Local initiative preserving East Taranaki's wildlife thrives
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.
Read more Local Grants recipient stories
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️