The Restoration Project

Location:

location map

Why Puketi?

Puketi has several advantages as a location for a pest free sanctuary:

It is close to the main centres of population in Northland (Okaihau, Kaikohe, Kerikeri, Kaeo, Paihia) and is easily accessible.
It is visited by more than 100,000 visitors annually and the potential for conservation education is immense.
Subtropical kauri forest as a habitat type is nationally rare.
It is already a floristically diverse, mature forest, which has been identified as having excellent habitat values.
The forest is largely intact and includes a variety of habitat types including some forest that has never been logged.
The forest is sufficiently large and diverse to maintain populations of charismatic megavertebrates in perpetuity.
North Island Brown Kiwi and Kukupa are present in reasonable numbers.
It is one of the three top priority areas for the Department of Conservation in Northland (along with Te Paki and Waipoua Forest).
It is located centrally in the Far North Region and links easily with private conservation efforts, other Crown controlled land, and offshore islands, allowing movement of bird species along corridors from the coast to the heartland.
Puketi is high in the collective consciousness of the community and is valued highly by local people, both now and in the past.

Progress So Far

From commencement in 2003 to July 2011 the Trust raised almost NZ$1 million, most of which has been spent in the forest on pest control.

Nearly 100 km of tracks have been cut. Ten traplines with 740 stoat traps and 246 cat traps have been established in the 5500 hectare management area. 2300 rat traps and 841 possum traps have been set out in the 650 hectare core area. [See Map of the Management Area]

Reliable contractors have been engaged to service the traps, and to the end of 2011 more than 24,000 pests have been removed. See our [Pest Control] and [Trapping Results] pages.

Monitoring has indicated increases in populations of kiwi and other birds
[See Wildlife Monitoring].
Target low populations of rats suitable for re-introduction of vulnerable bird species have been achieved in the core area. [See Pest Monitoring]

Re-introduction of locally extinct wildlife has begun with 30 North Island robins (toutouwai) transferred in June 2009 and a further 30 in April 2010. Monitoring has confirmed that the toutouwai have bred successfully in the core area each season since their release. Transfer of kokako to Puketi has been approved and is planned for spring of 2012. [See the Strategic Plan]