{"id":218566,"date":"2026-01-05T22:25:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T22:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/218566\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T22:25:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T22:25:07","slug":"ai-traps-and-drones-boost-fight-to-protect-kiwi-from-predators-in-whangarei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/218566\/","title":{"rendered":"AI traps and drones boost fight to protect kiwi from predators in Whang\u0101rei"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between 2008 and early 2025, 17 kiwi were found dead or seriously injured in traps laid by the likes of the Department of Conservation, including one that died in Northland\u2019s Puket\u012b Omahuta Forest<\/a> in January 2025.<\/p>\n

Johnson says on top of safety, the traps can be left for up to three months instead of needing daily checking, leading to more effective use of people\u2019s time<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Whang\u0101rei Heads, the AT520-AI can be used effectively on privately owned farmland, where farmers may not want trappers coming on to their land every day<\/a>, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving people walking around their farm during calving and lambing time can be really disruptive. It\u2019s been quite a game-changer when we\u2019ve been working with a community hesitant to have our team on their property<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The traps are also useful in Whang\u0101rei Heads\u2019 steep and rugged terrain, where it is too hard to check traps daily over a large area, Johnson says.<\/p>\n

\"AIAI traps are a potential game-changer in the war against possums at Whang\u0101rei Heads, says Northland Regional Council biosecurity manager Sam Johnson.<\/p>\n

One AT520-AI that caught 28 possums in 14 days \u2013 two possums per night \u2013 which would have meant a huge amount of work if the traps had to be cleared and reset after each catch, he says.<\/p>\n

Seventy-five AI traps are used at Whang\u0101rei Heads, with the project backed by Predator Free 2050 funding<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A further 75 traps are used by Predator Free P\u0113whairangi Wh\u0101nui, which is targeting pests on three different Bay of Islands peninsulas<\/a>: Purerua-Mataroa, Russell\/Koror\u0101reka and Cape Brett\/Rakaumangamanga.<\/p>\n

While the P\u0113whairangi Wh\u0101nui project<\/a> also gets funding from Predator Free 2050, it is led by community groups and iwi, rather than the regional council, Johnson explains.<\/p>\n

Other tools include motion-sensing night-vision cameras, which are paired with an automatic non-toxic mayonnaise lure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a possum accesses the mayonnaise lure, they trigger the camera which automatically takes a series of photos.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cameras, coupled with AI technology, help show when pests are present<\/a> so action can be targeted efficiently, Johnson says.<\/p>\n

\"BiosecurityBiosecurity officer Gaelyn Dewhurst and her dog Shaka got certified through the Department of Conservation, with Shaka now one of the few certified possum scat-detection dogs in the country.<\/p>\n

Dog\u2019s sharp nose important tool against possums<\/p>\n

While the cameras are useful, they can\u2019t beat the impact of a sharp nose: that of certified possum-scat detection dog Shaka and his handler, biosecurity officer Gaelyn Dewhurst.<\/p>\n

\u201cShaka\u2019s sharp nose is already bringing great outcomes to our project, helping to find and trap some hard-to-get possums,\u201d Johnson says.<\/p>\n

\"DronesDrones equipped with thermal imaging cameras help identify kiwi and track down possums.<\/p>\n

When cameras confirm the presence of possums, Shaka finds scat hotspots, indicating where possums are spending most of their time. This enables the team to be more targeted with trap placement and more successfully catch possums, he says.<\/p>\n

As the programme removes possums, Shaka will be invaluable at sniffing out the last ones, Johnson says.<\/p>\n

Drones equipped with thermal cameras are another tool, to scan large areas for possums.<\/p>\n

In June 2025, the team ran a drone monitoring operation in the Kauri Mountain Reserve which found 22 possums in the canopies, indicating a sizeable population present given the \u201csnapshot\u201d in the canopy at the time, he says.<\/p>\n

While AI is helping revolutionise trapping, Johnson admits the new technology can add complexity to the project, with staff having to balance old and new tech.<\/p>\n

But the biggest concern is the projects potentially stalling due to a lack of funding, with the Predator Free 2050 contracts ending<\/a> in June 2026 for the Bay of Islands and June 2027 for Whang\u0101rei Heads, he says.<\/p>\n

Denise Piper is a news reporter<\/a> for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Between 2008 and early 2025, 17 kiwi were found dead or seriously injured in traps laid by the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":218567,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[9092,365,95,11231,9219,11286,15124,71,305,78,8454,194,13840,111,139,24926,69,19028,131904,75600,76387,30308,15323,131905,147,3649,75527,66958,61,50898,27218,1869,406],"class_list":["post-218566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-against","tag-ai","tag-and","tag-boost","tag-dog","tag-drones","tag-fight","tag-from","tag-have","tag-in","tag-including","tag-kiwi","tag-like","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-northlands","tag-nz","tag-pest","tag-possum","tag-possums","tag-predators","tag-protect","tag-rats","tag-scatdetection","tag-science","tag-species","tag-taonga","tag-thermal","tag-to","tag-tools","tag-traps","tag-whangrei","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218566\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}