Predator Free NB

02/10/2026

Just like clockwork, the days are getting warmer and longer and we're heading well into nesting season. There's plenty happening out there, with birds nesting, rearing young and fledglings starting to appear.
With winter behind us, we're also starting to see hedgehogs becoming more active again.
We recorded 29 catches over the past 30 days — 8 rats, 3 possums, 2 hedgehogs and 16 other pests.
We were hoping to see the possum count stay at zero after the progress made over the past couple of years, but three were caught early in the month. There are still a few parts of the wider area where work needs to be coordinated before we've achieved the suppression we're aiming for.
Overall, things are starting to feel a lot more like summer, with longer days and plenty more activity out there.

01/10/2026

Good advice from learned trappers.

30/09/2026

One step forward because doing nothing means nothing happens

Thanks to the generosity of the Simplicity Foundation, we’re helping community groups grow their backyard trapping and get more people involved.

29/09/2026

No one trap or bait suits all situations

29/09/2026

Three down, three less to go.
Great work from our trappers getting out there and keeping the lines working across New Brighton. 💚
Some good news with observations too🪹🪺

22/09/2026

A flock of endangered tern recently took on a stoat. Can New Zealand’s native birds learn to defend themselves against introduced predators?

17/09/2026

13/09/2026

What started off a little quiet actually turned into a pretty reasonable afternoon of interaction with kids and their parents at the Eastern Community Sport and Recreation Inc Fun Day.
Turns out lollies to kids are a bit like peanut butter to mice 😂
Once word got out that there were lollies for finding and identifying the native species and some of our pests hidden around the woodland playground, we suddenly had quite a bunch of little nature detectives running around.
Plenty of conversations, plenty of species found, and we even made it down to the very last Fruit Burst from Dead Rat too!
Thanks to everyone who stopped by Predator Free New Brighton / Coastal Kaitiaki and joined in today.

12/09/2026

Sometimes it’s actually pretty nice being out and about checking traps in nature.
Our observations while we’re out there are pretty wide and varied, and we’d love to hear what you guys are seeing around the community too — birds, wildlife, pests, unusual activity, or just changes you’ve noticed.
Trap L3 on Line E has had some significant catches in the past, but nothing this check — still set, bait okay, as is normal. But you never know unless you check.
You never know, your observations might help us understand a little more about what’s happening around New Brighton and help keep this area beautiful.