Some of us are lucky enough to wake up to the sound of Kākā or Cook’s Petrel.

Now, imagine waking up to loud honks, barks, and cackles, even hisses of Canadian Geese… unfortunately it is a reality for some. Canadian Geese are taking hold on the mainland, with populations ballooning.

They are a risk to human safety, causing airstrike with planes, imagine having to dodge geese returning and leaving the Motu. They can be very aggressive towards other birds, leading to displacement and mortality. They over-graze pastures, contaminate waterbodies, can carry diseases such as avian influenza, campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and salmonella and are known to produce more than a kilogram of faeces a day, that’s a lot of poo!

Canadian Geese are classified as exclusion under the Regional Pest Management Plan, meaning they are not known to be established in the Aotea / Great Barrier Island group but have the potential to establish widely and cause adverse effects to the island’s ecological, economic, and cultural values.

Early intervention to manage the ways pests can travel to Aotea and quick response in the event of incursion is a cost-effective approach to prevent their establishment on Aotea. Canadian Geese have arrived here in the past and have either been dispatched or left. We don’t want populations establishing. 

If you see a Canada goose on Aotea/Great Barrier Island group, please report it to Auckland Council at pestfree@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

Words and notice by Niklas Erikson, Senior Conservation Advisor, Auckland Council