Operational Programme

Sanctuary Operational Plan 2026

Objectives

Suppress plant and animal pests at zero to low densities and monitor outcomes.
Complete expansion of Sanctuary area 53 HA
Complete Phase 1 of track clearing
Complete track remarking
Maintain stations and cat traps to high standard
Achieve RTIs of 10% and monitor impact of pulsing bait operation.
Complete Monitoring Programme
Focus weed programme around dwellings and specific weeds
Continue research and mitigation into bird interference with stations
Continue research programme
Complete 1 cat trapping line with electronic monitoring. (econodes)
Extend Lizard Monitoring program to include pitfall traps.
Assess Slip Damage at Big Windy once it is safe to do so – Replace missing or damaged boxes and reroute tracks if required.

Pest Managed Areas

Rat/mice management programme – monthly trap checks in LW, BHB, EX, TR.
Monthly trap checks for RB & BW apart from during pulses. Review for Autumn.
Trap bait – to limit bait take from ants over summer months use macadamia nuts or licorice.
Aim to achieve rat tracking tunnel annual average of 10% or less.
Record all catches of mice, kiore, or ship rat on Field Maps and WH record.
Review what data we continue to record on field maps – rebaiting traps or just catches.
Review and adapt management in PMAs with highest TT index.
Continue with pulsing model for whole sanctuary for baiting. Bait to be folded in half and placed as far back in station as possible to reduce bird access.
Replace missing and broken traps in all areas.
Collect unused but working traps/stations into ‘depots’ around the sanctuary and mark the depots on field maps. Bring broken or unfixable stations and equipment back to base.

Area	Ratio Trap/Bait	Diphacinone Bait Weight	Check Traps	Adaptive Mngemt – Pulsing Operation
Houses & Road	50/50	100gm		Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct
Benthorn Paddocks (BHP)	100% traps		Fortnightly	N/A
Little Windy Hill (LW)	50/50	100gm	Monthly	Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct
Benthorn Bush (BHB)	50/50	100gm	Monthly	Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct
Extension (EX)	50/50	100gm	Monthly	Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct
Rosalie Bay (RB)	50/50	100gm	Monthly apart from during pulses. Review for Autumn.	Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct
Big Windy (BW)	50/50	100gm	Monthly apart from during pulses. Review for Autumn.	Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct
Tryphena Ridge (TR)	50/50	100gm	Monthly	Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct

Little Windy Hill (LW)

50% bait stations in 100 grams of diphacinone & 50% traps. 25m spacing.

Checks: Monthly

Bait pulse operations Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct.

Objective – Keep tracking tunnels below 10%

Benthorn Farm Bush (BHB)

50% bait stations in 100 grams of diphacinone & 50% traps. 25m spacing.

Checks: Monthly

Bait pulse operations Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct.

Objective – Keep tracking tunnels below 10%

Benthorn Farm Paddock (BHP)

100% traps at 25m spacing – fortnightly check

Objective – maintain low tracking tunnel rates with trapping only. House traps managed by Landowners.

Extension (EX)

50% bait stations in 100 grams of diphacinone & 50% traps. 25m spacing.

Checks: Monthly

Bait pulse operations Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct.

Objective – Keep tracking tunnels below 10%.

Rosalie Bay (RB)

50% bait stations in 100 grams of diphacinone & 50% traps. 25m spacing.

Checks: Monthly apart from during pulses. Review during Autumn.

Bait pulse operations Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct.

Objective – Keep tracking tunnels below 10%

Big Windy (BW)

50% bait stations in 100 grams of diphacinone & 50% traps. 25m spacing.

Checks: Monthly apart from during pulses. Review during Autumn.

Bait pulse operations Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct.

Objective – Keep tracking tunnels below 10%

Tryphena Ridge (TR)

50% bait stations in 100 grams of diphacinone & 50% traps. 25m spacing.

Checks: Monthly

Bait pulse operations Jan Apr, Jul, Oct.

Objective – Keep tracking tunnels below 10%.

Other Pests

Pigs

Maintain pressure on pig densities. Report pig sign to Dean and hunting as soon as possible after sighting.

Pig Monitoring Programme – develop an understanding of pig activity in the Sanctuary area – Undertake monitoring on transects and record pig activity – Twice a year (Feb & Aug).

Record sightings and fresh rooting evidence throughout the year using gps and photographs – note preferred spots.

Cats

Follow procedures from the Safe Cat MOU.

Record cat culls on Field Maps and ensure a photo is taken from the left side of each cat caught.

Undertake cat runs fortnightly (February to November and more if capacity allows)

Use fat to lure cats to SA2 traps. Rebait SA2s monthly.

Camouflage traps, cover bottom of taps with vegetation/dirt

Drag rabbit around cat run creating scent lure

Replace broken traps with new double ended design or other spare cat traps

Peg down cat traps with wire as required.

Install the final 2 SA2 kill traps with the existing ones in the field.

Upgrade one trapline with clear coverage to Econode remote monitoring.

Wasps

Check wasp bait stations before undertaking operation and replace any that have been removed or damaged in preparation for next years control.

February (or when clear wasps are active) – activate 420 wasp stations for period of 3 days then repeat in 1 week.

Report wasp’s nests in field maps and treat with dust to dust.

Weeds

Focused weed removal programme – Survey landowners for presence of aristea – systematically remove this weed.

Record weed treatment in monthly report and spreadsheet. Note any new finds on fieldmaps.

Ongoing weed training for team with Jordan

Follow up on weeds identified in Auck Council Weed Survey. Find and remove.

Follow up at Benthorn and Badrauns. Continue to alternate two sites until happy with control. Check plectranthus and aristea from (around ponds) and arum lilly, and tradescantia (Badrauns)

Remove/spray/treat all known weeds – pampas, wilding pine, aristea, watsonia, mexican daisy, mexican devilweed, plectranthus, cape gooseberry, agapanthus, wattle, Japanese honeysuckle.

Monitoring

Rat Tracking Tunnels 4 x per annum

170 tracking tunnels – 120 in Managed area – 50 in unmanaged area

Monitor overnight in Feb, May, Aug, and November.

Birds

December – participate in island wide bird monitoring programme.

Black petrel and cooks nest monitoring – GPS and add POI to field maps or locus.

Utilise Jo Sim and dog to find nests when on island.

Pateke Flock Counts – Jan/Feb

5 Yearly Bird Counts – Next Due Nov/Dec 2029

Weta, Lizard, Invertebrate, Seedlings

Monitor 70 Lizard, and 10 Weta motels in May and November. Count and identify invertebrates in Lizard motels.

Extend Lizard monitoring program to include pitfall traps.

Tidy up monitoring stations, standardize and replace broken ones – before May.

Report all chevron skink & paua slug sightings and locations on field maps.

Freshwater Fish Survey and Waicare Sampling

Complete one freshwater fish survey and one waicare sampling program.

Trials

Steve Young long life lure trial in Big Windy – Alternating long life lures with our regular lures. 100x lure. Use datasheet provided by Steve to record information.
Bird Deterrent Trials – Outside Sanctuary in areas with high rat numbers. Place in field with traps unset and leave un-baited for 2-3 weeks. After settling period bait traps in all the different boxes with the same lure (ie all peanut butter or all licorice) and set up cameras on boxes to identify interactions. Use the same type of traps in all the boxes.

10 x Boxes with side entrances

10 x Boxes with baffles

10x Steve Young lightweight boxes

10 x regular trap boxes

Field Maintenance

Track Clearing – Target worst tracks prior to bait pulsing operation. Use extra time when not baiting to concentrate on tracks.

Replace broken traps or boxes. Tie down.

Carry out rope audit of existing ropes and replace ropes that are old.

Station maintenance – Review/Refinement of stations ongoing. Check all stations are level, and free of vegetation. Check location/position of station. Make sure boxes are set up as below:

Trap Boxes = Traps at the back of the station

Poison Boxes = Nails only (no rat traps) located well back in the station

Assess Slip Damage at Big Windy once it is safe to do so – Replace missing or damaged boxes and reroute tracks if required.