During level 4 we weren’t able to travel to the forest – this has meant no kiwi work and no pest control.
The Department of Conservation has now advised us that ‘work that can be done safely (and) that is important to high priority conservation values’ may be able to go ahead during Level 3. We have applied for approval for kiwi monitoring and trapping work to proceed in the first two weeks of level 3 lockdown. We will need to follow approved health and safety guidelines and have our work approved by DOC before we proceed. We’re hopeful of hearing about our application in the coming week.
Walking in the forest
The Government’s COVID-19 website https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-3/#exercise-and-recreation provides this advice:
- You should drive as short a distance as you can, and still do the activity. You must stay local.
- Your nearest recreational area could mean travelling to a neighbouring region if you live on a regional boundary, as long as this is still local and a close distance to your home.
- You can hunt on private land, but not on public conservation land. You need to stay within your region and stick to your bubble. Overnight trips are not allowed. You may only hunt on foot — using quad bikes, off-road bikes, helicopters and other motorised vehicles is not allowed.
- You can do recreational activities by yourself or with people from your bubble.
The Department of Conservation, which is responsible for Ōtanewainuku Forest, advises
Local conservation areas and tracks may be used providing:
- it’s for low-risk activities
- 2-metre distancing is maintained
- personal contact is limited to your bubble
- activities are limited to a maximum of 3 hours
- no lighting fires
- any associated travel is kept local.