The prospect of living on New Zealand's largest inhabited pest-free island is one step closer with the commencement of wallaby and possum removal. Planning and consultation have been in process for a long time, and communication from the project team continues with individual landowners/residents as the project progresses. That method of communication should be your ‘go to’ but in case you have mislaid anything, this page can direct you to the right source.
From a high-level perspective, the island has been divided into 10 operational blocks, and the project team will work through each block in sequence. The aim is to remove all wallabies and possums in each block before moving to the next block. Monitoring will continue in each block to ensure that the removal has been successful. Operations in block 1 commenced in early May 2025.
A copy of the fact sheet sent to landowners/residents can be found here. This can also be given to any visitors who want more detailed information.
Hunting will be the primary eradication method, but some toxins will be used so it is important to take care with any pets and keep up to date with project progress in your area. Refer to the Protecting your dog – factsheet (PDF - 740KB) if you have a pet or have visitors who bring their dog.
The project team will communicate with impacted landowners as the project progress but you can easily check on progress yourself by visiting the Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau Conservation Auckland project update website.
You can also sign up to receive email project updates by going to the Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau Conservation Auckland Kawau News website and clicking on the ‘sign up for the newsletter’ option which is listed in the introductory paragraph.
Community members are also very welcome to join the online Community Forum Meetings. These were held monthly but are less frequent now that removal operations have commenced. Once a meeting has been scheduled it will be shown on the Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau Conservation Auckland Kawau News page and will contain a registration link.
If you would like more detailed information about some of the background planning and consultation work undertaken, you can refer to the Kawau Island page on the Tiaki Tāmaki Makaurau Conservation Auckland website.
If you need more detailed information or have specific questions about the project, send an email to kawauislandproject@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.
To make such a large area pest free is a huge undertaking and a huge cost, but the benefits will be immense. However, it will not be achievable without funding, so all donations are welcome. You can donate through the NZ Nature Fund.