community and see they are making a positive difference.” Currently traps have been set along the Mangaotuku Stream, around their school pool and buildings. They are all safely monitored by pupils. Year 7 Teacher Sylvia Howieson says her students are designing the WITT Science Fair poster with a predator-free theme. She is also working with a group of students who are writing a ‘reality or dream’ essay on the topic. Towards Predator-Free Taranaki Environment Officer Chauncy Ardell says with such
trapping network. The Gordons are the winners of Taranaki’s Trap NZ competition, winning a $100 Arborio meal voucher for having registered with Trap NZ and displaying their Towards Predator-Free Taranaki badge on their letterbox. These spot prize draws will be a regular occurrence, so make sure you get your badge or sticker on your fence/mailbox and traps registered on Trap.NZ. Nancy encourages other residents thinking of trapping in their backyard to take the leap ‘Absolutely, especially if you notice
Contractors will be off the road for Labour Weekend (22 to 26 October) and for the Taranaki Garden Festival (29 October to 7 November), with SH3 re-opened to two lanes as usual. In the event of bad weather, works may take longer than planned. What does this mean for Connector passengers? Southbound travel
Due to the detour, the southbound Connector service will not pass through Tariki. Tariki passengers are advised to use the temporary stops in Inglewood or Midhirst. The Inglewood stop will temporarily
but it’s more than that – they understand the importance of why they’re trapping and what it’s doing to support Taranaki’s biodiversity,” Mr Veric says. So far 29 Taranaki schools have joined Towards Predator-Free Taranaki. Primary and high school students of all ages are involved by making trap tunnels, or selling traps to their community, monitoring and recording information about predators, biodiversity and trapping catches, or analysing data. New Plymouth teacher Julie Neilson, from Woodleigh
is for our region’s biodiversity. In fact, she reckons her friends are probably sick of hearing about it. “I talk about it a lot,” she laughs. Gillian and Bernie plan to continue looking after the traps as long as they are able and would “absolutely recommend it” to others keen to make a difference to our region’s biodiversity. If you’re interested in checking traps in a New Plymouth park or reserve, contact NPDC Parks Volunteer Officer Laura George on (06) 759 6060 to see where volunteers are
possums are seen, heard or suspected in Oakura and Kaitake, the site of a possum eradication trial as part of Toward Predator-Free Taranaki, then the public are urged to call Taranaki Regional Council on its 24-7 environmental hotline 0800 736 222 or report it online: https://bit.ly/3c7w27H Anecdotal sightings of more native birds and fledglings by the public is promising, but it is too early for any credible trends to confirm native bird numbers are increasing, Mr Shanley says. Scientific trends will
It was all hands on deck at Tūpare for the monthly working bee in June, where work was done, coffee was drunk and a whole lot of catching up took place. On the first Thursday of every month, gardeners from Pukeiti, Hollard, and Tūpare come together to lend a helping hand. Tūpare was next on the list, where a full day's work went into tidying up the autumn mess, says Tūpare Head Gardener Nick Lelean. “These working bees are a highlight of our month and the timing was perfect for us. Autumn is
to visit backyards looking for other food. “If you hear, see or suspect there may be a possum in your backyard or somewhere in urban Oākura then please call 0800 736 222 and report it,” says Max. Towards Predator-Free Taranaki is a region-wide community project, supported by $11.7 million from Predator Free 2050 Ltd. See the video A possum a day in Oākura
to check them all and until recently she was doing it weekly. She’s just cut back to every two to three weeks, as the catch rate has dropped. Becky hopes that’s a sign the traps are starting to make an impact on predator numbers in the town. “Hopefully it’s helping.” Asked why she does it, the answer is simple: “They are not supposed to be here.” “I don’t like killing things but it’s just one of those things that we have to do,” she says. “If either natives or predators have to die I would rather
network in New Plymouth. We’re initially focusing on two of the biggest predators in urban New Plymouth – rats and possums. And to stop predators killing urban wildlife, one in five households needs a rat trap. New Plymouth residents interested in trapping can sign up to get a trap or attend the urban trapping workshops held regularly around the district. The Taranaki Regional Council can support you with a range of traps and devices, offering subsidised box-tunnel rat traps that are safe around pets