This time it was Nick from Conservation, Andy from Commercial and Sam from Production. Armed with fresh lure, new CO₂ canisters, backpacks, and (thanks to Sam) an analogue camera, they set out to walk the trapline once again.

Twelve years on, we're still coming back.

Native Island has been part of the Predator Free Rakiura vision since 2014.

That same year, a network of 140 Goodnature A24s helped reduce rat monitoring to zero using self-resetting traps alone. Many of those original traps are still hanging in the bush today.

Not because they're forgotten. Because they're still quietly doing the job they were designed to do.

Conservation isn't a finish line.

Being only a short distance from mainland Rakiura, reinvasion was always expected. Rats swim.

That's why projects like this aren't about declaring victory once. They're about showing up again and again.

This trip the team replaced lure and gas, synced Smart Cap data, and walked every trap across the island.

Since the previous visit six months ago, the network had recorded 343 strikes. Tracking tunnels returned 33% rat tracking, higher than we'd like to see, but exactly the kind of information that helps guide the next steps.

The work continues.

Why it matters

Despite the higher-than-desired tracking result, the island was buzzing with life. Miromiro, korimako, tūī, kākā and, of course, plenty of cheeky weka kept us company throughout the trip.

Native Island continues to play an important role as a stepping stone for wildlife spilling over from predator-free Ulva Island, making every trap service worthwhile.

Protecting places like this helps create safer habitat for the birds already thriving nearby.

But projects like Native Island only work because of the people involved. Huge thanks to Shona, Keri and Sarah from SIRCET, alongside Rakiura Māori Land Trust and DOC, for their ongoing commitment to the island.

We're proud to play a small part alongside them. And we’ll be back.