Summary of Strategic Plan 2008 - 2013
In 2003 the Trustees drew up an initial 5 year strategic plan to guide their operations. This plan included things like projected costs and how to market the trust, establish a website and begin establishing the network of tracks and traps in the forest. In 2008 the period of the initial plan ended and the plan was reviewed. The trustees consider that the Trust currently has four key areas of operation:
- Marketing and publicity of the Trust’s activities
- Gaining funding to support the Trust’s work
- Management of pests and native species and monitoring of outcomes
- Liaison with the Department of Conservation.
The 2008-2013 plan sets goals and outcomes for each of these areas. Having achieved the goals set for the first five years it is seen as imperative that the Trust maintain the network of traps and keep them serviced regularly. This network forms the backbone of the Trust’s operations, giving us a healthy, functional forest in which to operate.
The trustees also consider it appropriate to increase our monitoring effort at this time. The key areas of focus are to be pest, weed, bird and invertebrate monitoring and increasing our links with research agencies with the goal of getting more ecological research carried out in the forest.
Now is also the appropriate time to enact the goal of restoring the forest by reintroducing birds that were formerly found here but are now extinct.
Key goals of the 2008-2013 Strategic Plan are:
- Maintain <5% tracking for mustelids and cats over the current 5500 ha management area
- Maintain <5% tracking for rats over the current 700 ha core area
- Encourage Department of Conservation to reliably maintain possum numbers at <5% rtc (residual trap catch) or wax block method over 5500 ha and continue goat control
- Maintain records of capture data for all species
- Maintain 5 minute bird counts in the management area and adjacent unmanaged area at least twice per year
- Maintain annual kiwi call counts
- Instigate invertebrate monitoring using pitfall traps and light trapping in rat control area, stoat control area and outside the management area.
- Instigate weed monitoring via contractors
- Instigate possum monitoring using wax blocks
- Replace 30% of traps annually to ensure all functioning at best capacity
- Increase links with Auckland and Massey Universities
- Encourage research of a historical or ecological nature in Puketi Forest
- Reintroduce NI Kokako, NI Robin and Rifleman within the life of this plan
- Keep a watch on mice numbers and act to reduce numbers if tracking suggests numbers are high
- Keep a watch on the effectiveness of trapping and plan and implement a poison operation if monitoring shows trapping is no longer adequate (bait stations are already in place as a contingency for this eventuality)
- Encourage Department of Conservation to take action over pig densities in Puketi and to regulate hunter and dog numbers
Particular strengths of the forest and the Trust were identified as follows:
- The forest is already successionally mature and diverse and has a relatively low weed presence
- The work achieved so far has put the forest in a good position for future recovery
- By securing Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as the Trust Patron the trust has an international figurehead
- There is an existing emotional/spiritual connection between many people and Puketi Forest
- Kukupa, NI Kiwi, Tui, Warbler and Pied Tit are present in sufficient numbers to recover without further management other than pest control
- We have excellent contract pest trappers
- There is wide public recognition of the Trust’s goals and objectives
- The Trust has a good governance structure and committed trustees.
The trustees will use the framework provided by the Strategic Plan to guide their decision making over the next five years.