The Forest Bridge Trust

The Forest Bridge Trust Protect, Enhance, Connect Our focus is working to achieve a predator controlled corridor of land from west to east of New Zealand's upper North Island.

Our Vision is to create a connected landscape of healthy forest and flourishing indigenous wildlife from the Kaipara Harbour in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. This is an area of 54,000 hectares connecting the existing wildlife sanctuaries at Mataia Restoration Project in the west to Tawharanui Regional Park in the east. Working with landowners, volunteers and community groups, our vi

sion is to enable the protection, enhancement and connection of forest remnants, wetlands and other landscape to provide safe habitat for indigenous wildlife. If you love our work, the way we work, and the gains we are making, then join us to create a lasting legacy, where our friends and family, and the generations to come, can enjoy the same flourishing ecosystem we are collectively protecting and restoring. Contact us now to volunteer, trap, donate or sponsor! Your contribution makes a difference! [email protected]

🌿 Ever wanted to regenerate your own wetland?Helen did just that — and now she’s sharing her journey.Join us for a wetla...
13/06/2026

🌿 Ever wanted to regenerate your own wetland?

Helen did just that — and now she’s sharing her journey.

Join us for a wetland presentation next Sunday where Helen will talk through the ups, downs, and learnings from restoring a wetland on her own whenua. From first steps to real on-the-ground progress, this is a chance to hear what it actually takes to bring a wetland back to life.

If you’re curious about wetland restoration and wetland wildlife, thinking about starting your own project, or just want some inspiration from a real-world story, this is one not to miss.

Come along, hear Helen’s story, and ask your questions.

📍 Matakana Hall
📅 Sunday 21 June
🕙 10am
BACKYARD GAINS: CONSERVATION IN ACTION

12/06/2026

🎵 Kiwi Karaoke: A Duet in the Dark
The Annual Kiwi Call Count is always an exciting time of year, and hearing a duet is especially encouraging!

During our kiwi call monitoring season we're listening carefully for duets between males and females. These calls can indicate the presence of a breeding pair and offer a hopeful sign for the future of our local kiwi population.

Every kiwi call reminds us why predator control, habitat restoration, and Kiwi Avoidance Training for dogs are so important. Together, these efforts help create a safer environment where kiwi can thrive, breed, and raise the next generation.

Have you heard kiwi calling in your area recently? We'd love to hear about it in the comments below. 👇💚
Save the Kiwi NZ

We’re pleased to welcome Cole Mathers to The Forest Bridge Trust pest control team.Cole grew up in the Warkworth area an...
10/06/2026

We’re pleased to welcome Cole Mathers to The Forest Bridge Trust pest control team.

Cole grew up in the Warkworth area and brings a strong understanding of the region’s landscapes and ecosystems, along with a genuine commitment to protecting them for future generations.

His conservation journey began as a young teenager while exploring some of New Zealand’s Great Walks with his family. These experiences sparked a deep appreciation for Aotearoa’s natural beauty and native species, as well as an awareness of the challenges they face and the importance of ongoing restoration work.

Cole is excited to join The Forest Bridge Trust, where he can apply his experience and enthusiasm to make a meaningful contribution to protecting and enhancing native ecosystems across the region.

📱 Need a refresher on using the Trap.NZ app?We've had a few landowners get in touch recently asking for help with record...
07/06/2026

📱 Need a refresher on using the Trap.NZ app?

We've had a few landowners get in touch recently asking for help with recording catches and managing their traplines. If you don't use the app every day, it's easy to forget the process!

That's why we've created a series of quick, easy-to-follow "How To" videos on our website, covering everything from:

✅ Recording catches
✅ Adding new traps
✅ Deleting traps
✅ And more

You can find the videos here:
https://www.theforestbridgetrust.org.nz/resources-trapnz-app/

Still feeling stuck? No problem! Claire is happy to help.

📧 [email protected]

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to record their catches. Your data helps us track predator control efforts across the Forest Bridge and measure the collective impact we're making for native wildlife. 🐦🌿
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🐾 Is your dog booked in for Kiwi Avoidance Training next Sunday?Whether you have a beloved family pet or a hardworking f...
05/06/2026

🐾 Is your dog booked in for Kiwi Avoidance Training next Sunday?

Whether you have a beloved family pet or a hardworking farm dog, this free 10-minute training session could help save a kiwi’s life.

Thanks to the dedication of local conservation groups, kiwi are once again thriving across Rodney. Now we all have a role to play in protecting them.

Kiwi Avoidance Training teaches dogs to recognise and avoid kiwi scent, helping reduce the risk of encounters with these precious birds.

💚 Please support the incredible conservation work happening in our region and give your dog the skills they need to help keep kiwi safe.

Book your free session today.
Next training sessions Sunday 14 June - Omaha.
Book - https://kiwiavoidancetraining.nz/
🐾
Thanks to the support of Rodney Local Board
Save the Kiwi NZ

🌿 Appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) Congratulations to our wonderful Trustee, Liz Maire, for h...
02/06/2026

🌿 Appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) Congratulations to our wonderful Trustee, Liz Maire, for her services to conservation and education.

Liz has dedicated more than 35 years to protecting Aotearoa’s natural environment and inspiring future generations to care for it. From her work with the Department of Conservation and Tiritiri Matangi, to co-founding Women’s Outdoor Pursuits and volunteering with Search and Rescue, her impact has been far-reaching and enduring.

As a Foundation Trustee of The Forest Bridge Trust, Liz has played a pivotal role in shaping our organisation. She has helped guide our conservation efforts over many years, supporting work that protects kiwi and other native wildlife across northern Auckland. She also developed our education programme, helping hundreds of local children connect with nature and learn about conservation.

Liz’s passion, leadership, generosity and unwavering commitment to conservation have inspired so many people and strengthened the connection between communities and nature.

This honour is richly deserved, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate this achievement with her.

Please join us in congratulating Liz on this outstanding recognition. 💚👏

🌙✨ While most of us are asleep, our ecologist Virginia is out under moonless, dark skies listening for kiwi calls and ga...
01/06/2026

🌙✨ While most of us are asleep, our ecologist Virginia is out under moonless, dark skies listening for kiwi calls and gathering important data about these iconic birds.

The night shift has its perks too! Along the way, Virginia captured these incredible photos of some of the creatures that come alive after dark, including a tree wētā, vagrant spider, forest gecko, Rhytida greenwoodi (native carnivorous snail), planaria, and even a sleepy silvereye.

It's a reminder that when the sun goes down, an entirely different world wakes up. 🦎🕷️🐌

Have you spotted any fascinating nocturnal wildlife in your backyard, on a night walk, or while camping?

📸 Share your night creature photos in the comments below, we'd love to see what you've discovered after dark!
#

29/05/2026

Urgent kiwi business...
Our trail cameras capture thousands of clips and they are all looked over by Elaine from our Pest Control Team. Behind the humourous clips, every trail cam clip helps us learn more about kiwi behaviour, the threats they face and the habitats they rely on.

Thanks to our dedicated trappers, volunteers, and supporters, more kiwi are being seen and heard across our landscape.

If you'd like to volunteer to help contact [email protected]

🌙 When the sun sets over Rodney, another world comes alive, and the Rodney Pekapeka Project helped us listen in.The Rodn...
27/05/2026

🌙 When the sun sets over Rodney, another world comes alive, and the Rodney Pekapeka Project helped us listen in.

The Rodney Pekapeka Project was a community-led conservation initiative focused on understanding and protecting pekapeka tou-roa / long-tailed bats across our landscape. Using acoustic monitoring and community participation, local landowners and volunteers helped map where these rare native bats live and move.

Every recording collected added another piece to the puzzle, building a clearer picture of bat activity and habitat use across the region, while helping inform future conservation efforts.

Read more about our findings - https://www.theforestbridgetrust.org.nz/connecting-communities-through-pekapeka-conservation/

This was citizen science powered by community, bringing together landowners, volunteers, conservation practitioners, and experts to learn more about one of Aotearoa's most elusive native species.

A huge thank you to everyone involved, including our ecologist Virginia, who led the project, Claire for her community liaison work, and the many volunteers and landowners who participated.

We are also grateful to Auckland Council and the Rodney Local Board for their funding support, which made this project possible.

Together, your mahi has helped bring the hidden world of pekapeka into view and laid the foundations for future conservation action across Rodney.

Photo Credit - Ben Paris

A huge thank you to all the local dog owners who turned out for our recent Glorit Kiwi Avoidance Training sessions 🐾💚Eve...
25/05/2026

A huge thank you to all the local dog owners who turned out for our recent Glorit Kiwi Avoidance Training sessions 🐾💚

Every dog trained is another important step towards helping protect kiwi across our region.

We especially loved watching two stunning Belgian Malinois ,Wangcai and Hawke, from different families complete their training.

This remarkable breed is renowned for being highly intelligent, intensely athletic and fiercely loyal, which is why they’re often favoured by Police K9 units and military teams. If you’ve never seen their incredible jumping, tracking and working abilities, it’s well worth looking them up online.

They’re beautiful dogs, but definitely not for everyone. Belgian Malinois require consistent training and plenty of daily mental and physical stimulation to keep their sharp minds engaged.

Watching Wangcai and Hawke work through the training was a great reminder that no matter the breed, every dog benefits from learning to recognise and avoid kiwi scent.

A dog will know there’s a kiwi nearby long before you do, and that’s exactly why Kiwi Avoidance Training matters.

Thanks to funding from Rodney Local Board , these sessions remain FREE for local dog owners.

Missed out this time? Good news, we’re back in Matakana this June for two more training sessions.

Address

2791 Kaipara Coast Highway
Warkworth
0984

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5am
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+64225217908

Website

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