Group has rats in its sights

From left, Environment Te Puke chairman Grant Dally, Te Puke Menz Shed president John Judson, Menz Shed founder Joan Dugmore and Environment Te Puke treasurer Kylie Woodham.

The predator-free movement has come to the Bay of Plenty, and Te Puke has joined the party.

Late last year Predator-Free Wellington founder Kelvin Hastie gave a presentation in Tauranga to a small but motivated group of people. Some of them had been working on their own projects around the district for many years, such as Otanewainuku Kiwi Trust, Pest-Free Omokoroa and other bush-based projects in the Kaimai Range.

There are now 22 suburbs affiliated to Predator-Free Wellington and the movement is growing in the Western Bay, with a care group in Te Puke joining others that have also been set up around Mauao and in Matua and Merivale. The groups have the support of Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Tauranga City and Western Bay of Plenty District councils.
Voluntary community group Environment Te Puke, under new chairman Grant Dally, had decided to progress Predator-Free Te Puke in July 2017.

"After hearing how well Wellington's plan worked, we realised we had to adopt their methods and take advantage of their online tools to record rat catches, visualise progress and know that we were using a proven system that got results," says Grant.

The plan relies on one in five households having rat traps and coming on board with the project.

"We are fortunate that our local councils have also endorsed this plan and have offered to help set up, partially-fund and promote the initiative," says Grant.

The Te Puke Menz Shed is supporting Predator Free Te Puke by making the trap tunnels. Environment Te Puke is offering free rat traps and tunnels to committed volunteers.

"We will have ongoing workshops on using the traps and catch reporting so you can compare your catch to your neighbours and other parts of town.

"Initial monitoring with chew cards, sponsored by Hargreaves Charitable Trust, to establish the extent of the problem and first issue of traps will be done mid-March and then we can get trapping and kill rats."

Environment Te Puke members will be at the Te Puke Community Market at Jubilee Park on March 17 to explain the plan and sign up more volunteers.

Anyone wanting to volunteer should go along or contact Kylie Woodham on 021 114-3839 or Grant Dally 07 573-8336 or email tpenviroforum@gmail.com