Sign In / Register
Kai Iwi Lakes and its surrounding areas have officially been declared wild deer free.
Northland Regional Council’s Kaipara general ward councillor John Blackwell says following the illegal release of about 30 known fallow deer in 2014, the last known sighting of a wild deer in the area (subsequently caught) was in 2019.
“To claim eradication means that we’ve had to survey an almost 20,000 hectare Kai Iwi Lakes project area with a fine-tooth comb, no mean feat given it stretches the coastline, from Aranga Beach to north of Baylys Beach, with an inland boundary at State Highway 12,” Blackwell said.
“Cutting edge tools and proven methodologies had enabled the search to be done efficiently. Thermal drones, deer and scat (faeces) indicator dogs, trail cameras and public sightings have all come back with ‘zero’ wild deer, which is fantastic.”
“This work is important because even a few deer means that the population can quickly bounce back, undoing years of conservation gains in our forests and wetlands.”
Councillor Blackwell says the project will now move into a low-impact monitoring phase and rely on public reporting to ensure the Kai Iwi Lakes area remains wild deer free.
Deer are selective browsers that graze on native vegetation, disrupting ecosystems and leading to poor regeneration of the forests. Their over browsing and trampling can also lead to soil erosion.
As part of the project, additional ungulate (hoofed mammal) control was also carried out around the lakes, working with Kaipara District Council, surrounding landowners and Te Roroa.
A total of 26 feral goats and several feral pigs were removed from a small area surrounding the lakes.
The wild deer free Kai Iwi Lakes project is part of the regional Wild Deer Free Northland programme, a joint initiative between the Northland Regional Council and the Department of Conservation.
Anyone who sees or hears wild deer is asked to report it on 0800 FIND DEER (0800 346 333) or email the team on wilddeerteam@nrc.govt.nz
