Our predator control mahi through June was full steam ahead, with an incredible 2,614 trap checks completed across the Russell Peninsula. What did we find? Zero possums caught across all zones – ka pai team! 🎉

We did pick up quite a few mice and hedgehogs (yes, despite their cute looks, they’re a real threat to our native wildlife – learn more here). Below, you’ll find the breakdown by zone and predator type.

Rats are proving trickier than expected to evict from the Russell/Kororāreka township. Many of the current hotspots are around vacant or holiday homes where we haven’t yet been granted access. These homes are making it tough to reach full coverage.

If you know someone who owns or manages a property like this, please encourage them to connect with us. With access to those spaces, we can expand our reach and protect the whole township – especially for those who live here year-round.

Landowners can fill in our Property Access Agreement here.

Big thanks to our eagle-eyed landowners who’ve spotted predator activity on their properties – your alerts help us target areas more precisely. If you’re noticing visits from feral cats, hedgehogs, or rabbits, we’d love to know! We can arrange temporary live cage placements – just make sure someone is available to check them twice daily.

We still have sturdy buckets with lids and free lockable bait stations available. Swing by any weekday morning around 8:30am or drop us an email to arrange pick-up.

While our native plant nursery is taking a little longer to launch due to some foundational challenges, progress is picking up! Huge shout-out to the dedicated volunteers working hard on this every week – your mahi is inspiring.

We’re planning a Repair Café for September. If you’ve got fix-it know-how or simply want to help on the day, we’d love to hear from you!

We’re teaming up with Resilient Russell to activate community composting bins. If you’re a composting pro—or keen to learn—we’d love your help.

Find our Do’s and Don’ts of Home Composting on our Facebook page:
👉 facebook.com/russelllandcare