What’s happening out there? Summer Edition

In this newsletter:

  • What we’re about
  • Upcoming events
  • Success so far
  • A case for the Tāwhiti Smartcage and trapping ferrets
  • Still need help? We can help.
  • A reminder about bait station placement.

What we’re about:

“Te Ara Hīkoi and Predator Free Franklin aim to make sustainable native biodiversity gains in the wider Franklin area by empowering and motivating community groups who share our kaupapa to coordinate local initiatives, and by providing training and employment opportunities in conservation for local residents, especially mana whenua.”

Predator Free Franklin is the support system for all community groups conducting predator control in the wider Franklin area. Through a few dedicated coordinators, Predator Free Franklin has a role in supporting community groups to continue and improve their mahi, and we help set up new groups to fill in the gaps. We facilitate collaborations and connections between local residents, volunteers, iwi, Council and contractors. If you’d like to be connected with your local predator control group, or would like to set one up in your area, please get in touch!

Email pestcontrol@predatorfreefranklin.nz.

Upcoming events:

Please note this is by no means a complete list of upcoming events! There are plenty more being organised across Franklin. Keep an eye on local Facebook pages, publications and www.predatorfreefranklin.nz to keep up to date with events in your area. We also have a dedicated Facebook page which is regularly updated with the latest locally relevant news, tips and upcoming events.

If you have a Franklin-based predator-free event that you’d like us to help advertise, email it through to pestcontrol@predatorfreefranklin.nz.

February:

18th – Waiuku Trap Library open, Waiuku Zero Waste, 2-4pm

March:
12th – Farrell’s Nursery Bait and Trap Day, Pukekohe, 9am – 1pm

15th – Ecofest begins! Keep an eye online for the month-long series of workshops and events across Auckland. www.ecofest.org.nz

16th – Ararimu Bait and Trap Day, Ararimu Hall, 9am – 11am

17th – Waiuku Trap Library open, Waiuku Zero Waste, 2-4pm

April:
9th – Farrell’s Nursery Bait and Trap Day, Pukekohe, 9am – 1pm

21st – Waiuku Trap Library open, Waiuku Zero Waste, 2-4pm

27th – Drury Bait and Trap Day, Drury Community Library, 9am – 11am

May:
4th – Kawakawa Bay Market Bait and Trap Day, Kawakawa Bay Hall, 10am – 12pm

14th – Farrell’s Nursery Bait and Trap Day, Pukekohe, 9am – 1pm

19th – Waiuku Trap Library open, Waiuku Zero Waste, 2-4pm

June:

11th – Farrell’s Nursery Bait and Trap Day, Pukekohe, 9am – 1pm

16th – Waiuku Trap Library open, Waiuku Zero Waste, 2-4pm

July:

9th – Farrell’s Nursery Bait and Trap Day, Pukekohe, 9am – 1pm

21st – Waiuku Trap Library open, Waiuku Zero Waste, 2-4pm

Successes:

We welcome new groups in Paerata Rise, Karaka and Mangatangi/Maramarua Catchment.

We’ve hit another milestone in catch numbers!

Franklin-wide, since we started recording catch via trap.nz in late 2017, we’ve surpassed 40,000 predators eradicated, including more than 12,000 possums, over 1,000 ferrets and nearly 900 feral cats. If you aren’t recording your catch data on trap.nz yet, get into it! These numbers are crucial to build a picture of what’s happening out there and strengthens our funding applications to ensure we can continue to deliver a high level of service to communities.

Thanks to your generous donations, since 1 January 2023 we have received $4,301.60 from those that have received predator control materials, which will go towards further materials to continue to support our communities across Franklin. Donations can be made to

Te Ara Hikoi Trust
12-3023-0111364-00

For donations over $5, email accounts@tearahikoi.nz and we can supply a tax invoice.

A case for the Tāwhiti Smartcage and trapping ferrets:

Of the 294 ferrets caught across Franklin since January 2023, 224 have been caught in our Tāwhiti Smartcages. One property has caught 50 ferrets in their smartcage, 2 in a DOC250, and 1 in a DOC200.

In this trail camera footage, at 1:30, you can see a ferret caught in a DOC250 that wakes up and backs out.

Need we say more? If you want to catch a ferret, you need to be live trapping. They also catch a myriad of other predators while waiting for another ferret to waltz into a trap.

HOWEVER, if live trapping isn’t for you, a DOC200 trap is a good alternative. Doing something is always better than nothing. If you’ve tried a DOC200, and struggle with the spring strength, you may like to consider the F-Bomb, a new mustelid kill-trap on the market that is much more ergonomic and easier to set. We have kindly been gifted one of these to show at our bait and trap events on the Eastern side of Franklin, so keep an eye out if you’re interested in this. https://rewild.nz/product/f-bomb/

Predators caught in live traps since January 2023:

You can purchase live cages online or through a farming store, or support us by purchasing via our website: www.predatorfreefranklin.nz

Any live cage, legally, must be checked within 12 hours of sunrise. Our Smartcages work via a sensor which alerts the owner to a catch in the trap via email, thus eliminating the need to physically check the trap daily. This makes predator control suddenly much more time effective.

Alongside the heightened success rate of catching ferrets, it’s a no brainer. What are you waiting for?

Still need help? We can help.

Te Ara Hīkoi have been lucky to receive funding via the Department of Conservation’s Jobs For Nature programme. With this money, local rangatahi have been employed to offer a free service in helping to set up effective predator control on your property and give advice on trapping methods. Staff can help install bait lines, educate on trap.nz use, and show you how the Tāwhiti Smartcages work.

If you would like to enquire as to whether your property may be a candidate for support, please email the programme manager:

Colin Pukeiti
colin.pukeiti@tearahikoi.nz

02041838226

A gentle reminder about bait station placement.

Bait stations are used to house poisons, designed to kill a target species. In our case, the target species are rats and possums. When installing or reviewing your bait station network, please do so with non-target species in mind.

  • Can children get to it?
  • Can curious cows reach it?
  • Is it safe from the dogs?
  • Is the bait storage dry and in an enclosed container like a bucket?

Use your noggin and keep the things we value safe. Baiting predators keeps our birds, bats, lizards, plants and insects safe. Appropriate bait station placement keeps our kids, stock and pets safe.

We’ll leave you with this quote:

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing, because he could only do a little.
– Edmund Burke

From the team at Predator Free Franklin, a huge, huge thank you for your support, Franklin. Our native biodiversity thanks you for your efforts too!

Happy Trapping!

info@predatorfreefranklin.nz

News from Friends of Te Wairoa

Kia ora to all Friends of the Wairoa River Catchment!

In this newsletter we have two stories – concerning ferrets (quite concerning), and concerning willows (contrastingly positive!).

Concerning Ferrets
Wairoa River catchment records for January…

  • 8 ferrets trapped in one week on Lockwood Road. 9 ferrets from this property in total this month, and one stoat.
  • 8 ferrets caught this month on Ponga Road – that we know about.
  • 2 ferrets snagged on McGregor Road.
  • 1 ferret ensnared in Paparimu.
  • 1 ferret hit by a car on Papakura-Clevedon Road, one at the Hunua/Gelling Road intersection, and one at the Hunua/Heald Road intersection.
  • 2 stoats trapped on Monument Road.
  • Ferrets sighted across Hunua and Paparimu, and some in Clevedon, during January 2024.
  • Mustelid sign, e.g. disappearing poultry, also reported across the catchment.

In conclusion… The catch numbers are high from just a few active trappers. The destruction caused by one of these animals is devastating. Do you have any catch data or sightings to add? Please email them in to us so that we can build a picture of where they are.

To get the better of this population we all need to do our bit – read on.

January and February are the best months for trapping mustelids (ferrets and stoats) as the young leave the dens in packs and are naive to the dangers that traps pose. At this stage, the young females will already be pregnant, so to trap them before they give birth is crucial. As they hang around in packs, you can often trap the entire litter within a week – as achieved by our trapper on Lockwood Road!

The best trap for successfully trapping mustelids is a double-ended live trap. These can be bought online, from predatorfreefranklin.nz or farming stores, or hired locally from Pet & Paddock in Clevedon. A double ended live trap has two open doors, one at either end, with a treadle in the middle that when triggered, closes both doors. This gives the illusion to predators entering the trap that it is safe and there is a way out (i.e. not a dead end). If live trapping isn’t your cup of tea, try a DoC200 or F-bomb trap (particularly useful for those who struggle with setting a DoC200).

Place the trap in a sheltered place, next to a retaining wall or under a flax bush, or near the chicken run. Use fish skin, rabbit or possum meat, or some scraps from your dinner meat to bait the trap and lure them in – they are attracted to protein.

Once caught in a live trap, shooting is the most humane option to deal with the animal. A high-powered air rifle will do the trick and does not require a gun license, or a good relationship with a neighbour who has a license will help.

Once the deed is done, rub the body of the animal over the trap to transfer the scented oils and draw any other mustelids in the area into the trap. If you have a garage freezer, consider saving the body for research. Double bag the body, write on it the address it was caught at and the date, and pop it in the freezer. Contact us to arrange pickup or drop-off ASAP. The research will analyse DNA and other metrics to better understand the local populations, and thus devise better methods for eradicating them from Aotearoa.

And finally, don’t forget to send your catch data through to pestcontrol@tewairoa.org.nz or enter it into trap.nz. A massive thankyou to those who are regularly reporting catch tallies via the trap.nz app. You’re welcome to email any catch data since 1 July 2023 to me to upload on your behalf, so that we can ensure our records are as accurate as possible and reflect our work, and provide accountability to our funders who allow us to purchase predator control gear to distribute. It is vital to build a picture of what we are trapping and where, so that we can better support communities as a whole and continue to motivate each other in this marathon to get to Predator Free 2050.

Concerning Willows: a personal story to start 2024.

With the crack willow eradication campaign well underway now, we thought it time to remove Willow’s willows (if you know, you know…). Our reasoning was two-fold – to lead by example, and to give the methods a shot and make sure we could make them work. So, just before Christmas my sister and I headed down the hill to the stream, armed with an electric drill and a 10mm drill bit, a spare battery, and some glyphosate, undiluted in a spray bottle labelled ‘TOXIN’, with the nozzle set to jet.

From the driveway looking down, it was easy to spot the lush green foliage of the willows in the stream. We made a beeline through the undergrowth towards them and found the culprits relatively easily. The problem they create was clear – these were old trees with multiple trunks. At some point, those trunks had weakened and split apart, yet continued growing. One tree had become five trees, and where the now horizontal trunks dipped into the soil, each connection had grown further roots. A willow that Willow had chopped into logs and left where they lay, had rooted from the logs and was ready to continue growing. See in the image below the healthy red willow roots growing on the trunk and infiltrating the stream sediment.

Upon finding the main trunk of a willow, Melle drilled a 5cm deep hole low down on a downwards angle and a little to the side, rather than straight into the core. I then followed with the spray bottle and filled the hole with glyphosate, being careful to spill as little as possible. We wanted to contain the toxin in the tree so that it’s use was targeted, as we were well aware any toxin is not something to take lightly in the environment. Melle would then drill the next hole a hand’s width from the last one, and I would fill that too until we had drilled and filled holes all around the trunk.

It took us about 1.5 hours to drill and fill 13 trees. The main delays were avoiding filling our gumboots with swamp water or ending up face down in it, and the drilling itself. We found that willows are quite soft, so the drill bit often got clogged and needed to be wiped clean once or twice for each hole we made. After a misjudged step, I did find myself on my backside at one point in a fit of giggles, but these moments make the experience fun and filled with memories, rather than a chore!

We found some neat pockets in amongst the willows on our bush bashing journey. At one point I looked up and found a very large clump of native orchids, Earina aestivalis, growing on a branch. Biodiversity is all around us, if we just keep our eyes peeled. And it’s worth protecting.

So now when you drive Hunua Road between Gelling Road and Paparimu, take note that the iconic Willow’s willows are dying or dead (see the yellow foliage in the image below). We’ll have to plant something else iconic in their place – maybe some kahikatea to hold the banks, since there’s some remnant forest further upstream!

Watch this video for why we want to eradicate willows from the Wairoa River, and how to do it yourself. Next year, we hope to progress on the project and amp it up in scale, getting some further assistance for residents.

Upcoming events:
In 2024, we will be holding a volunteer/open day at the community nursery on the second Wednesday of each month from 8.30am – 10.30am. Find us on the right up the driveway next to Art Industry on the Clevedon main street.

  • 14 February
  • 13 March
  • 10 April
  • 8 May
  • 12 June
  • 10 July
  • 14 August
  • 11 September
  • 9 October
  • 13 November
  • 11 December

The community nursery welcomes locals to come and purchase plants for their property, at $2 each. Contact info@tewairoa.org.nz to visit the nursery by appointment, or pop in during one of our open mornings.
Together, we are working towards restoring the mauri of the awa. We’d like to thank you all for your ongoing support of the mahi we do. It’s what keeps that ball rolling forward.

Happy trapping and planting,

Lenny van Heugten
Communications and Predator Control Co-ordinator
Friends of Te Wairoa
info@tewairoa.org.nz

News from Friends of Te Wairoa

Kia ora to all Friends of the Wairoa River Catchment!

Friends of Te Wairoa are closing off on a highly successful year. We have continued to work with you, the landowners, to collectively improve the health of the Wairoa River. Bit by bit we make a difference, as we provide education opportunities and physical resources to arm you with the tools needed for ecosystem restoration.

Our crack willow eradication programme has begun, and we are encouraging residents to deal to any trees on their property. Crack willows can regrow from any broken pieces. Fallen branches block the waterways and continue growing, creating dams and diverting waterflow, leading to erosion and increased flooding risk. Watch this video for why we want to eradicate the willows, and how to do it yourself. Next year, we hope to progress on the project and amp it up in scale, getting some further assistance for residents.

The Hūnua Halo is going from strength to strength, as more and more properties that border the Hūnua Ranges undertake predator control in order to protect the taonga species that reside within the forest. We have been working with other community groups to extend this concept around the entire Ranges, to reduce reinvasion of predators from surrounding farmland.

A massive thankyou to those who are regularly reporting catch tallies via the trap.nz app. It really helps to efficiently keep track of what’s happening out there. You’re welcome to email any catch data since 1 July 2023 to me to upload on your behalf, so that we can ensure our records are as accurate as possible and reflect our work, and provide accountability to our funders who allow us to purchase predator control gear to distribute.

Christmas is on its way, and we have a challenge for you. This year, we challenge you to give back to the whenua. Here are some ideas:

  • Plan a low-waste celebration, by choosing locally made gifts with little packaging
  • Re-use wrapping paper or wrap gifts using fabric or scarves
  • Make Christmas cards with a personal touch by using cut outs from advertising material and previous years cards
  • Buy a native tree to use as a Christmas tree, and then plant it on your land. You could build a small forest of native ex-Christmas trees if you pick up this tradition!
  • Ensure food scraps are composted, to help replenish our top soils that have eroded away or been depleted this year.
  • Check and rebait your traps and bait stations before going away. Remember to unset any live traps on your property.
  • If you head into the water, take a bucket to pick up some beach or stream-side rubbish while you’re there.

Upcoming events:

In 2024, we will be holding a volunteer day at the community nursery on the second Wednesday of the month from 8.30am. Find us on the right up the driveway next to Art Industry on the Clevedon main street.

  • 10 January
  • 14 February
  • 13 March
  • 10 April
  • 8 May
  • 12 June
  • 10 July
  • 14 August
  • 11 September
  • 9 October
  • 13 November
  • 11 December

The community nursery welcomes locals to come and purchase plants for their property, at $2 each. We have a selection of $1 seconds, and if you wish to save even more money, you can purchase a small tray of 100+ seedlings for just $5 to prick out yourself and grow on ready for the Winter planting season. At the moment, we have Carex umbellata and Cabbage tree seedlings available, and a wide range of other plants ready to be planted. Contact info@tewairoa.org.nz to visit the nursery by appointment.

Together, we are working towards restoring the mauri of the awa. We’d like to thank you all for your ongoing support of the mahi we do – it’s what keeps that ball rolling forward. We’re excited for what 2024 has in store for us, and look forward to continuing to provide the services that have become our core business, and adding another layer of normalised everyday conservation to that. Enjoy the season, and we’ll see you again next year for more positive outcomes for our whenua!

Happy trapping,

Lenny van Heugten
Communications and Predator Control Co-ordinator
Friends of Te Wairoa
pestcontrol@tewairoa.org.nz

Join our team!

Predator Free Franklin are looking for a co-ordinator to support community groups doing predator control on the Western side of Franklin and optimise predator control across the region.

This is a paid position up to 20 hours per month. We are seeking a resident (or future resident) of Western Franklin, with website and social media skills and a desire to learn best practise predator control methods.

 – Job Description

About

“Te Ara Hīkoi aims to make sustainable native biodiversity gains in the wider Franklin area by empowering and motivating community groups who share our kaupapa to coordinate local initiatives, and by providing training and employment opportunities in conservation for local residents, especially mana whenua.”

Te Ara Hīkoi is a relatively new organisation, which has been established by existing landcare groups, iwi, and central and local government agencies working in the Franklin area to strengthen local community biodiversity initiatives. The major driver behind the establishment of the organisation is to coordinate community-led predator control efforts in the Franklin area and parts of North Waikato. The three significant landcare groups in the area (Friends of Te Wairoa, Whakaupoko Landcare and Āwhitu Landcare) and local iwi have been collaborating very successfully with predator control programs over the past 4 years, and these efforts were recognised with a mayoral conservation award for collaboration, and a Jobs for Nature grant which enables the organisation to train and employ a team to perform pest control on high biodiversity sites in the region. Te Ara Hīkoi is open to supporting any local organisation sharing the same kaupapa. It is widely supported by Auckland and Waikato Regional Councils, DoC, local iwi, and numerous community groups with whom it interacts.

Te Ara Hīkoi has been established to generally enhance biodiversity, but current efforts are focussed on predator control initiatives. Residents of Franklin are encouraged to develop predator control programs on their properties through community-led events (Bait and Trap days) which involve education and then the supply of bait and traps to participants. Participants are kept up to date and motivated through a variety of channels. Uptake has been very strong and currently approximately 15-20 % of residences are enrolled in the program.

Technology is an important component of the program with the use of Trap NZ software and ongoing development and trial of smart connected traps and associated aerial networks.

The role

The role has two main components.

The first is to stimulate community predator control efforts in Franklin, to the west of the Southern motorway. This involves supporting existing community groups to continue their efforts, identifying groups in unsupported areas to undertake predator control initiatives, and supporting them to do so using techniques that have been successful in other local communities. Local community organisations are empowered to help members start predator control programs on their properties. The coordinator will work with existing organisations to increase the numbers of participants and will focus in areas where there is little current coverage. There will be emphasis on working with properties which include areas designated as BFA’s or SNA’s, and coordinating with a team of JFN trappers.

The second aim of this role is to ensure the processes employed by Te Ara Hīkoi run efficiently. In order for Te Ara Hīkoi to support other organisations, the maintenance of the Predator Free Franklin website is key. This is a central source of information, resources, news, schedules of events, and information about local community groups. It is widely used and is the public face of Te Ara Hīkoi. The website contains a database of participants in the program which requires frequent updating as numbers grow, and is used to send regular newsletter updates on Predator Free Franklin activity. 

The coordinator would be expected to attend regular meetings and contribute to regular reports on outcomes.

There is a significant component of collaboration and communication required in the role. Te Ara Hīkoi is very highly networked in the community and the coordinator supports the community organisations we work with, and also interacts with local and central government organisations, local businesses, vendors such as Trap.NZ, schools, and individuals.

The Coordinator will be supported and supervised by the Eastern Coordinator, and by community coordinators working for CREST. This is a paid position – with the Coordinator contracting their services to Te Ara Hīkoi on a self-employed basis.

Position details

PositionWestern Coordinator
Position OverviewCoordinate the existing community groups doing predator control on the Western side of Franklin and optimise predator control across the region, with a focus on protecting high biodiversity areas and reaching unsupported communities, alongside maintaining the Predator Free Franklin website.
What they would be doingCommunity Group Coordination Work with community groups to maximise effectiveness of predator control initiativesOrganise bait and trap eventsArrange ongoing equipment and bait suppliesTroubleshootingOrganise regular communications with participantsMaintain database and records   Website Development and Maintenance Review, maintain and continue to improve the functionality of the website   Collaboration Maintain regular communications with program participantsMaintain central database and recordsInteract with outside organisations including local government bodies, sponsors and other funders.   Administration Manage incoming communicationsAttend regular management meetingsContribute a monthly report on activity, as well as reports to funders
Specific skills / knowledge requiredGreat people skills – personable, an active listener Organisational skills – Self-motivated and enthusiasticComputer skills – website management experience is idealFamiliarity with Trap NZ software and app. Familiarity with best practice trapping methods, or a desire to learnCurrent drivers licenseLives within the Western Franklin District, or an affinity with the area or intent to become a resident
Proposed hours20 hours per month
Hourly rate$35/hour
Position annuityMaximum of $9000 Milage will be paid at 95c/km up to $1000 annually

Further information

Glenn Richards

Trustee – Te Ara Hīkoi

021 930 119

glennr99@icloud.com

Kia ora, Whitford!

Kia ora trappers!

We hope you are busy checking and baiting traps as the bird nesting season is well underway. We’d love to see more of those rarer species making a comeback in our area, so keep up the good work. If you are running low on gear, we have good news. Read on (and note the change in location)…

Bait and Trap Day, Sunday 26th November, 9am – 11am, Whitford Tennis Pavillion

We are back in Whitford on Sunday 26th November, from 9am – 11am, with a bait and trap day. We’ll be onsite to help you with materials and advice to get you started on your predator control journey.

Predator Free Whitford love nothing more than to help out and start you on your journey in making New Zealand predator free so our native birds can survive and thrive. We can only do this with your help, by working together.

Our funding is thanks to a number of sources which a small group of people apply for with incredible dedication annually. We are competing with other groups in New Zealand for these funds, who all carry out incredible mahi. Due to high demand from the community, we ask for help in paying it forward by giving a donation. This may help us fund the shortfall that happens as demand for our support continues to increase and inflation kicks in.

As an indication of the approximate cost of pest control materials:

  • 10kg Pestoff costs $51.80
  • A white Philproof bait station costs $11.80
  • A black Pied Piper bait station costs $16.77
  • A Flipping Timmy possum trap costs $51.20

And these prices are WITHOUT GST!

If you would like to help us keep moving forward, donations can be made to:

Te Ara Hīkoi Trust
12-3023-0111364-00

If you do make a donation over $5.00 you can email accounts@tearahikoi.nz for a tax invoice. We are also open to accepting cash donations on the day.

Any donations (gratefully received) will be used entirely in the purchase of further predator control materials to aid those less able to afford their own. By giving out predator control materials our aim is to reduce the barriers between landowners and effective, consistent pest control – cost being one of them.

We also welcome any returned materials, or donations of new or second-hand predator control materials. If you took too much bait, or don’t feel confident setting a trap that you took home, we would love to see it back no questions asked. These resources are best used in the community rather than collecting cobwebs in a shed.

Finally, we’d like to thank you all for your ongoing support of the mahi we do. It’s what keeps the ball rolling forward.

From the team at Predator Free Whitford and Predator Free Franklin

AGM Whakaupoko Landcare 9 October 2023 @7pm

To Members and Friends of the Whakaupoko West Franklin Landcare Group

You are receiving this email to let you know that we are holding our AGM on Monday 9th October at 7.00pm. The venue is the St Brides Church Hall, Findlay Rd.

You are welcome to attend, and we look forward to seeing you there.

At this stage we have not scheduled a guest speaker, but it will be good to have a catch up. Hub days are back up and running. There has been quite a bit of tree planting and trails work happening across the wider area.

Please note any questions on the 2022-2023 Financial Statements are to be with Cameron Smith by the 20 September 2023.  Email  cameronsmith547@gmail.com so that an answer can be found.   This will be tabled at the AGM.

Please find attached:

  • Minutes of the 2022 AGM
  • Treasurers Report
  • Financial Statements prepared by Hunter Withers Accountants.
  • Copy in the Incorporated Society’s Certificate.

If predator control is getting on top of you, you’re finding it hard to keep up, or struggling with the size of your property, there is help which you can access for free. Predator Free Franklin have been recipient of a significant amount of funding via the Department of Conservation’s Jobs For Nature programme. With this money, local rangatahi have been recruited to aid landowners in their predator control efforts across the Franklin area. If you would like to enquire as to whether your property may be a candidate for support, please email the programme manager Colin Pukeiti at colin.pukeiti@tearahikoi.nz.

Finally, we’d like to thank you all for your ongoing support of the mahi we do. It’s what keeps that ball rolling forward.

Debbie Turner

Secretary

 

News from Friends of Te Wairoa

Kia ora to all Friends of the Wairoa River Catchment!

There are many new recipients of this newsletter – welcome! We have recently merged two separate mailing lists. One was minimally used, so has been brought over to this platform. Hopefully, you’ll find the 5 newsletters per year from us of interest! We cover a variety of conservation-based topics and various local upcoming events and workshops to help you on your journey – after all, if our goal is to restore the mauri of the Wairoa River, all of us have a part to play and we should play to our strengths.

If you are not interested in receiving these emails, or you have moved out of the area, please feel free to use the unsubscribe button at the bottom of this email. But we do hope you stick around!

Wednesday 20th September

Hūnua Hall, 6pm

Food and drink provided – please RSVP via info@tewairoa.org.nz for catering purposes

James Talbot from WaterCare will be speaking about the felling of pine forests in the Hūnua Ranges and their replacement with native plants, protecting the Auckland water resource and enhancing local biodiversity and habitat.

You’ll also have a chance to hear about what we’ve been up to and what we’re planning for the coming year. All are welcome to attend, and in particular we welcome anyone interested in joining us on the committee.

If you want to know a bit more about our local conservation history, order a copy of the recently published book ‘Stories from the Kōkako Management Area’ by our very own Lenny van Heugten. This book follows the decline and then the growth in the kōkako population in the Hūnua Ranges, and the stories of those involved in the project over the years, including many familiar local names and faces.

Books are $35 to purchase from www.friendsofhunuaranges.co.nz. Profits will be used by our mates, Friends of Hūnua Ranges, to continue to enhance the Hūnua Ranges for future generations of plants, animals and people.

Willows… not the human kind, which is arguably benefitting the environment (if you know you know!), but the tree-type…

We’re working on a plan to eradicate crack willows along the Wairoa River. Willows contribute to blockages and flooding, and broken branches will easily root in river banks downstream. You can help us by beginning to control some of the more manageable trees on your property, or offering to help your neighbours.

The best method is to drill holes in the trunk and fill with undiluted glyphosate. This will only be effective during active growing months, September to February. The number of holes to drill and fill with depends on the width of the trunk at shoulder height. Each branch should be treated as a separate tree.

Width (cm) 10-20 25 35 50 80 100-110 120 125 135 140 160
# of holes 1 2 3 4 6 8 9 10 11 12 13

Using a 6 – 10mm drill bit, make holes 4 – 8cm deep, evenly spaced as near to the ground as possible and into prominent roots, on a 45° downward angle and 30° inward towards the centre. The hole should be just deep enough to contain 10ml of herbicide.

Apply glyphosate immediately after drilling, filling the hole to the edge to ensure uptake by the tree in the active outer layers. Use something like a drenching gun or sauce bottle with a longer nozzle and a cap to seal it. Ensure you label your vessel clearly as used for herbicide. Plugging holes after filling is unnecessary as the hole is drilled at a downward angle.

This method will kill the trees and leave them standing – a great way to maintain bank stability while new plants establish underneath, but poses a danger where branches may fall. Use your best judgement in this case.

For skinnier trees where drilling won’t work, you can frill the tree and paste with glyphosate gel. Cut in the tree and pasting the stump is ineffective as cut branches and debris are likely to grow roots and form new trees, including from mulch.

In predator control news…

Friends of Te Wairoa have been working hard with landowners to get mammalian predators in our area under control, and we’re making some significant headway! We currently have 20% of landowners in the Wairoa River catchment area trapping and on our database, and residents have reported over 16,000 predators trapped in the past four years. This is an outstanding achievement, and our next goal is to strengthen the halo around the Hūnua Ranges to protect our taonga species that reside in the forest, including the kōkako and our long-tailed bats.

Please contact pestcontrol@tewairoa.org.nz if:

  • You need predator control gear (bait, bait stations and traps) to get started on your property
  • You have an existing programme in place but want a visit to review whether you’re on the right track

A massive thankyou to those who are regularly reporting catch tallies via the trap.nz app and email. It really helps to efficiently keep track of what’s happening out there. If you haven’t already, try signing up to trap.nz and join the Friends of Te Wairoa project. We can arrange a 1 – 1 tutorial on the use of the app if needed.

If predator control is getting on top of you, you’re finding it hard to keep up, or struggling with the size of your property, there is help which you can access for free. Predator Free Franklin have been recipient of a significant amount of funding via the Department of Conservation’s Jobs For Nature programme. With this money, local rangatahi have been recruited to aid landowners in their predator control efforts across the Franklin area. If you would like to enquire as to whether your property may be a candidate for support, please email the programme manager Colin Pukeiti at colin.pukeiti@tearahikoi.nz.

Finally, we’d like to thank you all for your ongoing support of the mahi we do. It’s what keeps that ball rolling forward.

Happy trapping,

Lenny van Heugten
Communications and Predator Control Co-ordinator
Friends of Te Wairoa
pestcontrol@tewairoa.org.nz

AGM Whakaupoko Landcare 9 October 2023 @7pm

To Members and Friends of the Whakaupoko West Franklin Landcare Group

You are receiving this email to let you know that we are holding our AGM on Monday 9th October at 7.00pm. The venue is the St Brides Church Hall, Findlay Rd.

You are welcome to attend, and we look forward to seeing you there.

At this stage we have not scheduled a guest speaker, but it will be good to have a catch up. Hub days are back up and running. There has been quite a bit of tree planting and trails work happening across the wider area.

Please note any questions on the 2022-2023 Financial Statements are to be with Cameron Smith by the 20 September 2023.  Email  cameronsmith547@gmail.com so that an answer can be found.   This will be tabled at the AGM.

Please find attached:

  • Minutes of the 2022 AGM
  • Treasurers Report
  • Financial Statements prepared by Hunter Withers Accountants.
  • Copy in the Incorporated Society’s Certificate.

Debbie Turner

Secretary

 

News from Predator Free Whitford

Kia ora Predator Free Whitford trappers! 

Just like that, we’re in the later parts of winter, 2023. While the garden maintenance needs are low, and lambing and calving are well under way (so you’re moving around the property daily checking on things anyway), remember to factor in checking your predator control stations. 

We recently came across the perceived difference between ‘pest’ control and ‘predator’ control, and are consciously trying to call it predator control as a result! Aside from the fact that “pests” include both animals and plants (and we need to take action on those invasive pest plant species too!), when it comes to the animal forms of pests and predators, Sam the Trap Man (on Instagram) spoke of the connotations of each word.  The word ‘pest’ has negative connotations and as a result we are inclined to despise these animals. Because of this perception, through choice of language, we aren’t as inclined to place certain animals in the category of pest animals – like hedgehogs or feral cats, even though they can be equally damaging to our native wildlife. 

However, the word ‘predator’ encompasses all animals that feed on other animals to survive. To us, the word also commands a degree of respect and awe for those animals. Predatory mammals, which have a significant impact on our native ecosystems, still deserve respect. They are extremely successful here due to adaptations to life in their homeland, and those adaptations make them over-qualified to succeed in ours. This disrupts the natural balance and will lead to further extinctions if we do nothing. However, their intelligence, ability to feel and experience pain or suffering, along with their fighting spirit still deserve respect. Hence, when controlling these animals, we need to be conscious of doing so humanely. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns on this topic – we’re here to help. 

A massive thank you to those who are regularly reporting catch tallies via the trap.nz app and email. It really helps us to efficiently keep track of what’s happening out there. If you haven’t already, try signing up to trap.nz and join the Predator Free Whitford project. We can organise for someone to come and do a 1 – 1 tutorial on the use of the app if needed. 

 The catch tallies on trap.nz for Predator Free Franklin as a whole (including us!) add up to over 21,000 predators or other invasive species, and of course doesn’t include the impact we’ve been making with baiting. Ka pai e te whanau! 

As of 1 July, we headed into a new reporting year for trap catches. If you have outstanding reports for the 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2023 period that haven’t been loaded into TrapNZ, get them to us ASAP via email so that we can look at how we’ve done over the past 12 months. 

On the topic of data and reports – let’s not forget why we’re doing all this trapping and baiting in the first place – to help our native wildlife. How about collecting some data on the birds that are using your property, or anywhere in our neighbourhood, so we can track how our mahi in predator control is paying off and helping to increase the birds and diversity of species that share our neighbourhood with us. Predator Free NZ have published some handy tips and information about the 5-minute bird counts here, and it can all be logged in TrapNZ. 

You don’t need to be a professional bird taxonomist and the counts only need a short amount of your time (the clue is in the title), plus you’ll benefit from some nature time.  So let’s get out bird watching!   

If predator control is getting on top of you, you’re finding it hard to keep up, or struggling with the size of your property, there is help which you can access for free. Te Ara Hīkoi have been recipient of a significant amount of funding via the Department of Conservation’s Jobs For Nature programme. With this money, local rangatahi (youth) have been recruited to aid landowners in their predator control efforts across the Franklin area. If you would like to enquire as to whether your property may be a candidate for support, please email the programme manager Colin Pukeiti at colin.pukeiti@tearahikoi.nz. 

Finally, we’d like to thank you all for your ongoing support of the mahi we do. It’s what keeps that ball rolling forward. 

Happy trapping, 

Sarah Blong, Gerry and Kat Whitehouse-Tedd 

Predator Control Co-ordinators
Predator Free Whitford
whitford@predatorfreefranklin.nz 

Invitation to Bait & Trap Day and Other Local News

Kia ora !
We are back at Farrell’s Nursery on Wednesday 9 August, from 9am – 1pm, with our Pest Education, Bait & Trap Hub Day.
We will be on-site (46 Pollock Rd, Pukekohe) to help you with materials and advice to help you along on your pest control journey.
Pop down and have a chat to our knowledgeable volunteers and have a bit of a catch up on what’s been happening in the region.
We also welcome any returned materials, or donations of new or second-hand pest control materials. If you took too much bait, or don’t feel confident setting a trap that you took home, we would love to see it back no questions asked. These resources are best used in the community rather than collecting cobwebs in a shed.

Heading towards a Predator Free Franklin?

Are efforts shown on here? Make sure you join your local area project on Trap.NZ and get your traps and bait stations loaded! Don’t know how? Ask for help at our Hub Day.
See the awesome coverage around Otaua and the Whiriwhiri hills in the west of Franklin, and the southern edge of the Manukau Harbour, around Clarks Beach, Waiau Pa and surrounding areas? Much of the this is due to the impact of Tāwhiti Smart Cages! Not yet heard of them? Read on…

Tāwhiti Smart Cages

We are excited to have our Tāwhiti Smart Cages ready for sale! The beauty of the Tāwhiti Smart Cages is that they allows you to target multiple species, with a single trap, they are an automatic lure dispenser, so your trap is freshly baited every single day, and they are electronically monitored, so you are alerted every the trap is sprung. Landowners using the Tāwhiti Smart Cages report far great catch rates, with far less input from them. Come and check out how they work at the Pest Education Day.

Interested in getting a Tāwhiti Smart Cages for your property? Have a chat to us about a discounted price offered via local landcare folk.

 

What else is happening in our area?

Manukau Lowlands Project

Thanks to funding from Auckland Council contractors have been carrying out possum control on a number of properties in the Manukau Lowlands area.

possum post of death

The council funded projected has now ended but we are looking to help out landowners expand on the good mahi done to not only control possum, but rats, mustelids and feral cats as well. Some of the bait stations used initially may need repositioning as most have been placed up very high, and research shows for instance that an increase to 1m above ground with a bait station location, halves rat interaction. To assist with rat interaction and where stock, dog and young child interaction is not an issue, a lower height can be used. Live in this area? Live in this area and keen to be part of this project? Get in touch!

Bats – Long Tailed Peka Peka

Much has been happening towards bat research in our rohe!

Over 50 bat roosts have been identified and hundreds of bat passes recorded in 3 main areas around Martyn Wright Rd, Bald Hill Rd and Masters Rd. This is really exciting for Franklin, with bat passes recorded here higher than counts in the Waitakere Ranges! We are particularly keen to help out landowners with pest control in 5km buffer zones around these areas. More research is planned which will include placing tiny transmitters on bats to see where they travel and where they roost. Bats are predated by all the main Predator Free 2050 target species and therefore. Pest control is seen as a key step in ensuring their survival. If you live in these areas and haven’t yet set up pest control on your property, pop along to see us on Wednesday, or get in touch via email.

 

Jobs for Nature Scheme helps local landowners

Do you have a large property that you are struggling to get predator control set up on? We may be able to get you set up and started! We have been lucky enough to receive a significant amount of funding via the Department of Conservation’s Jobs For Nature programme. As a result we have employed local rangatahi and supported to further their education in predator control. They are now available to assist landowners across the Franklin area. The team are able to offer a free service helping to set up effective predator control on your property and give advice on trapping methods. From helping to install bait and trap lines, set you up and educate you on Trap.NZ, and show you how our Tāwhiti Smart Cages work. If you would like to enquire as to whether your property may be a candidate for support, please email the programme manager: Colin Pukeiti colin.pukeiti@tearahikoi.nz

Predator Free Franklin love nothing more than to help out and start you on your journey in making New Zealand pest free so our native birds can survive and thrive. We can only do this with your help, by working together. So thank you all for the part you play and your ongoing support of the mahi we do. It’s what keeps the ball rolling forward.
From the team Predator Free Franklin