Whakaangi Landcare Trust

The Whakaangi Landcare Trust was formed six years ago. Its primary function is Predator Control, Kiwi Conservation, and Flora Foliage Regeneration. The Trust employs professional trappers to achieve this, funded with donations and grants. The area of control at the moment is 1,346+ hectares of bush which contains a very high concentration of Kiwi and is in fact the home of the northern-most Brown Kiwi population. Originally, ten years ago, a group of Landowners formed the Whakaangi Landcare Group and pooled their funds to try and co-ordinate a system where volunteers could tackle the huge possum, stoat, pig, rat and feral cat problem that existed on their properties.

Most properties vary from 100 to 350 acres and there are approximately twenty Landowners. Eventually this group managed to obtain outside funding and to get a Legal Entity, the Trust was formed six years ago. It has nine Trustees, four Operational Officers and the Project is controlled by a well respected Professional Advisor.

Because Whakaangi is now nearly predator free it has been approached about the introduction of three endangered native bird species. The Trust is now also looking at Eco-tourism so the Whakaangi Landcare Trust has a bright and exciting future. It has proved that a group of concerned Landowners can get together, become organized, seek and get the best Professional help available, convince through their enthusiasm various Fund Managers to help them, and prove that they can then run an extremely high standard Project to reverse the decline of Kiwi in New Zealand.

To find out more or donate visit www.whakaangi.co.nz
Words and photos by Colin Salt