Pōkākā Eco-Sanctuary: Pest Control

In 2022, Te Korowai o Wainuiārua were granted $1,920,000 in Jobs for Nature – Mahi mō te Taiao Crown funding to launch the Pōkākā Eco-Sanctuary Foundation Pest Management & Cultural Monitoring Programme. This funding enabled the tribes to create valuable employment opportunities for their people, with a three-year term focused on revitalising both the environment and local communities post-COVID-19.

Don Robinson, a spokesperson for Te Korowai o Wainuiārua, expressed satisfaction with the programme's progress. "We are very pleased with how the Pest Management & Cultural Monitoring programme has developed and the positive impact it’s had on our people and whenua," he said.

The Jobs for Nature programme was designed to provide nature-based employment while stimulating the economy, and it has already made a significant difference. Team Leader, Stewart Reweti, oversees safety protocols, refurbishing a side building at the pest control sheds for team meetings, and introducing cost-effective methods, like securing rabbits as bait for traps – a practice that not only saves money but is also more effective at attracting pests.

The project marked the beginning of the first phase of the Pōkākā EcoSanctuary development – the removal of introduced pest animals and plants. Target species for eradication included possums, rats, mustelids (stoats, ferrets, and weasels), feral cats, rabbits, goats, wasps, and a range of weeds such as barberry, broom, gorse, lupins, wilding pines, and willow.

The vision for the Pōkākā EcoSanctuary was to restore traditional habitats and biodiversity, as spoken of by the kaumātua (elders). The project also aimed to address the urgent need for the breeding, reintroduction, and conservation of highly endangered, or even locally extinct, taonga species.

As an ambitious long-term initiative, the eco-sanctuary has not only created sustained employment and economic opportunities for the local community but has also restored a large area of land, including the Erua Wetlands on the western side of Tongariro National Park. Over time, the ongoing pest control efforts have helped establish the sanctuary as a secure habitat for taonga species, such as endangered orchids, North Island brown kiwi, pekapeka (bats), and the yellow-crowned kākāriki (parakeet), all of which now have the opportunity to live and breed in a predator-free environment.

While the Pōkākā EcoSanctuary programme is drawing to a close this year, the recovery of these species within the sanctuary will continue to benefit the wider ecosystem. Flocks of kererū (wood pigeons) and kākā (forest parrots), as well as breeding colonies of seabirds, are just a few of the valued taonga that once thrived in the forests and alpine habitats of Wainuiārua. Their re-establishment will continue to support habitat restoration and species reintroduction efforts, contributing to the recovery of lost species such as kākāpō and tītī (muttonbirds).

Despite the challenges faced along the way, the programme has achieved significant milestones, providing meaningful employment for local people and delivering long-lasting benefits for both the environment and the community.

Stewart Reweti pictured with the freezer of rabbits he has secured for bait.