Ban 1080 group at Ngongotahā roundabout for peaceful protest

Members of the Ban 1080 group protesting 1080 at Ngongotahā. Photo / Stephen Parker

Plans to drop 1080 in Mamaku caused a handful of residents to protest at the Ngongotahā roundabout during peak traffic.

The Department of Conservation has notified its intention to drop sodium fluoroacetate, or 1080, in the Mokaihaha Ecological Area on the Mamaku plateau.

The department intends to apply the bait from September 1 to October 31.

Zenn Reid helped organise a peaceful protest today at the Ngongotahā roundabout from 4pm.

She was joined by members of the Operation Ban 1080 Facebook group.

Reid said the group was against the use of 1080 nationwide, not just in Mamaku.

"It kills everything, it's supposed to be for pest control but at the moment it's killing everything.

"We'd like the Government to ban it."

Members of the protest held signs saying "Ban 1080", "No more poison" and "Stop the drops", and Reid said the protest was about raising awareness.

"There are not a lot of people who are aware of what 1080 is. It's about awareness and getting people to look it up and find out what it does."

Operation Ban 1080 has more than 35,000 members on Facebook and Reid said it wasn't "just greenies".

The group was also planning a hīkoi to Wellington on September 8.

"Everybody that can't make it on that day will be doing marches in their hometown so they are heard and part of that hīkoi."

The Department of Conservation website has a map of New Zealand showing where pesticides have been, will be and are proposed to be laid.

In the Rotorua area pindone pellets have been laid at Tikitapu (Blue Lake) and 1080 pellets are proposed to be laid in the Mokaihaha Ecological Area.

The Department of Conservation provided the Rotorua Daily Post with a fact sheet about pest control in the area.

The fact sheet said Mokaihaha was home to endangered native species such as the kōkako which the department was eager to protect.

"The Department of Conservation's objective is to increase the number of territorial kōkako in Mokaihaha by 10 per cent or more by 2021."

The department previously laid 1080 in the area in 2015 resulting in possum numbers reducing to zero and rat numbers declining, the fact sheet said.

Tauranga Rotorua District office operations manager Jeff Milham said the benefits of aerial 1080 were three-fold.

"Stoats are notoriously difficult to target directly so by targeting rats and possums, the uptake of bait means that stoats will eat the carcasses and die.

"This method has been extremely successful in protecting kaka, robins and whio in their attempts to nest."

He said there would be signs at the entrances to the area to let people know about the potential risk to dogs.

About 1080
• Pesticide is poisonous to humans and domestic animals. Dogs are highly susceptible to 1080.
• Eliminate risk by avoiding touching bait, watching children, and not eating animals from the area.
• If you suspect poisoning contact a doctor, hospital or the National Poisons Centre on 0800 764 766 (urgent) or 03 479 7248 (non-urgent)