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WRCT

Pest Free Whau

WRCT aim to support Pest Free Auckland 2050 through setting up several pest control initiatives within the Whau catchment. 
Eliminating pests by 2050 is a New Zealand wide goal which will require a collaborative effort between businesses, iwi and the public. Pest Free 2050 will provide massive benefits across New Zealand by protecting our environment values and native biodiversity.

We have a number of rare and threatened bird species living along the Whau River which need protection from mammalian pests. However, controlling weed pests is equally important. In order to protect these species we need to remove predators to support their survival rates and remove weeds to increase their habitat quality.




 

Animal Pests

There are several key pests we want to see eliminated from the Whau River Catchment.

  • Possums

  • Rats

  • Stoats

  • Hedgehogs

  • Wasps

How you can help

 

Through our trapping programmes we have managed to reduce the number of mammalian pests along the Whau River, but we still need help reducing these numbers further.

You can assist a number of ways by either volunteering to help look after a pest control trap line or by initiating pest control on your property.

 

Volunteer:

Volunteering typically only requires you to help out once a month for monitoring trap lines. To volunteer for pest control Contact us now!
 

Backyard trapping:
 

If you live on a suburban section, you’ll probably only need to target rats. However, if you live near a park or reserve rats, stoats and possums are likely to be present and you’ll need bigger traps.

Targeting Rats:

Ideally you would need to buy a Victor rat Trap. Refer to Predator Free Trust page on Rat Trapping for more info.

Targeting Possums

Targeting Stoats

Plant Pests

There are numerous weed species which need to be eliminated within the Whau catchment. Weed species threaten our restorative planting sites by choking out the baby natives we put in. Auckland Council has an extensive list of weed species found in Auckland, however, below are a few key species we would like to see gone ASAP.

  • Tradescantia (Wandering Jew)

  • Moth Plant

  • Woolly Nightshade

  • Climbing Asparagus

  • Kahali Ginger

  • Madeira Vine

How you can help

You can assist the eradication of pest weed species by learning how to recognise them and removing them from your own back yard. Visit Auckland Council or DOC for more information on weed identification. They all have very useful guides on how to identify and deal with weed species. 

You can also go a step further and help remove weed species at our restoration sites - not only stopping seeds from spreading but also helping our baby plants have a chance to grow. Contact us now!

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