Brothers Joe, 9, Jack, 15, and Beau Mounter, 12, from Kāeo, are among roughly 200 keen entrants in Te Hautū's rat-catching contest.
Brothers Joe, 9, Jack, 15, and Beau Mounter, 12, from Kāeo, are among roughly 200 keen entrants in Te Hautū's rat-catching contest.
Organisers of a rat-catching competition aiming to get a new generation involved in backyard pest control say they’ve been overwhelmed by the level of interest from Kerikeri kids.
The contest has been organised by Te Hautū Kerikeri River Restoration Project, a volunteer group working to remove predators and bring backnative wildlife along a corridor from the Stone Store to State Highway 10.
Volunteer Sarah Stokes said around 200 children had entered the contest, far outstripping expectations – and sparking a frantic scramble to build and distribute enough trap boxes to the schools taking part.
“We were absolutely surprised by the response. We thought we might get 100 entrants. We’ve had really good engagement from the schools, and the teachers especially.”
Schools that took up the invitation were Riverview Primary, Kerikeri Primary, Kerikeri High and Te Takarangi (formerly Bay of Islands International Academy).
Stokes said each child taking part received an easy-set rat trap and a wooden trap box, which they could keep after the contest ended.
The box was designed to prevent non-target species, such as birds, being caught by accident.
With twice as many entrants as expected, building enough trap boxes – like these ones delivered to Kerikeri Primary School during the March storm – took a huge volunteer effort.
Contestants were encouraged to register their traps on the app trap.nz, so they could upload photos of their catches and make the judges’ job easier.
Being part of the nationwide trap.nz network would also motivate them to keep trapping long term, Stokes said.
Organising the competition was a huge volunteer effort, which included delivering 90 trap boxes to Kerikeri Primary School during the March storm.
“That was pretty epic,” she said.
The winners of Te Hautū Rat Catching Competition would be announced at the group’s upcoming Kerikeri Conservation Fair, which would be held at Kingston House on Hone Heke Rd from noon to 4pm on April 25.
Prizes would be awarded at 3pm in categories such as longest rat, longest tail, biggest ears, scariest looking beast, and most creative bait that catches a rat.
Stokes said restoring Kerikeri’s biodiversity was a long-term project, so it was vital to get the young generation interested.
“It’s so we can increase our native wildlife – our birds, lizards, insects – especially along Kerikeri River. It’s really crucial that we get backyard trapping happening, and get our young trappers on board to keep driving us forward.”
The Conservation Fair would also feature stalls and displays from a dozen Kerikeri conservation groups, a photo display, and three workshops:
* 12.30pm: Our Native Birds with Dean Baigent-Mercer (Forest & Bird Northland conservation manager)
* 1.45pm: Pest Control Basics with Mae Lewis (Kiwi Coast community co-ordinator)
