Puketi Forest, on land managed by the Department of Conservation, is an ancient kauri forest at the top of New Zealand's North Island, north west of Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands.

Once a marvellous ecosystem filled with thousands of native birds, the forest’s song has been all but silenced by introduced animal pests, which kill chicks and adult birds, and compete for their food.

The Puketi Forest Trust aims to break the sounds of silence and re-awaken the forest.  Established in October 2003, the Trust is a partnership between iwi, the community, and the Department of Conservation.  It is an incorporated society and registered charity, and is administered by nine trustees.

The purpose of the Trust’s project - Oho Mai Puketi (Awaken Puketi) - is both huge, and exciting: “To restore wildlife to Puketi Forest, and raise the perception and the value of the forest in the collective consciousness of the community.”   Among its goals are to:

• Restore Puketi Forest to a complete, healthy, living forest
• Become a resource for conservation education and science
• Encourage and help neighbouring landowners to manage native forest on their land

Central to the restoration project is long-term pest and weed control to reduce animal predators and keep exotic weeds at bay.
 
The Trust has the support of more than 600 people, including local businesses.
 
Size of Area under Protection

Within Puketi Forest, the area under control for stoats, weasels and wild cats has expanded from 2500 hectares to 4500 hectares.  A core of 350 hectares is intensively trapped for rats, surrounded by a buffer zone.

Biggest Challenge

The Trust’s ultimate aim is to have its forest restoration project self-funding in perpetuity.  To achieve that end, the biggest challenge it faces is raising $450,000 by 2009.  To do this, it needs to increase awareness of the treasures lost through the forest’s decline, and its future potential as a home for kiwi, kokako and other endangered species.

Biggest Successes

In early January 2006, using a generous Lotteries Grant, the Trust was able to employ Elizabeth Chestney as its Marketing and Fundraising Manager.  Her main role is to build relationships that will provide the Trust with long-term funds and enable Oho Mai Puketi to be self-funding.

Thanks to the community’s generosity, within three years the Trust has all its planned stoat control in place, and is well on its way to putting effective rat control in place.   Stoat trapping is keeping numbers close to zero during much of the year, and the cordon of traps is catching young invaders trying to set up new territories.

Funding

Puketi Forest Trust’s main money raising venture invites people to become sponsors – helping to pay for track building, traps and pest control.

For $50 a year, an individual hectare can be “bought”, bringing in enough money to cover the cost of controlling pests over one hectare.  In all, 2000 hectares are up for sponsorship; when all are sold, the Trust will achieve its goal to be self-funding in perpetuity. 

Sponsors can also buy rat traps at $10 each, stoat traps at $20 each, or cat traps at $25 each.  Or sponsors can fund track building, at $1000 a kilometre.  All money from the sponsorship programme goes to the forest, with none spent on administration.

Besides proceeds from its sponsorship programmes, the Trust has received grants from the following charitable trusts and foundations:

• Bank of New Zealand Save the Kiwi Trust
• ASB Charitable Trust
• Forest and Bird (Far North, Northern, Waikato)
• Lion Foundation
• Lotteries Grants Board (Environment and Heritage)
• Pub Charity
• Ron Greenwood Environmental Trust
• Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Estate

The Trust is also grateful to the Friends of Puketi Forest – more than 26 businesses, organisations and individuals who have supported the Trust with their time, expertise, money, or “in kind” donations.

The One Most Important Thing

Rather than spend precious funding on transmitters and intensive monitoring, the Trust decided to invest in trapping using proven techniques, and rely on volunteers to monitor kiwi calls and do five-minute bird counts. If money was spent on transmitters, the Trust could only afford to trap one third of the area it presently covers. It believes that listening, while not precise, still indicates trends in bird numbers, and these trends are healthy – especially because it can afford to trap a larger area.   

Contact Details

The Trust is always looking for volunteers to help with summer and winter bird counts, track clearing, building trap covers and checking traps.

If you would like to help with the restoration project, Oho Mai Puketi, or would like further information, contact its Marketing and Fundraising Manager, Elizabeth Chestney at:
Email: info@puketi.org.nz
Phone: 09 402 6230
Postal address: P O Box 257, Kaeo, Northland
Website: http://www.puketi.org.nz/