A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Opinion
Re: Predators beware, February 21 page 2 story.
I commend East Coast iwi Ngati Porou and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, who partnered with Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation (DoC), for their efforts on this project.
As written, dealing with people’s fears around 1080 was big mahi. I reassure readers, the gainsfar outweigh the losses.
DoC notes that 1080 is far less toxic to birds than mammals, but some native birds — weka, robins, tomtits and kea — are susceptible. We read here the Raukūmara is home to rare species such as kāka, kiwi, whio, pekapeka/bats and the Hochstetter’s frog, but in the past few decades, populations of these have been devastated by stoats, rats and possums.
“We not only want to restore the Raukūmara but also our relationships with the natural environment and with each other.”
I’m convinced the $34 million being invested here from the Jobs for Nature programme won’t be wasted. It’s for the ngahere and the future of our environment, as Ms Rewi said.
Kāka, kiwi, whio, pekapeka and the Hochstetter’s frog belong within these 120,000 hectares; stoats, rats, possums or any other introduced mammal do not.
