TOKEN Update: 350 Rats, 45 Mustelids, and One Precious Kiwi Chick

By Trudy Harrington, October 2025

Over the past year, the dedicated volunteer team at TOKEN (Tōtara Ōkari Kiwi Enhancement Project) has continued its vital mahi to protect the great spotted kiwi and other precious birdlife along the Kawatiri Coastal Trail and wider. In the last 12 months alone, our trapping network of over 200 traps has removed more than 350 rats and 45 mustelids, helping to safeguard the critically endangered Australasian bittern, fernbird, and most importantly our newest addition the great spotted kiwi chick, Te-iti.

We were thrilled to welcome Te-iti last year, and with ongoing predator control, kiwi survey results are showing positive signs for the local population. A recent survey by the West Coast Catchment Group has found larger numbers of great spotted kiwi in the wider area, reinforcing the importance of protecting more than just our trail corridor and strengthening the case for landscape-scale predator control.  At the same time, we have had numerous reports of uncontrolled dogs in kiwi habitat. Dogs are one of the largest threats to kiwi, a single dog can wipe out an entire population in a matter of hours. Please keep your dogs under control, off the trail, and away from these sensitive areas to help protect our precious wildlife.

Our success would not be possible without the generosity of landowners, especially the Brownlee family, whose long history of trapping and continued predator control support underpins much of this work. We also thank the team members who have stepped up as line coordinators, ensuring smooth operations across the network, and we give special thanks to Peter Coburn for his ongoing monitoring of the kiwi population, which helps keep the realities of our mahi front of mind.

This year brought some changes to our TOKEN whānau. We farewelled the lovely and enthusiastic trapper, Fran Welte, as she returned to Nelson to start her family, and we also farewell the incredible support of Mika Verheul and Hans Wiskerke, who have given so much to the predator control programme and the Trail in so many ways. We are pleased to welcome the skills of Evan Robinson, who has quickly proven himself as our trap-building extraordinaire. To all our volunteers, your tireless efforts continue to protect our birdlife and give kiwi the fighting chance they deserve.

Outside of regular trap checks, the TOKEN steering group and volunteers provided education presentations to the Probus group, the Buller Youth Festival and the Nurture school.

Finally, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Annie’s Legacy, whose ongoing support ensures our trapping operations remain strong and effective. Together, landowners, volunteers, and supporters are achieving something truly special: fewer predators, more birdsong, and a future for our kiwi.

If you would like to donate a trap, support predator control, or contribute in any way, TOKEN would love to hear from you at admin@kawatiricoastaltrail.co.nz