Hunters hit by DOC funding decision
Southland deerstalkers who have voluntarily helped cull rats on Stewart Island for the last decade say they are gutted by a Department of Conservation decision to cut the programme’s funding.
However, DOC says the hunters can still apply for funding, but will not be receiving it from the original source.
Southland Deerstalkers Association member Richard Ronald said DOC approached the association a decade ago asking for volunteers to fly to the island to clear and reset rat traps near Mason Bay.
Members of the deerstalkers association had done this task every year since being asked, Ronald said.
They were now gutted DOC had pulled the plug on the funding source, given it had asked the hunters for their help in the first instance.
DOC paid half the airfares, provided the traps, covered food costs, and supplied some tools, with five parties going to the island each year to clear the traps between August and December, Ronald said.
Nine volunteers went on the first trip, with groups of between four and six heading to the Island from then on.
In 10 years of the programme, they had trapped more than 3000 rats and the hunters had seen a dramatic improvement in bird life in the area, Ronald said.
He understood the programme cost DOC about $3000 a year.
There were 310 traps 15.5km of tracks, he said.
In one five-month period, were caught.
Those who had volunteered were ‘‘gutted’’ to discover DOC had pulled the funding for the programme this year, he said.
‘‘They’ve put so much time in themselves.’’ along about 632 rats
‘‘The club [Southland Deerstalkers Association] has contributed thousands and thousands to it.’’
Volunteers had been out clearing the traps in snow and hail, had taken their own bait and tools and spent some of their own money to do the work. ’’We’ve had to buy traps in recent years.’’
DOC operations manager for Rakiura/Stewart Island, Bridget Baynes, said the deerstalkers branch could still apply for funding to do the rat control work, but through a different source.
She confirmed the Southland Deerstalkers Association had received funding from the island’s DOC office for rat control.
‘‘The department and the Southland branch of the NZ Deerstalkers Association have been working together to control gorse and rats in a collaborative pest control programme at Mason Bay, Rakiura.’’
DOC and the deerstalkers branch had a management agreement to continue control until 2023, she said.
However, this year the deerstalkers branch was being invited to apply for funding through DOCs community fund, she said.
The DOC community fund was used by DOC to provide financial support to community groups and trusts.
The Southland deerstalkers branch had submitted an expression of interest to the fund which had been successful and it had now been invited to submit a full application, Baynes said.
DOC believed it was appropriate for community conservation group projects to be funded through the DOC community fund rather than through its district operational budgets, which were set aside for DOCs core conservation projects.
‘‘We’ve been working directly with the [deerstalkers] branch to discuss the change in funding process and the upcoming season’s project planning.’’