Pestbuster champions in South Taranaki
Congratulations to the South Taranaki branch, which has won the first Pestbuster Award for the most successful trapping of introduced predators and pests.

In the past 12 months Forest & Bird members Bob Walkington and Rex Hartley and other volunteers have trapped and counted 400 rats, 64 possums, 47 hedgehogs, 43 goats, 22 stoats, 11 weasels, six feral cats, three magpies, two ferrets and one rabbit. They worked in two bush blocks near Eltham, each about 400 hectares, where they also monitor bait stations. It is not possible to tally how many pests these deal to.

Both men have seen and heard increasing numbers of native birds, including toutouwai (North Island robins) and North Island brown kiwi, in the Collier and Totara bush blocks. Native orchids and other plant life are also flourishing.

The Pestbuster Award was announced to mark World Environment Day. All branches were surveyed and the figures were analysed based on the size of areas trapped and how many people were involved in trapping.