Our Hectare Sponsorship Programme

After more than 100 years of forest decline, our generation has the power to restore Puketi. We now have the technology, passion and commitment to control pests and awaken Puketi from its slumber. All we need is for you to share this vision by:

• Sponsoring a hectare of pest control — For $50 a year, your donation will pay for the on-the-ground pest control needed to maintain one hectare of the most precious habitat remaining in the Far North. You can also sponsor more than one hectare and for more than one year. Because of re-infestation, we need to continue doing this job each year for the foreseeable future. With your help, future generations will be able to enjoy a healthy forest full of bird life. ...Yes, I'd like to sponsor a hectare!
  
  
• Sponsoring a kilometre of track — We need to cut pest control tracks before we can set traps. Pest control tracks need to be evenly spaced at intervals throughout the forest to ensure eradication of resident pests and to capture those coming in. And once established, tracks need to be maintained on an annual basis. ...Yes, I'd like to sponsor a km of track!
  
  
• Purchasing traps and bait stations — Some pests, such as stoats, can kill large numbers of birds each day. Each trap set and regularly maintained can save the lives of thousands of native birds. ...Yes, I'd like to purchase a trap!

Membership Benefits

One restored hectare of forest could support many thousands of plants and trees, billions of invertebrates, nesting kokako, foraging kaka and kiwi, hunting falcon, along with resident tomtit, tui, bellbird, robin, kakapo, saddleback, hihi, kakariki and reptiles such as skinks and tuatara.

Once you purchase a hectare or sponsor a kilometer of track, you'll receive a Membership Certificate in recognition of your valuable contribution. You will also receive regular updates on the restoration program in our regular newsletter. The Puketi Forest Trust is a registered charity so your sponsorship donations are tax deductible.

Sponsor a hectare or make a donation today!

Volunteer

Apart from direct financial help there is a range of practical tasks in which community volunteers of all ages and levels of fitness can be involved:

• Helping with bird counts — If you are experienced in listening to birds and recognising calls,then you might like to help the Trust with its annual bird counts. If you aren't experienced but would like to be, you might like to partner up with someone from the Trust to learn more about bird counts.
  
  
• Kiwi call monitoring — On several fine dark evenings every year during May-June we listen for kiwi calls from points in the forest, to monitor the kiwi population. You need good hearing and warm clothes. Even if you are not familiar with kiwi calls, you can easily learn about kiwi listening from other Trust members or from the New Zealand Kiwi Foundation, which holds training workshops each year shortly before the monitoring period.
  
  
• Monitoring tracking tunnels — Tracking cards are set out one day and retrieved the next to monitor pest numbers. A good level of physical fitness and ability to navigate off-track with map and compass are required.
  
  
• Invertebrate monitoring — The trust plans to start monitoring populations of insects and kauri snails during 2008.
  
  
• Checking traps — Intensive trapping programmes are one of the most effective ways of protecting threatened species in the forest. Some of the more accessible stoat traps are serviced by a roster of volunteers. A reasonable level of fitness is required.

If you'd like to help us out, contact us or visit our Events page.