Feral cats should join predator-free hit list, conservation groups say
Adding feral cats to the Predator Free 2050 list will fill a glaring hole, say conservation leaders. Photo / Predator Free NZ
Feral cats should join rats and possums on the Department of Conservation's predator-free 2050 hit list, according to conservation leaders.
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RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Tongariro Northern Circuit off the table for most this season
Oturere Hut is more than 50 years old. Photo: RNZ / John Edens One of the country's Great Walks will not be opening as usual this season, but walkers on the Tongariro Northern Circuit can look forward to a brand new hut in years to come. Libby O'Brien, the Department of Conservation's (DOC) operations manager for Tongariro, in the central North Island, said the department was working with local hapū Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro on a replacement for Oturere Hut. At more than 50 years old, it had sprung a few leaks. "It just doesn't give a good visitor experience," O'Brien said. "It doesn't meet the standards that we want to deliver with the Great Walk. It's time for it to be replaced with something a little bit more fit for purpose." That meant the Great Walk experience was off the table for now. People would still be able to book the other huts on the circuit individually, with those bookings expected to open in July. But the walk between the two huts on either side - Mangatepopo and Waihohonu - without stopping at Oturere was 20 kilometres, and would take between 8 and 10 hours. That was twice the distance visitors would normally walk on those second and third days, and the route passed through steep, rough alpine terrain with fast-changing, extreme weather. While the tracks were open, DOC did not recommend people hike between Mangatepopo and Waihohonu unless they were very fit and experienced backcountry trampers, carrying the right gear to be self-sufficient. The new hut was in the final planning stages, with construction due to begin in the summer, when there would be longer daylight hours and less harsh alpine conditions for the construction team. "We can sometimes expect snow right up until the end of every year," O'Brien explained. They would be flying building materials in by helicopter, but to keep costs low, the team would stay on-site in the old hut. It would be "slightly different from the normal rectangle hut that people know and love," O'Brien said, and would mean an improved experience for walkers for years to come.
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
New track build efforts recognised
Family, friends, officials and fellow Green Hut Track Group members surround dedicated volunteer Arthur Blondell after he was presented with an Outdoor Access Champion Award last Thursday at Orokonui Ecosanctuary. Pictured in the front row are (from left) Herenga ā Nuku — Outdoor Access Commission board member Dr Hugh Logan, Mr Blondell's wife Teresa Wasilewska, Mr Blondell with his award, Department of Conservation ranger Felicity Sime, Green Hut Track Group co-ordinator Graeme Elliot and commission acting chief executive Phil Culling. Photo: Brenda Harwood The dedication of Dunedin man Arthur Blondell, who has spent the past 12 years building a safe public walking track in the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve, has been recognised with a national Outdoor Access Champion Award. Mr Blondell's extraordinary efforts to build the 7km "Arthur's Track" along the south branch of the Waikouaiti River were celebrated at a special award presentation ceremony at Orokonui Ecosanctuary last week Thursday, which was also his 76th birthday. Herenga ā Nuku — Outdoor Access Commission acting chief executive Phil Culling and board member Dr Hugh Logan presented the award to Mr Blondell at the celebration, which was attended by about 50 people — family, friends, officials and fellow members of the Green Hut Track Group. Dr Logan saluted Mr Blondell's achievement, saying building tracks was a major effort, requiring time, planning and care. "And if that work is done by hand, it is even tougher," Dr Logan said. Building the track had been "a fantastic contribution to the city" and would help people to connect with nature, he said. Green Hut Track Group co-ordinator Graeme Elliot said many of the group members who were at Thursday's ceremony had worked alongside Mr Blondell on constructing the track. "A lot of us here have worked with Arthur and have been challenged and inspired by him — it has been quite a journey and I want to thank him for that," Mr Elliot said. Mr Blondell told the gathering he was motivated to start work on the track in 2012 after the remote Philip J. Cox Memorial Hut — established in memory of his late friend — was built. Arthur Blondell at the junction of a series of tracks in the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve near Dunedin. Photo: Graeme Elliot The hut was the second shelter on the Silverpeaks Circuit Track, which traversed steep, slippery slopes and dense undergrowth, and included river crossings that could be treacherous in poor weather. "The [new] track had been talked about for a long time, but no-one had gotten around to starting it — so I decided to pick up a shovel and get going," he said. Every Monday, Mr Blondell drove 40 minutes to the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve, then walked a 200m descent to the track site. Self-funded and resourced, he carried his own tools in, as well as timber and other resources, storing them on-site. After navigating the track and clearing vegetation by hand, Mr Blondell embarked on the back-breaking work of digging and benching the track by hand, establishing water channels and constructing drainage. The Green Hut Track Group, a collective of mostly retired volunteers who have worked together every Wednesday to maintain tracks in the Silverpeaks for more than 20 years, found Mr Blondell in 2015, and spent many subsequent Mondays working alongside him. After five years, Dunedin Tracks and Trail guidebook author Antony Hamel led the inaugural tramp along Arthur's Track in August 2017. Following that milestone, Mr Blondell has continued his work to improve and maintain the track over the past seven years, to ensure it caters for trampers of a broad range of abilities. This has involved refining and re-routing the track to remove some of the steeper sections, introducing switchbacks and zig-zags to ease the gradient. The whole track now follows an easy contour, making it an enjoyable tramping experience, while still providing access to spectacular Silver Peaks views. "The track also links up the other tracks in the area, which helps to provide a better experience for trampers," he said. Dedicated volunteer Arthur Blondell (left) receives the Outdoor Access Champion Award from Herenga ā Nuku — Outdoor Access Commission board member Dr Hugh Logan during last week's award presentation ceremony at Orokonui Ecosanctuary. Photo: Brenda Harwood The Department of Conservation formally incorporated Arthur's Track into the Silverpeaks Circuit Track in May 2024. Mr Blondell paid tribute to the members of the Green Hut Track Group for their long-standing support for his passion project. "I want to thank all those who came along and helped throughout my time working on the track," he said. He was very pleased with the high standard of the track, which he hoped would encourage more people to use it. "Having the Silverpeaks in such close proximity to Dunedin makes it an ideal place to have a first outdoor experience. "It is a wonderful asset, and I hope we have enhanced it by putting the track through," he said. Dunedin Department of Conservation ranger Felicity Sime added her voice to the praise for the efforts of Mr Blondell and the Green Hut Track Group for their phenomenal work in completing Arthur's Track to such a high standard of safety and accessibility. "Arthur's relentless hard work and dedication will enable generations of people to explore and enjoy the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve. The track is an absolute treasure," she said.
The Spinoff
2 days ago
- The Spinoff
We need to stop talking about cats and actually do something
Right now, the Department of Conservation is asking for feedback on the Predator Free 2050 strategy. The biggest question: should feral cats be added alongside rats, ferrets, stoats, weasels and possums? Allison Hess argues it's a no-brainer. Gareth Morgan kicked things off with his infamous Cats to Go campaign in 2013. He said things people didn't want to hear. Cats, he said, were 'serial killers' and 'nature's only sadists'. People absolutely lost the plot. He was immediately labelled a radical, a cat-hating Bond villain. When the Predator Free 2050 target species were chosen in 2016, feral cats were off the list, due to the fears of public backlash. The public wasn't ready, and the SPCA opposed it at the time. But a decade on, Morgan's once spicy take is looking… less radical. His campaign was inspired by the destruction cats were causing on Rakiura (Stewart Island) wildlife. Feral cats were the reason kākāpō were urgently translocated off the island in the 80s. It has been a constant battle to keep their numbers in check to protect the remaining wildlife on the island. Today the pukunui (southern NZ dotterel) is close to the brink, with only 105 birds remaining. The cat conversation Morgan dragged hissing and clawing into the public arena never went away. Journalists have nudged it along, sitting the public down for 'the talk' periodically. To name just a few stories, there have been Are there too many cats in NZ? (Stuff, 2016); Our love affair with cats (NZ Geographic, 2021); We need to talk about cats and wildlife (The Spinoff, 2022); We need to talk about cats (Newsroom, 2022) and Paddy Gower Has Issues: Feral cats are killing native birds, bats and even dolphins – so why are Kiwis so mad when we cull them? (Stuff, 2023). We've read story after story: cats eating 28 lizards in one go, destroying 87 black-fronted tern nests and wiping out robin populations. Today, the mood has shifted, and the conversation has matured. It's not cat lovers vs cat haters. The public has had a decade to digest what was once too controversial. Even the SPCA has changed its tune, admitting emotions clouded its decision-making back then, and it now supports the humane killing of feral cats. In a 2023 leaders' debate, Luxon and Hipkins both said feral cats should be included in the Predator Free 2050 strategy. And public opinion? A 2024 survey commissioned by the Predator Free NZ Trust found that 64% of New Zealanders thought we should actively reduce feral cat populations on public conservation land. Nearly 60% supported national legislation for microchipping and desexing of pet cats. Cats are a legal grey zone While all cats are hunters, companion cats are beloved members of households. Feral cats, on the other hand, live entirely independently of humans, with no home, no vet, no food bowl. They hunt to survive and breed freely. They're everywhere, from farmland to bush, even crossing the Southern Alps. They're here because we haven't had proper rules to prevent their existence in the first place. After the Cats to Go dustup settled down, it actually became clear that the interests of wildlife and cat welfare weren't so far apart. In a real enemies-to-lovers story line, the SPCA, Vets Association, Morgan Foundation and Companion Animals NZ shacked up to work together, forming the National Cat Management Group. The Predator Free NZ Trust later joined. But their attempts to introduce basic rules like nationwide desexing, registration and microchipping of pet cats have been batted away for years. These basics would help reduce kitten dumping, help return lost pets and slow the growth of stray and feral colonies, which are booming (in New Zealand there are an estimated 2.4 million feral cats, compared to 1.2 million pet cats). Unlike dogs, there is no law governing cat ownership and control. There is a hodgepodge of council bylaws, but cats have free rein of the country, are allowed to wander onto other people's property, and their owners aren't responsible for any damage they cause. The cross-sector group got close to something happening in 2023 when the environment select committee recommended creating a law. The current government said, 'Nah, not a priority.' So here we are again But now there's another opening to do something about cats. The Department of Conservation is asking if feral cats should be added to the Predator Free 2050 target species list. Feral cats are being controlled, but it's piecemeal. There's no national standard, no shared funding, no clear guidelines, limited research and poor outcomes for both cats and wildlife. When nothing happens at a national level, people take matters into their own hands, like the farmers in Canterbury who made international headlines with their feral cat culling competition. Leaving feral cats off the list undermines the whole Predator Free 2050 goal. If we leave out feral cats, we ignore one of the deadliest predators, and their control remains disjointed. Adding them to the list means setting national standards, investing in research and ensuring their removal is more humane, coordinated and effective. Feral cats shouldn't remain in the too-hard basket. We've had the conversation; it's time to do something with it.
