Date:  12 September 2017 Source:  Office of the Minister of Conservation

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry and Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner have presented traps to two community groups at a Predator Free 2050 event in Christchurch today.

From left: Lyttelton School Principal Brendan Wright, school students, Lyttelton Port Company Environment Manager Kim Kellerher, Associate Conservation Minister Nicky Wagner

The Little River Trap Library and Lyttleton Primary School were given more than 50 traps and bait worth about $8,000 for their work to control rats, possums and stoats on Banks Peninsula and in Lyttelton, funded through the DOC Predator Free Rangers Enabling Fund of $300,000.

"The Little River Trap Library was the first of its kind in New Zealand and lends traps for free to people wanting to protect wildlife on their properties on Banks Peninsula. This community venture has successfully seeded many small-scale predator control projects that will together help achieve the Predator Free Banks Peninsula vision," Ms Barry says.

"Lyttelton Primary School has plans to start trapping in an area the school has been helping to restore on Lyttelton Port Company land, near Lyttelton township. The easy-to-use traps will enable the school children to take their conservation work to the next level."

"These two projects are examples of outstanding community leadership, collaboration and tireless dedication to eradicating predators from their own backyards and create pockets of safe habitat for our wildlife to flourish."

Ms Wagner says there are many great examples of people working together to protect native species through predator control around Christchurch, on Banks Peninsula and in Canterbury.

"Tūī are beginning to prosper on the peninsula again and the white-flippered penguin colony in Flea Bay/Pohatu has doubled in size since this work began," Ms Wagner says.

"Eventually I believe these predator-free areas will expand to cover the whole of Lyttelton, Banks Peninsula, wider Christchurch and beyond. I'm confident that by 2050 we'll have a rat, stoat and possum-free New Zealand."

"Forty traps and bait were donated to the Little River Trap Library, while 15 traps were given to Lyttelton Primary School, including five possum traps from Lyttelton Port Company,' Ms Wagner says.

DOC will allocate a further $22,000 in Canterbury with four other predator control projects being considered.

DOC provides support and advice to advance predator-free initiatives and has nine Predator Free Rangers, including one based in Christchurch, to help coordinate community predator control activities.

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