Miramar Peninsula celebration, a special day!
On the 4th November 2023 at the beautiful Te Tūhunga Rau community centre in Strathmore Park, we marked the completion of our Phase 1 project on Te Motu Kairangi! Elminating ship rats, Norway rats, stoats and weasels from the Miramar Peninsula has been a huge challenge over the last three years, so it’s a significant milestone for our project and signals the continuation of this mahi across the capital as part of making Wellington the world’s first predator free city.
In a truly remarkable moment, Project Director James Willcocks took to the stage to announce that “today we are at 0”, and was met with a chorus of whoops and cheers
Joined by the Miramar Peninsula community, Predator Free Miramar whānau, funders, partner organisations, fellow restoration groups, and supporters of the kaupapa, we took the opportunity to sincerely thank and celebrate with all those who have stuck with us on this challenging, rewarding and never-before-walked road.
As part of the day, Dan Henry, lead for Predator Free Miramar was presented with a specially-crafted pākē (cloak) inspired by the kārearea. This was made by local trapper and friend, Kenney-Jean, as a thank you on behalf of the community. This pākē recognizes the dedication of thousands to a common cause, it was inspired by a native taonga species which now calls the Peninsula home, and is a result of just one of the many friendships and connections that has been forged through this kaupapa. It’s hard to find the words to describe why this milestone is so meaningful for so many, but this pākē says it all.
The best bit? This is only the beginning. #phase2islandbaytocbd
We are fortunate that there’s a few others that think this news is pretty exciting too and we had some help to spread the word. You can catch up on related media here:
- Miramar Peninsula residents celebrate elimination of pests (TV1)
- Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula finally predator-free (Newshub)
- Rats, stoats, weasels eliminated from Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula (RNZ)
Ngā mihi nui to our production partner, Kiio, for helping to run such a smart event.
Photographs by Hannah Wareing.
Posted: 14 November 2023