RNZAF to support local conservation effort

25 April, 2022

In early May a sizable team from the Royal New Zealand Air Force will be arriving in Mangawhai to join Piroa-Brynderwyns Landcare (PBL) volunteers for a week's work progressing important conservation efforts that benefit the local community.

The team will start work with the infamous Wairahi Tracks Charitable Trust ‘trackies’, who are well known locally having cut in many of the walking tracks in the area such as the Bridge-to-Bridge walking track, Langs Beach Scenic Reserve and the Langs Beach to Waipu Cove.

The work focus is to ‘cut in’ a new section of a walking trail that will be incorporated into the Te Araroa Trail which passes over Waorahi Conservation Estate, and install a bait station network in the adjoining Department of Conservation Reserve. The Te Araroa Trail work will open an important alternative track to the public, moving walkers off the public roadside to fully enjoy the wonderful natural landscape and seascape of the area by travel, via a connected network of tracks.

The Air Force engagement will enable the team to complete the project within five working days and meet major milestones in conservation and recreational plans in the area that would otherwise take many months to complete.

The bait station installation is a great step to support the national, regional, and local Predator Free 2050 initiative by helping extend existing intensive predator control into the Department of Conservation Reserve which is currently uncontrolled.

The work will add tremendous value to the community's efforts to secure safe corridors for North Island brown kiwi to safely disperse and other rare and unique species present in the Piroa-Brynderwyn hills, including Hochstetter’s frogs and long tailed bats and a key part of PBL efforts for Predator Free 2050.

The week will include guest speakers from Kiwi Coast and Good Wood Aotearoa who will be talking through protecting native bird life and the rewards being seen in the area and outlying islands.

The team recently scoped the tasks and camp site location for the week.

Piroa-Brynderwyns is classified as a High Value Area (HVA) by Northland Regional Council due to its proximity to the predator free islands just off the coast. The HVA begins in the east at Bream Tail Farm where kiwi have recently naturally returned to the bush areas (given the farm's focus on animal pest control), across the road into the ranges including the DOC reserves, the Marunui Kiwi Sanctuary, which was established 30 years ago, Waorahi Conservation Estate and other private land areas all the way along the ranges west to SH1.

PBL looks forward to a long relationship with the Air Force and their conservation efforts – a win win for all involved and a great step forward benefiting the entire community. If you see them around the area early May please show your appreciation