Paparimu sets sights on pesky possums

REBECCA WALSH joins the hunters of Paparimu as they raise money for the local playgroup.

As another ute pulls in to drop off its load, a crowd gathers to check the competition. You never know when the ugliest possum could turn up.

The contenders are laid out on to the grass, and discerning eyes pick them over, trying to forecast winners in the best coat, heaviest possum and ugliest possum divisions.

Deceased possums in every shade of fur imaginable are lined up beside the weigh-in table.

In an attempt to beat off its rivals, one has a blue and pink ribbon tied around its neck. Another has a photo of model Kylie Bax pinned to its head and a sign declaring it the best looking.

Possums are considered to be New Zealand's major animal pest.

They spread bovine tuberculosis to beef and dairy cattle, and to farmed deer.

They damage crops and orchards, kill poplars and willows planted to control hill-country erosion, eat pasture and destroy native and exotic trees.

The country's possum population is estimated at 70 million.

But the Paparimu Possum Hunt this weekend has reduced this figure by 828, and raised money for the local playgroup.

A group of fathers in the Hunua Ranges farming region came up with the idea of "picking off a possum" to raise money for a new building and help eradicate the pest.

Since Friday night, more than 100 locals and hunters from as far away as Raglan have been trapping, shooting or poisoning possums.

Five-year-old Mallory Mordecai-Harwood had been out setting traps for "yucky" possums with her dad, and wasn't bothered about carting her entries around by their tails.

Apple and cinnamon were the best for trapping them "because they like it", she said.

Before the big weekend hunt, pupils at Paparimu School learned how to use possum traps safely and got a few tips about conservation from Auckland Regional Council animal pest officer, Bruce Fraser.

Mr Fraser is a veteran of the battle against the possum. He has "killed them, tanned them and sewed them" since he was 11.

Wearing a jacket and hat he made from possum fur, he said leather made from the marsupial's hide was extremely hard wearing.

"It's very warm. You can't work in it. The leather is used for gloves for golfing and yachting ... I once sold a bedspread for $1000. It was bloody beautiful."

As the possum hunters catch up over a cup of tea and some home baking, Bruce Dawson's pelt machine goes into overdrive removing fur from the animals' backs and sides.

"We don't take the tail or belly fur, it's too short. It's got to be 20 millimetres or upwards. You get that off the sides and the back. Any shorter and it's not suitable for spinning."

Picking the winners was tough. Graeme Matheson, a retired farmer and one of four judges, promised he would not be swayed by Kylie Bax's photo ... "but it might get the most original presentation."

Prizes for the winners ranged from Swanndris to ammunition.

The event raised about $2000 from entry fees and the $1 paid for each possum pelt, and was such a success it may become an annual event.