This year, members of the Goodnature team have made multiple trips to Blue Duck Station, a conservation-focused working farm dedicated to restoring native biodiversity through land care and pest control. It’s wild, beautiful, and exactly the kind of place where our traps are put to the ultimate test.

Why we go

At Goodnature, every team member has the opportunity to spend time in the field through our Rewilding Days, paid leaves to get hands-on with conservation. It’s not just for field staff or scientists; it’s for anyone who wants to contribute and connect with the mission.

On our most recent trips to Blue Duck Station, we had a mix of Goodnaturists out on the land:

• Joe, one of our engineers, used the opportunity to test our gear in the wild and listen to those who live and breathe conservation.

• Andy, our export sales coordinator, helped set up a new trapline, deepening his understanding of how our products are used in challenging conditions.

• Sam, one of our assemblers, joined the crew for the second trip, getting muddy, clearing traps, and seeing firsthand the impact of the tools she helps build on the line every day.

“On our second trip, we set up a new trap line along the Retaruke River where we’d seen whio without any river level protection. On our third trip, we were back to service lines and train new trappers,” says Andy.

For Joe, it was also about being present: “My goal was to follow what’s needed by those who’ve been looking after the birds and bush, and also to get muddy and kayak under gorges.”

Birds, bush, and a big job

Whio (blue ducks) are the stars here, but they’re just one part of a broader conservation push. Blue Duck Station is home to kiwi, bats, tūī, toutouwai (robins), piwakawaka (fantails), and even the odd karearea (native falcon). Protecting them means removing rats, stoats, cats, possums, and hedgehogs.

That’s no small feat across 500+ traps spread over steep terrain, thick bush, and remote river gorges. While many traplines can be accessed by 4WD, some are only reachable by kayak or wading up rivers, especially during the summer season. In winter, water levels rise dramatically, cutting off entire areas for months.

Among those 500 traps, 70 are now Goodnature A24s, deployed in the hardest-to-reach areas where self-resetting performance is key. “Getting to some of these lines is a mission,” says Andy. “The mud’s shin-deep, the hills are brutal, and the only access is by river. But that’s exactly where the A24 makes the biggest difference.”

The A24s were first installed almost 10 years ago and in early 2021, 20 were equipped with Smart Caps to track strike data. On our most recent team trip, we upgraded another 10 with Smart Caps, with plans to complete the remaining 20 on the next visit.

Andy then went back on his own time to deploy 20 new traps, kindly donated by Goodnature, along with 10 extra Smart Caps. That’s the kind of commitment to the mission that drives everything we do.

Where product meets purpose

Blue Duck Station isn’t just a sanctuary for birds, it’s also one of the best real-world test beds we have. The terrain is punishing, the environment unpredictable, and the logistics of servicing traps are tough. If our products can thrive here, they can thrive anywhere.

From Smart Caps to APP performance, every visit brings back valuable field data and product insight. And it’s this feedback loop that helps shape everything we design.

“We found one fresh kill under an A24 that hadn’t been touched in six months. The Smart Cap recorded 22 kills across three traps. Roughly one a month, exactly what we’d hoped,” says Andy.

Joe adds: “After lugging DOC200s up a muddy hill for hours, I was reminded why we make what we make. Our traps are light, easy to carry, and you don’t need to be a pro to use them. That matters.”

Learnings we bring home

Smart Caps are critical for trust and validation. In remote sites, it’s not enough to know a trap is set. You need to know it’s working. Clean kills and long-life lure matter. After scraping out 50+ rotting rats from traditional traps, our automatic system hits different (and smells better).

We’re not just building gear, we’re removing friction for people doing the hard work on the frontlines of conservation.

Community, connection, conservation

Behind the station's success are people like Jeff, Raine or Mel, who manage the conservation programme and welcome a steady flow of volunteers they call “eco-warriors.” They organise trapline rosters, meals, and make sure everyone, from first-time trappers to the more seasoned ones, feels like they belong.

“After a full day of clearing manky DOC200s, we were running late and had 10 traps to go,” recalls Andy. “We came over the hill and saw Jeff coming toward us in the 4x4. He’d cleared the rest for us. I almost cried from gratitude.”

Joe’s takeaway? “It can be hard to know where to start in conservation, but Jeff and Raine make it easy. They welcome you, guide you, and suddenly you’re contributing more than you thought you could.”

And the best part? You don’t need to be a trapper to experience it. Blue Duck Station offers lodges, eco-tours, and guided hikes for anyone wanting to explore the land, hear the whio call, and see conservation in action. It's also the starting point for many people paddling the Whanganui Journey; a gateway into one of Aotearoa’s most beautiful and remote national parks. It’s one of the rare places where you can stay in comfort, support meaningful conservation, and see the impact firsthand.

These trips shape how we build, think, and show up as a company. And the real-world feedback we gather? It goes straight back into the next generation of Goodnature products.

Three (okay, four) words to sum it up?

“Mud, Maggots, Mates… and Impact,” says Andy.
And he’s right. With 30 of the Smart Cap-enabled A24s now live on the station, we’ve recorded 234 confirmed A24 kills since 2021. That’s a clear, measurable step toward less pests, more birds, and a wilder Aotearoa.

Want to help rewild Aotearoa?

You don’t need to hike traplines or kayak through gorges to make a difference. Like the crew at Blue Duck Station, everyone can play a part, whether it’s on the land or from home.

Start in your own backyard. Set a trap, monitor what you catch, and be part of the solution.

Lend a few hours to a local conservation group. Volunteers, like the “eco-warriors” at Blue Duck, keep traplines live and birds singing.

Support places doing the hard work. Blue Duck Station runs more than 500 traps and has one of the highest concentrations of whio and kiwi in the country. Their work protects everything from native bats to cave wetas.

Sponsor a trap. You don’t need to be on the ground to help out. Sponsorships keep gear serviced and lines productive.

Share your story. Whether it’s your first mouse or your fiftieth, it matters.

Because every action helps change the narrative around pest control, from something too grim or too hard, to something accessible, doable, and genuinely impactful. That shift is how we grow the movement, and restore more of what makes this place wild.