12. STEVE CHADWICK (Labour—Rotorua) Link to this
to the Minister of Conservation
What progress has the Department of Conservation made in island pest eradication?
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Conservation) Link to this
The Department of Conservation is a world leader in developing and applying techniques for eradicating introduced pests on offshore islands. The department has developed the skills and technology to eradicate rodents from large and steep islands. This progress greatly enhances our prospects of saving many of our special endangered species.
This week the Department of Conservation announced that Secretary Island has been cleared of stoats. This was a special biodiversity project announced in the 2005 Budget as being completed in record time allowing my department to reintroduce a number of endangered bird species, perhaps even, in time, kākāpō—another example of a Labour promise fulfilled.