from the NZ Herald
A Predator-free Waikanae project is underway focusing on eliminating the rising population of stoats, rats, and mice, living in the area. The new community service is being spearheaded by the Waikanae Lions Club in partnership with Menz Shed Kāpiti.
The NZ Transport Agency has given the green light for the first step of the project which will see a trapping line extending 3.5 km from Pururi St to the Ngā Manu Nature Reserve.
Volunteers from the Waikanae Lions Club, Menz Shed Kāpiti, and the wider community will regularly monitor and maintain the traps. This initiative was spearheaded by Alf Clear, a member of the Waikanae Lions and Menz Shed Kāpiti, who proposed the project after observing stoats on the cycleway beside the expressway.
“The Waikanae area has seen a worrying rise in stoat and other pest sightings,” Waikanae Lions Club’s Kevin Sheppard said. “Both the Ngāa Manu Nature Reserve and Forest and Bird have confirmed this trend.
“One significant factor contributing to the increase in these predators is the expressway itself. The new cycleways and walkways running parallel to the expressway have inadvertently become corridors for stoats, allowing them to migrate deeper into Kāpiti.”
Sheppard said the Department of Conservation had identified stoats as public enemy number one for New Zealand’s native birds.