Pest Control
Pest Control
Pest control remains an important part of our annual mahi and whānau volunteers are doing great mahi checking traps in our wāhi tapu at Ōkoki, Pohokura, Puketapu/Pukemiro and Te Urenui. Maruehi is now also included to protect nesting shorebirds. The traplines of our public spaces in Onaero Beachfront, Onaero Beach Reserve and Urenui estuary, Domain, Snapper Flats and golf course are maintained by community volunteers through NPDC. Mimi School are doing a great job at Wai-iti and at Paparoa KNE, it is a collaboration with both Ngāti Mutunga and the landowner who maintains the trap network onsite. Trapping at this site has been noticeably beneficial to the Oi colony we have been monitoring here for the past two seasons. Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga manage these projects through TrapNZ. Our newest traps to grow the coverage of both possum and mustelid control, have been provided by NPDC. Arapawanui and Wairoa are hoped to be added to this schedule during 2025 and Waitoetoe through a partnership with DOC.
Early February, each year, East Taranaki Environment Collective have the school leaders from NPBHS service their A24 and A12 trapping network in Pouiatoa as part of NPBHS mentoring programme. This year our Pou Taiao joined the day as a mentor, capturing the beauty of the place with some great photography. There is an abundance of birdlife and no shortage of extreme terrain.
Pest control wananga at Te upoko o te whenua marae
At the time of writing this report I have not yet attended this hui but I will be present and giving a brief kōrero of Ngāti Mutunga, our rohe and the mahi we are doing.