Predator Free Wellington Community hero — Dan Henry

As a child growing up in Hataitai, Dan Henry looked across at the Miramar Peninsula every day, and reckons he’s been attached to the place ever since. Dan has been a Miramar local, along with his wife Jess, and three kids, for 12 years now and there’s nowhere he’d rather be. Wellington can be thankful for that, as Dan is another of Predator Free Wellington’s community heroes, heading up the Predator Free Miramar group.

Dan Henry

“I’d been trapping in Polhill Reserve for a year or so, and always loved that Miramar was possum-free. I’d often thought the Peninsula had an opportunity to go one step further and eradicate rats, stoats and weasels so I’d actually been thinking about that for a number of years. Then Kelvin Hastie came along and showed us all what can be achieved, so I guess that inspired me to get cracking,” he says.

With the help of some friends, and the support of Te Motu Kairangi, Places for Penguins and Predator Free Seatoun, Dan got to work more formally to establish Predator Free Miramar, which officially launched on 12 August.

Dan says so much of Wellington’s appeal is the “wild Wellington” aspect. “It’s windy, coastal, rugged. And the bush and fauna is just an extension of that. If we can help create little urban wilderness spots then I reckon that would be magic. Miramar Peninsula could be a destination for Wellingtonians to visit because of its increased conservation value. But imagine if there was also an economic spin on that too. So, families from other suburbs come to the Peninsula to walk in our tracks and see more birdlife. Then they go and have coffee and ice cream with the kids and it injects a bit of money into our local economy. I’m quite interested to see what the wider impact will be of a predator free capital city.”

Dan’s not just passionate about a predator free Wellington though. When he’s not in the bush trapping, or collecting timber to make more traps, he works as a TV director, predominantly on Country Calendar. “It’s certainly a dream job; I have a backstage pass into some of the best parts of New Zealand. And many of the farms we visit when we’re shooting have really strong conservation stories too. These farmers are true custodians of the land, and feel a compulsion to leave their patch in better shape for future generations.”

Dan sees an opportunity to make Wellington so much better for future generations, but also for the locals who existed here long before we did. “How lucky are we have penguins nesting all around the Peninsula? Let’s help them have a better future on this land too,” says Dan.

Dan Henry on a Country Calendar shoot at Wilden Station, West Otago.

For now, Dan’s just excited to get going. “We’re excited about launching soon, and I’m keen to help people get trapping in their backyards. We’ll be holding community workshops to build traps and I want to make this fun. Trapping rats can all be a bit macabre, so hey wouldn’t it be great if you can also meet some of your neighbours and share a beer over a trapping workshop.”

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade