Kāpiti Coast District Council Kāpiti Coast District Council
Search
  • Home
  • Rohe | District
  • Kaunihera | Council
  • Ratonga | Services
  • Ngā Kaupapa | What's On
  • Whakapā mai | Contact
  • Rohe | District
    • Aquatics
    • Beaches
    • Doing business in Kāpiti
    • Maps
    • Our community
    • Our Kāpiti
    • Visiting Kāpiti
    • Arts and culture
    • Civil Defence | Emergency Management
    • Libraries
    • Open spaces
    • Our environment
    • Mana Whenua
    • Aquatics
    • Arts and culture
    • Beaches
    • Civil Defence | Emergency Management
    • Doing business in Kāpiti
    • Libraries
    • Maps
    • Open spaces
    • Our community
    • Our environment
    • Our Kāpiti
    • Mana Whenua
    • Visiting Kāpiti
  • Kaunihera | Council
    • The role of Council
    • Our elected members
    • Our vision and direction
    • Documents
    • Projects
    • Partners
    • Our awards for environmental care
    • Central government reforms
    • Executive management
    • Meetings
    • Delivering for Kāpiti
    • Planning
    • Job vacancies
    • Local elections
    • Official Information Requests
    • Support for Whangārei
    • The role of Council
    • Executive management
    • Our elected members
    • Meetings
    • Our vision and direction
    • Delivering for Kāpiti
    • Documents
    • Planning
    • Projects
    • Job vacancies
    • Partners
    • Local elections
    • Our awards for environmental care
    • Official Information Requests
    • Central government reforms
    • Support for Whangārei
  • Ratonga | Services
    • A–Z council services and facilities
    • A–Z council services and facilities
  • Ngā Kaupapa | What's on
    • News
    • Everything Kāpiti e-newsletter
    • Calendar of meetings and forums
    • Kāpiti Schools Sports Programme
    • News archive
    • Have your say
    • Things to do in Kāpiti
    • Follow us
    • News
    • News archive
    • Everything Kāpiti e-newsletter
    • Have your say
    • Calendar of meetings and forums
    • Things to do in Kāpiti
    • Kāpiti Schools Sports Programme
    • Follow us
  • Whakapā mai | Contact
    • Contact us
    • Follow us
    • About this website
    • Official Information Requests
    • Council facilities opening hours
    • Antenno
    • Social Media terms of use
    • Online service request / Complaints
    • Contact us
    • Council facilities opening hours
    • Follow us
    • Antenno
    • About this website
    • Social Media terms of use
    • Official Information Requests
    • Online service request / Complaints
Search
Close
Hit enter to search or ESC to close
HomeRohe | DistrictOur environmentBiodiversityGet involvedFauna
Rohe | District
  • Aquatics
  • Arts and culturekeyboard_arrow_down
  • Beacheskeyboard_arrow_down
  • Civil Defence | Emergency Managementkeyboard_arrow_down
  • Doing business in Kāpitikeyboard_arrow_down
  • Libraries
  • Maps
  • Open spaceskeyboard_arrow_down
  • Our communitykeyboard_arrow_down
  • Our environmentkeyboard_arrow_up
    • Climate change
    • Coastal adaptation
    • Biodiversity
      • Sustaining and restoring our environment
      • Environmental restoration
      • Get involved
        • Flora
        • Fauna
        • Local restoration groups
      • Recognition
      • Walks with Rob
      • District plan
  • Our Kāpitikeyboard_arrow_down
  • Mana Whenuakeyboard_arrow_down
  • Visiting Kāpitikeyboard_arrow_down

Fauna

KereruThere are lots of fun ways to encourage and protect native wildlife around your place. 

Encourage native birds

Providing the right habitat is important. Bird feeders can encourage feathered visitors, but it is better to plant the trees they need for food and shelter. Find out about local bird species and plant with a view to providing a year-round supply of food.

If you do have a bird feeder, keep it clean to help minimise disease transmission between birds; put feeders in a safe location that cats cannot access; and leave out only natural, fresh foods to support good health.

Image: Kereru in flight. Courtesy of Nga Manu Images.

Protect wildlife from pets

A basic tension exists between cats and native fauna. Cats are highly efficient predators, well adapted for killing small mammals, birds, lizards and the like. New Zealand's native birds are particularly at risk as many species nest on the ground and are flightless or poor flyers.

  • If you have a cat, there are some simple measures that can be taken to help protect native wildlife. A belled collar on cats has been found to reduce catch rates by 50% or more. However, as cats prey on both native species and introduced mammals (like mice and rats), putting out some traps will help avoid increasing the threat rodents pose to native species. Open bells are more effective than closed 'ball-type' bells.
  • Neuter or spay your cat. 
  • Keep cats indoors between dusk and dawn. This is prime hunting time and it's also when local wildlife, like nocturnal insects and lizards or nesting birds, are more vulnerable. Unlike some predators, a cat's desire to hunt is not suppressed by adequate food.
  • If you feed birds, don't lure them onto the ground. Keep bird feeders away from shrubs and trees where cats hide.
  • If you live near a bush reserve, or other natural area with a lot of native birds, as a protection measure, consider not replacing your cat.

Dogs can also impact on native bird populations.  Helpful measures include:

  • Do not let your dog roam outside your property.
  • Keep your dog on a lead when exercising in areas like beaches, reserves and estuaries.
  • Be particularly aware of ground-nesting birds - such as dotterel and oystercatchers - and keep dogs away from nesting areas.

Control pest animals

Possums, rats and feral cats thrive in urban areas due to the abundance of food and shelter. They also pose a major threat to native plants and birds (not to mention your fruit trees and electrical wiring) through competition and predation. However their presence can go largely unnoticed as they are generally nocturnal. Trapping pest animals on your property can make a major contribution to local biodiversity – even more effective is a street or neighbourhood working together, like north Wellington Road in Paekakariki.

Make lizard or weta shelters

Easy-to-make lizard refuges or weta hotels can be rewarding additions to your garden, providing places for native fauna to hide and shelter.

DOC tips for attracting lizards include providing shelter in the form of dense planting, debris and stone walls; mulching to keep up humidity; controlling predators; providing food plants; and limiting the use of chemicals.

Related links
  • Projects – Forest & Bird
  • Belled collars for domestic cats - Wildlife Research
  • Get involved – DOC

Hot topics

  • Grants, funding and awards
  • Maps
  • Public forum at Council
  • Recycling and rubbish
  • Sources and consumption rates
  • Recreational water quality

Quick links

  • Alcohol licences
  • Civil defence
  • Sports ground status
  • District Plan
  • Responses to Official Information Requests

Services & information

  • A–Z of services and facilities
  • Service status
  • Job vacancies
  • Information for businesses
  • Property information
  • Maps
  • Kāpiti Coast destination website

Get in touch  facebook  Instagram  Youtube

shielded

Kāpiti Coast District Council
175 Rimu Road
Private Bag 60601
Paraparaumu 5254

Phone: 04 296 4700
Toll free: 0800 486 486
Fax: 04 296 4830
[email protected]

page rip
© Copyright 2023 Kāpiti Coast District Council
SitemapAbout this websiteAccessibilityLegal Notices
NZ Government logo