Welcome to the 

Piroa Conservation Trust

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Our Story

Today in the wider community, a diverse and growing population are actively engaged in conservation and are connected to the natural environment. Since restoration began in the hub of Marunui Conservation over 30 years ago, landcare initiatives have grown significantly throughout the Piroa-Brynderwyns area.  Now under the co-ordinating umbrella of the community-led Piroa Conservation Trust (PCT), more than 30 separate groups are actively working together to reinstate healthy ecosystems through predatory animal control, weed control, water care and revegetation across this high value area.
What We Are Doing...

Our community-led conservation projects cover a wide range of topics from planting, pest control, weed management, track building and maintenance, water care and more. We work with sponsors, councils, and like minded people to protect and restore this valuable area.
Image: Aaron Skelton - Fairy Terns at Waipu

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Why We Are Doing It...

In this area is the Bream Tail Coastal Headland, an area of vegetation comprises mostly coastal forest and shrubland and has close affinities with Hen Island (Taranga) vegetation. Many of these vegetation types are important because Bream Tail is the only place in the Waipu Ecological District that they occur.
Image: Aaron Skelton - Northern Rata Flower 

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How We Are Doing It...

The PCT steering group now coordinates funding and resources for over 30 conservation groups. About one third of the budget is allocated to weed control, one third to professional trapping in the difficult terrain, and one third to trapping resources, workshops and events.  We also have a fund from MPI for our catchment work.
Image: David Skilton -Wetapunga

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Our Challenge

It is a big task but we have an amazing group of volunteers, sponsors, donors, partners and supporters helping the team move ahead.
See more about the big challenge on the link below.
We are always looking for new volunteers to help with a wide variety of tasks. if you are ken let us know.

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Latest News

Kiwi Survey

The survey the extent of kiwi movement now that large areas in the ranges are actively under pest control by wonderful teams of volunteers and landowners. Where are the birds now, and are they breeding successfully? What is the population now? Are we doing everything we can to keep them safe? Read more..

Local trapping legend traps a ferret, safeguarding wildlife!

In an amazing community effort and conservation dedication, local trapping legend Iain MacLeod successfully captured a ferret in the Waipu Gorge DOC reserve last Saturday. The ferret was caught in a DOC200 trap, carefully baited with fresh rabbit just a week prior. Read more..

Fish survey holds vital clues on whitebait and fairy tern in Waipū Estuary

Water quality in our Bream Bay rivers holds the key to the survival of many vital fish and bird species, particularly the declining native whitebait/inanga and the endangered tara iti, also known as the New Zealand fairy tern.
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Eco-detectives at work: What’s in our local Waipu rivers?

With just a cup of water, eDNA allows the identification of a wide range of species, ranging from fish and macroinvertebrates to birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, plants, fungi, bacteria and other organisms. This cost-effective method gives valuable insights into species across time and space, helping to monitor biosecurity threats and understand fluctuations in the health of waterways. 
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Downloadable Guides

Our new guides provide info about traps, pests, plants, weeds and more - specific to our local area.
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Local farmers take action against predators to protect native wildlife

Predator control initiatives are getting started on local farms to reduce the number of invasive pests like rodents, mustelids, and possums. These pests threaten the balance of our ecosystems and feed on some of our native endangered species.
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Our latest newsletter

The importance of raising awareness & involving  young people in conservation focused activities in our area is crucial. Their enthusiasm and passion for the natural world is encouraging.
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Young Students

The importance of raising awareness & involving  young people in conservation focused activities in our area is crucial. Their enthusiasm and passion for the natural world is encouraging.
Read more..

Programmes, Working Groups & Events

Working Groups

Find out more about our volunteer group, when they meet and where.  We have groups for pest trapping, weeding, track building, dunes clean ups, school programmes, planting, water catchment restoration, nursery care, and more in Mangawhai, Langs, Waipu, Waipu Cove and Bream Bay.

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Working Bees

We regularly run working bees so if you are keen to see what coming up visit the link below.

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Our School Curriculum

We recognise the importance of raising awareness & involving them in conservation focused activities in our area. Focused on a point of difference in what they provide to schools -supporting teachers provide hands on/practical activities that are part of the Conservation experience for students. 

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Workshops

We run a series of workshops throughout the year for the general public around topics such as Know Your Dog, Trapping, Pest Weeds, H&S for volunteers and so on. 

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Our People, Partners & Sponsors

Piroa Conservation Trust consists of more than a 30 community-led conservation groups that are working together to restore biodiversity in the Brynderwyn ranges and surrounding area. The conservation projects cover the 30,000ha area encircling the Piroa-Brynderwyns ranges down to Waipu, Bream Tail and Mangawhai all of which are identified as having high conservation values. Northland brown Kiwi are breeding successfully in the hills having been translocated during 2013-15, and other rare birds, such as the Fairy Tern, make this area their home.
Local businesses are right behind PCT and their support is greatly appreciated.  Our thanks to everyone from the Waipu Menzshed who make the trap boxes to Northpine who supply the timber, to other businesses and donors who have provided locations for weed disposal bins, venues and catering for workshops, and donations for bait stations and trapping lines.
Contributing to the successful conservation outcomes in Piroa-Brynderwyns are the valued partnerships with landowners, with iwi and with government agencies such the Department of Conservation (DoC) and Northland Regional Council. The value of these in-kind contributions is greatly appreciated as being far more than a monetary one. 
A huge shout out to the sponsors who have made our work possible over the past year including: ITM Waipu, Northpine, Menzshed Waipu, Hammer Hardware Waipu, Mangawhai Natives, The Mangawhai Club, the Waipu Surf Lifesaving Club and work done by the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
If you would like to join our band of supporters please e-mail [email protected]

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