Onetahua / Farewell Spit is an extraordinary place. Restoring this cultural and natural tāonga will take commitment and collaboration within a shared long-term vision towards a secure future.
Pest Free Onetahua is leading the pest-control operation within a project partnership with Manawhenua ki Mohua, the Department of Conservation, and HealthPost Nature Trust. Together, we’re working to protect the unique ecosystem and cultural significance of Onetahua / Farewell Spit, while ensuring visitors can continue to experience this special place.
Meet The dream team; Pest Free Onetahua, DOC, Healthpost Nature Trust and Farewell Spit Tours
A major milestone: the predator-proof fence
One of the biggest steps forward this year is the construction of a 4km low predator fence across the base of Farewell Spit (along the top of the Old Man Range).
HealthPost Nature Trust and Pest Free Onetahua have joined forces to fund and build the fence, which will protect around 2,000 hectares of precious habitat – from the tip of Farewell Spit to the flanks of Pūponga Farm Park.
Fence construction begins
Pest Free Onetahua has contributed $250,000 toward the fence construction, made possible through a successful New Zealand Lotteries Commission grant. This is a significant investment in the long-term protection of this special place.
HealthPost Nature Trust have funded the rest of the fence, through a very successful PledgeMe campaign, and construction is now well underway, with completion expected by mid-2026.
Once we have removed the target pest species, this area will become a safe place for existing native species, including kiwi and kororā, and it will open up opportunities for other endangered species to be translocated here.
Importantly, the fence does not restrict public access to Farewell Spit/Pūponga Farm Park.
Restoration at Triangle Flat
In 2025, HealthPost Nature Trust took on the management of the Triangle Flat area of Pūponga Farm Park under a five-year concession. Since then, they’ve been leading a range of restoration activities, supported by more than 15,000 volunteer hours.
Alongside DOC and Manawhenua ki Mohua, HealthPost Nature Trust is also developing a long-term strategic plan for Triangle Flat. This will guide how the area is cared for into the future, and we’ll share more about this once the plan is finalised.
Proven results for wildlife
HealthPost Nature Trust brings strong experience to this work. In 2020, they completed a 3-hectare predator-proof fence at Cape Farewell. Between 2022 and 2024, 198 pakahā / fluttering shearwater chicks were translocated to the site, and they all successfully fledged. The first birds have begun returning, and this season the very first chick was hatched at the site.
Cape Farewell Eco Sanctuary for burrowing shorebirds
Landscape-scale pest control
Pest Free Onetahua is a partnership between Tasman Environmental Trust and Manawhenua ki Mohua, working across Farewell Spit and Pūponga Farm Park to reduce pests. Our team is targeting possums, pigs, hares, stoats, rats, and feral cats.
A major milestone was reached in 2024, when pigs were successfully eradicated from Farewell Spit.
PFO Field Officer Raelene Manson calibrates an AT220 auto trap on Farewell Spit
Since January 2025, Pest Free Onetahua has installed an intensive pest control network over the entire spit, starting at the tip of Farewell Spit and steadily moving back toward Triangle Flat. This network now includes:
- A high-density bait station network on a 100 m x 100 m grid across the entire spit
- AT220 traps placed on a 200 m x 200 m grid along the full length of Farewell Spit
- Additional targeted trap lines in key areas to limit stoat movement
Together, this covers around 1,200 hectares of vegetated habitat.
The first stage of pest control at tip of Farewell Spit
What’s next for Pest Free Onetahua
The next stage of our mahi focuses on intensive pest control at Triangle Flat and maintaining gains across Farewell Spit. To date, we have made huge gains in eradicating possums. This staged, strategic approach will significantly reduce pest numbers over time and prevent their return. Creating safer nesting sites for birds, healthier plant communities, and stronger ecosystems for our precious wildlife.
The Australasian gannett colony at sea-level at the tip of Farewell Spit
Community, innovation, and local support
We’re grateful for the contributions of our incredibly important funders, supporters and local community partners.
Farewell Spit Tours have been trapping on Farewell Spit since 2012, and have designed innovative lightweight, collapsible aluminium traps, for better pest control. To date, their work has contributed to removing more than 2,000 pests from Farewell Spit – possums, stoats, rats and weasels.
The western part of Pūponga Farm Park remains a working farm and continues to be grazed by a neighbouring farmer, sitting alongside this wider restoration effort.