Workday - 9 August 2025
2025-08-09 09:00 - 13:00 (Pacific/Auckland) | Rotoehu Forest, 22 Pukehangi Road, Pongakawa, 3186, New Zealand
Join us for our next workday on Saturday 9th August!
Meet at the corner of Pukehangi and Rotoehu Roads at 9:00 am. Road crews have been sealing the new access road this week, so hopefully there’ll be no more detours.
We’ll head into the forest where tasks will be assigned before setting off to fill bait stations with 500g of RatAbate. The bait is placed inside biodegradable bags and secured under the bait station baseplate – so volunteers won’t need to handle any bait directly.
🔔 Important note: RatAbate contains peanut products. If you have a peanut allergy, we recommend sitting this one out for your safety.
📅 If you’re also available for this workday on Saturday 9th August, please let us know so we can plan ahead!

✅ What RET Will Provide:

Handwashing facilities
PPE (gloves, hi-viz)
Pack liners and other gear for the pest control operation
Snacks and nibbles (for humans – and rats)
Kōkako Organic coffee, hot chocolate, and tea
A full safety and permit briefing to ensure DOC and RET requirements are met

🎒 What to Bring:

A reusable cup for hot drinks
Sturdy, clean footwear
Long sleeves and pants (required for pest control work)
A change of clothes/footwear (especially if you have pets at home)
Weather-appropriate clothing
A water bottle
A backpack
A friend or two to help us out with this important task
And most importantly – your enthusiasm!

Workday - 13 September 2025
2025-09-13 09:00 - 13:00
Rotoehu Ecological Trust Workday
🌿 When: Saturday, 13th September⏰ Time: Meet at 9:00 AM📍 Where: Corner of Pukehangi and Rotoehu Roads
Join us for a rewarding day in the bush! We’ll kick off at the meeting point before heading into the forest, where tasks will be assigned to help continue our vital conservation work.
What RET Will Provide:

Handwashing facilities
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE: gloves, hi-viz vests)
Tools (feel free to bring your own if you prefer)
Snacks and nibbles
Kokako Organic coffee, hot chocolate, and tea

What to Bring:

Reusable cup for hot drinks
Sturdy, clean footwear
Weather-appropriate clothing
Water bottle
Backpack
Your enthusiasm!

If you can attend, please let us know in advance so we can plan for the day effectively.
We’re looking forward to seeing you there—thank you for helping us protect and restore our precious environment!

🌿 Upcoming Workday – Saturday 11th October
2025-10-11 09:00 - 13:00
Join us for our next volunteer workday in Rotoehu Forest!
📍 Meeting Point: Corner of Pukehangi and Rotoehu Roads 🕘 Time: 9:00 am start

🔨 What We’ll Be Doing
We’ll head into the forest together, where tasks will be assigned before setting off to empty any remaining RatAbate bait from bait stations.As some biodegradable bait bags may have been ripped open by rats, volunteers may need to handle toxin directly while removing it.

⚠️ Important Safety Note
RatAbate contains peanut products.If you have a peanut allergy, we recommend sitting this one out for your safety.

✅ What RET Will Provide

Handwashing facilities
PPE (gloves, hi-viz)
Pack liners and other gear for the pest control operation
Snacks and nibbles (for humans – not rats!)
Kōkako Organic coffee, hot chocolate, and tea
A full safety and permit briefing to ensure DOC and RET requirements are met

🎒 What to Bring

A reusable cup for hot drinks
Sturdy, clean footwear
Long sleeves and pants (required for pest control work)
A change of clothes/footwear (especially if you have pets at home)
Weather-appropriate clothing
A water bottle
A backpack
A friend or two to help out
And most importantly – your enthusiasm!

📅 Let Us Know You’re Coming
If you’re available to join us on Saturday 11th October, please let us know so we can plan ahead.
Together, we’ll keep Rotoehu’s kōkako and other native species thriving. 💙

Workday 8 November 2025
2025-11-08 09:00 - 13:00
Join us for our next volunteer workday in Rotoehu Forest!
📍 Meeting Point: Corner of Pukehangi and Rotoehu Roads
🕘 Time: 9:00 am start
🔨 What We’ll Be Doing
✅ Check remaining bait stations and remove any leftover bait
📝 Collect and remove rat tracking cards for monitoring results
Why tracking cards matter: They show rat activity after baiting so we know whether our poison-op was effective and where to focus next.
Why now: We are following best practice for kōkako management by monitoring rats at the start of November (just in time for the start of breeding season).
Why removing leftover bait matters: Small amounts left behind can cause sub-lethal doses, leading to a population of rats that are avoidant of bait stations and making them harder to control in the future- so this tidy-up is important.
⚠️ Important Safety Note
RatAbate as well as the lure for the rat tracking tunnels contains peanut products. If you have a peanut allergy, we recommend sitting this one out for your safety.
✅ What RET Will Provide

Handwashing facilities
PPE (gloves, hi-viz)
Pack liners and other gear for the pest control operation
Snacks and nibbles
Kōkako Organic coffee, hot chocolate, and tea
A full safety and permit briefing to ensure DOC and RET requirements are met

🎒 What to Bring

Your charged phone with Field Maps and QuickCapture loaded (see instructions below)
A reusable cup for hot drinks
Sturdy, clean footwear
Long sleeves and pants (required for pest control work)
A change of clothes/footwear (especially if you have pets at home)
Weather-appropriate clothing
A water bottle
A backpack
A friend or two to help out
And most importantly – your enthusiasm!

📅 Let Us Know You’re Coming
If you’re available to join us on Saturday 8thth November, please let us know so we can plan ahead with catering, taskings and any updates we need to send about the workday.
Together, we’ll keep Rotoehu’s kōkako and other native species thriving.
