Last year was our follow-up Bogan Bingo fundraiser. A swell time was had by all and together the community raised a substantial amount to support local kiwi and their precious habitat.
Let’s go again for 2026 and have a laugh to blow out the chilly winter doldrums!
There will be prizes, auctions, a raffle, a bar, and a complimentary supper.
Thank you to everyone who brought their dogs along to the recent Kiwi Aversion Training in January — it was great to see such strong community support for kiwi protection. A big thank you as well to the KAT crew who ran the sessions and made the day such a success.
If you missed out, there are more Coromandel-based Kiwi Aversion Training sessions coming up (though not funded by TCKC). These are a great way to help keep kiwi safe by teaching dogs to avoid them.
Visit https://www.kiwiavoidancetraining.nz/book to see future training.
We’re thrilled to share a short trail camera compilation from the burrow of sire Taringamā and his family. It captures special glimpses into their lives, moments that remind us why this work matters.
You’ll also note a few unwelcome appearances from you-know-who. These cameos highlight the very real pressures our native wildlife face and the importance of ongoing predator control and habitat protection.
This hexmap represents real-time trapping data from our project area. The more red the colour, the higher the number of catches or density of traps.
You can mouse-over the hexagons for breakdowns on species catches. You can also use the top left red menu buttons to display subsets of data: by project, species or trap.
Massive thanks to the smart people at Groundtruth and Trap.NZ for this amazing resource!
Our scope has expanded from solely protecting kiwi to a “whole of habitat” approach. Our updated mission is:
To work with our community to restore the habitat so kiwi and other native species thrive.
Since 2023, with funding from the Waikato Regional Council’s Natural Heritage Fund, our Rat and Possum project has been focused on restoring habitat so kiwi and other native species can thrive.
We have installed 276 AT220 traps to create a zone bordering the special DOC-managed Papakai Ecological Area, targeting possums and rats that damage native habitats. This project extends our existing kiwi protection work, which includes 1,150 DOC200 traps focused primarily on mustelid control. Each AT220 trap operates every night and is checked and serviced every two months by our dedicated Rat and Possum team, Mark and Gay Boenders.
From July 2025 to January 2026, 764 trap services have resulted in the removal of 561 possums and 5,882 rats.
Designed by NZ AutoTraps in Whakatāne, the AT220 traps automatically reset each night and dispense fresh lure, reducing labour while increasing effectiveness. They are programmed to be inactive during the day to protect native species.
Mark and Gay also conduct bird surveys, monitoring how habitat restoration supports increases in both bird numbers and species diversity.
In early 2025 we installed three listening devices that all confirmed the presence of our precious pekapeka tou roa, native long tailed bats. They have the highest threat ranking of Nationally Critical and effective predator control is essential to their survival as well.
This is a new focus for us to raise awareness and add additional protection for New Zealand’s only native land mammal that is critically endangered.
Watch this space!
Want to know more about these fascinating creatures? Visit the great New Zealand Geographic for a brilliant article: ‘Bat Signals’ by Jonathan Carson. Photographed by Rob Suisted.
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TodayWe're so excited to have Natasha coming to talk about the hidden world of bats!! Pekapeka at the Pepper Tree! Sunday night Aug 2nd at 5 pm.
🚨 Tickets are LIVE! 🤘
Bogan Bingo tickets are now available on our website! www.thamescoastkiwicare.org
Round up your mates, lock in the date, dust off your best bogan outfit, and get ready for an unforgettable night of laughs, games, prizes, and good times—all in support of Thames Coast Kiwi Care.
We can’t wait to see you there!
12th September 6.45pm at the Thames Civic Centre
🤘🤘🤘
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When this happens, it's usually because the owner only shared it with a small group of people, changed who can see it or it's been deleted.Our July catch numbers for our DOC 200 lines. These lines are set up to focus on the stoats, weasels and ferrets and we have another 270 automatic AT220 traps that focus on rats and possums.
Love sharing Sheenas trapping vids out in our TCKC project area! What a place to protect and care for!
Help protect kiwi and our public conservation land.
📢The submission deadline for the Conservation Amendment Bill has been extended to Monday 13 July 2026.
While the proposed sale and disposal clauses have been removed, the Bill still proposes changing the purpose of the Conservation Act from protecting conservation land to enabling economic use to the greatest extent possible.
Thames Coast Kiwi Care remains concerned about the potential risks this poses to our public conservation land and project area.
The new submission deadline is Monday 13 July 2026.
See our TCKC submission here:
drive.google.com/file/d/1GpkS4zDMvH1I0LdwWkkQOPANPg-qsE7K/view
Support local ingenuity with the TrapEaze, designed by retired engineer and TCKC trapper Kevin Gouge.
TrapEaze is designed to make servicing DOC predator traps faster, safer, and easier in the field. Made from durable stainless steel, the TrapEaze DOC200 Trap Setting Tool securely holds the kill bar open while traps are checked, cleared, and reset, reducing hand strain and the risk of injury.
Lightweight and simple to use, it doubles as a hands-free setting aid, streamlining trap maintenance for volunteers and professionals alike. Ideal for conservation groups, community trapping projects, and serious backyard trappers, TrapEaze helps make predator control more efficient and safer for those working to protect Aotearoa’s native wildlife.
Check it out: www.trapeaze.co.nz
