July 2025
New Kiwi Pair, Taylor Swift in the Ponga Room, and a Season to Remember: Our 2024–2025 Review
Every season at Pupu Rangi is shaped by the people who turn up for it. This one had more than its share of characters — and the forest is better for every one of them. Here is how the 2024–2025 season went.
The Conservation Work
The trapping program had a strong year across all four forests. Predator pressure stayed low throughout the season, which is exactly the kind of result that does not make for dramatic headlines but matters enormously for the species that depend on it. The bait stations were checked, restocked, and checked again. The data sheets filled up. The work got done.
The standout moment came when we confirmed a kiwi pair in an area of the forest where none had been recorded before. That kind of discovery does not happen by accident — it is the result of years of sustained predator control creating the conditions for kiwi to expand their range. It is the whole point of the program, delivered quietly and without ceremony, just the way these things tend to happen in a working forest.
The People Who Made It Happen
None of this happens without the people who show up, and this season's crew was something else.
We had one intern who threw herself into the work from day one and left the forest measurably better than she found it. The volunteers who came through were, across the board, exactly the kind of people this program is designed for — curious, capable, hard working, and invested in the outcomes.
Among them, a number of them quickly earned the Tiger title. There were regular Tigers, but also Little Tiger, Big Tiger, and — memorably — the one who was never a Tiger. They will know who they are.
Then there were the Swifties. A group of volunteers found a guitar, a shared enthusiasm for Taylor Swift, and absolutely no hesitation about deploying both in the ponga room on a quiet evening or out at Sunset Point. Karaoke night was, by any measure, a success. The forest endured it gracefully.
A season is not just the work — it is also the people you share the long evenings with, the ones who make the difficult days easier and the good days memorable. This group did both.
To everyone who was part of the 2024–2025 season: thank you. The kiwi are doing well. So is the forest. We will see you next time.