The Aotea Trap Library was started to enable residents of Aotea to have free and easy access to traps, this means that everyone can get involved and trap invasive species on their own properties, helping to preserve our native wildlife.

The project was first established by the Aotea Great Barrier Island Environmental Trust with funding from Predator Free NZ in 2017, in collaboration with Auckland Council, who supplied the traps and protective wooden boxes.

At the end of 2019 World Wildlife Foundation NZ funded a coordinator for the Aotea Trap Libraries. Lotte McIntyre filled that role from the outset.

This support was boosted by a grant given in mid 2020 by the Auckland Council to purchase another 1,000 trap boxes.

You can contact Lotte on 0297705111 or send an email to aoteatraplibrary@gmail.com for any queries you might have or to get involved with trapping on your property. 

The traps are free to use, but in return we ask that our recipients keep count of their catches. 

Catches can be logged directly on the trap.NZ website or with an app on your phone. Or you can simply pass your tally on to Lotte. This is an important part of the process, because it shows us and our funders that we have a significant rat problem on this island and that this is a very worthwhile project for them to invest in. It is also a way to demonstrate that the traps given out are actually being used. The idea behind it being a library is to enable people to return traps they are no longer using, so they can go to the next person, rather than sitting around collecting dust & rust.

We currently have 4 Libraries across the island:

Mulberry Grove School - Ally Gibbs - principal@mulberrygrove.school.nz - 09 429 0475

Motairehe  -  Cara Fraider  -  cfraider@doc.govt.nz - 09 429 0778

Glenfern Sanctuary - Christine Clemow - info@glenfern.org.nz

501 Medland Rd -  Lotte McIntyre  -  aoteatraplibary@gmail.com - 029 770 5111

Visit the Ecology Vision Aotea / Great Barrier Island website, and the Toolbox with tips and advice for controlling rats and for reporting catch numbers online at TrapNZ.

The Predator Free NZ site is loaded with conservation stories from across the country as well as advice on best trapping practice.

DOC also has their own trapping guide for community and expert trappers alike https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/conservation/threats-and-impacts/pf2050/pf2050-trapping-guide.pdf

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