Introduced pests pose a real threat to New Zealand, with the Department of Conservation (DOC) estimating that 25 million native birds are killed each year, and around 4000 native species are currently at risk.
For staff and volunteers at Picton Dawn Chorus and Kaipūpū Sanctuary (Kaipūpū) at the top of the South Island, a shared vision to preserve the natural environment and protect native species for future generations is at the heart of their collaboration.
“Kaipūpū Sanctuary started in 2005 when Port Marlborough offered this beautiful piece of 40-hectare mainland sanctuary to the people of Picton,” says Picton Dawn Chorus and Kaipūpū General Manager Pip Macfarlane.
“They jumped at the opportunity and started work immediately building traplines, putting the walkways in, building the jetty, and building the predator fence.”
Kaipūpū (formerly known as Kaipūpū Point Mainland Island Society) worked alongside iwi, Port Marlborough, the Department of Conservation, and the local community to establish the area and eradicate pests.
The 600-metre predator-proof fence was installed in 2008, but as Pip explains, pests started to threaten the area after the sanctuary opened to the public in 2013.
“Kaipūpū started to get invaded by predators,” says Pip. “If we didn’t trap the surrounding areas, we would never be predator-free, so Picton Dawn Chorus was set up as a halo of protection around the sanctuary.”
Since then, community collaboration has been at the core of the group’s work as it has expanded its network of volunteers and offered more opportunities to participate in conservation efforts. Its growth led to the merger of Picton Dawn Chorus and Kaipūpū Sanctuary in 2023, as the organisations worked to maximise their resources and environmental impact.
“As we grew, we realised that we were time-poor, and often we were sitting beside our colleagues at Kaipūpū Sanctuary, and we were both doing the same thing,” explains Pip.
“We decided that if we actually looked at merging our two organisations, we could better use our resources.”
Now operating under the Picton Dawn Chorus name, 165 active volunteers are critical to conservation efforts at Kaipūpū, which includes a nursery group, native planting group, learning opportunities for school children, and kaitiaki groups where young people can be involved in local pest control.
“Our work enables people to become involved in our natural environment,” says Zoe Aitchison, Administration Coordinator at Picton Dawn Chorus and Kaipūpū.
“Our vision is a committed and enthusiastic community where people of all ages celebrate our flourishing native flora and fauna in Waitohi, Picton.
“We have a social enterprise which is run by volunteers, and these are the people who put together our trap boxes that we use so extensively throughout our trapping network.”
The “trapping network” includes 75 traplines and more than 3000 traps over 4815 hectares. In Picton and Waikawa, one in four residents supports the group’s efforts with traps on their property.
The rat and possum populations on Kaipūpū have now been eradicated, and there are less than 10 percent of possums in the wider Picton area.
Rātā Foundation supports Picton Dawn Chorus and Kaipūpū through the South Island funder’s Sustain focus area and Strengthening the Sector programme.
“The merger of Kaipūpū Sanctuary with Picton Dawn Chorus is a great example of organisations streamlining knowledge and resources to strengthen conservation efforts,” says Rātā Chief Executive Leighton Evans.
“Pip and her team are not only inspiring a network of committed volunteers to take action today, by engaging young people in environmental education they are also working to future-proof efforts for generations to come.”
In terms of the next steps for Picton Dawn Chorus and Kaipūpū, Pip says the organisation wants to “build a strong, cohesive community pride in rewilding Picton, Waitohi” and will look to engage neighbouring conservation groups as they expand their reach.