Feral dogs threat to humans
Ninety Mile Beach plan launches DoC workers forced to enter reserve in pairs in hunt for animals
AConservation Department decision to close tracks near Cape Reinga was made after an alarming increase in the aggression of feral dogs in the area.
Four tracks and a campground in Te Paki Recreation Reserve were closed on April 1, initially for a week.
But the area, which is immediately southwest of Cape Reinga, remains closed while DoC tries to verify reports of feral dog packs then trap or destroy the animals.
Abraham Witana, the acting area manager for DoC’s Kaita¯ ia area office, said feral dogs were not new at Te Paki but numbers appeared to have increased recently, either through breeding, escaped pets, or dumping of unwanted animals.
What had spurred DoC to act, however, were three incidents in which dogs had threatened people.
“Feral dogs have been there for a number of years but this is the first time we’ve had reports of them being aggressive,” he said.
Witana would not go into details about the incidents but said they involved a recreational hunter, a woman riding a horse, and campers at Twilight Bay.
All had occurred in Te Paki reserve or the neighbouring Aupo¯uri Forest. One incident involved 15 dogs.
Traps and trail cams had been set but no dogs have yet been caught by DoC staff.
There were, however, anecdotal reports of landowners shooting feral dogs.
DoC rangers were to swap trail cams today and spend the weekend going through the footage to see if any dogs had been captured on video.
They would also check for paw prints or other signs dogs were present in the area.
For their safety, rangers were only entering the area in pairs, Witana said. Contractors were not being used because that would put them at risk.
DoC had received fresh reports of feral dogs since the tracks were closed.
Witana urged anyone who saw dogs in the area to report it immediately to the Far North District Council’s animal management team on 0800 029 920.
Solving the problem would require a joint effort by DoC, the council, iwi and landowners, he said.
Marine scientists Crispin and Irene Middleton, of Ngunguru, were walking Te Paki Coastal Track in March when they encountered dogs while camping in a bay near Cape Maria van Diemen.
They were not threatened but heard the animals “snuffling around” during the night.
The next morning they found their campsite was surrounded by tracks from what appeared to be a large number of dogs, presumably looking for food.
They reported the incident to DoC. The closed tracks are Cape ReingaTe Werahi Beach Track, Te Werahi Beach-Twilight Beach Track, Twilight Beach-Te Paki Stream Track and Twilight-Te Werahi Loop Track.
Twilight campground, where Te Araroa walkers usually spend their first night, is also closed.
The track from the Cape Reinga carpark to the lighthouse remains open, along with Te Paki Stream and tracks east of the Cape towards Spirits Bay. Visitor facilities at Te Rerenga Wairua/Cape Reinga also remain open.
Te Rautaki o Te Oneroaa-To he is set to be launched at a public hui being held at Korou Kore Marae in Ahipara , starting at 10am. “I’m a bit worried about the whole thing to be honest with you,” said Far North District councillor and deputy chairman of the Te-Oneroaa-Tohe Management Board Mate Radich.
“There are a lot of things that worry me regarding the management of Ninety Mile Beach, especially the ranks of power we have.”
The TeOneroa-a-To he Management
Board was established as a result of the Te Hiku Claims Settlement Bill, which passed its third and final reading in 2015.
The bill provided for the formation of a joint management body charged with the management of Te Oneroaa-Tohe / Ninety Mile Beach, composed of representatives from Te Rarawa, Ngai Takoto, Ngati Kurı, Te Aupouri, the Far North District Council,
and Northland Regional Council.
The establishment of the board and its journey to this point has not been without controversy, with alleged infighting occurring between iwi representatives and others being opposed to establishing the board.
“I don’t think change was needed in the first place. I personally was against this whole outfit from the start because I couldn’t see any benefit in it,” said Radich.
“It is rare that we have them [the five iwi] all there . . . They just don’t like each other. There are iwi who think they not so much own the beach, but they have full authority on various areas of the beach, and I would say they don’t. They just don’t realise that their role is to manage the whole beach.”
As a result of the bill, Te Hiku iwi received $550,000 to install interpretative signs, raise pouwhenua, and fund regeneration activities along the beach. The Crown also provided $400,000 to the Beach Management Board for their operations and the development of the plan. As of October
There are a lot of things that worry me regarding the management of Ninety Mile Beach, especially the ranks of power we have. Mate Radich
2020, there was a total of $217,000 remaining in the fund.
It has taken the board roughly six years to complete the Beach Management Plan, with various rounds of public consultation. The plan makes recommendations relating to seven main areas: spiritual value, leadership, ecology and biodiversity, economic wellbeing, recreation, collaboration, and education.
Those who frequent the beach will already be aware of the recently imposed 60km/h speed limits on Te Oneroa-a-To¯he and 30km/h limits near exit and entry points, a recommendation made by the board.
Radich says he is concerned over who will monitor and enforce such regulations, stating he is opposed to iwi-delegated ‘‘kaitiaki rangers’’ being given such powers.
“I’m totally against that to be honest with you. We had issues a couple of Christmases ago down at Ahipara. They [local kaitiaki] were very intimidating,” Radich said.
The sentiment was shared by Northern 90-Mile Beach Development Ltd, which owns 290 hectares of land adjacent to the beach, in their submissions to the board.
“We do not believe that tangata kaitiaki should be able to intercept public vehicles . . . Enforcement is already covered by current legislation,” the submission stated.
Other recommendations have already been implemented, including increased signage, the prohibition of machinery to harvest mussel spat in certain areas, and the banning of vehicles driving on sand dunes.
While most of the recommendations made so far have been well received, there are some who have been vocal in their opposition to proposed recommendations and others saying the plan doesn’t go far enough.
A submission from the Te Hiku o Te Ika Conservation Board called for more clarity over how popular activities such as fishing competitions would be managed.
“We note the plan makes no reference to some high-profile activities such as major fishing competitions and marine mammal strandings . . . ” the submission read.
Despite drawing criticism, there was praise for some of the proposed changes, including from fishing company Sanford and Aquaculture New Zealand, specifically around the regulations put in place for collecting mussel spat.
The regulations adopted by the board include the prohibition of spat collection with heavy machinery during certain periods and in certain areas.
“Sanford recognises the work to revise the Te Oneroa-a-To¯he Mussel Spat Collecting and Loader Driving Code of Practice and we will ensure that spat collectors will abide by the new rules,” Sanford stated in their submission.
While there have been issues among the five represented iwi, Radich is hopeful they will all be represented at today’s launch. However, he questions what impact the plan will really have.
“I don’t think that there will be major changes really, if any,” said Radich.