16 Sep 2023

Long Read: Turning the tide

From The Detail, 5:00 am on 16 September 2023

This is The Detail's Long Read  one in-depth story read by us every weekend.

A gloved hand clutches bright green rat poison pellets from a large sack.

The bait is essentially poisoned Weetbix—centimetre-long cylindrical pellets of wheat dyed an unhealthy-looking bright green. The active ingredient is brodifacoum, a blood thinner. Photo: Richard Robinson/New Zealand Geographic

This week, it's an abridged version of Turning The Tide, written by Kate Evans and published in New Zealand Geographic's September-October issue.

It’s about her trip to Tonga to witness one of New Zealand’s most poorly known export industries in action – conservation.

You can read the full story, including photos by Richard Robinson, on the New Zealand Geographic website.

A team of New Zealanders and Tongans have just carpeted a remote volcanic island in Tonga with poisoned bait, hoping to eradicate rats—and with that one action, restore a vibrant, interconnected ecosystem of seabirds, forest animals, coral reefs and marine life.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.  

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter

Photo: