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Animal Pest Control

Help protect our native wildlife through pest control.

Introduced predators such as rats, stoats, weasels, and possums cause severe harm to Aotearoa’s native wildlife. They prey on ground-nesting birds and their eggs, eat insects like wētā, compete for food, and damage native forests and vegetation. Effective pest control helps restore the mauri of local ecosystems and supports the survival of species like tūī, korimako, kererū, geckos, and wētā.

Backyard and community trapping are important parts of our collective kaitiakitanga. By taking action at home or with your local group, you help expand safe spaces for native species across Nelson.

This page outlines the key steps and links you to practical resources.

Take Up Backyard Trapping

Backyard trapping is one of the most effective ways our community can help restore the mauri of our environment.

If you’re already trapping at home, encourage your neighbours — the more people trapping, the safer our environment becomes for native birds and invertebrates.

  • Rats in rat traps.
  • Weasels and stoats in the DoC 200 traps
  • Possums in the possum trap.

Small entrance holes and extended distances to the trap mean that household pets and weka are excluded.

Children should be educated on the danger of traps, and traps deployed following best practice so they cannot reach the trap.

The possum trap must be installed above 1.35 meters off the ground, which excludes weka, children and household pets.

  • Rats = Peanut Butter is recommended. Rats love it, but cats and dogs are not attracted.
  • Possums = Aniseed-based lure are recommended.
  • Stoats and Weasels = meat-based lure. Small entrance holes limit larger meat-eating animals from reaching the trap.

There are recommended traps are NAWAC (National Animal Advisory Committee) approved and designed to exclude all but the animal targeted.

These traps that passed the NAWAC guideline test to help ensure that trapped animals do not suffer unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress.

The following table shows a list of traps that has passed the NAWAC guidelines testing for each species. You can use this information to help you select your traps.

NAWAC guideline table

Y = tested and is humane for that type of pest

NAWAC guideline test status – updated October 2025

Trap Ship Rat Norway Rat Stoat Ferret Hedgehog Possum Feral Cat Mouse
DOC 150 Y Y Y
DOC 200 Y Y Y Y
DOC 250 Y Y Y Y Y
BT 200 Y Y
BT 250 Y
Critter solutions Multi-trap Y Y Y Y Y Y
PodiTRAP Y
Rewild F-Bomb Y Y Y Y Y
Goodnature A24 Y Y
Envirotools D-Rat ‘Lumberjack’1 Y
Envirotools Supervisor MAX Y
Victor Professional PCR mod Y Y Y
Victor Professional Y
T-Rex/Tomcat2 Y
Timms Y
Flipping Timmy Y
Sentinel Y
Warrior Y
Trapinator Y
Goodnature A12 (discontinued) Y
SA Coni (discontinued) Y
Twizel kill trap (discontinued) Y
Belisle Super X 220 Y
SA2 Kat trap Y Y
NZ AutoTraps “AT220” Y Y
Nooski Rat Trap Y
Victor No.1 double coil spring unpadded Y
No.1 double coil spring unpadded with chain-spring and swivel modifications3 Y
  1. Testing was undertaken using the standard D-Rat trap (includes shroud/yellow cover) in a wooden box.
  2. Includes the T-Rex trap with the new EVO tunnel.
  3. Details on modifications and pass grade can be found in the testing report 'Assessing the welfare performance of restraining and kill traps' from the NAWAC guidelines (PDF, 361K).

  • Winter is an excellent time to trap — hungry rats seek food and warmth close to houses.
  • A great location is near your compost bin, where rats are often active and seeking easy food.

Join a Group near you

Contact the team at nelson.nature@ncc.govt.nz or visit trap.nz to find a community trapping group in your area.

Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Trust - Pest Detection Team

Advice for Trapping

Nelson Nature team offers advice, support, and sometimes funding for community pest control efforts.

Support may include:

  • Technical advice on traps and setup
  • Workshops and training on predator control
  • Environmental Grants Programme - apply for funding to support your trapping group in Nelson
  • Help for new trapping groups
  • Monitoring data and links to citizen science tools

If you need support getting started or scaling up a project, we’re here to help.

Contact Nelson Nature team: nelson.nature@ncc.govt.nz

Resources for Groups

Guidance for community groups and landowners to develop effective predator trapping projects, including how to identify predators, how to choose the right trap and bait, tips, and trap maintenance.

Animal Welfare and Trapping

Useful Links

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