Newsletter - August 2026
Updated: 2 days ago
Contents |
September Programme Review of August's Events
From the Zoo - A student staff member at Brooklands Zoo by Brooklands Zoo Keeper Jenny Bucksmith Summary of Parks & Open Spaces Operations 2026 |
September Programme |
1st - Curator’s Walk – Arborist talk and walk with Josh Paice NPDC arborist Meet at Bellringer Pavilion - 10.30am
8th Committee meeting 15th - Wanderers’ Walk. Meet at Bellringer Pavilion - 10.30am 24th - Thursday's Evening Meeting. Speaker - Tony Barnes "Notable gardens in the top of South Island, N.Z." |
Review of August's Events |
4th - Wanderers’ Walk. - Lead Jenaya Munro and Mark Henderson |
Jenaya Munro and Mark Henderson from the Predator Control team NP District Council lead us around a series of pest tunnels and traps laid out in the Park to examine the prevalence of predators ( mainly rodents,mustalids and possums ) and find the most effective places to lay traps. Mostly hidden alongside vegetative cover and near water we saw paw prints of mice and rats showing up in inked marked paper laid in peanut baited cylindrical tunnels. To entice these pests into DOC 200 traps sites are carefully chosen in favoured areas, with a bough placed alongside to funnel rodents towards the entrance and a scattering of Blaze ( a product mix of flour, cinnamon and icing sugar). The traps themselves are baited with a muesli block, salted rabbit meat put in high up on screws at the back of the trap so the rodent / mustelid has to move across the trigger plate and thus engage the killing spike. With a smear of peanut butter squashed up high in the opposite corner and a few drops of fish oil which can soak into the wood all is set to lure mice and rats. Offset baffles at entrances prevent kiwis and birds sticking their beaks in and getting caught. Traps are checked by volunteers fortnightly in the warmer seasons and 3 weekly in winter. Because of the abundant food sources in the Park a single female rat can produce 6 litters of 8-12 offspring in a year and thus initiate 4 waves of successive generations per year. During the past year 91 rats have been caught in Pukekura Park. Every catch is recorded and every trap marked on the Trapnz app. Offtrack we were shown a Victor Trapinator (designed to catch possums). It was carefully placed up a leaning tree with a girth easy for a possum to climb. Blaze was liberally dusted to make a path along the ground toward and then up the trunk. The bait inside was possum dough with aniseed. Possums can breed twice a year in Taranaki, so females caught in July and August are usually pregnant . Jenaya also showed us a Goodnature A24 trap hidden in a box at the base of an adjacent tree. Each trap cost $200 and there are 2000 in the district. They have a Bluetooth chip that records the temperature, date, time and how many times the trap has been activated. Each trap is gas powered to give 24 strikes. Checking the last trap in our circuit beside the Lake, close to the Tea House, we discovered a fresh dead Norway rat. The trap was re-baited with Ratek, (a lure that has been locally developed isolating the molecule in peanut butter into a wax block) and a drop of fish oil. We appreciate all the work being done by council workers and the 130 volunteers in the district that are helping reduce pest numbers and keeping our parks and reserves more bountiful for native wildlife and plants. If anyone is keen to get involved and join the volunteering programme, you can email Jenaya at jenaya.munro@npdc.govt.nz. Below is a link to an interesting article which shows the footprints of the various animals that may be seen near traps. https://gotchatraps.co.nz/tracking-guide/ |
DOC 200 Trap Trapinator possum trap Goodnature A24 Trap
18th - Wanderers’ Walk Brooklands Zoo |
Leads – Eve Cozzi (Zoo Lead) and Maxine (Zoo Supervisor) Twelve people turned out for the walk on a glorious New Plymouth morning.  Eve and Maxine introduced us to both the owls and meercats at the Zoo Brooklands Zoo has two types of owl, the ruru (morepork) which is found in the North Island, and the little owl which is found only in the South Island. Bird flu was mentioned. It was interesting to know that zoos are not given access to vaccines as the birds are not considered endangered. Barriers have been introduced to the owl enclosures to reduce the risk of the birds being contaminated from outside sources. Eve spoke about the owl’s diet which includes mice, rats and small birds. She explained that Tegal supplied one day old chicks and eggs on a daily basis. In the event of an outbreak of bird flu which may prevent Tegal from supplying the zoo, the zoo has a good supply of frozen food as a backup. Meerkats are fascinating creatures. The Zoo has six, all female. Zoos generally have one sex only as they are rapid breeders. They can breed every eight to ten weeks. Social issues can be a major problem with mixed groups of meerkats. The Zoos meerkats are well looked after. They have heat lamps around their compound and they get fed five times a day. Meerkats are omnivores that eat mostly insects, such as beetles, caterpillars, termites, and spiders. They also eat scorpions, small lizards, snakes, birds, eggs, and plant roots. On our visit Maxine fed the animals with some insects. She went in the enclosure, spread the insects around the enclosure and buried them so that the meerkats had to find and dig up the insects. Many thanks to Eve and Maxine for taking time out of their day to give us such an interesting and informative talk. |
27th Thursday Speaker evening. Speaker - Alan Metcalfe. |
A good turn out was privileged to hear Alan's presentation at the meeting on Thursday August 27. Alan had prepared a daily video of their 21day journey in may 2026 visiting gardens of significance in the UK and Singapore. The composition of the images was excellent and Alan's associated commentary was always relevant. Their trip included visits to Kew Gardens, the Eden Project and the Lost gardens of Heligan in the UK. They also visited the Botanic Gardens and Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. The NZ plants at Kew was special because the various plants were flourishing in a situation and climate quite different from ours. The maintenance and care of the extensive Kew Gardens (132 hectares) was impressive, keeping the place in pristine condition. |
From the Zoo |
A student staff member at Brooklands Zoo by Brooklands Zoo Keeper Jenny Bucksmith
Every year, Brooklands Zoo takes on a limited amount of zookeeping students who undertake the New Zealand Certificate of Animal Management – Zookeeping, run by UNITEC in Auckland. This is the only zookeeping qualification in New Zealand and is recognised as the entry-level qualification to work in accredited animal care facilities in the industry. It’s a mixture of on-site work experience, distance learning and on-campus block courses. While I have been working as a keeper at Brooklands Zoo for a number of years, I have taken the plunge and am undertaking the UNITEC qualification. I have just finished the first semester, and it’s proving to be a really rewarding step in my journey as a keeper at Brooklands Zoo.  Being able to learn and work at the same time has made the experience both practical and meaningful, allowing me to grow in confidence and skill every day. A big part of the course involves completing 280 hours of work experience, which I have been able to do right here at Brooklands Zoo. This is giving me the chance to develop first-hand skills in a familiar environment, from preparing animal diets and cleaning habitats to observing behaviour and making enrichment. It’s been great to see how the theory from my Unitec studies connects directly to what I do each day at work, reinforcing my learning in a productive way. Balancing full-time study alongside my job is not easy, but it is definitely worthwhile. I have found that the more I learn through Unitec, the more confident and capable I feel at the zoo. At the same time, the experiences I have at Brooklands Zoo help bring the course material to life, making it easier to understand and apply. Another highlight of the programme has been travelling to Auckland for two out of three week-long block courses. These are intensive but incredibly valuable, giving me the opportunity to fully focus on my studies, take part in practical sessions, and connect with other students who share the same passion for animals. While in Auckland, visiting Auckland Zoo has been a real highlight. Seeing a large, world-class facility in action has given me innovative ideas and insights into animal care, habitat design, and conservation work. It is inspiring to observe different approaches and think about how they can be applied back home. Overall, studying through Unitec is proving to be an amazing experience, especially as I get to do so alongside doing the job I love. |
Summary of Parks & Open Spaces Operations 2026 |
Its been a good year for the Parks & Open Spaces team so far with many special achievements. The 150 years of Pukekura Park Celebration was a milestone and show cased the great collaboration between the Parks staff, Friends of Pukekura Park and the wider community. A big thanks to all those involved. There are many volunteers that contribute to the running of the Park and other Reserves throughout the District and without these volunteers we would struggle to meet our goals. Theres over 3,000 volunteer hours per year, doing important revegetation work, weed and pest control. Looking forward, the Long-Term Planning work has started where we are looking at seeking public submissions and feedback on how to shape the next 3 to 10 years and beyond. This is the first stage of the process. No decisions have been made yet, and your feedback will help inform the draft 10-year Plan (2027-2037) we’ll formerly consult on next year. That is where there will be more details on specific proposals, projects and budgets. Your input will help shape our plan and guide future decisions, so we can focus on the things that matter most to our community. There have been constant improvements to Pukekura Park and the other Reserves and I want to acknowledge the partnership with the Friends that help us achieve these improvements like painting of the entrance gates and wall. The Parks has the Renewal of the Rogan Street Playground to deliver this financial year along with our standard renewals, carpark and track maintenance to deliver. We look forward to working closely again with the Friends and our volunteers this year and hope everyone has a safe month. Conrad Pattison Manager Parks & Open Spaces |
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