Date:  09 December 2019

Senior students at the school successfully applied for a $2,000 grant from the DOC Community Fund, enabling them to set up a trap network in Hobsonville Point. 

“We have high hopes that this programme, which will run over the next two years, will help us bring back native birds to Hobsonville Point,” says Andrea Tritton, the students’ project guide and the school’s Learning Design Leader of Science.

Next year, the students aim to increase community involvement in predator-control by having residents ‘adopt’ a trap, giving them responsibility for maintaining and checking it. They also plan to partner with the community to make enclosed wooden traps and inform residents about native tree plantings and bird counts.  

“This is a great example of students feeling empowered to make real-world, positive changes and contribute to kaitiakitanga or guardianship of the land,” says Andrea Tritton.

DOC Auckland Mainland Operations Manager Kirsty Prior says she is thrilled to support this initiative.

“These students are our future leaders and it’s terrific to support conservation projects like this with the DOC Community Fund.”

It’s planned that once the trap network is in place, students at Hobsonville Point Secondary School will keep it running in partnership with the community.

Students at the school have been engaging with Pest Free Kaipātiki and Auckland Council Biodiversity for several years and are well equipped to set up and manage the trapping network.

Further information

• DOC Community Fund: full list of funded projects
• Pest Free Kaipātiki community-led initiative 

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