Pāpāmoa Beach Conservation
General Interest
Pacific Coast and its sister village, Pacific Lakes are taking an active role in Pāpāmoa Beach conservation. The villages have established an annual programme providing the residents and team opportunities to participate and make a difference.
The Annual Beach Clean
The Annual Beach Clean event marked its third year, with enthusiastic residents participating in a day out on the beach to collect rubbish. In 2025, there are plans to invite other retirement village communities along Pāpāmoa Beach to join in the clean-up, extending the effort to cover a larger area.
Dune Planting
Dune Planting has also become a key part of the villages’ conservation activities. Over the past two years, a dedicated group of residents and village staff have planted 750 spinifex plants along the Pāpāmoa sand dunes, in collaboration with Coast Care. These efforts help to preserve the dunes and prevent erosion.
Pāpāmoa dunes are home to the critically endangered New Zealand dotterel, with only about 2,000 birds remaining. Pacific Coast and Pacific Lakes residents have actively supported efforts to protect these birds by volunteering with the Tauranga and Te Puke Forest & Bird programmes. The focus of these initiatives is to raise awareness of the dotterel’s plight and to contribute to its protection.
Joining the Battle for Our Native Birds
Due to our geological isolation for 85 million years, New Zealand is home to many unique species of birds, frogs, lizards, and plants. This isolation, however, makes them vulnerable to introduced predators such as rats, stoats, and possums.
Rats, in particular, pose a serious threat to native birds, with a single rat capable of killing up to 50 birds in its lifetime. Every trap set and rat eliminated plays a vital role in protecting New Zealand’s wildlife.
In 2024, Predator Free Bay of Plenty held a presentation at Pacific Coast Village. Their goal is to place a backyard trap in one in five homes across suburban Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty. This would result in around 12,000 traps, which the organisation believes is necessary to combat pests effectively.
Pacific Coast and Pacific Lakes Villages are in the process of establishing some strategic locations for traps throughout both village communities. “While we conduct comprehensive pest control within our villages, we want to extend these efforts and be part of the wider predator-free network,” says Liane Leesment, Sustainability and Operations Manager.
While trapping is effective, pests like rats and stoats are highly mobile and can spread across landscapes, often following food sources or natural migration patterns. Without a connected trap network, pest numbers may rebound. This highlights the need for regional collaboration and continuous pest management to create and maintain buffer zones.
All Generus Living villages feature extensive landscaping and beautiful gardens that attract many native birds, much to the enjoyment of residents. “We will be working with village teams across the country to assess where additional predator trap groups could be beneficial,” says Liane. There are also a few enthusiastic residents exploring the possibility to build traps in village workshop spaces in the future.
This article is from the latest issue of Sustainable Retirement Living Magazine - click here to explore the magazine.
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