Pauanui siblings doing their bit to save dotterels

Matthew (left), Daniel and Levi Wilson.

Every morning without fail, Pauanui brothers Matthew, Daniel and Levi Wilson head out into the wild to check and reset traps in the hope of giving our rarest native creatures a chance at life.

If it's school holidays, they head out at 9am. During school weeks the trio will head off at 5.30am to walk Lakes Resort off Hikuai Settlement Rd, checking and resetting traps, plucking the fur from any possums they've caught, and burying the animals before heading home to get ready for the drive to Thames High School and Parawai School.

It's a daily routine that drew the attention of property owner Ron Robert who saw the boys go up a track past his place. Ron used to trap possums himself with gin traps and is impressed at the humane way the possums are being killed now.

"I asked the boys about how long they'd lived in the area and what they were up to, and when they said they were checking the traps and doing it daily, I congratulated the boys. They put them down humanely and do a great job. It's a long way for them all around the fringes of the golf course."

The Lakes Resort is an official bird sanctuary and it is illegal to have pets.

Their interest began when Lakes Resort groundsman Tim Ferguson gave the boys their first traps and helped them with advice and support.

The boys have 30 traps and have caught 108 possums and counting, along with rats and a ferret.

Mum Noleen — who stays behind with her daughter — says it usually takes them between an hour and an hour and a half hours daily, with more time spent preparing bait, and they're catching around three to four possums per day.

Daniel, 8, even spent his Christmas money from his Gran and Grandad on buying 10 more traps from Trade Me. Despite the heat and early starts he manages to keep up with the daily routine of his brothers.

Levi (13) says his motivation is the protection of special creatures that they share their wider backyard with.

"I like the geckos and the dotterels. There's quite a few at the moment. We found a gecko just a few days ago in our garden. It was just sitting on the rocks outside and they're normally pretty rare.

"Dotterels at the moment have all the little babies and they just run around. A possum could just come and eat a few babies and the eggs.

"We go out every day in the mornings to check the traps, working in different groups. We used to do Pauanui Beach too but now we go around Pauanui Lakes Resort. It's a cool-as place to live."

Dad Phil was impressed that his eight-year-old son chose to buy more traps and says getting the boys out working in the environment has so many benefits.

"As parents you have got to encourage it. If they set the traps at night, by law they have to check within certain hours. But the incentive is conservation — that's their motive.

"The wee man doesn't always get on well with his brothers in a group environment so they split up and I go with the eight year old. If I'm at work, his big brother goes with him. It's good for him.

"They're learning motivation and discipline and getting out in the forest. It's been the best thing for them."

Ron said there are nine fledgling dotterels in the Lakes Resort area, and more coming through.

"And that's because of the trapping. If they don't trap, these invasive species will get the eggs.

"The dotterel is smart enough to nest where people are, because the magpies won't come and get the eggs. They're smart enough to know they've got fewer predators where the humans are. However they do lay their eggs where the fairways are.

"It's a big achievement, and what impresses me is kids that age have got right into the conservation work in their own desire to help these birds."