Predator Free Wellington aim for pest-free Newtown, Ōwhiro Bay in 2025

Predator Free Wellington are aiming for a pest-free Newtown and Ōwhiro Bay by the end of 2025.

The push is part of the groups wider project that aims to eliminate pests across the entire Wellington region.

The project is split into five phases covering different regions across the capital:

• Phase one takes aim at the Miramar Peninsula and the surrounding area.
• Phase two focuses on the area between Island Bay and the CBD.
• Phase three covers the area between the Wellington Port and Zealandia.
• Phase four tackles everything from Kaiwharawhara to Mākara.
• Phase five covers the northern part of the Wellington region, ending at the city boundary.

The first phase of the plan was completed in November 2023 and has seen the number of native birds in the area almost double since 2017.

Throughout this year Predator Free Wellington (PFW) volunteers have been trapping from Kilbirnie through Hataitai, Evans Bay, Mount Victoria and up to the border for Newtown.

Project director James Willcocks said they've laid around four thousand bait stations and traps this year.

"By the time we finish with phase two when we get out to the South Coast there in Ōwhiro Bay, we think that's going to look like 14,000 individual devices."

Willcocks told RNZ they'd reached their goal of getting to the Newtown border by this Christmas -- eliminating pests from 405 hectares of land this year.

"That includes Rongotai, Kilbirnie, Lyall Bay, Houghton Bay, Evans Bay," he said.

They are looking forward to launching into the suburb of Newtown in the new year.

Willcocks said they want to have the area south of Mount Victoria to Ōwhiro Bay cleared of pests by the end of next year.

"That's a huge goal when you consider the complexity, you know you've got the urban density of Newtown, we've got Wellington regional hospital with thousands of vehicle movements a day, we've got the zoo in there as well."

This will provide training for phase three when they go into similar urban areas such as Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place.

He said a challenge for the organisation is maintaining the predator-free status of the land they have already cleared.

This was made evident in December 2023 after a male stoat was sighted within Miramar Peninsula, an area previously declared pest-free.

Using cameras and traps, Predator Free Wellington was able to track down the rogue stoat by July.