4000 predators trapped, Oi (Grey Faced Petrel) and interview with Merren

Karioi project news

Kia ora Karioi friends and supporters!

We’re excited to share with you how each year the Karioi project continues to grow and expand. Extending our trapping network and volunteer team means we now have over 800 traps on and around the mountain and more than 40 regular volunteers checking these traps!

This month we have had a big focus on monitoring a key species for the project – grey faced petrel also called Oi – are a taonga species, and were delighted to share our brand new video footage of their recent activity, as the breeding season starts – see the video link below!

And it all adds up. Since the start of the project, we’ve caught nearly 4000 predators – rats, mice, stoats, weasels and possums! Can you imagine? Thanks to the amazing work being done by our volunteers and supporters, we’ve removed thousands of these species from our native forest and coastline which means our native flora and fauna gets a chance to thrive. We hope you will support us as we continue to expand and intensify our networks.

Also – check out our brand new website here!  www.karioimaunga.co.nz

Oi! – It’s our favorite time of year!

Oi aka grey faced petrel are a focal species for the Karioi project. It’s an amazing sight to behold when Oi arrive at dusk on a cold, stormy winter night to roost and breed on the coastal cliffs around Karioi. Oi are one of the few burrowing petrels to still survive on the mainland, and we’re very lucky to have Oi on the Raglan coastline.

This year, we have new field cameras which have allowed us the opportunity to observe these special birds at their burrows as they come in at the start of the breeding season. We’ve got some great footage. Check out this video that we made so that everyone can learn about this wonderful seabird!

Thanks to WWF New Zealand, Tindall Foundation, DOC and Waikato Regional Council for supporting our monitoring and predator control work.

Meet a volunteer!

Merren Tait has been a volunteer since a friend brought her along to deploy the first stoat trap line deployed across Karioi in September 2011 – when we took this photo! We talked to her about her involvement and work with the Karioi project.

Merren, you’ve been volunteering for over 5 years! Can you tell us why you enjoy being a volunteer?
When I first started checking the traps I was concerned about how silent the mountain was. Within a couple of years, I could hear and see the difference – birds like tomtits, grey warblers. The difference that it was making was obvious. I could see how important the project was, and what a great future it had in securing a future for many of the species up there.

And are you trapping at home as well?
Wherever I’ve lived in Raglan, I’ve had native bush. There are birds, but there are obviously going to be predators too. So I’ve bought DOC200 stoat traps off the project, and have caught tons of rats. I have Good Nature self setting traps and Timms traps for possums too. I don’t know how people put up with it if they don’t trap in their own backyard!

Tell me about some of your passions…
I’m president of Raglan Mountain Biking Club, and I’m about to build a tiny house (40 square meter) on a beautiful 2-acre block of land just outside of Raglan with an amazing view of Mount Karioi.

And I feel very strongly about waste. We live a very wasteful lifestyle. I’ve been single-use plastic free for nearly four years now! As a result, I produce very little waste. Which is something I’m really proud of. And I hope that by my example, others will be influenced to make some lifestyle changes too.

Thank you Merren for sharing and for your great contribution to the Karioi project.

Karioi Rangers Go Global! The conservation and environmental skills of Raglan children have reached across the world, with kids who take part in the Karioi Rangers programme featuring in a Canadian documentary series. Check out the full article.
The Karioi project partners include members of the Tainui local hapu, specifically Te Whaanga 2B3B2 & 2B1 Ahu Whenua Trust (AWT), Te Whakaoranga O Karioi, Whaingaroa Environment Centre, Department of Conservation, Waikato Regional Council, A Rocha Aotearoa NZ, local landowners and volunteers.