Boom time for New Zealand's rats as lockdown gives them free rein in cities

With pest controllers in lockdown and a population surge last year, the vermin are free to wreak havoc in populated areas, and on native wildlife

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Surrounded by ancient rimu trees and the sound of chirping pAwakawaka, Tame Malcolm brings in his second rat of the day from the dense undergrowth of his Auckland backyard. That's four pests for his tally today - with only a few hundred thousand or so to go.

"It's the first time my whAnau [family] have got to see me doing pest control. I've been teaching the whAnau that we do this to protect the birds," says Malcolm, director of MAori-oriented biosecurity business Puna Consultants.