About us
Protect Rakiura Trust is an environmental and community based not-for-profit organisation, established in November 2024 in Stewart Island, known as Rakiura by Maori. The Trust is a result of the Department of Conservation's (DOC) ambitious goal to create the largest, predator-free Island in New Zealand. They hope to achieve their goal by indiscrimately dispersing the deadly pesticide 1080 (sodium monofluroacetate) by helicopter, over land, in waterways, lakes and upto the coast. Brodifacoum, another deadly pesticide will also be used.
In order to facilitate their goals, DOC have set up a layered system, including a company called Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP) to carry out the operational work. They have nutured and help grow entities like Predator-Free Rakiura to act as a stakeholder group for the community.
Rakiura is New Zealand's third largest island. It is the southern most inhabited island. Local Maori and non-Maori reside here. Many local families have an involvement in the Island stretching back over multiple generations.
A group of passionate community members opposed to the concept of indiscrimate toxins met in October 2024 and with the support of the local and wider New Zealand community established a registered charity, raising funds and enlisting legal, scientific and technical help in order to stop the use of harmful toxins which, we believe and understand will kill native species across the whole spectrum of the animal kingdom, poison the land, waterways and our coastal marine environment and impacts on the ecological balance. There will be an impact on our livelihoods, the safety of our food and drinking water, along with the future viability of our community.
Aims and Purpose
The key purpose of Protect Rakiura Trust (New Zealand Charity CC62910) is:
- to educate people on safe pest/predator management methods;
- to advocate for safe pest/predator management methods to be used and oppose any harmful methods;
- support and/or commission research on options for pest/predator management, including baseline studies.
The majority of our work is focussed on raising awareness as many people in New Zealand and internationally are not aware of the consequences. There is also a lack of knowledge surrounding the use of indiscrimate and harmful toxins.
We seek greater, independent, scientific baseline studies and benchmarks.
The law is wide open for the Department of Conservation and other organisations to indiscriminately and without recourse use harmful toxins. We believe the laws need to change.
The Trustees
Our Trustees are are all unpaid volunteers, passionate about their Island home and with first-hand knowlege of its environment and wildife.
Furhana T Ahmad - Chairperson
Furhana has lived and worked as a nature guide in Rakiura for over 26 years and holds a BSc. Hons Geography.
Megan Anderson - Secretary
Megan was raised and went to school in Rakiura. Her grandparents were involved in the fishing industry and lived briefly in Pegasus (southern Stewart Island) with Megan's mother.
Dave Goodin
Dave is a local master carver, having lived in other parts of New Zealand, he has experienced the impacts and understands the issues surrounding aerial poisoning.
Georgina Ratcliffe
Georgina works in the local acquaculture industry, with knowlege of 1080 operational use and monitoring.
Gordon Leask (known as Fluff)
Gordon is a fifth-generation Stewart lslander, with children, grand-children and a great-grand child living here. From Orkney Island settlers, he has fished most of his life and works as a charter boat operator. Gordons ancesters have also farmed on the west coast of Stewart Island.
Kelly Bunce
Kelly is a Rakiura Maori with connections to Lewis Acker an American whaler who settled here in the 1830's. Her partner works in the local marine farming industry, and together they have two young children.
Riki Rudin-Jones
Riki holds an environmental degree and has worked in our commerical fishing industry, during which time has has been ablr to travel around Rakiura and experience of our backcounty and its wildife.
Our Work to Date?
These are the ways that we have been trying to raise awareness of the real issues surrounding New Zealand's indiscrimate use of toxic pesticides like 1080 and brodifacoum in our beautiful wilderness environment.
We have:
- held open community meetings to share views/concerns here in Rakiura and in Bluff (South Island);
- showcased the international award winning documentary "Poisoning Paradise" by the Graf Boys;
- attended multiple meetings held by Predator-Free Rakiura/Deparment of Conservation/Zero Invasive Predators, asked many questions and raised our concerns. These meetings were all held during our peak tourist season;
- had one direct meeting with the Department of Conservation/Zero Invasive Predators to ask questions and raise our concern;
- requested information via multiple written requests, all treated as 'official information act" requests with delayed responses and many questions loosely answered, information withheld or not available;
- lobbying government ministers;
- running facebook page to inform and educate the public on core issues;
- developed posters and car stickers to showcase our cause;
- carried out fundraising, established a crowdsourcing page via Give a Little, held raffles, sold our branded t-shirts/caps.
We continue work hard in order to grow, reach a wider audience and those who can help us in our fight to stop the ecocide.
Please support us. We need all the help we can get.