Who’s involved in Predator Free 2050?

We’re all united by our common cause – tuia te taiao, people and nature, together we flourish. We each bring our own unique strengths to the movement. By working together, we have a collective impact that is more visible, sustainable, and lasting.   

The movement includes over 30 organisations including those listed on this page. 

Hapū and iwi

Māori have a whakapapa relationship with New Zealand’s indigenous flora and fauna. As kaitiaki they have an obligation to ensure that our native taonga are protected for future generations. Tangata whenua play a key role in reaching the goal of a predator free New Zealand.  

Communities

Communities play a critical part in New Zealand becoming predator free, to be successful we need support and commitment from communities across the country.   

Department of Conservation (DOC)

DOC is the government’s lead agency responsible for facilitating the overall Predator Free 2050 programme and ensuring partners are connected. We are responsible for developing the strategic direction. DOC also delivers a large component of Predator Free 2050, including predator management, eradication science, training, and partnership development.   

The Predator Free NZ Trust

The Predator Free NZ Trust is an independent charitable trust that aims to connect and energise the nation towards Predator Free 2050. It aims to do this through inspiring, engaging with and supporting community groups and individuals, helping to make involvement in predator control easy and accessible to all New Zealanders.  

Predator Free 2050 Limited

Predator Free 2050 Limited is a Crown-owned company responsible for directing a significant amount of Crown investment into the Predator Free 2050 programme. The company is focused on investing in large, high value, landscape-scale predator removal initiatives and breakthrough science.  

Zero Invasive Predators Ltd (ZIP)

Zero Invasive Predators Ltd (ZIP) is a company that develops operationally ready, innovative, strongly supported technologies to completely remove stoats, rats and possums from large mainland areas, and then defend those areas from reinvasion.  

Local and regional Government

Local and regional Government are instrumental in delivering Predator Free 2050 programmes at the community level.

Regional councils are the key organisations responsible for delivering pest management on land outside conservation land administered by DOC. They manage public parks and reserves and undertake large-scale predator control. They are actively working with private landowners, community groups and iwi/Māori in planning and undertaking predator control activities.    

Other Government agencies

Other Government agencies work together to provide their unique strengths and roles to achieve a Predator Free New Zealand.  

• Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research is a Crown-owned research institute (CRI) which specialises in land-based research. This includes native forests and the predators that live within them.   
• Ministry for the Environment (MfE) is the government agency responsible for overseeing the resource management system (including the Resource Management Act 1991) and for making decisions that protect and improve our natural resources. MfE oversees the Pest Control Regulations under the RMA.  
• Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) promotes alignment of pest management within the whole biosecurity system, overseeing New Zealand’s systems for pest management. They also manage animal welfare policy and provide regulatory control of toxins.   
• Environmental Protection Agency regulates hazardous substances and new organisms including new predator control technologies and methods.  
• Toitū Te Whenua – Land Information New Zealand is the lead government agency for property and location information. They provide expertise on mapping advances for a predator free New Zealand.  
• Stats NZ is New Zealand’s official data agency. They provide expertise on PF2050 data management.   

Māori organisations

Māori Organisations provide leadership and expertise to support whānau, hapū and iwi in expressing kaitiakitanga in the PF2050 kaupapa.    

• Ngā Whenua Rāhui is a funding programme to protect the natural integrity of Māori land and preserve mātauranga Māori.   
• Te Tira Whakamātaki is an indigenous environmental not-for-profit that works to reverse the decline of our biodiversity, to restore balance to our natural world, and re-establish a reciprocal relationship with Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) embedded in our ancestor’s knowledge of the environment, our indigenous philosophies, and science.  
• Te Puni Kōkiri is government’s principal policy advisor on Māori wellbeing and development.   

Other companies

Other companies drive innovation and lead predator control.  

• OSPRI runs the national programme that aims to eradicate Bovine Tb (Bovine tuberculosis) from New Zealand by 2055. The largest vector of Bovine Tb is possums. OSPRI operates a large possum control programme across the country, keeping possum numbers low enough to eradicate Tb from local cattle populations.  
• Lincoln Agritech is an independent research and development company owned by Lincoln University that delivers leading edge science and engineering in the environmental sector.  

National science challenges

National science challenges coordinate the science system to develop new predator control tools, research predators, drive innovation, and manage data.   

• Biological Heritage National Science Challenge aims to protect and manage Aotearoa New Zealand’s biodiversity, improve our biosecurity, and enhance our resilience to harmful organisms.  
• Science for Technical Innovation Challenge aims to enhance the capacity of Aotearoa-New Zealand to use physical sciences and engineering for economic growth and prosperity.  

Other NGOs and trusts

Other NGOs and trusts mobilise communities and funding across Aotearoa.   

• NEXT Foundation is a strategic philanthropy fund – a $100 million spend down over 10 years in education and the environment.  
• Save the Kiwi is a charitable organisation working to reverse the decline of the national kiwi population and create more kiwi-safe habitat all over Aotearoa.  
• Forest & Bird is New Zealand’s leading independent conservation organisation — protecting wildlife and wild places, on land and in the sea.  
• New Zealand Deerstalkers Association is New Zealand’s recreational hunting organisation educating hunters and providing support and advocacy for our natural wild places. NZDA has a nationwide network of 49 clubs that lead trapping and pest control operations for a predator free future.

Universities

Universities provide research and development expertise in social research, science and engineering.   

• University of Canterbury is a public research university based in Christchurch.   
• Lincoln University is a globally ranked university in Canterbury.  

Associations and trade organisations

Associations and trade organisations share insights and specialties from their sectors.   

• New Zealand Fur Council represents the interests of the members of over 90% of the fur industry. This group is made of possum fur harvesters, fibre collection agencies, yarn spinners and knitters. With large numbers of very experienced trappers on the ground, they can play a role as trainers into the future, and help with application of innovative possum eradication tools and techniques.  
• Forest Owners Association represents the owners of New Zealand's commercial plantation forests. Plantation forestry is science-based and innovative, with land owners and managers interested in leading pest eradication on forest land.   

Sanctuaries

Sanctuaries create a halo effect across regions, bringing birdlife back into surrounding towns and cities.

Zealandia, the world’s first fully-fenced urban eco-sanctuary, has reintroduced 18 species of native wildlife back into the area, six of which were previously absent from mainland New Zealand for over 100 years.