Introduced species are estimated to kill 25 million native New Zealand birds a year. Rats specifically have a major impact due to their broad and competitive diet of bird’s eggs, fledglings, seeds, snails, lizards, fruit, weta, larvae and flowers. Rat populations have burgeoned in the last couple of years with warmer weather, and more recently with the lockdown.

Local Lorenzen Bay residents, Rachael Goddard and Chery Reynolds found the consequences of bait control for rats unpleasant and costly. Observing rats dying a painful death, the smell of decomposing rats in the walls, and thirsty rats chewing through plastic water pipes, made them seek alternative, more humane options for control. 

They enlisted the Karioi Project’s trapping service, which employs local school leavers who are trained and skilled at detecting and trapping rats. Within 3 weeks, four large rats were caught and killed instantly in Victor traps baited with peanut butter. 

Rat numbers are entered and mapped on a national database Trap.NZ to gain an estimate of the numbers caught, the method used and the location. Karioi Project Ranger, Duncan MacKay, says the group now offers a number of programmes and services for neighbourhoods.  Another option is to join the Backyard Hub and do the trapping yourself. You can purchase the traps at subsidised rates, set the trap yourself and register the kills with Trap.nz. Karioi Project also provides support, advice and training for Backyard Hub members. 

The aim of the Backyard Hub is to give everyone in the Raglan community the opportunity to make a difference - and help restore biodiversity by joining forces to control invasive predators.  

Rachael, who was especially excited to hear that pekapeka / long-tailed bats are living around Raglan town, says protecting and supporting our native biodiversity, whilst supporting a local community initiative and providing local meaningful employment for school leavers is a win-win-win.