Community groups seek more cat control

When cats were first captured on camera on the chenier (shell bank) in the Weiti River, last October, environmental group Friends of Okura Bush (FOOB) got out their live cat trap. Two cats were quickly caught and returned to their owners.

Cheniers are rare shell bank formations where many native seabirds live and nest, and predation by cats is a serious concern. The Weiti River chenier is classified as a Significant Ecological Area under the Unitary Plan.

FOOB was equipped for live cat trapping because of its work with the Department of Conservation in Okura Bush.

However, when Auckland Council was notified of trapping on the chenir, it asked FOOB to stop.

FOOB’s predator pest control coordinator, Jo Crawford, says the organisation discovered that when Council updated its Regional Pest Management Plan, in 2020, it changed the rules – now, any cat control on Council-managed land can only be done by Council staff or contractors.

Crawford says FOOB has serious concerns for the seabirds that live or nest on the chenier, including dotterels and more than 200 godwits. Pateke (brown teal ducks) that live on the lagoon behind the chenier lost their chicks to cats in the recent breeding season.

She says at a meeting with Council staff last month, it was clear that money is too tight to have contractors trap on the chenier and that education (brochures and signs) is the current focus.

“It is very disappointing to say the least,” Crawford says. “Without cat control all those birds are at risk. FOOB goes above and beyond the rules for live trapping, including daily checks, providing water and shade and getting cats to the vets fast to be checked for microchips.”

Council’s biosecurity principal advisor, Dr Imogen Bassett, says Council’s cat control is focused on protecting the highest priority threatened species sites first.

“In addition, we have to consider whether trapping is the most appropriate management option,” Dr Bassett says. “For some sites, where many of the cats will be owned cats, trapping will not solve the issue. For this reason, Council is investing in responsible pet ownership messaging in the Okura Bush and Weiti area as a first step.”

She says trapping on the chenier may be appropriate in the future and the situation will continue to be assessed.

“Cat owners are often surprised at how far their pets travel. Anyone who owns a cat within 2-5km of the area can help protect the threatened species at the chenier by making sure their cat is desexed, microchipped and kept at home on their property.”

She says the cat control policy is to ensure the safety of owned cats and of the people involved in delivering cat control.

Crawford says FOOB plans to work with other community groups, including one in Omaha, to try and get a change in the rules.

“We are suggesting a training course for community groups for live traps, with their skills getting official sign-off and a permit. We plan to organise a multi-group meeting to discuss our next steps.”

Notable tree felled due to safety concerns

When this Norfolk pine on Ōrewa Beach was cut down recently, it created a lot of interest, with people contacting Hibiscus Matters concerned that it could be a precedent affecting the pines on Ōrewa Reserve. The tree that was felled, at 397 Hibiscus Coast Highway, was on Auckland Council’s Notable Tree register – the highest level of protection an Auckland tree can have. It was on private property, and was felled at the property owners’ request, under the Unitary Plan’s Emergency Tree Works provisions. The provisions allow for alteration or removal of a notable tree, without resource consent, if that work is “immediately necessary to avoid any actual and imminent threat to the safety of persons or damage to property or to maintain or restore utility services”. Anyone seeking to use those provisions much get advice from an arborist and provide photos to demonstrate the issue. Council’s area operations manager, Kris Bird, says in this case, an arborist engaged by the landowner recommended that the pine be urgently removed because of safety concerns.