Pestival Webinar Replay:
Hear from Lenny and Willow van Heugten about the Kōkako Management Area in the Hunua Ranges, and how local Hunua residents can contribute to the success of this programme by taking steps to control predators on their properties. Be inspired, and learn about the options you have for predator control on your property, from traps to baits, as we all work towards Predator-Free NZ 2050.
This video first aired as part of the Franklin Online Pestival, in November 2022.
Lenny van Heugten – Pest Control Co-ordinator, Natural Area Restoration and Communications, Friends of Te Wairoa
Lenny has spent her whole life, ever since she could put on a pair of gumboots, in conservation activities and especially predator control. She is a first generation kiwi from a Dutch family who are passionate about conservation. She was born and raised in Hūnua and is firmly rooted to that and surrounding areas. Over the last 4 years she has played an increasing role in Friends of Te Wairoa running their community predator control program, their communications, and has helped establish other pest control organisations in adjacent areas. She is an excellent communicator/writer and is in the final stages of writing a book about the history of the Kōkako Management Area.
Willow van Heugten – Pest Control Contractor, Auckland Council
Willow van Heugten is Lenny’s father, and is a well-known forest-addict. Willow arrived in New Zealand in the 1980s and spent his time hitchhiking, and building a Buddhist retreat in the Coromandel bush. From there he returned with his partner to hike the South Island, after which they settled in Auckland. Willow stayed at home to raise their two girls, and once free of that task he disappeared into the Hūnua Ranges, becoming heavily involved in voluntary and paid pest control work and Kauri Dieback surveying.