest, nest and feed.”
The existing pockets of native bush in Dairy Flat and Waitoki are only a small proportion of the land that the group is targeting. The group hopes to plant native bush on surplus land and stream margins to enhance local ecosystems. Hopkins says it will also bring other benefits such as improving soil quality, stopping erosion, flood control and resilience.
Hopkins says the next step is to secure funding or subsidies for this work. Though there are subsidies for riparian margin planting, Hopkins says they are for the Kaipara catchment and not for the Waitemata catchment.
“Why is that? We see a huge opportunity to replant large swathes of Dairy Flat, particularly the tributaries of the Rangatopuni stream, with native bush. A significant barrier to starting is cost, but a subsidised approach will gain interest and momentum,” Hopkins says.
The group also needs more volunteers to coordinate the administrative efforts involved in making these projects a reality. Hopkins says the community needs something similar to Restore Rodney East, a group that supports a network of ecological groups involved in trapping and replanting.
“They offer centralised support in areas like fundraising, social media, liaison between themselves and other groups, training, workshops and so on. For some reason, no such group currently exists in the Dairy Flat area.
“We are breaking the 7700 hectare target area into smaller hubs that can function largely autonomously. We need volunteers to coordinate these and help run local workshops.”
To find out more, look for Pest Free Dairy Flat on Facebook or email pestfreedairyflat@gmail.com
