The Trust was delighted to provide Conservation Volunteers New Zealand with a funding grant to assist with their newly established Whaka Ora Pest Project (WOPP). WOPP will coordinate and deliver predator control and invasive pest plant management in various parks, reserves and on private land within the Lyttelton/Whakaraupō area.

CVNZ have the vision of ‘inspiring change by connecting people with nature’ and by engaging volunteers to make a positive contribution to conservation landscapes, habitats, species and heritage can be protected.

Some of the initial project goals include organising pest plant and trapping workshops, weed control work, establishing monitoring lines and trap lines, and working with local schools in the Whakaraupō Harbour area providing educational material about pests, including the running of a ‘How safe is my cat?’ programme.

He rau ringa e oti ai – By many hands the task is completed

25 October 2022 – Rod Donald Trust Co-Chairs Jenn Chowaniec and Richard Suggate signing the grant agreement with CVNZ Regional Manager Hamish Fairbairn.

September 2023 update: The project has progressed extremely well in the last few months, with a Health and Safety Management Plan and strategic vision now in place. The programme has started at 3 key sites – Lyttelton Coastal Pathway, Steadfast Stream, and the Governor’s Bay Coastal Pathway. It is hoped to have at least three more sites up and running by the end of the year, including Whakaraupō Reserve, Urumau Reserve and Diamond Harbour. Weed control, a community trapping programme and establishing a pest education programme in local schools are priorities going forward.