Lottery and trust grants fast-track possum eradication on Mahia Peninsula

A Whakatipu Mahia – Predator Free Mahia team member installs a wireless predator trap as part of ongoing work to make the peninsula possum-free by mid-2027. Photo / Supplied

A $250,000 Lottery Grants Board boost and a $60,000 grant from Eastern & Central Community Trust will help the Whakatipu Mahia – Predator Free Mahia project complete possum eradication on the Mahia Peninsula by mid-2027.

Launched in 2018 by Predator Free Hawke’s Bay, the $4.86 million project aims to remove possums from 14,500 hectares of the peninsula.

It will also develop a low-cost farmland eradication model that can be applied across the region and nationally.

The work is part of New Zealand’s Predator Free 2050 goal.

“With possum numbers at their lowest in the area, the new funding will support the final phase of field operations, including trapping, bait station refills and detection dog surveys, through to mid-2026, followed by a maintenance phase to keep the area possum-free,” Hawke’s Bay Regional Council chairwoman Sophie Siers said in a statement.

“The new funding is a vital step in protecting the peninsula’s environment. It’s a huge boost for Mahia.

“It lets us complete the work we started in 2018 and secure the peninsula for the future.

“Removing possums strengthens our native forests, protects farms and keeps us on track for Predator Free 2050.

“We’re already seeing the results – kākā returning, nikau flowering and the forest coming back to life.”

The community is preparing to expand predator control to mustelids and rats, and to establish a kiwi sanctuary, with the Kiwis for Kiwi charity planning to use the area as a kiwi creche.

The project was already delivering environmental and economic benefits, Siers said: “Healthier forests, reduced pasture damage, lower disease risk for livestock, and reduced costs for landowners.

“Lessons learned in Mahia will help inform predator control across Aotearoa.”