Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown is joined by a wee friend for the announcement of plans to make Wellington predator free. (Georgina Campbell)

Wellington plans to be pest free

Author: Gary Denvir and AAP,
Publish Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2016, 5:10PM

UPDATED 7.43PM: Wellington has officially made its bid to become the first predator free city in New Zealand.

Wellington City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council and NEXT Foundation made the announcement at Otari Bush on Monday afternoon.

It follows the government's move to become predator free by 2050.

Miramar will be the first suburb to get the predator free treatment.

There will be an official predator free register and residents will be able to get traps to catch pests from both the city and regional councils.

All this while authorities pump in the extra resources to make it happen.

Mayor Celia Wade-Brown said she was pleased the project had finally been signed off.

“It’s incredibly exciting to have such flourishing biodiversity in a city. So many people live in cities now and the predator capital will be great.”

Wade-Brown said no money had been given to the project yet but partners would be looking to cash in on central government funds.

Minister of Conservation Maggie Barry said if Wellington could crack it, other cities would gain confidence they too could become predator free.

“It’s wonderful to see an entire city making a commitment to becoming predator free. It’s what we hope will happen with predator free 2050, we need to have people who get it and understand it.”

Barry said one of the biggest challenges for the city would be the town belt.

She said neighbourhood communities had a key role to play but it would be for nothing if local government did not keep up.

“We need to have the council and regional council doing their bit otherwise the vermin will just go to those areas breed up in big numbers and re-infest.”

The news may not be so good for the city’s felines though.

Wellington Regional Council chairman Chris Laidlaw said cats could eventually be banned from some suburbs.

He said there would need to be consultation about the future of cats and the council’s recent decision to enforce compulsory microchipping was not enough.

“They will become the dominate feral predator if they’re left to increase their numbers around the city fringes, which they are doing now. So, in the long run, yes, they have to be a part of the equation.”

Laidlaw said even domestic cats could be quite destructive unbeknown to their owners.