Govt seeking business, philanthropy for predator-free policy   25 Jul 2016

BusinessDesk

Monday 25 July 2016 05:32 PM

Govt seeking business and philanthropic boost for predator-free policy

By Pattrick Smellie

July 25 (BusinessDesk) - The government is seeking funding from businesses and philanthropists to support its "aspirational" policy, announced today, to make New Zealand predator-free by 2050.

In a bid to shore up its environmental credentials, a phalanx of ministers led by Prime Minister John Key launched the policy this afternoon at Wellington's predator-free fenced bird sanctuary, Zealandia, pledging $7 million a year in new funding for each of the next four years and a series of interim goals, including a 20,000 hectare, unfenced predator-free zone on the New Zealand mainland by 2025.

The policy will be advanced by a new Crown agency, Predator-Free NZ Ltd, which will be established both to pursue eradication and to coordinate the fundraising and scientific efforts required to bring the vision to life.

PFNZ will have a board of directors made up of government, private sector, and scientific members, "to work on each regional project with iwi and community conservation groups and attract $2 of private sector and local government funding for every $1 of government funding," ministers announced.

The hope is that a combination of people power, improved, lower cost trapping techniques, and new technologies such as breeding for infertility and the use of targeted sound and light deterrents can rid areas of pests that prey on New Zealand's native birds, lizards and insects, which are uniquely ill-equipped to combat predators that did not exist in nature before human habitation in the last 1,000 or so years.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry said it would be essential also to continue using 1080 poison, the controversial primary method of pest control used by the Department of Conservation to poison rats, mice, stoats, ferrets, possums and other introduced predators destroying New Zealand's native bush and fauna.

However, it was possible to see a "1080-free future", she said, while acknowledging the goal of a predator-free country in 34 years' time represented a huge challenge and that $28 million of initial funding was no more than "a good start".

Four key 2025 goals of the project are: an additional 1 million hectares of land where pests have been suppressed or removed through PFNZ partnerships; development of a scientific breakthrough capable of removing at least one small mammalian predator from New Zealand entirely; demonstration that areas of more than 20,000 hectares can be predator-free without the use of fences; and complete removal of all introduced predators from offshore island nature reserves."

(BusinessDesk)


Add a comment

News

Hilary Timmins' Award-Winning UK Documentary Series To Inspire NZ Students

29 Jun 2020 Education
Dream Catchers, produced and directed by Hilary Timmins, celebrates the success stories of more than thirty inspirational New... more

New Zealand reaffirms support for Flight MH17 judicial process

7 Mar 2020 News By Rt HON WINSTON PETERS
Ahead of the start of the criminal trial in the Netherlands on 9 March, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has reaffirmed the need to... more

Business

NZ Government's Economic package to fight COVID-19

17 Mar 2020 Business News By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The Coalition Government has launched the most significant peace-time economic plan in modern New Zealand history to cushion the... more

NZ Government announces aviation relief package

19 Mar 2020 Business News By Hon Phil Twyford
Transport Minister Phil Twyford today outlined the first tranche of the $600 million aviation sector relief package announced earlier... more

Living

Diversity was Key at New Zealand Trade Tasting in London

6 Jun 2022 Food & Wine
New Zealand Winegrowers Annual Trade Tasting was recently held in London, on Wednesday 4 May, in Lindley Hall. It was the first... more

Kiwi author stuns Behind the Butterfly Gate

12 Jan 2022 Arts By Charlotte Everett
Hidden behind the Butterfly Gate is where the secret has been kept for 76 years...  New Zealand writer Merryn Corcoran’s... more

Property

Fairer rules for tenants and landlords

17 Nov 2019 Property By Minister Kris Faafoi
17 NOVEMBER 2019 The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer... more

New Zealand Government will not implement a Capital Gains Tax

17 Apr 2019 Property By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The Coalition Government will not proceed with the Tax Working Group’s recommendation for a capital gains tax, Jacinda Ardern... more

Migration

Boosting border security with electronic travel authority – now over 500,000 issued

19 Nov 2019 Migration By Hon Iain Lees-Galloway
19 NOVEMBER 2019 We’ve improved border security with the NZeTA, New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority, which helps us to... more

Christchurch reinstated as refugee settlement location

18 Aug 2018 Migration
18 AUGUST 2018 HON IAIN LEES-GALLOWAY The announcement that Christchurch can once again be a settlement location for refugees... more

Travel

Gallipoli Anzac Day services cancelled

19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
The New Zealand and Australian Governments have announced this year’s joint Anzac Day services at Gallipoli will be cancelled... more

New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas

19 Mar 2020 Travel & Tourism
New Zealanders advised not to travel overseas more

Sport

The Skipper's Diary: Sir Richard Hadlee honouring his father and NZ's Forty-Niners

27 Oct 2019 Cricket By Charlotte Everett
NZNewsUK London Editor Charlotte Everett spoke to Sir Richard Hadlee about why he’s chosen to publish his father’s... more

PREVIEW: All Blacks v England semi-final

26 Oct 2019 Rugby
The two most convincing quarterfinals winners are set to square off in a semifinal showdown for the ages when the All Blacks meet old... more

Columns

Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade

11 Nov 2016 Opinion
Gordon Campbell on the Gareth Morgan crusade First published on Werewolf The ghastly likes of Marine Le Pen in France and Geert ... more

Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome

10 Nov 2016 Opinion
Column - Gordon Campbell   Gordon Campbell on the US election outcome Well um.. on the bright side, there (probably)... more

Kiwi Success

Congratulations to Loder Cup winner

26 Sep 2018 People By Hon Eugenie Sage
25 SEPTEMBER 2018 The Loder Cup, one of New Zealand’s oldest conservation awards, has been awarded to Robert McGowan for 2018... more

Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO

16 Aug 2018 Appointments
16 AUGUST 2018Appointments to New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO HON JENNY SALESA Associate Education Minister Jenny Salesa is... more

Recruitment

Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers

14 Aug 2018 Recruitment By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers RT HON JACINDA ARDERN HON CHRIS HIPKINS Prime Minister The... more

Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers

22 Aug 2018 Recruitment By RT HON JACINDA ARDERN
14 AUGUST 2018Historic pay equity settlement for education support workers RT HON JACINDA ARDERN HON CHRIS HIPKINS Prime Minister The... more