KEY POINTS:
A major rodent eradication project which the Department of Conservation hoped to start on islands in the eastern Bay of Islands this winter has been delayed by a year.
Project Island Song, a community-led effort to restore native bird and plant life on the seven islands of the Ipipiri group between Russell and Cape Brett, calls for aerial drops of brodifacoum poison to eliminate rats, stoats and mice.
But a consent hearing scheduled for last week to allow the poison to be dropped between June and September was postponed after the Northland Regional Council called for more information about kiore (native rats) on the islands and consultation issues.
The council got 49 submissions in favour of the plan and two against.
DoC manager for the rodent elimination project, Adrian Walker, said he's not concerned about the future of the project which aims to return flora and fauna on the seven islands close to where it was in the 19th century.
"It's a brilliant idea for both locals and tourists," he said.
"Our application [for consent] is still being processed but even if we get consent at a hearing soon, it will be too late to start this year," Mr Walker said.
This was due to a bait ordering issue and also because the best time to kill mice by aerial-dropped poison was early winter.
