Kia ora Franklin!
Welcome to the new format of newsletters from Predator Free Franklin. We will send out just TWO newsletters per year with event and staffing updates, while your local group will send out a few more with information specific to pest control news in your local area.
Upcoming pest education events
Please note this is by no means a complete list of upcoming events! There are plenty more being organised around the Franklin area. We are, however, sharing those that are confirmed with you. Keep an eye on local Facebook pages, publications and www.predatorfreefranklin.nz to keep up to date with events in your area.
February:
8th – Otaua Bowling Club, 6.30pm – 7.30pm (Predator Free Whiriwhiri)
8th – Farrell’s Nursery, 9am – 1pm
15th – Te Ara Hikoi Cultural Induction webinar, register here. Includes cultural considerations to be aware of when conducting conservation activities on your property.
20th – St Bride’s Church, 7pm, with guest speaker David Clarke from Ecoquest discussing bats and research being conducted in the Franklin area (Whakaupoko Landcare)
26th – Ararimu Hall, 9am – 12pm (Friends of Te Wairoa)
March:
18th – The Little Green Expo, Pukekohe Anglican Church complex, corner Queen and Wesley Streets, 10am – 3pm (rain date 25th March)
19th – Beachlands Community Garden at 41 Third View Avenue, 9am – 12pm (Predator Free Maraetai & Beachlands)
25th – Hunua Market Day, 10am – 2pm (Friends of Te Wairoa)
April:
3rd – St Bride’s Church, 7pm, with a guest speaker TBC (Whakaupoko Landcare)
30th – Ardmore School, 9am – 12pm (Friends of Te Wairoa)
May:
10th – Farrell’s Nursery, 9am – 1pm
June:
5th – St Bride’s Church, 7pm, with a guest speaker TBC (Whakaupoko Landcare)
August:
9th – Farrell’s Nursery, 9am – 1pm
November:
8th – Farrell’s Nursery, 9am – 1pm
In case you missed it
Our Franklin Pestival Webinar series, on a range of topics, are available to view on our website.
Tāwhiti Smart Cages
Te Ara Hīkoi have developed and fine-tuned a live-capture trap to increase effectiveness and efficiency of trapping, which received a mayoral conservation award in 2022.
Features:
- double ended live trap which pests seem more comfortable entering, as opposed to a single ended live trap or DoC200. Catches everything from rats and hedgehogs to weasels and ferrets.
- ZIP motolure automatically deposits a pea-sized amount of lure into the trap every night so the lure is always fresh
- A sensor will detect when the trap has caught something and send an email to notify you, meaning you don’t have to physically check the trap daily.
- The sensor and gateway/aerial system is not a subscription model, meaning there is only a one-off cost for the tech.
- Animal can easily be dispatched with a high-powered air rifle (no gun license needed).
- If your property is out of range of an aerial, the cage can be purchased without the sensor or autolure, which can both be added later
Drawbacks:
- For the sensor to function, it requires coverage from a gateway. Current coverage maps can be requested from us, but large areas of Franklin have this capacity.
To host a gateway requires a connection to internet and power (uses minimal of each to function), and a good elevation. If your property is in a good location, or you would like to contribute to the costs of aerial installation, get in touch!
Tāwhiti Smart Cages can be purchased at www.predatorfreefranklin.nz
Jobs For Nature
Te Ara Hīkoi have been lucky to receive a significant amount of funding via the Department of Conservation’s Jobs For Nature programme. With this money, local rangatahi have been recruited and supported to further their education in pest control, before heading out onto properties to aid landowners in their pest control efforts across the Franklin area.
The staff can help you install bait lines, educate on trap.nz use, and show you how the smart cages work. If you would like to enquire whether your property may be a candidate for support, please email the programme manager Colin Pukeiti at colin.pukeiti@tearahikoi.nz.
Paapaka, of Ngāti Te Ata descent, has been a trustee to Te Ara Hīkoi Trust but now holds a supervisor role. He has experience in the police force, corrections, and is a volunteer for the coastguard and a pilot for search and rescue. Paapaka has an easy-going nature and will be working on relationships with landowners and iwi connections. Paapaka has a deep connection to the land, and supports eradication of pests to revitalise the rohe, helping native species thrive for the next generation to enjoy.
Te Aka, of Tainui descent, also holds a supervisor role. Te Aka has been training with pest control contractors, Qualmons, and is guided by Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki in his educational development. Te Aka will be working in both pest control and biodiversity, using his knowledge to eradicate pests and to help provide a better environment for native birds and plants in the rohe.
Analisa, a descendant of Ngāti Tamaoho, is an Advanced Field Agent. Analisa loves the outdoors and is committed to the eradication of pests that have damaged the whenua. She believes that the environment is a resource that helps all living things and gives life. Mauri o te wai gives sustenance and without water there is nothing. Analisa says “Hei tiaki o to tatou taonga tuku iho – Te Mauri o to tatou Whenua.”
Reipae, a descendant of Ngāti Te Ata, is also an Advanced Field Agent. She has a passion for environmental care and is an outdoors enthusiast with interests in native plants, trees, birds and rongoā Māori (medicine).
That’s all from us for now! Happy trapping, and we’ll see you around!