A large crowd enjoyed a ferry trip to Ōtamahua/Quail Island on the on Sunday 9th August to hear the official announcement of a $5 million funding boost for Pest Free Banks Peninsula.
This money will be used to fund a large scale pest control programme on Banks Peninsula, adding around 15 new staff members to the team for the next five years.
The announcement was made by Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage who said that the project aimed to restore native wildlife and plants on Christchurch’s doorstep and across the Peninsula by removing introduced pests such as possums, mustelids (such as stoats) and rats. The investment will allow large-scale pest control to be progressed over about 28,500 hectares, expanding work under way in the Wildside Project in the southeast of the Peninsula, and the internationally significant Spit and dune systems of Kaitōrete.
In November 2018 fourteen groups signed a memorandum of understanding to remove pests from the area. This included the Rod Donald Trust who contributed seedfunding to enable the initiative to get up and running.