Predator Free Wellington and the Miramar Peninsula community are celebrating the elimination of rats, stoats, and weasels from the area.
"There were people that said it couldn't be done," Predator Free Miramar founder Dan Henry said.
"It’s been huge for us, it's been a really long, tough, tough battle," Predator Free Wellington's James Wilcocks added.
Since the project started, the Miramar Peninsula has had a 71% increase in native birds, including a 500% increase in pīwakawaka, and a 340% increase in riroriro.
"It takes a lot of persistence, resilience and dedication to reach zero rats in an urban environment and we thank everyone who has stuck with us on this journey," said Wilcocks.
Brent Hudson is one of 20,0000 Miramar residents who volunteered for the project by setting up traps around his home.
"You get back so much more than you put in," he said.
"It's almost a spiritual experience, really."
The project involved 11,000 bait stations and traps, 450 cameras, and thousands of chew cards and wax tags, monitored by a virtual barrier system.
Plus, a specially trained conservation dog called Rapu who sniffs out rats.
"Rapu will tell you which branches rats are running up, where the rats are hiding, where the rats are breeding – things like that," dog trainer Sally Bain said.
Predator Free 2050, which runs predator eradication efforts nationwide, said this project has proved rats and stoats can be eliminated from urban areas – a key milestone.
"Not only do we now have a better understanding of the technology and resources needed to reach our Predator Free 2050 goal in urban environments, but we’ve also learnt how to make significant cost efficiencies, with cost reductions of up to 75% per hectare achieved by Predator Free Wellington," chief executive Rob Forlong said.
Predator Free Wellington will now start working on Island Bay, then the CBD, with the goal of making the city the first predator free capital in the world before the end of the decade.
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