News & Articles

Photo of a long-tailed bat by Colin O'Donnell Pekapeka, or bats, are Aotearoa’s only native land mammals. There are two existing species, the long-tailed bat (pekapeka-tou-roa) and the lesser short-tailed bat (pekapeka-tou-poto). Bats were once common and extremely widespread throughout the country; however, they have now grown scarce due to predation and habitat loss. The long-tailed bat is distributed across mainland New Zealand, as well as Little Barrier and Great Barrier

by Shanti Truong-George, Kauri Protection Coordinator “I orea te tuatara ka patu ki waho.” A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions. The tuatara is one of the most unique reptile species in the world. The whakataukī above literally refers to poking a tuatara out of its burrow, but it more broadly speaks to being creative and persistent when encountering a problem. Though they may look like lizards, tuatara are not. Instead, they belong to their own order, Rhynchoce

by Shanti Truong-George, Kauri Protection Coordinator The banded rail (moho pererū, Hypotaenidia philippensis ) is a small, inconspicuous bird that lives in saltmarshes and mangroves. Being very shy, they hide deep amongst the mangroves. In Māori mythology, the laughter of the moho pererū, also known as pātātai , led to the death of Māui. Did you know we have some local moho pererū right here in Kaipātiki? Learn more about them and how to become a Banded Rail Bandit (protecto

Help the effort to stop the yellow-legged hornet from establishing in New Zealand and join the #hornethunt

As most of you may have seen, yellow-legged hornets (Vespa velutina), have been found in Kaipātiki. While this is a concern, as Kaipātiki locals and amazing PFK volunteers, we can work together to find and report any sightings to MPI. This blog post covers information on the yellow-legged hornets and frequently asked questions. If you want to help contribute to stopping the spread of the hornet, the best thing for our volunteers and Kaipātiki locals to do is  keep being the a

Photo: Trevor James   Moth plant is a serious pest!   Moth plant ( Araujia hortorum ) is a climbing vine with bell-shaped flowers native to South America. In New Zealand, it is an ecological weed . It grows quickly, smothers native plants and damages property  Plants produce thousands of windborne seeds capable of spreading over 50km! It tolerates a wide range of conditions, including shade, drought, dampness and salt.  PFK has a guide  for anyone who would like to learn mor

Shanti Truong-George Kauri Protection Coordinator The iconic kauri tree is unique among Aotearoa’s native species, but also shares characteristics with some of our other flora and fauna. This is the first in a series of blog posts dedicated to learning more about the mighty kauri, through comparing its differences and similarities to some of our other native species. E koekoe te tūī, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū - The tūī chatters, the kākā cackles and the kererū coos

Have you spotted any  kākā around Kaipātiki recently? Many have! There have been a considerable number of sightings on social media in...

Thank you to all those who attended our AGM on Tuesday 21 October. The AGM is a wonderful time to pause and reflect on the significance of what has been achieved in this past year through tireless volunteer mahi and the power of community-focused environmental action in Kaipātiki. Thanks to our guest speaker, Dion Pou, who spoke on the elusive banded rail, or moho pererū and the exciting project happening this year, made possible with funding from the Kaipātiki Local Board. T

An area of bush infested with climbing asparagus Originally from South America, Asparagus scandens  is a serious pest plant in Aotearoa....

An area smothered with English ivy English or common ivy (Hedera helix) is found in many gardens around Auckland and, if kept under control, typically does not pose a problem. However, this plant grows quickly in our mild climate and can rapidly take over a garden. It doesn't recognise our garden boundaries and spreads into areas where it gets out of control and causes harm. It easily smothers native trees, damages their bark, and competes for water. It can even break off bra

Jasmine covering a garden fence Don’t let its looks deceive you. It may look delicate, but Jasminum polyanthum quickly smothers other...

Before humans set foot on the landscape, Hillcrest would have been covered in lush forests, with giants like Kauri, broadleaved...

July's pest plant of the month! Agapanthus spreading and surrounding a native tree Why is agapanthus harmful, and does it matter if...

A dense stand of wild ginger in flower Warning: do not try to eat wild ginger. Apparently, it tastes horrible! Wild ginger does serious...

woolly nightshade showing flower buds and berries Although it may sound quite cute, there is nothing cuddly about the woolly nightshade....

Charlie Brown Pest Free Kaipātiki Citizen Science Reporter Fiona Smal, Senior Restoration Advisor and Tamilla Todd, Intern, analysing...

Pampas grass is a really tough pest plant which can bully our native plants...

March's pest plant of the month is Madeira vine Flowering Madeira vine, beginning to strangle red matipo (Myrsine australis). Madeira...

Did you know we have wetlands in Kaipātiki? Wetlands act like the kidneys of the earth, cleaning the water that flows into them. They...