“We didn’t expect the birds to come back that fast.”

A few years ago, Everett Park was the kind of bush you walked through quietly. It was beautiful, yes, mature native forest with rich understorey and tūī overhead, but it was missing something. The birdsong wasn’t what it should have been. The bush, for all its promise, felt a little too quiet.

Now? You can’t walk five minutes without hearing it. And that’s no accident.

This 85-hectare reserve is part of the East Taranaki Environment Collective’s (ETEC) growing predator control programme, a kaupapa that now spans 18,000 hectares.

Working alongside Pukerangiora Hapū and the Department of Conservation, ETEC saw the potential of Everett Park not just as a community reserve, but as a meaningful step in a much bigger landscape recovery. The goal? protect this untouched podocarp remnant, restore biodiversity, and empower locals through hands-on conservation.

ETEC’s work is one of the largest community environmental projects in Aotearoa, protecting taonga species like kiwi, kōkako, long-tailed bats, and North Island robins across a vast mosaic of private and public land.

We spoke with Kat Strang, General Manager of East Taranaki Environment Collective, to find out how this community-led project turned into a fast success.

The right tool for the job

When it came to setting up a trap network at Everett Park, ease and efficiency were key. With a small volunteer base and challenging terrain, ETEC needed something that could work hard between checks.

“The self-resetting option was a large part of it,” says General Manager Kat Strang. “Knowing that the traps would be continually working away on the rat population made a huge difference. They’re easy to re-gas and re-lure, so volunteers can keep them going with simple training.”

That network of 161 Goodnature A24s, set up at 50-metre intervals, got to work faster than expected. In just one year, rat tracking rates plummeted. “We really didn’t expect the traps to knock down the rats so quickly. To go from 72% tracking down to 8%, and then to 0%, was an incredible result. We thought we’d see changes, but not for a few years.”

The team doesn't currently use digital tracking tech like Smart Caps, but they track results annually , and walk the line after they have been regassed and relured to see how many fresh kills there have been. The system is working.

The birds are back

The real proof? Birdlife.

“One of our original volunteers mentioned how much louder it is now. He said when he runs into people in the reserve, they always mention the birds.”

The 5-minute bird counts back that up. Since 2021, the number of species recorded in Everett Park has jumped from 13 to 17, and the total bird count has grown by 30 percent.

One standout moment? The return of the shining cuckoo (pīpīwharauroa). “We’d only heard one lone bird before trapping. Then a year later, they were everywhere. That kind of shift, so quickly, it’s pretty incredible.”

Thanks to the project's success, there are now plans to trial lizard monitoring devices and acoustic bat detectors. Everett Park’s old-growth trees and the Manganui River would make it a promising habitat for long-tailed bats, and ETEC is also looking at translocation potential for lizards, with support from DOC and Waka Kotahi. In fact, a copper skink was recently relocated to the park from a nearby roading project, a real testament to the level of predator control now in place. All of this relies on securing funding, so here’s hoping they do. The team was also pleased to learn about the recent independent study confirming that A24 traps are safe to use in bat habitats. “Good to know!” was the reply.

Community-led conservation that’s catching on

The wins haven’t just been ecological.

Since the project began, more than 330 volunteer hours have been logged at Everett Park. Local rangatahi have helped with track cutting, trapping, monitoring, and even research trials through the Ngāti Maru Tupu ā nuku training programme. Tamariki from nine local kura have joined field days, planting sessions, and education workshops. The reserve has become a living classroom.

“It’s become a true learning space,” says Kat. “One of the most rewarding things is seeing more people in the reserve, hearing the birds, connecting with nature, and understanding how this work makes a difference.”

A recent fundraiser, the Todd Energy Everett Park Fun Run, drew over 250 people, many of them visiting Everett Park for the first time. “They were incredibly supportive of the project,” says the team.

And the recognition hasn’t stopped there. In 2024, ETEC and Pukerangiora Hapu’s Everett Park work received a Taranaki Regional Council Environmental Award. The kind of honour that reflects not just effort, but results.

More birds, less pests, stronger communities

For the team at ETEC, the biggest reward is seeing more people in the reserve, and knowing that the traps are doing their work, quietly, in the background.

“It’s been amazing to see what can happen through collaboration, with DOC, with hapū, with volunteers. We really hadn’t expected the project to take off like this.”

We love hearing stories like this because it reminds us that rewilding isn’t just a technical challenge, it’s a people-powered movement. One that grows with every trap, every training day, and every excited conversation at a community fun run.

Thanks to the ETEC crew for letting us share this story. And thanks for letting our traps be part of it.