The Government has added feral cats to New Zealand's Predator Free 2050 goal to protect wildlife and support communities.

Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says people want reserves, beaches and bush tracks full of birds, not predators, and this change is meant to back that up.

Feral cats are found across the country, from farms to forests, and they put heavy pressure on native birds, bats, lizards and insects.

They also spread toxoplasmosis, which harms dolphins, affects people, and costs farmers through lost stock.

A review of the Predator Free Strategy drew nearly 3,400 submissions, with more than 90 percent backing stronger feral cat control. “New Zealanders were clear. They want action,” Mr Potaka says.

Adding feral cats to the Predator Free 2050 target list will:

• Support national coordination of feral cat control
• Let Predator Free groups apply for funding to target feral cats
• Boost research into effective and humane tools and technology
• Strengthen efforts to protect threatened species

Examples already show the damage.

More than 100 short-tailed bats were lost in a week near Ohakune, and pukunui/southern dotterel on Stewart Island came close to extinction.

Pet cats are not part of the target.

Mr Potaka says the country is full of proud cat owners, and that desexing, microchipping and keeping pets away from wildlife still matter.

For communities such as the Hibiscus Coast, the move means local predator projects can seek stronger backing to protect birdlife in favourite reserves and coastal spots, with more detail due in a revised Predator Free Strategy in March 2026.

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