No kitten around as cats banned from new subdivision

Cats will be banned in a future Hamilton subdivision, based on a court ruling designed to protect native bats that are approaching extinction.

The measures were recommended by the Environment Court for a 105ha project called Amberfield near the Waikato River in Peacocke.

Such a ban is believed to be the first of its kind in an urban environment.

It aims to protect the nationally critical pekapeka/long-tailed bats.

The river corridor is a longestablished habitat for bats, and there are roosting populations along the river.

The land proposed for development has until now been rural. However, in the coming years thousands of new homes are expected to be built in the area — over 800 in the development in question — which raised concerns for the bat population, which is declining by between 6 and 9 per cent a year and approaching extinction. The ban, which would also apply to rats and mustelids, was first mooted by independent commissioners after a resource consent hearing for the Amberfield development, but was appealed by developer Weston Lea Ltd to the Environment Court.

The Department of Conservation also challenged the consent conditions, but argued they did not go far enough to protect bats.

The Riverlea Environment Society Incorporated and Forest & Bird registered as interested parties to the case. Evidence supplied to the Environment Court showed just one cat had killed more than 100 short-tailed bats in a week.

Judge Jeff Smith ruled the logic supporting a cat ban in the area was “almost irresistible”.

Forest & Bird senior lawyer William Jennings said while the ruling was a “big win for the bats”, it would also help protect many other native species predated by cats, particularly birds.