$4.3 million boost towards predator free Dunedin

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage today launched the South Island’s first large-scale predator free project in Dunedin.

Government company Predator Free 2050 Ltd will contribute $4.33 million towards Predator Free Dunedin, an umbrella group of 20 community groups supported by Dunedin City Council, Otago Regional Council and the Department of Conservation. It aims to save native plants and wildlife from predators across 31,000 hectares of land.

“This is an important step towards Dunedin seeking to become the South Island’s first predator free city,” Eugenie Sage said.

“Dunedin has a well-deserved reputation as a wildlife capital with iconic species such as the hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin, New Zealand sea lions and the northern royal albatross/tōroa. The Predator Free Dunedin project will build on the successes of existing landscape-scale predator control programmes, and initiatives such as Orokonui Ecosanctuary and the Orokonui Halo project.

“The funding boost will help native wildlife flourish and more of our indigenous species return to Dunedin, including kākā, kārearea and South Island robin.

“I’m impressed by the collaboration among the 20 groups that have signed up to Predator Free Dunedin. This kind of community support will be a game-changer for our native plants and wildlife, and for everyone who enjoys hearing and seeing birds and other wildlife in their backyards,” she said.

“For the first five years Predator Free Dunedin will focus on eradicating possums from the Otago Peninsula and achieving sustained low levels of rats, stoats and other mustelids across 31,000 hectares. It will also promote widespread public engagement in predator control and backyard trapping across the city.”

The initiative has a budget of $15 million over five years, with funding support from Dunedin City Council and the Otago Regional Council and a significant investment in possum control by OSPRI.

The Predator Free Dunedin initiative is the fifth Predator Free 2050 Ltd investment in collaborative regional predator control projects that is building towards a predator free New Zealand.

Predator Free 2050 Ltd is a government-owned charitable company established to support co-funding for expanding predator control operations. It is working towards a predator free New Zealand by 2050.

It expects to contribute $23 million over the next four years to enable a total project spend of $114 million across seven projects. This will target predator eradication or reduction from around 1.7 million hectares.

An extra $81.3 million in operating funds for predator control over four years is part of a major boost for conservation funding in Budget 2018 to enable the Department of Conservation to carry out sustained predator control over 1.8 million hectares of public conservation land.

Action

Protect Nature

Volunteer

The Greens are proud to be driven by passionate people like you. Today we need your help to take action on the biggest issues facing Aotearoa. Volu...

Action

Save Auckland's Climate Budget

Sign the petition to stop Mayor Wayne Brown's proposal for dangerous cuts to climate and environmental programmes that protect us from extreme weat...

Action

No New Mines 2023

Action

Expand Voting

Now more than ever, young people in Aotearoa are impacted by Government decisions, and they deserve to have a say. We are calling on all Members of...

Action

End Intensive Winter Grazing

Sign the petition to Labour Ministers, to move faster in bringing regulations into force and end intensive winter grazing.

Action

Trains for Climate

Add your name to our open letter urging the Minister for Finance Grant Robertson to save our passenger trains between Wellington, the Wairarapa and...

Action

Healthy Oceans 2022

Join our Healthy Oceans Crew to help us keep the health and protection of our oceans high on the Labour Government’s political agenda.

Action

It's time: A Ministry for Rainbow Communities

Join our call asking the Prime Minister to establish a Ministry for Rainbow Communities that can champion Rainbow issues.

Action

No new mines on conservation land

Sign the open letter asking Labour Ministers to stick to their promise of banning new mining projects on conservation land.

Action

Allow community ownership of our buses

Public transport is an essential service and helps to tackle the climate crisis by reducing our carbon emissions. But there are barriers to communi...

Action

Local Events

We have activists across Aotearoa / New Zealand who are working hard to build a brighter future for our kids and grandkids. This page lists upcomin...

Latest Environment Announcements

Story

Scrapping Significant Natural Areas shows significant neglect

The Government adding Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) to its already roaring environmental policy bonfire is an assault on the future of wildlife ...

Say hello to NZ’s most anti-environment government in decades

The Government is giving big industry a free pass to bulldoze New Zealand’s precious native wildlife.

Govt trashing nature for its industry mates

The Government’s repeal of the Natural and Built Environment Act is rushed, ideologically motivated, and will be hugely damaging to the health of o...

Green Party calls for stronger action by Auckland Council to protect urban trees and native forest

The Green Party is calling on Auckland Council to do more to protect urban trees and housing developer Aedifice Property Group to restore and repla...

You wood not believe it: Greens secure win for urban trees

The Green Party’s advocacy has secured an amendment to the Natural and Built Environment Bill at a crucial stage of the Parliamentary process to en...

Forestry sector must compensate for slash damage

The Green Party welcomes today’s release of the report of the Ministerial Inquiry into slash and sediment, and are clear that the forestry industry...

Story

Labour must deliver on No New Mines

The Green Party is disappointed tonight that the Government has voted down Eugenie Sage’s members’ bill to stop new mining on conservation land. Th...

Inquiry into forestry slash and land use welcome, but more needed

Today’s news of a Ministerial inquiry into forestry slash and land use in Te Tarāwhiti/Gisborne and Wairoa is welcome, but the forestry sector shou...

Time for Labour to deliver on No New Mines

The Green Party is today welcoming reports of Government progress towards having no new mines on conservation land.

Urgent action needed at home following global deal for nature

The Green Party welcomes an historic new global agreement to protect 30% of the planet for nature by the end of the decade and calls on the Governm...

Swimmable rivers and healthy lakes could soon be out of reach

The Green Party is calling on the Government to tighten the rules on synthetic fertiliser use and intensive land use, including intensive winter gr...

Bill to ban mining on conservation land pulled from biscuit tin

Following months of work by the Green Party and community and environmental organisations, Parliament will have the opportunity to pass legislation...