Birdwood Reserve.
A safe space for the birds of the Inner
City.
We're in Welly.
Can't you tell by the weather?
I'm up
the mud.
Don't want to fall over already.
Tim Trengrove's
out here every week setting and checking traps for stoats
and rats.
He runs a group of several hundred volunteer
trappers.
Today he's sharing his happy hunting ground with
us.
He's not worried about a bit of rain but I am.
Oh!
When you look after a trap line it
doesn't matter what the weather is you should just get out there
and do it.
Ugh tree to the face!
There's thousands like Tim in the bush and in their backyards
using traps to control unwanted pests.
All volunteers love to
be involved with trapping because we know we're making a
difference.
To do that they need the right tools.
Here's
the first A24 over here.
And they need to work.
The traps
are made by kiwi firm Goodnature.
When a pest steps on a
trigger it releases a punch device powered by carbon
dioxide gas which kills the animal humanely.
Each trap has
six months worth of bait.
The flavour?
What does it say on
here?
It says chocolate.
So when they're
working they're a great tool.
But Tim what happens when
they're not?
They're of no use at all.
So this is one that's
faulty.
It was serviced with new gas, lure, got a catch and within
a few days I was back and tested the trap like this...
Normally there's a bang?
That's right.
No bang?
No bang.
Nothing.
The trap's called the A24 because that's how
many times the trigger should fire per gas cylinder.
But the
counter on top of this trap recorded just one.
And how do
you know that the gas was the issue?
How do I know the gas...
because it won't fire.
Tim says he's experienced the problem
with a dozen traps around Wellington.
Some in places
managed by councils.
He sent four back and alerted Goodnature
to the issue.
The problem traps were between one and
five and a half years old.
It's upsetting because it's such a
good trap and it's I feel being let down by a number of faulty
ones.
Thawing out over a cuppa.
Ah that's better.
Tim shares his
vision.
I'd like them not to have any faults at all.
I think ten
years is not a big ask for the trap to continue without
failing.
This trap cost $199.
Then every six months more gas
and bait will set you back another 19.
The traps
have a two year warranty from the date of purchase.
Beyond
that the business says: we will happily repair your product
where possible for a reasonable charge.
Is that reasonable?
If
the trap's just out of warranty?
Under the Consumer Guarantees
Act a product has to last a reasonable time, but what that
is isn't clear.
So this is Goodnature HQ in Wellington where
the traps are made.
They're shipped to over 20 countries around the
world.
The final product is fully gas tested and all of
that is registered and recorded and so that we know exactly
which power unit had which type of gas fill over time as well.
Robbie says over 500,000 have been sold.
How many years
should customers expect their Goodnature A24 traps to last?
We intend that those products should last five years or
beyond.
Goodnature says less than 1% of traps are
returned as faulty.
They're pulled apart to see if there's
an issue.
So have they found gas leaking from these traps?
From my understanding we have no continuous fault that we can
point to within the traps that have been received.
The company
stands by its product but following our chat they have
offered to go bush with Tim's trapping group and check out
any issues for themselves.
When we thoroughly understand what's
happening for this particular community group we'll learn and
and hopefully make you know better product as a result of
anything that we can know here.
Tim says it's great to know
that although the warranty is for two years the company
itself says they should last five.
He thinks Goodnature
should share that information with customers and back it up
by replacing faulty traps within five years free of
charge.
In the meantime his advice to everyone using the
traps: I found the best practice is just to get out and
check them.
But you'd like to not have to check them so much.
That
would be the ultimate.
Tim's pleased Goodnature wants to
meet up because once he's sure there's gas in his traps he'll
be walking with a spring in his step.
Nice work Kate.
Now
Wellington City Council has got several hundred of these traps
and it is chuffed that Goodnature's prepared to join Tim
out in the bush checking them out.
In fact now the council
knows that the traps should have a lifespan of five years
it's talking about doing a bit of a survey of all the traps -
just to make sure that they're lasting or see how well
they're lasting.