What do you picture when you think of the benefits of becoming Predator Free? Most people picture increasing native birdlife like iconic kiwi and kea. And they’re not wrong.
When Predator Free Wellington eliminated rats and mustelids from the Miramar Peninsula, they saw native bird detections skyrocket 91% since the project began.
Wellington residents have spotted over 5x more iconic pīwakawaka since the project began. They’re also seeing early signs that kākā and kākāriki may be recolonising forested habitats on the peninsula.
Beyond the birds
But Predator Free 2050 benefits go beyond the birds. When we do our bit ‘naturing’, we see positive changes in our economy, culture, wellbeing, recreation and even some surprising areas.
Hear from predator-free Miramar residents, volunteers, and staff what surprising (non-bird) benefits they’ve seen firsthand thanks to Predator Free Wellington:
1. Making new friends
Dan, Predator Free Miramar volunteer, shares that predator trapping has helped him make new friends and feel more connected to his community.
“Before trapping and being involved with Predator Free Miramar, my community was a lot narrower.” Trapping helped him connect to his neighbours and new friends.
“It’s funny to be talking about new friends when you’re 51; I didn’t actively set out to do it.”
“It’s a rewarding, warm, fuzzy feeling to know that you have a circle of people who value what we’re doing, who are there at the end of the phone if you need anything, and who are always keen to share a joke.”
2. Bonding with your mum
Sophie, a dedicated trapper and field operator, has swapped stories with her mum about how the neighbourhood she grew up in has changed in just one generation.
“Now that Miramar is rat-free, I’m seeing lots of posts about kārearea sightings on Facebook. At home, I’ve had one fly into the tree next door.”
“This change is significant to me because kārearea is a bird that most people in the older generation, like my mum, didn’t grow up seeing around Wellington.”
3. Cool new mokomoko gardens in your neighbourhood
Preschool students and their teacher, Felicity, at Peninsula Preschool have transformed a Miramar road verge into a thriving mokomoko garden. The class were inspired by spotting skinks at a local reserve and by native wildlife bouncing back in their neighbourhood.
Predator Free 2050 can spark ideas to take better care of local native species – like starting a mokomoko garden, creating a backyard bird sanctuary or making a critter home.
…And after a Miramar road verge before and after Peninsula Preschool started their mokomoko garden to attract native lizards and skinks (image 2) | 📷: Peninsula Early Learning
4. Growing optimism and belief that nature can bounce back
Getting involved in predator free can be a pick-me-up when the news is feeling bleak.
Predator Free Miramar volunteer Ross shares how he’s seen a growing sense of hope in Miramar residents since the project began.
“When I first started, telling my neighbours and friends about my involvement in trapping was often met with scepticism. Many thought we were fighting a losing battle, and that our efforts couldn’t make a real difference.”
“These days, people stop to say thank you and share their observations about the increasing birdlife. This project has given people a sense of purpose amidst all the challenging news about global warming and rising costs.”
Predator Free Wellington field operator Tim has also felt this growing sense of hope. The biggest change he’s felt is a “growing belief that what we’re doing can actually be achieved.
: Predator Free Wellington5. Kids learning wētā footprints
Preschool students have been learning new nature knowledge now that native species are bouncing back with predator free.
The class set up a tracking tunnel before they created the mokomoko garden and found absolutely no signs of wildlife. After three years, they set another tracking tunnel and discovered wētā footprints! They’ve also found a gecko in the children’s carpentry workshop.
: Peninsula Early LearningHow can you help?
- More information on how you can get involved in Predator Free 2050 can be found here.
This is a fantastic and encouraging list that moves the conversation beyond the obvious win for native birds. Highlighting the benefits for insects, lizards, and even pet safety makes the predator-free mission feel more holistic and directly relevant to daily suburban life. The point about a stronger sense of community purpose is particularly powerful—it turns conservation from a distant concept into a shared neighborhood project.
My question is about the maintenance phase. Once the initial predator-free status is achieved, what does the long-term “vigilance” model look like for residents? Is it primarily about community education and coordinated monitoring, or does it require a sustained, professional level of trapping and biosecurity that could become a funding or volunteer burden over decades?
Write an interesting comment with a question to the article:
Not too far from the Miramar Peninsula is Orongorongo River Valley. The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, a back then NZ Government Department conducted a 25 year research project on the Orongorongo River Valley, as a “typical NZ lowland forest”. This major research made “many astonishing discoveries” , one of which is “the main food of wild cats is not native birds, but rats and rabbits”. Source, A Living New Zealand Forest. Robert Brockie.
As a young teenager I spent many years learning bushcraft and hunting in the Orongorongo Valley. The hut which we based ourselves was close by the DSIR Research Facility which I had visited a number of times and spoken to some of the scientists working there.
This 25 year research included feral cats and as the introduction I have quoted, the scientists were astonished to find that feral cats predated very few native birds and that the bulk of the cats diet was rats and rabbits.
Fast forward to today and the feral cats are being vilified and killed at every opportunity.
Personally, and I live in my own mature native forest property 24/7, I believe rats are the biggest cause of bird predation eating both eggs and young fledglings.
Given the breeding capability of rats and much of our forested areas are over run with rats I have to wonder if cats are actually having a beneficial impact for our forests and our native birds.
It seems counter productive to list cats as pests.