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EIT ultramarathon runner takes fundraising mission to notorious Death Valley | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

14 seconds ago

EIT tutor Andrew McCrory will run the notorious Death Valley in the United States to raise funds for children with Cerebral Palsy.

In doing so, the 50-year-old Services Pathway Tutor at EIT, and Hawke’s Bay reserve soldier will become just the sixth New Zealander to complete the world’s toughest footrace – the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon – across Death Valley in the USA.

The 135 mile (217km) race has to be completed within 48 hours and entry for the 100 runners is by invitation only.

Andrew has long had the dream to compete at Badwater. Since 2017, when he came across the fundraising page of a young girl named Liv, he has raised thousands and helped 10 children needing Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy Surgery (SDRS) in America.

SDRS is a spinal operation that can give children with cerebral palsy greater walking ability, muscle control and improved balance. Liv’s surgery was $150,000 and wasn’t covered by any government funding.

“It means a lot to me. I’ve seen the difference in the kids from before they’ve gone, to when they’ve come back. They’re more active and they can just do the day-to-day things that we take for granted a whole lot easier after the surgery.”

The road to selection was extensive, with an application that has strict qualifying requirements, and requires extensive details about a runner’s racing history and personal life. They are then selected to run in July of that year via a live Facebook announcement.

The only qualifying race in New Zealand is the Northburn 100 in Cromwell, which Andrew completed last year. He has also completed five ultra marathons over 100 miles, and ran the length of New Zealand – 2,060km – over Christmas and New Year 2021/2022.

“They’ve had people that have applied six, seven years in a row and never got in. And they’ve done far more than I have. But I think for me, why I was selected for one is because I’m from New Zealand and I’m only the sixth Kiwi to ever go and do it.

“And I think with all the fundraising, I’m not out there just collecting medals or ribbons or race numbers like a lot of people do. There’s no ego in it. I’m out there running for a good reason; helping kids.”

Andrew admits he is “pretty excited, but pretty nervous at the same time” ahead of the July 22-24 race.

“I just want to get over there and get it done but at the same time, it’s a lot of kilometres. It really is the heat that I’m sort of worried about. You know I’ve never been at 50 degrees before.”

The past four years has seen Andrew running consistently at the 162km (100 mile) distance.

“I’ve sort of bumped it up since February when I got accepted.”

His training has also consisted of using the Sports Science Lab at the at the EIT Institute of Sport and Health (EIT ISH) where he can run in a hot environment.

“It’s just about getting used to being in the heat and being uncomfortable. Building that mindset because I really hate being on a treadmill. It’s doing things that suck I suppose.”

He is bringing his wife Kathleen, a trained nurse, coach Neil Wagstaff, who crewed at the event in 2008 for Kiwi Lisa Tamati, along with two other mates.

Andrew is thankful to everyone for the support he has received.

EIT has gotten on board as a bronze sponsor, and several community fundraisers have been set up in his honour.

“A huge thank you to everyone that’s come out and supported me. I can’t afford to go and do it by myself. We don’t have that sort of money, and everyone’s just got on board. I’ve had donations coming in left, right and centre which is just amazing. We’ve got some really good sponsors on board as well.”  

For more information and to donate, visit https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/running-badwater-135-for-kids-with-cerebral-palsy

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EIT waka ama tutor to coach NZ elite para mixed team at world competition | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

51 seconds ago

EIT Level 2 waka am tutor Roni Nuku (Ngāti Maniapoto) (right) will coach the NZ Elite Para Mixed Team at the 2024 World Sprint Champs in Hilo, Hawaii in August this year.

Experienced EIT Level 2 waka am tutor Roni Nuku (Ngāti Maniapoto) is putting her skills to practice by coaching the NZ Elite Para Mixed Team at the 2024 World Sprint Champs in Hilo, Hawaii in August this year.

The former Te Ūranga Waka student who is now a tutor is an experienced waka ama champion, having represented New Zealand for many years. She is set to start tutoring the level 2 waka ama programme in the second semester.

Roni says that she is looking forward to taking the team to Hawaii.

“What makes it more exciting is the people themselves and all the extra challenges they have. They don’t have the same physical abilities that we take for granted, so I enjoy trying to make sure that they all feel like they are competent because they are.”

“They’re competitive and they only want the best and they expect a lot from themselves.”

While the trip to the World Champs is a highlight, it is the day to day waka ama instruction that she enjoys. She is looking forward to tutoring the new programme.

“Now’s a good time for a beginner’s programme because it leads into the sprint season. This is for all those families who are thinking about wanting to compete at the national competition in January.”

“The programme will give them a really good basis of water safety, how to canoe a waka together, how to even hold events, which include tikanga, kupu, karakia and waiata.”

Roni says that the cultural component of the programme is open to anyone and not just Māori.

“On the last programme, about 50 percent of the students were not Māori, and what they loved was not only the reo, but also the history.”

“They were encouraged to learn about a waka, a contemporary waka, and most of them do a little bit of research on takitimi, so that becomes special for them.”

“So we’re learning all the time and gaining an appreciation of navigation and paddling and the whole waka journey and the history and then what that means in contemporary times and what that represents as a whānau being together because the waka ama is essentially an activity that the whānau do as one.”

Roni says that the programme is divided up between time on the water and in the classroom.

She says that last year’s programme went very well with about 14 students enrolled.

“We were able to take them away to a couple of regattas. We volunteered at a regatta in Rotorua to get an understanding of how regattas are, so they were able to go on the support boat and understand the safety aspects and help with registrations and cooking kai and even road management.”

Water safety is an important aspect of the programme.

“Living next to the water means that it is important to know everything there is about water safety.”

“One of the great things about the programme is that it is open to adults of all ages. One of our wahine last year was in her 60s, and she loved it.”

“One of the many things that I love about waka ama is that it’s a sport. So I can race with my children, and I can race with my grandchildren, if they want to race with their old nanny. And there’s regattas that are for all ages.”

Roni is also currently working on a Master in Māori Knowledge from Massey University. Her thesis will be on Māori Women Para-athletes.

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Chinese experience stimulates EIT academic’s artistic research | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

16 mins ago

Anthony Chiappin, a Graphic Communications Senior Lecturer, is also the programme co-ordinator for EIT’s suite of design offerings.

The experience of teaching an EIT programme in Digital Communications to Chinese students has stimulated an IDEAschool lecturer’s artistic research.

Anthony Chiappin, a Graphic Communications Senior Lecturer, is  part of a team of three NZ Design lecturers that deliver EIT’s Bachelor of Creative Practice in China. His own qualifications are a Bachelor of Design and a Masters in Visual Art from Australia’s Monash University.

His dual focus these days is teaching EIT’s Bachelor of Creative Practice  at Zhejiang Yuexiu University (ZYU) in China, and into the domestic programmes in New Zealand. The Chinese teaching has consisted of firstly online and now over in China, face to face with the students.

It was during his visits to China that Anthony, who is originally from Australia, felt his creativity receive a new lease on life.

“I’ve had two stints in China, a total of four and a half months.”

The last one was just over two months with him returning home in late April.

Anthony, who has been at IDEAschool for 13 years and a researcher for even longer, says research is very important to him.

“I call it the sacred feather in the boa of continuation and connection with things that are important to your teaching, but also important to your career and to the work that you’re doing.”

“It’s been an amazing journey. While I was in China, I took the opportunity to do some artwork and I really ripped into it.  In the ZYU apartment I had room to work and it was the first studio that I’ve been able to work in since the cyclone.”

The work he produced there is his China “Episode” Series. He is hoping to get some funding to be able to exhibit the work in China next year.

Asked how Chinese taste in art differed from that in the West, Anthony said China has a very strong cultural base.

“Even in a contemporary sense. There’s a lot of dialogue around the state of China where it’s at currently, but there’s a lot of cultural significance within the work, whereas the Western model is quite different in that sense.”

He says his art form moves between figurative and abstract, with abstract currently taking hold.

“I call my paintings ‘Episodes’. I see them as an ongoing narrative, kind of like a comic book journey where I use superhero narratives within what I do, based on suburban mythologies.” This dialogue certainly comes to play a part within my teaching practice.”

“It was a fantastic eye-opener to be flung into the epicentre of a more provincial city like Shaoxing.”

A point of difference for this work is that he is using Chinese cardboard packing boxes with colourful motifs as the base for his paintings.

“It is quite powerful because the motifs are proudly ensconced within the work. I had worked on boxes in my master’s series years ago, but it just seemed like a natural fit to be able to grab these boxes from the supermarkets on campus, in particular, and use that as the basis to the work.”

“I used four of the paintings, where I call them ‘The Philosophers’. I was influenced by a lot of the works that I was seeing around Zhejiang province and Shanghai as well. But in particular, the beautiful ink paintings by some of the calligraphers and artists in that region from 200 years ago. It was a bit of a mishmash of all this influence being flung at me because China’s overwhelming.”

Anthony says that at present his main focus is China, be it writing, teaching or researching.

It has been a rewarding experience for him, as last year he won “The Overseas Teacher of the Year Award” along with seven other teachers in many other disciplines at the University.

Another project that he is particularly proud of is one involving his wife, Nikki Gabriel, who is a textile designer and holds a Masters of Art & Design from AUT and is a current PhD Candidate at RMIT University, Melbourne. Nikki has just had a book called Construction Knitting published by Bloomsbury Academic Press, London.

“It’s about designing, but knitwear design with geometric shapes is the premise to that. So it’s been an eight-year journey to get that to the point where it’s now published and out in the world.”

Anthony says he was responsible for the photographs and illustrations, with art direction and content by Nikki.

“That’s been a huge part of my research over many, many years. And now that it’s published, I can talk about it as a research project.”

Acting Head of EIT’s IDEAschool Sue Blackmore said: “EIT is encouraging  and supportive of the research endeavours of all EIT lecturers and Anthony’s new series of work inspired by his time in China is very exciting.“

“The team of Bachelor of Creative Practice and Bachelor of Computer Science lecturers that travel and work in Shaoxing are amazing ambassadors for EIT and NZ in China.”

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EIT celebrates World Environment Day by planting natives | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

3 seconds ago

EIT staff and students helped plant natives at the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre (ŌOLC) on Wednesday to mark World Environment Day.

EIT celebrated World Environment Day by planting natives at the Ōtātara Outdoor Learning Centre (ŌOLC).

Primary Industries Programme Coordinator Lisa Turnbull says they wanted to do their part for World Environment Day.

World Environment Day, held annually on 5 June, brings together millions of people from across the globe, engaging them in the effort to protect and restore the Earth.

The event has been led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since its inception in 1973.

This year, the overall theme focuses on land restoration, halting desertification, and building drought resilience under the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”

The planting day at the Hawke’s Bay Campus was among more than 3000 events registered globally on the United Nations World Environment Day map.

“It was lovely to see staff and students working alongside each other planting for a good cause. It shows that small actions can make a big difference in caring for our planet.””

Together, the Primary Industries team, including the Horticulture and Environmental Management programmes, planted about 80 native plants.

These were sourced by Mark Caves, the ŌOLC manager and included Taupata (Coprosma repens), Koromiko (Hebe), Manuka (Leptospermum), Toetoe (Austroderia) and tī kōuka (cabbage tree).

“Apart from enhancing the look of the area the native planting we do helps improve air quality, provides shelter and food for wildlife and leads to greater biodiversity.”

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EIT Hawke’s Bay Campus to hold information and enrolment day for those looking for a career path | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

5 mins ago

EIT Hawke’s Bay Campus will be holding an information and enrolment day on Thursday, 13 June 2024.

Prospective learners have an opportunity to identify a career path from many on offer at an EIT information and enrolment day to be held at the Hawke’s Bay Campus next month.

The event will be held on the campus from 9am to 6pm on Thursday, 13 June 2024. Information and enrolment days will also be held at the Maraenui, Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay Learning Centres from 10am to 2pm on the same day.

EIT Executive Director Operations Glen Harkness says that the Campus has come a long way since the Cyclone caused substantial damage and the information day  is perfect opportunity to showcase what EIT has to offer.

“We are part of this community and we are pleased to be able to open our doors to them.”

“We offer a full range of qualifications from certificates to postgraduate level, with full-time, part-time and online study options available.”

“Whether you’re looking to get qualified, upskill, or just exploring your study options, come chat to our staff about how EIT may support you.”

Prospective students will be given a tour of the campus and a chance to chat to the student liaison team and tutors about what is on offer.

“Our Career Advice Service is available as is information on scholarships and student loans and allowances. Staff will also be available to help you complete the enrolment process,” says Glen.

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Former EIT Head of School returns as Executive Director, Student and Academic Services | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

13 seconds ago

Dr Ondene van Dulm is EIT’s new Executive Director, Student and Academic Services.

EIT’s former Head of School for Health and Sport Science, Dr Ondene van Dulm, is returning from a secondment at Te Pūkenga to take up the role of Executive Director, Student and Academic Services.

Prior to working at EIT, Dr van Dulm was a lecturer and researcher at the University of Canterbury and the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. When EIT became part of Te Pūkenga, Dr van Dulm was seconded to the new institute to lead programme unification. She was later appointed as Head of Domain, Kaiāwhina and Health.

With the Government indicated change in direction for Te Pūkenga, Dr van Dulm has now returned to be part of EIT’s Executive team.

It is a role that she is not only qualified for, but one she is looking forward to.

“It’s going to be an interesting time ahead, with a lot of challenges and opportunities for our sector, so that’s pretty exciting. I think we have a great balance at EIT, with existing executives who have been in their roles for a while, and a few newcomers.”

“I’m really looking forward to contributing to strategic planning as we navigate the path forward for tertiary and vocational education in our region.”

EIT’s Executive Director, Kieran Hewitson, welcomed Dr van Dulm to the team.

“Ondene has played an important role in the establishment of Te Pūkenga and now she will bring that expertise to EIT as we go forward.”

“This is an important time for EIT as we continue to offer quality programmes. Ondene will add value to the Student and Academic Services role.”

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Top Researcher and Academic to become EIT Executive Dean, Faculty of Education, Humanities and Health Science | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

25 seconds ago

Dr Helen Ryan-Stewart is EIT’s new Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Health Science.

EIT has appointed a top researcher and sports scientist as its new Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Health Science.

Dr Helen Ryan-Stewart joined EIT from the University of Winchester in the United Kingdom in 2022. Initially appointed to the role of Assistant Head of the School of Health and Sport Science, Helen was soon made Acting Head of School following the secondment of Dr Ondene van Dulm, to Te Pūkenga.

She has been acting Dean since last year and will now lead the Faculty permanently.

Dr Ryan-Stewart says that she is humbled by the opportunity to be part of EIT’s decision-making body. She will also lead EIT’s cohort of researchers.

“I am ready to take up the challenge of leading this Faculty and supporting our talented educators and researchers.”

“EIT has some world class academics and researchers and this is a further opportunity to showcase their talents.”

“As the largest tertiary institute in the Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti region, we are uniquely positioned to provide ākonga with a quality education so that they can pursue the career of their choice.”

EIT Executive Director Kieran Hewitson welcomed Dr Ryan-Stewart to the EIT Executive, saying that she would add value to the team.

“Helen has proven her capabilities while acting as Dean. She is well regarded and works well with members of the faculty.”

“There is a lot of work ahead of us and it is good to have an executive made up of people of the calibre of Helen.”

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Experienced academic leader appointed to Executive Dean role | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

15 mins ago

John West has been appointed as EIT’s Executive Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Technology.

John West, an experienced academic leader, has been appointed as EIT’s Executive Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Technology.

Mr West, who has most recently been Head of EIT’s Schools of Business and Computing, has been acting Dean since April 2022, when long-serving Executive Dean Fred Koenders resigned.

Mr West says that he is looking forward to taking up the Dean role permanently and working with a new executive team.

“I am pleased to be given this opportunity to lead a Faculty of dedicated professionals and look forward to what the future holds.”

“It has been an uncertain time for many of our kaimahi so I am looking forward to helping create a settled environment where they can focus on what they do best – educating our learners.”

“We have an exciting future ahead and I have no doubt that EIT will continue to build the strong reputation and relationship it has in the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti community.”

EIT Executive Director Kieran Hewitson welcomed Mr West to the team.

“John has done an excellent job in an acting capacity for a long time. He brings experience and professionalism to the table and I am pleased that he is now a permanent member of the executive team.”

“There is a lot of work ahead of us and it is good to have an executive made up of people of the calibre of John.”

Mr West has been with EIT since 2021 when he was appointed Head of School. Previously Mr West was the Product and Service Manager at eCampus NZ, one of New Zealand’s largest online learning developers, based in Christchurch. He has also held the roles of Head of the Business School and  Director of Student Services at Ara Institute of Canterbury

Originally from Gisborne, he has now made Hawke’s Bay his home.

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EIT BA Māori graduate enjoyed studies so much, she is now teaching one of the programmes | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

30 seconds ago

Tamara Whenuaroa (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Tūwharetoa & Ngāi Tūhoe) is now teaching at EIT Tairāwhiti after completing her Bachelor of Arts (Māori).

Tamara Whenuaroa (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou, Tūwharetoa & Ngāi Tūhoe) enjoyed studying for her Bachelor of Arts (Māori) at EIT Tairāwhiti so much last year, that she has been back on campus this year teaching the certificate programme.

The Tairāwhiti graduation for last year’s students was held at the War Memorial Theatre in Gisborne in March. Although Tamara did not attend the ceremony, she has still graduated with the rest of her cohort.

Tamara, whose first language is te reo, had studied at EIT previously, obtaining a Bachelor of Visual Art and Design. She says she began her second degree in 2022 after being attracted to the programme at Te Whatukura on the Tairāwhiti campus.

“I had a couple of friends who studied at Te Whatukura with EIT and did the Māori degree there. And I really enjoyed the environment that they had there.”

“When they had their graduation ceremonies, I went along with them and met a few of the tutors and saw how they operate. That really inspired me to go there. I think one of the key aspects that I enjoyed, and that was a point of difference in the teachings, was that they taught the reo of this region, of this rohe.”

“In 2022, I did the diploma in te reo. Then I did a couple of extra papers through Massey University so that I was able to fast track my journey and have those cross-credited to be able to complete the degree last year.”

Tamara, 25, who went to school at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Ara Hou in Napier, says she enjoyed learning the dialect of the region.

“I learned a lot on the grammatical side of our language. I learnt a lot about the histories and traditions of this region. I was brought up in Napier, so in Ngāti Kahungunu as opposed to the Tairāwhiti, Ngāti Porou region.”

“The Ngāti Porou language is very much its own, and I really wanted to come and learn about that here on this whenua, in this region, from the people who were brought up here because my mum is from this region. So it just made it that much more special to be able to do that.”

Tamara says that after she finished her degree, new opportunities opened up for her.

“After graduating I was approached to teach the level two te reo Māori course. They are night classes for adults. And it’s been such a cool journey to go from student, directly into teaching because being a learner, you learn all these skills and grasp an understanding of how you learn whether that’s visual or just by repetitive learning etc.”

“I always thought I’d be a teacher, but I never thought I’d be an adult teacher. I’ve been well-supported by EIT staff.”

It has been a long and winding journey for Tamara, who grew up with te reo as her first language, but never thought she could have a career in it.

“When I finished my degree in Napier, I moved to Tūranga to undergo an apprenticeship in tā moko, that’s why I actually moved to Gisborne.”

“And when I moved, I decided I may as well do the honours programme here at Toihoukura to really connect back to Toi Māori and te ao Māori. “

“I finished the honours and then worked at the Māori Land Court for a few years, whilst finishing my apprenticeship in tā moko. Shortly thereafter I underwent my reo studies. And now I’m doing the level two teaching part-time and lucky to have had a few other employment opportunities pop up, including mahi with rangatahi of Te Tairāwhiti, through Nōnā Te Ao Charitable Trust. And actually, all of my employment opportunities I acquired thanks to my reo.”

Pareputiputi Nuku, Pouarataki, Te Ūranga Waka and Te Whatukura, says: “Tamara is a talented and clearly focused, committed young wahine.

“We are very fortunate to have Tamara on our Te Whatukura and Te Ūranga Waka team as a kaiako for Te Pōkaitahi Reo (Level 2) with her skills and knowledge in te reo and toi Māori.”

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Celebrating 20 years of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest island eradication of predators – Part 2 | Conservation blog

Source: Department of Conservation

What the next 20 years of predator free islands hold.

In this two-part series, we’re celebrating 20 years of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest predator free project to-date. Looking to the future, we explore what the next 20 years of restoring New Zealand’s wild and precious islands may hold. Learn how artificial intelligence, the history of phones, and feral pigs all connect.

Written by Janel Hull.

20 years ago, DOC declared the seemingly impossible operation to make Campbell Island predator free a resounding success. 

The techniques that DOC staff on Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku pioneered helped propel the world into exponentially scaling up eradications of bigger and bigger islands. DOC’s Predator Free 2050 Senior Manager, Brent Beaven, shares how Campbell Island changed the game. “Campbell Island helped unlock a step change in what we thought was possible.”

DOC Predator Free 2050 Senior Manager, Brent Beaven, translocating a rare native tīeke (South Island saddleback) | Photo: Peta Carey

Now, there have been over 1,000 island eradications in the world. And New Zealand is responsible for the lion’s share.

Thanks to these predator free breakthroughs, islands across the world are covered in screeching penguins, soaring albatross, and chubby sea lions. We were able to save precious native plants and animals from the brink of extinction.

King penguin colony on predator free Macquarie Island | Photo: Janel Hull
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Sea lion pups on predator free Enderby Island | Photo: Jack Mace

But momentum in creating larger predator free islands has unfortunately waned. Brent notes, “The island eradication tools and techniques we use now have allowed us to achieve some incredible things. But, to scale up to larger and more island eradications, we need innovation.”

Technology and techniques haven’t changed much since the 2001 Campbell Island operation. Island eradications in 2023 use similar GPS, helicopters, and techniques. Which is surprising considering that in 2001 the first ipod was released, we had just survived Y2K, and fax machines and landlines reigned supreme. These predator eradication techniques are tried and true and get the job done. But the tools aren’t effective and efficient for eradicating predators from very large islands or the mainland of Aotearoa.

To tackle restoring larger islands and the mainland, we need new tools, techniques, and technology. We need investment to shift from reliable landlines to transformative smart phones.

Predator Free 2050 has focused government investment into this innovation. Since the goal was announced in 2016, programmes like DOC’s ‘Tools to Market‘ and Predator Free 2050 Ltd.’s ‘Products to Projects’ have invested in possible game changers like biodegradable aerial rat traps, AI cameras and image recognition, smart detection devices, pest-specific toxins, and research to map predator genomes to understand their unique weaknesses and biology.  In just the first five years of Predator Free 2050, government has invested $43 million into tools, research, and software for predator eradication. 

Biodegradable aerial rat traps | Photo: Goodnature
Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP) innovation and operations team talk through a prototype | Photo: Robyn Janes

It’s unlikely research will uncover just one “silver bullet” for eradicating introduced predators. But with the help of investment and new tools and technology, Aotearoa could accelerate efforts to restoring precious islands and our mainland.

Predator Free 2050 has also helped launch DOC’s National Eradication Team (NET). This team is working on a strategy for eradicating predators from all of New Zealand’s uninhabited off-shore islands. They’re leaders in predator eradication – spearheading strategy, testing new techniques, and advising on island eradication projects both in Aotearoa and around the world.

Some members of the National Eradication Team | Photo: Finlay Cox

DOC’s eradication experts have already achieved great things for people and wildlife. In 2018, a DOC team led the charge to successfully eradicate mice from Antipodes island, protecting wildlife like wandering albatross.

They’re also sharing their knowledge and expertise abroad. In 2023, they led a rat eradication on Palmerston Atoll in the Cook Islands with our neighbours in the Pacific who were struggling with rats destroying food and threatening their community’s health.

National Eradication Team member supporting Palmerston Atoll community members with trail cameras and rat surveys | Photo: Em Oyston

With the leadership of DOC and investment in tools and techniques, Aotearoa is taking strides to accelerate island conservation.

And these experts have their eyes set on the next big island restoration – Maukahuka Auckland Island.

Maukahuka/Auckland Island is a stronghold of remarkable plants and animals. As a subantarctic nature reserve and World Heritage site, it is home to some of the world’s rarest animals like the Gibson’s albatross, southern right-whales, New Zealand sea lions and hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin).

The island supports over 500 native plants and animals with more than 100 found nowhere else in the world. The wild landscape has blushing rātā forests and windswept clusters of bright megaherbs. Maukahuka is of great cultural and spiritual significance to Ngāi Tahu, with a long history of Polynesian expeditions to the islands to gather food and settle.

Megaherb carpets on neighbouring predator free Enderby Island | Photo: James Ware
Hoiho/yellow-eyed penguins | Photo: Rachael Sagar

Sadly, over the last 200 years, populations of feral pigs, feral cats, and mice have inflicted severe harm. Now, of the 39 native bird species that were once on the island, 28 are either gone or remain in very small numbers. Large swaths of rātā forests have disturbed soils and stunted understories. Megaherbs are dwindling. Without action, plants and animals will continue to disappear.

Feral pigs in a white-capped albatross colony on Auckland Island | Photo: Paul Sagar

At about four times the size of Campbell Island, achieving a predator free Auckland Island would be a massive undertaking. It would be New Zealand’s largest predator free island and the final step to finally restore all of New Zealand’s subantarctic islands. 

In 2021, the National Eradication Team spent three years investigating whether it was possible to eradicate pigs, mice and feral cats from Auckland Island. They concluded that making Auckland Island predator free would be achievable, worthwhile, and sustainable in the long run.

But first, the project would need about $9.75 million per year over 8 years to tackle the challenge. Innovation in image processing and targeted baits has steadily reduced the time and cost. But it would still require unprecedented support and investment.

Looking to the future, New Zealand could make even bigger strides in conservation on islands like Auckland Island. Brent reflects, “All of our progress on previous islands helped build the confidence to launch Predator Free 2050. We’re now seriously eyeing up another step change in possibility with Maukahuka Auckland Island.”

Predator Free 2050 is helping tackle the challenge of innovating new tools and technology, spearheading a strategy for restoring all islands, and growing new levels of community support and investment for eradicating pests.

The next 20 years could be promising for predator free islands. But it’ll be a challenge. Brent notes, “We’ll need to innovate, test our limits and be prepared to take a bit of risk as we step into the unknown.”

Read Part 1 of the blog series here.