In early April, a member of the public reported mammalian footprints on the sand of the 4.5 ha pest-free island, which is situated less than 1 km from Mahurangi East Peninsula. Te Hapua Island Scenic Reserve is a significant redress site in the Ngāti Paoa Treaty Settlement.
DOC sent rodent detection dogs and their handlers to the island to check for the presence of the predator. While on the island a dog-handler spotted a Norway rat, and the specially trained conservation dogs led the handlers to a burrow.
This prompted a DOC incursion response, setting traps and tracking tunnels on Friday 19 April to gather information about the rat or rats, and eradicate the pest. One rat was caught on Monday followed by another today.
Although two rats have been caught, the regular re-setting and checking of traps will continue until DOC is satisfied there are no further rodents.
Kat Lane, Operations Manager for Inner Hauraki Gulf Islands says it is important to keep Te Haupa free of mammalian pests.
“Keeping Te Haupa pest-free supports all wildlife and especially protects nesting sites for tūturiwhatu/New Zealand dotterel, Ōi/grey faced petrel and kororā/little blue penguin.”
“Thankfully, eggs are laid around June and July for these species, so there is a lower risk to predation currently. However, we’re working hard to make sure the island is cleared of any further pests as soon as possible.”
It is unknown how the rats came ashore – but the pests can swim or hitch rides on boats. DOC will also send a mustelid scat detection dog handler team to confirm the absence of ferrets, stoats and weasels.
Kat says the public is key to keeping these special conservation spaces safe for wildlife.
“We’re thankful for the person who reported to DOC the signs of mammal pests on the island. Boat and kayak owners can also support wildlife on pest-free islands by checking your vessel and gear for rats, mice, ants and skinks before departure. You can set pest traps on your vessel and in the area it is stored.”
Rats can have a major impact on a range of wildlife because they eat birds, seeds, snails, lizards, fruit, wētā, eggs, chicks, larvae and flowers. The varied diet of rats also makes them competitors with native wildlife for food sources.
If you spot a rat, mouse, stoat or cat on a pest-free island, contact DOC immediately on 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).
About 200 trout have been relocated within Hororata’s Bealey Stream as part of a wider project to protect the ‘Nationally Critical’ Canterbury Mudfish/kōwaro.
The Brown Trout were situated upstream of an underwater electric barrier, which is providing a safe haven for kōwaro in a pocket of habitat on Haldon Pastures Farm.
The solar-powered ‘fish fence’ was activated in 2021 and is thought to be the first of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. It consists of three underwater iron structures, which send out electric pulses to discourage trout from moving upstream – where they would otherwise predate on the mudfish. This has increased the upstream habitat size for this taonga species from about 800 metres, to 8,000 metres.
The project is a joint effort between Department of Conservation (DOC), Environment Canterbury, Fish and Game New Zealand, Fonterra and landowner John Grigg.
The mudfish team electric fishing for trout | Photo: Environment Canterbury
The agencies recently pitched in to relocate the residual trout population to the downstream side of the fence, to keep them away from the kōwaro.
An electric fishing method was used to capture the fish, which were then put into buckets, measured, and safely relocated. More than 70 trout were caught and transferred over a five-day period in early March, and since then, about 130 more have been moved.
Environment Canterbury Pou Matai Ko (Cultural Land Management Advisor), Steve Carrick, said this year’s low water levels were advantageous for electric fishing, as it improves access.
“This is the second year that we’ve got together for a week and come out and blitzed it. But this time, we were able to get to areas that we wouldn’t usually be able to.”
A brown trout caught by electric fishing | Photo: Environment CanterburyThe team measuring the trout | Photo: Environment Canterbury
He said the joint agency approach is key to the success of not just the trout transfer exercise, but the overall barrier project.
“It’s great to have those other agencies working with us, because their skillsets and knowledge bases, particularly from the DOC team – for the history of this place, gives us that long-term view.
“Of course, none of this work would be possible without the landowner’s cooperation. John’s willingness to give us access to the property and his support of these preservation initiatives, is invaluable.”
Steve and the team electric fishing for trout | Photo: Environment Canterbury
John is praising the ‘outside the box’ approach to protecting the kōwaro.
“It’s great to be involved in something so innovative, and totally different. Often you do have to think outside the square to protect nature.”
DOC biodiversity supervisor, Craig Alexander, said mudfish numbers have been declining over the years, and the barrier is one way of trying to secure populations into the future.
“The next round of population monitoring is due to be carried out in winter, so it will be interesting to see whether there’s any evidence yet of the barrier’s success.”
The joint team is also working with the barrier’s North American manufacture, Smith Root, to explore other ways of proving its functionality, without stressing the fish samples.
Check out the Environment Canterbury team as they relocate some of the trout. Video: Environment Canterbury
The work will last around four to six weeks, starting with drainage cleaning work in mid-April. During this time, sections will be fenced or cordoned off as work takes place, but the wider reserve remains open for the public.
These protective works include the replacement of the 1880s Brick Fort building’s roof and cleaning of the wider complex’s guttering and in-ground drainage system.
The heavy rains of Cyclone Gabrielle caused flooding within the wider reserve and to some of the buildings. This proactive maintenance will help protect and conserve this important heritage site during future weather events.
DOC has informed The Officers Mess events venue and will work with them to ensure the least impact on any weddings or other events during this time.
There will be some site noise for example generators and hand tools, this will be limited to weekdays and business hours.
For local residents with concerns or questions about the work, please contact
Fort Takapuna is a historic coastal defence site featuring a barracks built in the 1880s, two twin six-inch disappearing guns and an underground magazine.
Te Ara Taiao, a Taranaki-based education programme teaching school children about the environment and culture around them has scaled up its work contributing to the nature ecology and mauri of the Taranaki Maunga landscape in the last few years with the support of the Department of Conservation (DOC).
Patuha maunga (known as Kaitake), one of the maunga that students learn about
In 2023, through the Taranaki Maunga Collective Redress Bill, the Crown recognised Taranaki Maunga as being a living being, and recognised the work done by Ngā Iwi o Taranaki in recent years to reactivate and strengthen their connections to their ancestral mountains. The work of Te Ara Taiao directly relates to this.
As the bill states:
“For generations, Taranaki Maunga and its surrounding ranges have been the central pillar for the iwi, hapū, and whānau of Taranaki. These maunga have long been honoured ancestors, a source of physical, cultural, and spiritual sustenance, and final resting places.”
Tane Manukonga, who works for Sustainable Taranaki – the organisation that houses the Te Ara Taiao – programme explains the programme originated when kaumatua from the Ngā Mahanga a Tairi hapū were given an opportunity to create an education programme that enabled tamariki who lived in Taranaki and on the Taranaki Maunga (mountain) landscape to know and understand from a cultural perspective the environment around them.
Tane says; “The name Te Ara Taiao means the environment pathway, they wanted tamariki to have a pathway to know and understand the environment but also it’s this connection piece that identifies a career pathway.”
Tamariki in the outdoor classroom at Omata School
Tane worked with the schools in the area of the hapū to ensure students at the local schools understood the pepeha (introduction) they were using, “That’s where I started with the schools, so that tamariki at the schools knew about the maunga, they knew about the awa (river). Some of the schools I worked with they use the awa in their pepeha but never went to see the awa. The connection with place and the connection with purpose is something you can’t do in a school classroom.”
“This is where the understanding for our cultural landscape came from that our kaumatua wanted our tamariki, Māori, Pakeha, anyone who lived on our landscape to understand. The pepeha was a no brainer to start,” says Tane.
The work to understand the cultural landscape also sits alongside initiatives to care for and understand the environment by way of activities based around a maramataka (Māori lunar calendar).
Tane says; “For instance in summer we’ve been growing a lot of kai; I’ve been teaching tamariki about kumara, we also do a lot of water testing, in autumn we’re doing seed collection, we’re doing a bit of propagation. In winter we are still testing water so we have those comparisons, we’re planting rakau (trees) in winter as well, come spring we’re back again we’re planting seeds and planting kumara tipu (runners) again.”
Seeing a kiwi footprint was a favourite talking point for Tamariki as it was discovered it after kiwi were reintroduced to the Maunga after predator species had eradicated them
Taranaki is a biodiversity hotspot which means there is a lot for students to learn about. Activities have included releasing kiwi – and learning about how to care for them in the environment by tracking them with telemetry gear – plant propagation, learning which berries manu (birds) eat, learning about the health of the water through water testing, learning about what riparian protection looks like, how artificial fertilizer can affect the waterways, and then down to the marine landscape learning about the health of the marine ecosystem.
Telemetry set used to track monitored kiwi
The boost to the programme from DOC through Jobs for Nature funding has enabled the team leading the work with tamariki and schools to grow, so more hapū are sharing their local narratives. The programme now employs five educators who each work with a different hapū or iwi to bring their knowledge of the environment to primary school aged tamariki.
Tane says; “This has been a real privilege for me personally to be able to facilitate that between schools and hapū.”
“Our project is, in my view, the start of intergenerational behaviour change toward the environment. Our project is really a conduit of the community where they can see themselves contribute back to the health and wellbeing of the land and the people and our unique landscape.”
Te Ara Taiao works in a collaborative way bringing different groups together to facilitate learning. Tane says; “Te Ara Taiao is just a conduit, stringing in everyone to make the spider web bright. The implementation is key, doing things together, don’t do stuff in silos.”
On the success of the programme he says: “It’s somewhere where the hapū can see themselves now, in the environment, they can see themselves back on the landscapes, the schools know now that how they are contributing to the local community is a beautiful thing. Tamariki can now see themselves working in the environment. When I was at school, no one ever wanted to be a marine biologist, …but these opportunities that tamariki have in school now are the first step to the environment pathway.”
Water testing kit
What’s next after Jobs for Nature funding concludes?
Tane wants to future-proof the project. “There is an aspiration for people to be doing work on the maunga to eradicate the pests and to re-establish the biodiversity and to reintroduce taonga species but there is a gap where there’s no real pathway in Taranaki for tamariki to do that. What’s next for the project is going from what we’re doing in (primary) schools to high schools to universities and maintain that support for our tamariki to be the next DOC rangers. I’ve also got this aspiration that we’re going to produce environmental policy writers, that we’re going to have the next environmental lawyers… and to continue to inspire tamariki to want to work in environmental jobs.”
Tamariki gather round a fire at a Puanga celebration at Omata school where taiao korero is shared to enrich the understanding and importance of the celebration at this time of year. Puanga is celebrated around the same time as Matariki in Taranaki, as the stars of Matariki are not able to be seen.
Known for their jewel-like colours caused by dissolved minerals, the Emerald Lake-shores and shallows have been smothered by the invasive Juncus bulbosus for some years.
Juncus bulbosus, or bulbous rush, is native to Eurasia and North Africa and showed up in New Zealand more than a century ago. It is commonly found in swampy places, especially in areas with high rainfall like Tongariro.
DOC Supervisor Danial Van der Lubbe says the lakes are an iconic part of the landscape.
“We know they are important to so many people – hapū, local communities, and those who complete the Tongariro Alpine Crossing – so it’s for more than just biodiversity that we’ve tackled these weeds.”
Twice a year since 2019, rangers conducted weed control around the edges of the lakes, and in the lakes themselves.
This year, for the first time, Juncus density is down to undetectable levels in the lakes – a positive milestone for the health of a site considered internationally significant.
“We still have some work to go around the edges, and will keep checking to make sure it doesn’t pop up again in the lakes themselves,” says Danial.
“The next big step for us is eDNA testing of the larger Blue Lakes for Juncus – we haven’t detected anything visually, but the eDNA check will tell us for sure.”
eDNA testing of Blue Lakes is being conducted as part of the larger Tongariro Alpine Crossing sustainability project, which includes a range of changes to better manage environmental and cultural outcomes.
DOC & Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro want to ensure the experience of walking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is safe, protects the fragile environment, and respects the cultural significance of the area.
Tongariro water-bodies are considered tapu, or sacred, and walkers are asked to avoid swimming in them. By staying clear of the water people can be assured they are upholding cultural values and preventing further weed incursions into the lakes.
Background information
DOC will be implementing a range of changes to the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in the coming years, aiming to better manage the pressures of visitation, and to strengthen cultural and heritage values in the area.
By better managing these challenges we will protect Tongariro for future generations.
An urgent assessment by an expert panel has seen Canterbury spotted skink reclassified from Nationally Vulnerable to Nationally Critical – the last step before extinction.
DOC technical advisor Lynn Adams says there’s a perfect storm of issues contributing to the skink’s decline.
“We thought there were secure populations of Canterbury spotted skinks in the Ō Tū Wharekai Ashburton Lakes basin and surrounding ranges, but recent DNA sequencing has proven these populations were misidentified and are in fact another type of related lizard.”
“This discovery means the Canterbury spotted skink’s overall population is considerably smaller than our previous estimates.”
“To make things worse, research on our monitored populations predict a 70 per cent decline over the next thirty years in Christchurch, Banks Peninsula and Kaitorete Spit. In fact, many of these populations are already functionally extinct. This decline is likely to also be occurring in other populations that we’re not monitoring in the Canterbury foothills.”
“An exception to this worrying trend is the small but thriving population contained within a small predator-proof fence on Banks Peninsula, although the fence is subject to damage caused by earth movement.”
Canterbury spotted skink’s main predators are mice, hedgehogs, weasels, rats, stoats, and cats.
“Small populations on the tiny islands off Banks Peninsula aren’t secure because they’re too small to sustain large lizard populations as well as being within swimming range of stoats and rats from the mainland.”
“We need to better understand populations in the Canterbury foothills, which are largely unknown but likely facing the same threats as other skink populations.”
Predator proof fences are considered the best medium-term way to protect the remaining Canterbury spotted skink populations while long-term solutions are found.
“Mouse-proof fences in particular are key to creating skink strongholds, so they don’t disappear forever,” Lynn Adams says.
More information on the threat classification system and a list of threat classification reports is available on DOC’s website.
Background information
The Canterbury spotted skink is one of New Zealand’s larger skink species and can grow up to 24 cm long. They like to feast on insects, spiders, different fruits and are even known to consume smaller skink species.
The skink’s camouflaged appearance and timid temperament makes it very tricky to spot.
Most Canterbury spotted skink populations are on private and council land.
The Remutaka Conservation Trust, supported by DOC, is replacing predator traps across their 7500-hectare pest control network in southern Remutaka Forest to ensure kiwi continue to thrive.
The Trust first reintroduced kiwi into Remutaka in 2006 with a trial group of eight North Island brown kiwi. A further 20 birds were released in 2009.
To support survival of these kiwi chicks, the Trust implemented a trapping network, covering 7500 ha across southern Remutaka, to control stoats and weasels. The first traps were deployed in 2003, and this trapping network continues to be maintained by a dedicated team of over 150 volunteers.
With some traps having been in the park for 20 years, the Trust is implementing a trap replacement project to maintain effectiveness across the pest control network.
This project will take place over three years, beginning in 2024, with the team replacing different traplines each year. Trust volunteer Ingrid Greenslade says they are grateful for DOC’s continued support.
“There have been many kilometres travelled over the last 20 years to service the traps and ensure the kiwi population continues to grow,” says Ingrid. “The estimated population is now over 200 birds, which is a testament to the dedication of everyone involved.”
DOC Kapiti-Wellington district office is supporting the Trust by providing helicopter transport of the traps to key locations. Individual traps will then be carried to their new locations, with the older traps being helicoptered out on back flights the following year.
This is a large undertaking for an organisation that operates solely through committed volunteers, and DOC is very pleased to support the Remutaka Conservation Trust in this work.
The Remutaka Conservation Trust was established in 1988 to support the newly formed Department of Conservation and advocate for the park.
The Trust has been conducting pest control for 25 years.
Cost of this year’s trap replacement is about $45k.
One of the Trust kiwi project objectives is to continue to build the kiwi population to enable everyday New Zealanders access to hear and see kiwi in the wild.
Each year the Department of Conservation (DOC) Taupō Fishery Management Team calls for photographs capturing the spirit of fishing in the Taupō Fishing District. The lure? Seven Taupō fishing licences to be won, kicking off the new trout fishing season, beginning 1 July, 2024.
DOC Senior Community Ranger James Barnett says the team is looking for photographs to illustrate each of the seven licence categories, including family, senior, and junior licences.
“The overall winning photo is immortalized on the printed season licences, while other winning photos will be used for categories on the website and paper licences.”
The judges are looking for photos reflecting the unique feel and setting of the Taupō fishery.
“Trophy shots are always strong contenders – and submitted every year – but we’re also looking for photos of families and friends enjoying trout fishing, or landscape shots with a fishing theme,” says James.
“Be creative and share what you love about the Taupō fishing experience.”
Entries close midnight, Sunday 19 May 2024.
Up to five photographs can be submitted per person. To enter, email photographs to fishlicence@doc.govt.nz along with your name, where the photo was taken, and the approximate date it was taken. All photos must have been taken in the Taupō Fishing District.
Further information, including a list of the licence categories and full terms and conditions for the competition, can be found online.
The popular Coromandel walking track has been closed since February 2023 after it was extensively damaged by extreme weather events, including Cyclone Gabrielle. The track was deemed unsafe for the type of casual “day trip” visitors who frequently go there, and DOC has consistently urged the public not to use the walk.
DOC’s Hauraki Waikato Taranaki Regional Director Tinaka Mearns says sharing information with community and stakeholder groups is an important part of DOC’s work as it works through a complex set of overlapping issues pertaining to management of the site and the feasibility of reinstating the track.
DOC is working closely with Ngāti Hei, Thames-Coromandel District Council and Destination Hauraki Coromandel on planned activities and ensuring conversations with the community are forward-looking and positive.
“Ensuring we’re aligned with Ngāti Hei and key government organisations is vital. A natural extension of that is creating community stakeholders’ awareness, on the work and the progress and importantly hearing their perspectives,” she says.
“We know it’s crucial to have honest conversation with the community on what the future holds for this site and how we can reinstate walking access to the beach.”
DOC, Ngāti Hei and technical experts visited the site in March to assess access and infrastructure options. Technical experts returned to the site this week, guided by DOC staff, to carry out more investigations.
Expert advice will be included in information DOC will share at a community drop-in session planned for May. Details of that session will be publicised in coming weeks.
The first phase of data gathering and information sharing for the project is complete. With support from Ngāti Hei, DOC undertook a summer visitor experience survey in February.
The results of the survey of more than 200 visitors strongly indicate Cathedral Cove’s remains a top New Zealand visitor destination.
Analysis of the survey responses revealed the overall satisfaction with the Cathedral Cove experience is the highest for any DOC-managed destination in the country. How people access the Cove – currently only by boat or kayak – doesn’t influence their satisfaction rating, according to survey results.
Scenery and landscapes are the drawcard for visitors to Cathedral Cove. The survey also assessed facilities and services for visiting Cathedral Cove, with the frequency of water transport scoring highly (3.9 out of a possible maximum 4), followed by safety information and structures (3.7 out of 4). The full results of the survey are available on the DOC website.
A second survey will also form part of DOC’s community update on the future of Cathedral Cove and will be launched in early May.
DOC is working closely with TCDC to maximise opportunities for the community to have a say.
Written by Vanessa Mander, DOC’s Predator Free 2050Communities Advisor.
Life as a ranger means that you are at the front line and members of the public see us as a trusted source of best practice trapping information. The green uniform appears to act like a beacon of sorts in the field. I certainly found that!
Questions I have been asked:
“How do I find out what pests I’ve got?” to “What sort of humane traps are right for possums on my lifestyle block?”, to the very real, “my chickens are getting nailed by a stoat (or some other furry sod), what lures should I use in my traps to deal to it?”
Vanessa checking a tracking tunnel | Photo: DOC
But what if you too could possess these answers, all at your fingertips?
Since 2019, we’ve been printing and revising our popular publication, the Practical Guide to Trapping. It is often referred to as a “ranger in your back pocket” because it’s full of important best-practice information to help you with your trapping work. There have been so many circumstances that this book has come to my rescue. It’s the trapping bible that people really should know about.
The DOC Predator Free Communities Team is now launching the 3rd edition of this amazing guide. Since 2019, we have distributed well over 35,000 hard copies to communities, as well as 6,000 downloads from our website.
Senior Biodiversity Ranger Archie with the 3rd edition of our trapping guide | Photo: DOC
What can we expect with this new and improved trapping guide?
The third edition builds on all the great, best practice trapping and predator species information, and now also includes:
Site specific updates on kauri disease and myrtle rust
Updated information on recording your trap catch
Updated suppliers and links
And so much more!
We are also excited to share the Predator Control Calendar and Stoat and Rat Trap Checklist in this new edition, courtesy of our friends at the Predator Free New Zealand Trust.
A DOC200 trap in the Waimakariri valley | Photo:Holly Thompson, DOC
These are used far and wide, and beloved across the motu, so don’t trust just us! Here’s what a range of people are saying about the Practical Guide to Trapping:
“The trapping guide is a highly valuable booklet for communities and contains vital information on animal ecology as well as DOC best practice trapping methodology and biodiversity monitoring.
A great resource, improved further with some of our own branded material including our popular Predator Control Calendar and our new Stoat and Rat Trap Checklist. The trapping guide has always been very popular at our Cam Speedy Roadshows across Aotearoa.”
Jessi Morgan, CE of the Predator Free New Zealand Trust.
The guide has great trapping information for community groups | Photo: DOCThe Predator Free tohu on a trap | Photo: DOC
“This little booklet is packed full of useful information. Covering animal biology, best practice monitoring and solid trapping advice, it’s never far from hand and an excellent resource for individuals and communities whatever their experience or scale.”
Tim Sjoberg, Senior Team Lead at Pest Free Banks Peninsula.
“We find the trapping guides enormously useful for our teaching & trapping. The guides are a handy size and robust. They are very easy to follow, and we find the detailed plans and dimensions of trap boxes very useful.”
“It is great to have detailed information on pests and reputable ‘best practice’ trapping options in Aotearoa in one booklet. Selecting the right trap for the right environment and for the target predator is essential for successful conservation outcomes and this guide lays out all the information and detail to get you off to the right start.”
Becs Gibson, NMIT.
“At the Visitor Centre’s in Taranaki, we find that the public really enjoy the books and they are popular!! Students who study Pest Ops [Western Institute of Technology Taranaki] must choose a target species and research it’s biology, behaviour, impacts and control methods – which the ‘bible’ serves as a great resource.”
Georgina Ngametea, Taranaki DOC Visitor Centre & Western Institute of Technology Taranaki.
Georgina with an earlier edition of the trapping guide | Photo: Western Institute of Technology TaranakiA ranger and volunteer setting a trap | Photo: DOC
Come and join in the action with us! You can pick up your own copy from your nearest Visitor Centre, or download a copy from the DOC website. But don’t worry if you already have one of the other versions, it’s still got some great best practice info in there and got some life in it yet!
