Eliminating rats, stoats and weasels from the Miramar Peninsula was an epic collective effort
It relied on the support of 20,000 locals, and involved almost every business, school and kindergarten, every third household, hundreds of volunteers, Predator Free Miramar and technical experts. We are hugely grateful to our foundation partners Greater Wellington Regional Council, Wellington City Council, Predator Free 2050 Ltd, NEXT Foundation and Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika.
We are extremely proud to present this video as a marker of that milestone.
Miramar was where we learnt and refined our methods. Now we’re onto Phase 2 – west from the airport and stretching from Ōwhiro Bay to Wellington’s CBD.
We need your help to keep Miramar predator free – please report any signs of rats
Why did we start in Miramar?
Te Motu Kairangi (Miramar Peninsula) was a perfect starting place as it has a bit of everything! 1,086 ha of urban, suburban, bush and steep coastal escarpment, 12 schools, 19,230 residents across seven economically and culturally diverse suburbs. Importantly, the Wellington Airport runway across Rongotai gave us a barrier that was easier to defend. As an added bonus, the Peninsula has been possum free since 2006.
Is Miramar predator free?
Yes! We removed Norway rats and weasels in 2021, and completed Phase 1 in November 2023 by removing ship rats. You can read more about this exciting milestone or catch up on the celebration event. We actively check the Peninsula in case rats try to sneak back in.
How do we keep rats off Miramar Peninsula?
We expect rats may sometimes get back to the Peninsula. But we are confident we can find and remove them. We use a rat detector dog team, monitoring cameras, volunteers and local residents – and the system has worked for more than two years! As we move through Phase 2, this will take the pressure off the Peninsula.
What if I see a rat on Miramar?
Please let us know! If you see a rat, poo or chew marks, please get in touch. We rely on Miramar locals to be our eyes and ears on the ground to prevent pests sneaking back in.
The outcomes for our native taonga are amazing
There has been a 136% increase in signs of native birds, including five times more kōtare kingfisher and 280% more riroriro. We’ve also recorded a 200% increase in tree wētā. We’re spotting species previously rare on the Peninsula, such as kārearea (rarer than kiwi), kākāriki, kākā, ruru and geckos.
Predator Free Miramar helped make this possible
Dan Henry started the group in 2017, and five years later this hugely motivated community of over 1,000 households had caught more than 10,000 introduced predators! We also had committed locals that met every Sunday while Phase 1 was active to clear traps along the coast and reserves – making up 10% of our operational workforce on the Peninsula. They also help us check for rats who try to sneak back in. You can learn more about PFM by reading Dan’s profile and his handy guide ‘How to kill rats and engage a community’.
Want to report a sighting or have an enquiry? Please contact us. Want to learn more about our project? Read our FAQs.