As the Department of Conservation gears up for another large pest-control operation Samantha Gee finds out if the last one worked and what the future of predator control looks like.
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A small yellow insect-eating bird with a loud melodious call is what first drew Graeme Elliott into the world of New Zealand's native birds.

Elliott, a self-confessed "nerdy little birdy kid" was raised in Christchurch and spent family holidays in Nelson where he remembers climbing Mt Arthur to look across the huge expanse of Kahurangi National Park, and wonder what was out there.

Opinion: a new possum control effort across the Rimutaka Ranges aims to rid New Zealand of bovine tuberculosis, says Matthew Hall.

An aerial possum control operation is planned for the Southern Rimutaka Ranges this spring as part of the drive towards eventual eradication of bovine tuberculosis from New Zealand.

The operation proposed for September is supported by the Department of Conservation, and community consultation and public meetings have been scheduled to determine the exact size of the control area, water supplies and exclusion zones.
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The proposed area includes the East Harbour Regional Park where the Eastbourne forest rangers have been performing effective possum control since 1933, and the Orongorongo Valley, where community groups such as the Moa Conservation Trust have contributed enormously to supporting biodiversity with voluntary possum control. The wider Southern Rimutaka area has not been treated with an aerial operation before.

Potential "rodent plagues" across the country may prompt more large-scale drops of controversial poison 1080, just two years after the most wide-scale drop in New Zealand history.
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Early indications from the Department of Conservation (Doc) suggest that 2016 will be another beech mast year, in which seeds from flowering beech forests fall to the ground, attracting large numbers of rats and stoats.

The last mast, in 2014, was a one in 10-15 year event, and led to rodent invasions in Arthur's Pass and Nelson city. Masts typically occur every two to six years.