Pest Free Onetahua is removing pests to bring an abundance of birds and native wildlife back to Onetahua/Farewell Spit – protecting this taonga and giving future generations the chance to enjoy a wealth of nature in this internationally significant Nature Reserve.
Grounded in the local community, Pest Free Onetahua is a partnership between Tasman Environmental Trust, Manawhenua Ki Mohua and the Department of Conservation. The project also works closely with local landowners, businesses and residents of Golden Bay.
The project’s focus is to remove possums, feral pigs and deer from Onetahua/Farewell Spit, control hares, stoats and rats on the spit, and reduce pests in the surrounding area. The entire project area spans 12,000 ha of unique landscapes from the tip of Onetahua Farewell Spit, through Pākawau Bush in Kahurangi National Park to the edge of Whanganui Inlet, with support from private landowners.
Pest Free Onetahua is of local, national and international significance. Home to many important native species and thousands of migratory birds, Onetahua/Farewell Spit is a wetland of international significance. A critical stopover for migrating shorebirds, it gained international status as a Ramsar site in 1976. Predators threaten many of these birds and other endangered native species.
