A $45 million project to eliminate possums, rats and stoats from 100,000 hectares of South Westland is being touted as New Zealand’s largest and most ambitious predator-free project yet.

It is part of the country’s goal of being predator free by 2050.

The Predator Free South Westland project was launched by Conservation Minister Kiri Allan in Franz Josef on Thursday. It is an expansion of Zero Invasive Predators’ (Zip) successful work in removing stoats, possums and rats from a 12,000ha block in the Perth River Valley in South Westland since April 2019. The block was used to research how areas bordered by rivers, mountains and the sea could be protected from reinvasion.

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Published in Christchurch Press and Stuff 11 March 2021

The $45 million predator-free project announced for South Westland yesterday was a “massive” win for biodiversity and the local economy, former Federated Farmers president Katie Milne says.

The five-year mountain to sea project, which encompasses the Whataroa, Okāritō and Franz Josef townships, is being supported by $3 million of Jobs for Nature funding in addition to another $9 million from DoC, and $12 million from Predator Free 2050 Ltd.

The 50 jobs expected to be created during the five-year assault on possum, rat and stoat numbers was also excellent news for a district hit harder than many by Covid-19 economic fallout, said Milne, who has taken on the role of chairing Predator Free South Westland.

“We’ll also be bringing back native birds to their former glory, protecting habitat for the rowi – New Zealand’s rarest Kiwi – and the recently rediscovered Ōkārito gecko,” Milne said.

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Published in NZ Herald and The Country 12 March 2021