One of the newest groups to link into the Kiwi Coast network are a keen group of kids from Whangarei Heads School. With the help of Bream Head/Te Whara Conservation Trust’s ranger, and school dad, Tom Grinsted, they reestablished a network of traps in the bush on school property in late 2025.
This came about after the students carried out some tracking tunnel monitoring in the bush adjacent to the school buildings as part of an enviro focus. Teacher Dane Higgison explained
“the students found that there were indeed rodents down in the bush. The kids came up with a master plan to put out traps with the help of Tom G from Bream Head. We set ten traps, and in our first week caught six rats. It was really exciting for the tamariki to check them and discover what was in them. That initial result led to a big boost of enthusiasm for the group.”
The school has a strong focus on environment and community and Matua Dane takes the trapping group around the trap line every 2 weeks in their lunch break.
Year 6 student Luca Regan, a school enviro councillor, said he wanted to get involved in the trapping group because
“we catch rats that eat bird eggs and kill baby birds. I also really like going into the bush at lunchtime because of all the birds, as well as the trees that are big or small, wide or skinny, and the little plants on the ground that help the biggest trees grow.”
Nestled under Manaia Scenic Reserve, and having had kiwi walking the school grounds, this group is motivated to contribute their mahi to conservation at Whangarei Heads and the wider network of Kiwi Coast affiliated groups.
