continue catching these predators in Oākura township, with the support of residents and their two possum dogs. “Locals have been great, telling us if they’ve seen possums through the free-calling number 0800 736 222, It’s been really helpful,” says Max. “Our possum dogs are going well also. They will be critical to locating the final possums.” The zero-possum trial builds on broader predator control efforts to restore Kaitake, as part of Towards Predator-Free Taranaki. Led by Taranaki Regional Council
obvious why Omata School won a Taranaki Environmental Award 2019 for inspiring students to be guardians of their local environment and restore native habitat. Would you like to start or expand trapping in your New Plymouth backyard or farm? See how you can get a subsidised trap from Taranaki Regional Council here: www.trc.govt.nz/pf-taranaki2050/
Predator control in rural Taranaki is vital to the success of Towards a Predator-Free Taranaki. High-tech traps will be used in rural areas. It forms a large chunk of the work to ultimately remove predators and prevent re-infestations across the region’s 700,000 hectares. Many landowners and occupiers are already trapping possums and doing an awesome job - dropping numbers to below a 10% residual catch rate (fewer than 10 possums per 100 traps). But we need to expand this work to restore Taranaki, protecting our native wildlife and bush. We’re utilising new IOT (Internet Of Things) technology, along with traditional, proven trapping techniques, to scale up existing trapping work. Farmers and occupiers around the ring plan will be contacted individually about this. Traps will be subsidised, with the wireless infrastructure fully funded. The new wireless trapping network will notify trappers and the Council of real-time captures and when traps need servicing, allowing more efficient trapping and on a bigger scale. In order to manage the instalment of the infrastructure, the roll-out will be in stages, starting in the rural Waiwhakaiho catchment (between New Plymouth and the mountain) in 2018-2019. Contractors will place traps along a combination of habitat, races and farm tracks, with a variety of traps to target stoats, ferrets and weasels. Contractors will ensure correct trap placement, density and connect devices to a wireless network and app, helping ensure the overall success of the program. Rural trapping technologyThis is based on the LoRa platform, described as “a very low-power wireless sensor network”. A wireless node will be placed on traps that are difficult to get to in the network. The nodes will send alerts to landowners, notifying them when a trap is sprung so they know when to reset it. Initially trap checking will be done by a contractor, but after one or two checks and testing of the wireless devices it will become the landowner’s responsibility to check and maintain the trapping network on their property. Downloads How to record your catches with Trap NZ (303 KB PDF) Predator Free School Guidelines (634 KB pdf) Taranaki Taku Tūranga - Towards Predator-Free Taranaki (2.6 MB pdf) Chairman's speech at Towards Predator-Free Taranaki launch (199 KB PDF) Related links Trap.NZ website Trap.NZ Android app Trap.NZ Apple app Follow us on Facebook Towards Predator-Free Taranaki (external link)
area. Towards Predator-Free Taranaki Project Manager Toby Shanley says a range of tools to remove rats, possums and stoats – some of the biggest threats to kiwi and other native wildlife – have been used on rural, urban and conservation land in north Taranaki, as part of Towards Predator-Free Taranaki. Led by Taranaki Regional Council, the region-wide biodiversity project is working with Taranaki Mounga (ecological restoration project on Egmont National Park), community groups, iwi, district
Trap.NZ to record catches, can email: pftaranaki@trc.govt.nz or message Towards Predator Free-Taranaki on its Facebook Page. Residents interested in volunteering to check traps in public parks and reserves can contact New Plymouth District Council’s Laura George. She is co-ordinating local volunteers and can be reached on 06 759 6060 or email: Laura.George@npdc.govt.nz Led by Taranaki Regional Council, Towards Predator-Free Taranaki helps communities remove rats, possums and stoats, some of the
Fifteen potential contractors have expressed interest in the Taranaki Regional Council’s Yarrow Stadium repair and refurbishment project. “We’re pleased that the contractor team can be selected from such a strong squad of hopefuls,” says the Council Chair, David MacLeod. “They bring solid expertise and experience covering not only the major grandstand-repair work, but also our other requirements including specialist ground stabilisation techniques and stadium lighting installation.” He says the
The Council conducts and commissions research and reviews on a variety of topics of interest and relvance to the region and its people.
A portal to the documents setting out the region's resource management and biosecurity frameworks - including the rules and obligations applicable in a range of activities.
The Council works hard with the community to ensure the region's air quality remains generally high, and the coastal environment maintains and increases the richness needed for its myriad cultural, social and economic uses.
Find out what is funded by your Taranaki Regional Council rates, how your rates are calculated, and where you can get information on individual property values and the rates payable on them. Downloads Public notice - rating information database 2020 (63 KB pdf)