95bFM The Predator Free movement in Wellington and beyond
8 April, 2026
Interview by Liam Ivanov-Fesien, adapted by Jiwan Park
The Predator Free 2050 project has been off to a kick start. Funding has been set aside by the government with a concrete goal in mind.
Last week, Minister for Conservation, Tama Potaka, announced the government has set aside $5.5 million in contributions to the Predator Free 2050 strategy. This strategy aims to rid New Zealand’s five predators: rats, possums, weasels, ferrets and stoats, with the short-term goal of making Wellington the first predator free city in the world within the next ten years.
The Predator Free 2050 strategy was established to protect our native species and restore a resilient, biodiverse ecosystem within Aotearoa. In June 2025, Predator Free 2050 Ltd. faced a challenge when their funds were transferred to the Department of Conservation by the government. Now both parties are working in harmony to advance their mission.
University of Auckland Professor of Biological Science, James Russell, told 95bFM’s The Wire that Wellington was chosen as the target location due to the city’s acceleration in wildlife restoration by the establishment of Zealandia, formally the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary.
Located in downtown Wellington, Russell says the sanctuary demonstrated that wildlife restoration was also possible in the heart of an urban city, and not exclusively in the middle of the back-country.
“As I always say, these birds and reptiles we’re trying to save, their preferred habitat is just not being eaten alive.
“They don't mind whether they're nesting in a pine tree or in someone's house, as long as they've got no rats or stoats or possums eating them. They really live their best life.”
Russell added that the success of Predator Free Miramar — a suburb in Wellington standing on a peninsula — demonstrated the benefits in utilizing landforms as nature-made fences. Russell describes that building physical fences are “quite expensive” with “a limited lifespan after 20 or 30 years”.
Furthermore, Russell describes Wellington as “politicians’ backyard”, and visible results for politicians would lead to further reinvestment in the Predator Free project. Consistent attention from politicians is necessary for the programme, as the Predator Free movement focuses on consistent removal of predators rather than one-off eradication. Russell compares the project to “stamping out COVID” in its approach to maintaining predator elimination status. This would require consistent funds and structured support.
Drawing lessons from Predator Free Wellington, Russell says the project could be implemented further to Predator Free Auckland, Dunedin and eventually the whole country. It would require some flexible adaptations of the predator elimination process, such as taking into regard the unique harbours and isthmuses of each city.
Russell also points out the importance of moving fast but also keeping it steady. “More funding is always helpful. It will help us get there faster, but we also don’t want to move so fast that if we have a global shock or surprise like a pandemic or an oil crisis, that we don’t have the funding redirected”. The ideal scenario would be the project becoming self-funded, through tourism and potentially carbon gains from the elimination of predators.
James is looking forward to biodiversity outcomes such as sightings of rare birds including the Pīwakawaka, the Kererū, the Tūī and the North Island Tīeke.
In a predator free backyard, morning birdsong is louder than some might expect. Dawn chorus kicks off around 4am, which is then followed by the sun rising and people starting their days. “In our most treasured islands, Little Barrier Island and others, there is no dawn chorus. There’s just chorus all the time of birds singing. So that’s what I’m looking forward to.
“We’ll get there and we’ll just keep adding these pieces together”.
