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The rain didn’t dampen Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage’s smile when she announced a major injection of funding for Wellington’s predator-free vision on Monday.
The additional investment of $ 7.6 million over the next five years was announced at Bush of Otari-Wilton amid drizzle and birdsong.
The investment was expected to create 42 new jobs. “This … will allow native plants and wildlife to thrive in Wellington,” Sage said.
The money is part of the 2020 budget and would come from the government company Predator Free 2050, matching a similar investment from Wellington City Council and the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
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Kevin Stent
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced a funding increase of $ 7.6 million in Wellington on Monday to empower the work of volunteers.
Predator Free Wellington was executing a 10-year plan to eradicate pests in the Wellington region, but the new funding means the project can be accelerated.
The new goal is to be the world’s first predator-free capital within the next five years, said Predator Free Wellington project manager James Willcocks.
The plan is enabled by volunteers who set traps in their backyards, something Willcocks said most people are happy to comply with.
The traps are provided free of charge by the project and are reviewed every week for months.
So far, volunteers have deployed 8477 traps and nearly 60,000 pests have so far been killed in the Wellington region.
Wellington Mayor Andrew Foster said he was delighted with the funding allocation as part of the region’s ongoing natural restoration journey.
“It’s about keeping those birds safe and growing populations of birds, insects, and lizards,” said Foster.
Sage said that New Zealand’s native species are a part of who we are and the reason we get to experience so many native birds every day is because of hard work.
“This is great news for a nature-loving city, enjoying the rebound of native species such as kākā and kākariki, tūī and tieke, some of which spill from Zealandia Sanctuary,” said Sage.
The next stage of control would be completed in 19 suburbs, from Island Bay to Kilbirnie and the CBD.
Foster said that Miramar is the showcase for success right now and that the methods used on the peninsula will expand to the rest of the city.
Kevin Stent
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage and Mayor Andrew Foster are excited about Wellington’s ongoing natural restoration journey.
Wellingtons had shown strong support for the project, he said, and 92 percent of residents surveyed said they were behind the effort.
Monday’s investment would allow the traps and bait stations to be set in a comprehensive grid pattern, to maximize the likelihood that each target pest will encounter them.
Community liaison teams and other field staff would be hired as part of the project.
Additional phases of work would be carried out from Wellington port via Zealandia to Te Kopahou, from Kaiwharawhara to Makara, then north to the city limit at Porirua.
