Hibiscus Coast residents have been asked to band together and help eradicate animal predators in the Long Bay-Awaruku catchment area.

The area falls under the Hibiscus Coast and borders Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve and Long Bay Regional Park.

The project fits under the Restore Hibiscus and Bays umbrella, which is community-led and supported by the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board. 

It brings individuals, community groups and organisations together to help pest eradication, restoration of native habitats and improve water quality in the local board area.

Restore Hibiscus and Bays Manager, Kelly Meikle, says this Awaruku project is the first stage of a predator eradication programme, to suppress predator populations in the catchment areas of Waiwera, Long Bay-Awaruku and Taiaotea-Rothesay Bay. 

Awaruku Predator Project’s Community Catchment Activator, Simon van den Berg, mapped out predator control lines and set up neighbourhood clusters to maintain traplines on private properties using the pulse method of eradication. 

The pulse method is set at intervals and is remarkably effective in controlling rats, possums and mustelids (stoats and ferrets). 

“Pulsing is targeted and takes place four times a year in February, April, August, and November. 

This time works best because it matches the breeding times of rats and native birds,” says Simon.

“Although the project is still in the early stages, we have already completed the bait pulse for April and installed four new traplines with more lines coming over the next few months. 

This puts us in a great position as our next bait pulse is in August. 

That gives us time to recruit and train more volunteers because as the saying goes ‘many hands make light work’.”

If you want to give back to your community, love the area you live in and want to get to know more people, then come and volunteer with Restore Hibiscus and Bays. 

They aim to meet the government’s plan for the complete removal of predators by 2050. 

Full training and equipment are provided plus ongoing support. 

Visit the Restore Hibiscus & Bays website or email Simon van den Berg at [email protected]