Predator Free Kids Sessions

Our Predator Free Kids group has been busy lately — learning, building, and getting hands-on with pest control in their local environment. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve taken a deep dive into the world of introduced predators, and the results have been both exciting and eye-opening!

We kicked things off with a visit to Spa Park, where we met with Robyn from Predator Free Taupo and our student leaders to talk about the impact of introduced species — like rats, stoats, and possums — on Aotearoa’s native wildlife. With her guidance, some students headed off to check an existing trapline and discovered a few very flat rats! Others got to work making tracking tunnels to monitor what creatures are making themselves home the park.

The following week, we returned to a trapline we’d recently refreshed, and to everyone’s excitement — 7 out of 10 traps had caught rats! It was a proud moment that really drove home the impact our mahi is having.

Our student leaders also got hands-on with setting up a brand-new trapline. They built trap boxes, carefully placed and set the traps, and learned why location and technique are so important for trapping success. Although we ran out of flagging tape to mark the traps, Predator Free Taupō kindly stepped in after the students left to help finish the job. Incredibly, within just 15 minutes of setting one of the traps, we’d already caught a rat — even without gloves, as we assumed the traps were still “clean.” It was a powerful reminder: the predators are out there, and every trap counts.

It's been so inspiring to see our tamariki stepping up, asking questions, and showing genuine care for their environment. They’re not just learning about predator control — they’re becoming the next generation of kaitiaki (guardians) for our native species.