Pest Free Purerua - actions we can take to improve the lives of birds, bugs and native flora

Actions we can take on our own properties:

Watch our slideshow: Living in a kiwizone? Here's some stuff we all need to know...

Peninsula

Living in a kiwi zone? Here's some stuff we all need to know...

5% - copy

In areas with no pest control, just 5% percent of hatched kiwi chicks make it to adulthood

13 years

In Northland, the average life expectancy of an adult kiwi is just 13 years compared to nearly 50 years in other parts of the country

Dog

Domestic dogs are a huge problem for kiwi
One dog left to roam can wipe out an entire local population
Dogs kill adult birds - the breeding population

They are part of why Northland kiwi have a life expectancy of just 13 years compared to nearly 50 in other parts of the country
Things we can do:
Control our dogs so that they never meet a kiwi
Have our dogs kiwi aversion trained regularly, remembering it's no guarantee

Read our dogs in kiwi zones guidelines here

Cat

Domestic and feral cats are also a problem for kiwi survival.
Cats kill kiwi chicks
Cats kill other native bird species
Living in a kiwi zone, here's some things we can do:
Keep them in at night
Feed them well
Neuter or spay our cats
When our cats die, consider not replacing them

road

Vehicles kill kiwi
DoC have had 75 reported killed by cars on our peninsula (Redcliffes Rd / Rangitane Rd / Opito Bay Rd) since 1992. Who knows how many have been unreported
Driving at night, let's slow down and keep a close eye out for them on the road

stoats

In areas where they aren't controlled, stoats kill more than 50% of all kiwi chicks
They also take a big toll on other native birds, weta and lizards

possum

Possums eat kiwi eggs and kill adult kiwi and chicks
They also prey on other native bird's eggs and chicks
They eat kiwi habitat and compete with kiwi for burrows

rats

Rats and mice are food for the kiwi's predators and their presence helps to keep populations of cats, stoats and other mustelids high

Ship rats are climbers and eat native birds eggs and chicks

They eat insects and the fruit and seeds that feed birds and allow the forest to regenerate

rats - copy

Still with us? One last thing...

If your dog starts barking at a upturned dinghy on the beach lead him/her away quietly.
There's a good chance it's a kiwi resting up under there.
It happened at Opito Bay this week, not the first time...

Trap pests on your property

We can supply traps at no charge and train you how to use them:

• Rat traps in tunnels
• Possum traps
• Stoat traps

Contact us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Feed the birds - plant native trees/plants on your property that birds like to eat

When we control pests we'll get more birds, but we have to make sure they have enough tucker to eat!

The Northland Regional Council put out this fantastic downloadable booklet on native trees and plants.

• What native trees are the best food for kereru / tui / silvereye
• Which trees possum most like to eat!
• Growth rates / final heights / what conditions each species prefers

Download a pdf copy here

Here's the cheat sheet on birds tree preferences:

Bust weeds - search out and destroy invasive weeds on your property

It's really important to nail these guys and stop their spread, now is better than later!

Northland Regional Council have an excellent section on their website with advice on how to deal to them.

https://www.nrc.govt.nz/environment/weed-and-pest-control/pest-control-hub/

Possibly the most common ones on our peninsula are below with links to how to get rid of them:

Make your home, bird and invertebrate friendly, here's some cool ideas

The humble bird bath
Birds love to bathe, especially in the height of summer. It's important to change the water and clean them regularly, like twice a week. Good for the birds, but also great entertainment value :)

Set up a tui feeder
It'll attract nectar feeders like tui and silvereyes and they'll love you for it :)

You can buy one here:
https://creativewoodcraft.co.nz/product/wild-bird-nectar-feeder

Put a weta hotel in your garden/bush

As the DoC website says: "Female wētā lay 100-300 eggs so if you build a home they like and wētā live there, their numbers will grow" - good for kiwi, and other birds that eat them.

DoC's page with plans to build your own here
Buy one here

Set up a lizard shelter

This one is made of onduline roofing material but any roofing material will do the trick. Put spacers in between the sheets so the lizards can comfotably get in and out and once you've set it up don't disturb it.

If you have a dog, read our suggested guidelines for dogs living in kiwi zones.

Read guidelines for dog owners living in a kiwi zone here