Bay Harbour: July 07, 2021
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Wednesday <strong>July</strong> 7 <strong>2021</strong> <strong>Bay</strong> <strong>Harbour</strong> News<br />
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />
A pest-free peninsula possible<br />
• By Samantha Mythen<br />
CASS BAY residents have rallied<br />
together against rats and other<br />
predators in their community as<br />
part of a wider initiative to make<br />
Banks Peninsula pest free.<br />
Twenty-five people gathered<br />
together on Sunday to learn<br />
about predator control and how<br />
to set their own traps.<br />
The afternoon was organised<br />
by Predator Free Port Hills, a<br />
backyard trapping initiative that<br />
aims to get Port Hills communities’<br />
involved in protecting<br />
native species.<br />
Predator-free project co-ordinator<br />
Marie Gray said the day<br />
went really well with attendees<br />
showing great interest and enthusiasm.<br />
She said there has been a<br />
recent surge in interest from<br />
households in learning about<br />
predator control in their own<br />
backyards. She thought this was<br />
inspired by people watching the<br />
Fight for the Wild documentary<br />
film and podcast series.<br />
“People are realising the<br />
importance of predator control<br />
and what they can do to help,”<br />
she said.<br />
The project is aiming for a trap<br />
to be in one in every five backyards<br />
by 2024.<br />
It was launched by the Summit<br />
Road Society in 2016, with the<br />
goal to create a buffer zone between<br />
Christchurch city and the<br />
wider Banks Peninsula area.<br />
The project has since started<br />
working alongside Whaka-ora<br />
Healthy <strong>Harbour</strong>.<br />
Whaka-ora programme<br />
manager Karen Banwell also<br />
attended the Sunday workshop.<br />
“We are all working for a pestfree<br />
Banks Peninsula,” she said.<br />
She has caught 116 rats and<br />
one weasel over the last three<br />
years in her two backyard traps.<br />
Brent Barrett led the workshop.<br />
Barrett manages a number of<br />
landscape pest control projects<br />
around the Port Hills, including<br />
in red-zoned land.<br />
“With predator control, it’s<br />
essential to think in a landscape<br />
way, not just about your own<br />
patch of land,” he said.<br />
“In [a] dynamic approach, you<br />
should team up with others in<br />
your neighbourhood.”<br />
He said targeting stoats and<br />
weasels is essential as they are<br />
very successful predators and if<br />
not controlled, their populations<br />
grow quickly.<br />
However, Barrett said he was<br />
TRAP THOSE<br />
RATS: Brent<br />
Barrett shared<br />
his insights<br />
on predator<br />
behaviour<br />
and trapping<br />
with Cass <strong>Bay</strong><br />
residents. <br />
quite optimistic about pest<br />
control in the Port Hills.<br />
“The Port Hills are more on<br />
top of this than people realise,<br />
receiving funding and focus<br />
from various groups,” he said.<br />
“We are working in a large<br />
area, but with only a few gaps.”<br />
Predator Free Sumner <strong>Bay</strong>s is<br />
currently working to eradicate<br />
pests on the other side of the<br />
Port Hills.<br />
Diamond <strong>Harbour</strong> School<br />
pupils and their families joined<br />
in the initiative earlier in June,<br />
building their own traps.<br />
NEWS 5<br />
Speedsters<br />
targeted<br />
• From page 1<br />
Police units patrolled from<br />
Sumner, Redcliffs, Heathcote,<br />
Lyttelton and the various bays,<br />
through to Diamond <strong>Harbour</strong><br />
and over Gebbies Pass to the<br />
Motukarara area.<br />
Said Peoples: “The speed<br />
enforcement we conducted was<br />
targeting narrow and windy roads<br />
where speed is an issue and causes<br />
an extra hazard due to the road’s<br />
nature.”<br />
Static observation posts also<br />
captured speeding drivers via<br />
video recordings.<br />
“I want to impress upon<br />
offending drivers that even if they<br />
don’t see police they may still<br />
be recorded and stopped by an<br />
unmarked car when they leave the<br />
area or get a door knock days later<br />
and receive an impoundment<br />
notice and summons,” said<br />
Peoples.<br />
“Paranoia is the best prevention.”<br />
A static observation post<br />
at Naval Point resulted in the<br />
impoundment of a car over the<br />
weekend. The driver was charged<br />
with sustained loss of traction<br />
after a prolonged burnout.<br />
Peoples said they would<br />
continue to conduct these<br />
operations monitoring anti-social<br />
road use in Banks Peninsula.<br />
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