A group of locals around Lake Okareka who banded together to help look after their environment have recently caught their 1000th rat.
The group have been carrying out pest control at Lake Okareka and around the foreshore since September 2013, with permission from the Department of Conservation. Group member Mike Vincent said some people who took part belonged to Forest and Bird and Land Care Okareka, but half of them did not belong to any group and volunteered because they were interested in helping the wildlife.
He said it started as every year they count the number of little birds, called dabchicks, in the area, and the Department of Conservation ended up giving traps out to people who helped with chick counting.
Dabchicks are as unique to New Zealand as the tui, and since they had started trapping, the numbers of these birds had increased in the area, he said.
Mr Vincent said they were originally given 10 traps in September 2013, but they now had 108, with the Lake Okareka Community Association having paid for quite a few.