Pest animal control operations

We control pests to protect the region's water quality, biodiversity, and economic and social wellbeing. 

See the Pest Management Plan 2019-2039 for how we are building on the legacy of 20 years of pest animal control through:

• Exclusion – stop them getting in: wallabies
• Eradication – remove them over time: rooks
• Sustained control – reduce their impact: feral rabbit, wasps
• Site-led – exclude them to protect particularly vulnerable places: hedgehogs, feral deer (fallow, red and sika), feral goats, magpies, stoats, ferrets and weasels (mustelids), feral and stray cats, possums and rats

What’s happening in the region

It takes a group effort to successfully control pests across the region's land area of 813,005 hectares, maritime area of 786,700 hectares and the 497 kilometres of coastline.

See this interactive map to find out where pest control operations are happening in our regional parks and Key Native Ecosystems.

As well as these operations, Department of Conservation, OSPRI, local councils, landowners and the community are all involved in pest control.

And it’s working! Through our work, possums were eradicated from Miramar Peninsula in 2007. Based on this success we are now working with Predator Free Wellington to also eradicate stoats and rats from the peninsula. 

Pest control in Wainuiomata has resulted in a massive increase in native birds and 60 tītipounamu (rifleman) have been translocated to Zealandia.

Controlling rats and stoats in a mast year

This year there will be more rats and stoats because the mast, or heavy fruiting of beech and rimu trees, means more food for them. To protect our native species, forests and water there will be targeted pest control operations in these Key Native Ecosystem sites:

• East Harbour Northern Forest - read more about the operation in October 2019
• Wainuiomata/Orongorongo - read more about the 1080 operation in September 2019

News: Find out about how we are combating the impact of the mast in Wainuiomata Mainland Island. 

Find out more about the predator plague cycle. 

Other useful pest animal resources

• Ko Tātou This Is Us - how biosecurity keeps our incredible country safe from pests and diseases
• Predator Free 2050
• Local council