19-E-0377 / DOC 6000997
3 July 2019
Hannah Enderby
via fyi.org.nz
Dear Ms Enderby
Thank you for your Official Information Act request to the Department of
Conservation dated 10 June 2019. You requested the following:
Re: the one Kiwi dropping that you tested for 1080 poison - and that came back
as proven to have 1080 poison in it- Please provide copies of all correspondence
and photos regarding this incident from the moment of first suspicion of kiwi
being poisoned until 14 days after the positive test. I want to see the reasoning
behind the decision to stop testing kiwi scat. And also to stop testing kiwi for
1080?
Before dealing with your request, we set out the following contextual information as it
may assist your understanding of why we use 1080 in our predator control
programmes.
Aerial 1080 improves kiwi chick survival
Published research (external site) relating to a recent study shows unequivocally that
using aerial 1080 to suppress possums, rats and stoats (killed when they eat poisoned
pests) benefits kiwi by allowing kiwi to survive to levels that can build their
population. The research shows that aerial 1080 pest control significantly improves
the survival of kiwi chicks for two years before dropping off when rat and stoat
populations begin to recover to pre-control levels.
The study also monitored 142 radio-tagged kiwi through four aerial 1080 operations
and found that none were poisoned. Additional information on kiwi monitoring and
numbers can be found on
the Department’s website.
1080 saves brown kiwi chicks from 'untrappable' stoats
Monitoring in the Whangārei Kiwi Sanctuary, where stoats were being trapped year-
round, showed that kiwi survival had begun to decline. DOC scientists believed this
was due to some untrappable stoats moving to live at this site. They knew that aerial
1080 operations kill most resident stoats through secondary poisoning, so tested the
short-term use of 1080 as a way of getting rid of these problematic stoats in a series
of trials in 2009 and 2010.
1080 baits were placed in bait stations in two areas that had been trapped for more
than five years, and kiwi chick survival after the 1080 treatment was compared with
previous years when just traps were used. It was also compared with another area
where traps alone were used. The results showed that kiwi chick survival increased
after the 1080 treatment. We refer you to
the Department’s website which provides
more information on this study.
Your OIA request
We require an additional 20 working days to respond to this part of your request and
have decided to make the necessary extension under section 15A of the Official
Information Act 1982. We will send you a response no later than 31 July 2019, or
earlier if possible.
The extension of time is necessary as the consultations necessary to make a decision
on the request mean that a proper response cannot reasonably be made within the
original time limit.
You have the right, under section 28(3) of the Official Information Act to make a
complaint to an Ombudsman about the contents of this letter.
Yours sincerely,
Amber Bill
Director Threats
For Director-General
