Self-setting trap sticks it to stoats

A breakthrough in self-setting trap technology unveiled today will provide urgently-needed, bush level protection for endangered birds like the kiwi says Conservation Minister Tim Groser.

The New Zealand designed multi-kill trap specifically targets the rats and stoats that attack endangered birds and their chicks across New Zealand.

The self-setting trap has been pioneered by a Wellington based industrial design company, Goodnature Ltd, with support from the Department of Conservation and uses a ground-breaking, gas-powered mechanism to automatically reset itself after activation.

"Predators like rats and stoats take a terrible toll on our native birds - without protection, nine out of 10 kiwi chicks die before they reach adulthood.

"We need to think smarter about pest control and that's exactly what this partnership between a private company and my department has generated. Congratulations to Goodnature for their innovation and ingenuity," Mr Groser says.

The "world-first" gas-fired self-setting system removes the need for the labour intensive trap checking and resetting required by conventional alternatives. The new traps slash conventional trap costs by up to 75 percent.

"It is fitting to be launching this innovative new weapon in the pest control battle in the middle of Conservation Week - it just shows what can be done when organisations get involved in conservation work," Mr Groser says.