Friends of Kaipupu

This is the underlying support group for the Kaipupu Sounds Wildlife Sanctuary project.

This group is active in a number of ways.

It holds meetings of interest to the general public about conservation projects around the region. It also organizes groups of volunteers who have offered their skills in a hands-on capacity for a variety of tasks. These are then tapped into as the project progresses. 

Tasks that we need help for range from the delivery of brochures and newsletters, manning informational stalls at public events, talking with schools about Kaipupu, physical work out on the headland, taking photos, raising native seedlings and so on. The skills and resources needed will change as Kaipupu is developed into a sanctuary and public access is developed further when a jetty is constructed.

Public walking tracks will also be constructed, and on-site interpretation of what Kaipupu is all about, and its importance in the Marlborough Sounds will be installed. Interpretive displays that are planned within the sanctuary may include topics such as the effect of introduced pest species on New Zealand’s indigenous flora and fauna, the concept of mainland islands, local Maori history, and the history of the Sounds. ‘Friends’ will be invaluable to make all these goals a reality!

The meetings organized by the ‘Friends of Kaipupu’ are a chance for people who have an interest in finding out about conservation projects to get together, hear from guest speakers about exciting conservation programmes around the region, and hear about how all kinds of different communities have worked together and moved mountains in order to achieve their goals.

Schedule of Meetings

The most recent meeting was on 31st March 2010,  at Ecoworld in Picton. 

Guest speaker Phil Bradfield, from DoC South Marlborough,  talked about the Hutton’s Shearwater project on the Kaikoura peninsula. This is another community driven project which has involved the construction of a predator proof fence, and the translocation of Shearwaters from the Kaikoura ranges to the peninsula to create a new Hutton’s Shearwater colony.

It was a great evening, with a good crowd, and was enjoyed by all. We all had a cup of tea and nibbles at the end, with a chance to chat to Phil and others about Hutton’s Shearwaters, Kaipupu, and other projects.

The next meeting will be in mid November, with the venue and exact date yet to be decided.

For more information about  ‘Friends of Kaipupu’, contact us at:

 info@kaipupupoint.co.nz

or become a member by visiting the Membership page and sending your form in to

Kaipupu Point Mainland island Society, P.O. Box 186, Picton.

Volunteer Opportunities

We are keen to involve volunteers who wish to participate in a variety of activities on Kaipupu. Volunteers are welcome to join us to assist with track maintenance, pest trapping and monitoring, with many other activities envisaged in the future. If you are interested, a regular commitment would be the best way to get the most out of the experience, and the best way for Kaipupu to benefit also.

Pest Patrol  

Pest work is always ongoing on Kaipupu. Volunteers from Outward Bound placed stoat and rat traps on Kaipupu early in 2009. Peter Thorne-George, a volunteer, has been doing all the stoat and rat trapping so far with good results.

Existing traps weigh around 6 kg, and are cumbersome in dimensions - which makes it pretty awkward for our volunteers to drag around the hills. Presently these traps have to be cleared and re-set on a regular basis.

This is all about to change, with the purchase of new revolutionary NZ-designed rat and stoat traps.

The new trap is called a “Henry”, is tree mounted, and uses a carbon dioxide powered piston to re-set automatically, so it can kill up to 12 stoats or rats before the gas cannister needs replacing. Also, the Henry is compact in size and weighs only 4 kg, so is much easier to handle in steep or bushy terrain. These traps should improve out predator kill rates, and free up our valuable volunteer manpower to move on with other activities.

On Track

There is always track work to be done out at Kaipupu. A series of access tracks built by our volunteers enables physical management through trapping, weed pest clearance and so on. A number of ridge tracks connect through a link track right around the whole headland. Without these tracks, pest management would be impossible.

There is always room for more, so all volunteers are encouraged to contact Kaipupu through the website, and make plans to come out, join us,  and get started!

If you would like to volunteer or find out more,  contact us at info@kaipupupoint.co.nz