About Cape to City

Launched in 2015, Cape to City's vision is to transform the landscapes of our region so that 'Native species thrive where we live, work and play'.

Cape to City is located in Te Matau a Māui/Hawke’s Bay on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. We're one of the first projects in the country to scale up biodiversity restoration and predator control.

Nearly 70% of New Zealand's landscape is used for primary production, and our remaining public conservation land struggles to cope with a continual re-invasion of mammalian pests. Cape to City's long-term mission is unique in the country: we're establishing a template for successful predator control that can be used over hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland. By doing so, we're helping to support Hawke's Bay – and eventually all of New Zealand – in going predator-free.

Our ‘footprint’ (the area contained within the Cape to City project) currently covers more than 26,000 hectares (64,247 acres) of land. We've only just begun! In the future, farmers and rural landowners throughout the region will be able to use the tools, techniques and strategies developed as part of Cape to City to successfully turn the tide against mammalian predators and pests.

Our boundaries extend eastward from the city of Havelock North to the windswept highlands of Cape Kidnappers, and south from Hawke Bay to Ocean Beach and Waimarama.

In order to reach our goals, we're focussed on restoring native birds and plant life, improving water quality and habitat, and streamlining predator control technologies. We're also connected to local hapū, iwi, landowners and regional communities to bring conservation to an individual level and ensure it continues into the future. To learn more about how we accomplish this, check out the Our Work page.

Cape to City's sister project is Poutiri Ao ō Tāne, located in northern Hawke's Bay. Together, these projects are working to protect roughly 35,000 hectares of the region for species such as kiwi, kākā, weta and kōkako, as well as vast numbers of native insects and plants.

Our vision for the future

Just like an ecosystem, our project will thrive when all aspects – from running school workshops to teaching farmers about pest control – work together in harmony. In order to succeed, we're...

• Involving people through school visits and community events, engaging with hapū and iwi, offering volunteer projects and collaborating with local landowners.
• Protecting and restoring diverse habitats such as working farmland, river corridors, lifestyle blocks and native bush reserves.
• Protecting native wildlife by controlling a wide range of animal pests including rats, possums, stoats and feral cats – all which have a negative impact on both native species and livestock.
• Improving the health of farms and providing economic benefits for farmers whose lands fall in the Cape to City footprint.
• Reintroducing native species like toutouwai (North Island robins), miromiro (tomtits) and North Island kiwi.
• Pioneering research in the fields of pest monitoring and control and native species regeneration.
• Ensuring strong project governance through good project management and a solid structure so we can help Cape to City continue to grow.