Kiwibank sets out to protect wildlife

Kiwibank has joined forces with the Predator Free New Zealand Trust (PFNZT) and the Department of Conservation (DOC) to help protect the country’s native wildlife.

Kiwibank will establish the brand new Kiwibank Predator Free Communities Programme which will allow people to take part in the challenge in the hope of creating a predator free country.

They will also resource the DOC’s dog programme that is expected to increase both surveillance and the number of quarantine inspections by 15 per cent and allow DOC to respond faster to pest incursions.

Kiwibank’s Paul Brock believes the bank’s reach will help New Zealanders win the nation’s biggest conservation battle.

‘‘We believe this is a challenge that is bigger than each of us but not bigger than all of us.’’

Recently Wellington’s Crofton Downs suburb became predator free, showing us all that volunteering and community spirit can achieve the exceptional.

‘‘We’re going to help these humans and four-legged volunteers take up the predator free challenge and make achieving New Zealand’s ‘Apollo Project’ a reality,’’ Brock says.

The dog programme uses 80 trained dogs and professional

handlers - 45 of the dogs find protected species and 35 of them find pests.

DOC’s Lou Sanson is delighted to welcome Kiwibank as a partner.

‘‘Working together will help us to unleash the potential of these incredible dogs, which means we will be able to do more conservation and quarantine work on our pest-free islands.’’

PFNZT’s Rob Fenwick wants rats, possums, stoats, weasels and ferrets out of towns and places where lots of people live.

‘‘We’ll help neighbourhoods with sourcing traps and equipment; providing advice on project management and monitoring predator numbers.’’

Communities interested in becoming predator free can visit predatorfreenz.org to find out more.