Millions doled out to new scheme

As the election-year lolly scramble gears up, the Government has announced it will dish out millions toward the biggest predatorcontrol operation in New Zealand history.

On Tuesday, conservation minister Maggie Barry confirmed a rapidly-spreading plague of beech tree seeds was hitting the North Island, the top of the South Island and western Otago. This means beech trees and other native plants are seeding, which increases predator populations.

As part of this year’s Budget, the Government was putting $21.3 million towards a campaign to help predator control across more than 800,000 hectares, Barry said at a funding announcement at the Manawatu Gorge walkway car park.

The Battle of our Birds control campaign would kill rats, stoats and other predators that breed prolifically and threatened native birds, Barry said.

Trapping and 1080 poison drops will start in July across affected regions, including Manawatu and Tararua. ‘‘Tens of millions of vermin will be born as a result of the bounty of these seeds. Come spring time, when the seeds germinate or rot, those rats and stoats have nothing else to feed on [other] than our birds.’’

Predators killed about 25 million birds a year, so it was important to stay on top of the beech seed plague, Barry said. ‘‘It will be the biggest single predatorcontrol operation in New Zealand’s history. That’s why we need the $21.3m of new money to help fight it.’’

Department of Conservation lower North Island director Reg Kemper said the Tararua and Ruahine ranges would be heavily monitored to determine the level of predator increase as a result of the increase in beech tree seeds.