Reflecting on another amazing year! Kiwi Coast’s 2019 Annual Report is out, presenting the key outcomes and results achieved during the sixth year of the collaborative initiative.
Some of the highlights include:
- The NRC – Kiwi Coast partnership and the Northland pest control rate has made a tangible difference to the support and operating capacity of community-led conservation projects in the region.
- Kiwi Coast’s momentum continues to grow. As at June 30, 2019 129 entities have linked into Kiwi Coast. Collectively, these groups and projects manage approximately 155,000 hectares.
- Thousands of new traps have been added into Northland’s predator trap network over the last year. Kiwi Coast has run 44 skill building and trapper training workshops over the past six years to to help ensure each trap is serviced to a high standard and achieves maximum results.
- 297,753 pests were trapped over the last six years with over 1,000 pests removed from the Kiwi Coast every week.
- Kiwi Link CPCA landowners alone contributed over $130,000 of unpaid labour and in-kind resources to their project during the year – just one example that the resources provided by funders, agencies and organisations to support community-led projects is a worthy investment yielding good returns and results.
- Kiwi Coast has continued to assist with linking traplines of neighbouring projects into continuous trapping areas. As a result, predator trap networks within the Whangarei Heads – Tutukaka, Mid North and Piroa-Brynderwyns areas now span tens of thousands of hectares.
- Expanding populations of indicator species such as pateke and the continued upward trend of kiwi populations at many Northland sites signals that these trapping networks are yielding the desired results.
- Kiwi remain their own best ambassadors – winning hearts and minds, motivating action and inspiring improved dog control at public kiwi releases. 13,373 people have attended Kiwi Coast supported events over the past six years.
- The confirmed dispersal of transmittered kiwi between the Whangarei Heads peninsula and the Kiwi Link CPCA indicates the first steps of a functioning Northland kiwi corridor are in place.
- Seeking efficiencies, maximising gains and ensuring upward trends of kiwi populations are sustained remain key strategic priorities of the Kiwi Coast Trust. Emerging opportunities to support communities towards predator free peninsulas and develop new technology will be explored further over the upcoming year.
Kiwi Coast Coordinator Ngaire Sullivan says:
“The Kiwi Coast Trust again thanks all the groups and projects for their enduring and relentless hard work. Many thanks also to our partners Northland Regional Council and sponsors and funders including the Department of Conservation Community Fund, NZ Landcare Trust, Gilbert Pest Traps and Key Industries. We are privileged to work with you all on this amazing initiative.”
