Local initiative preserving East Taranaki's wildlife thrives

NZ Lotto

Lottery funding boosts East Taranaki Environment Collective’s conservation and sustainability efforts

Two decades ago, a group of locals in East Taranaki started on a mission to protect their local native wildlife by creating a natural environment where native species could thrive free from the dangers posed by introduced pests.

Fast forward twenty years and the East Taranaki Environment Collective (ETEC) is now a leading community-conservation initiative, supported by lottery funding grants from Te Puna Tahua Lottery Grants Board to deliver one of the largest community environmental projects in Aotearoa.

The programme spans over 18,000 hectares of mustelid (animals like stoats and ferrets) control in East Taranaki and 1,000 hectares of intensive rat and possum ground control in the Pouiatoa.

By employing a network of traps and ground control methods, the programme works to create a haven for indigenous species such as kiwi, kōkako, and the New Zealand long-tailed bat to thrive.

This is just one example of the incredible causes happening in your community, with 100% of Lotto New Zealand’s profits going back to support thousands of great causes all over Aotearoa. So, every time you play any Lotto New Zealand game, it’s a win for our environment, and it’s a win for our native species.

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