Nine To Noon Off the beaten track with Kennedy Warne
Mar 22, 2026
Kennedy Warne, long‑time New Zealand Geographic writer covering nature, conservation and travel. He celebrates Otago Peninsula being declared possum-free and discusses tech like drones, thermal imagery and AI cameras aiding predator control. He also recounts National Geographic highlights: Milford Sound’s drama, glowworm caves, cultural visits to Ohinemutu, and a new find, Moke Lake near Queenstown.
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Tech Is Fast-Tracking Predator Eradication
- Predator eradication is now accelerated by new tech like drone-delivered baits and thermal drone cameras.
- Otago Peninsula reached possum-free status using evolving tools, replacing ideas like lobbed baits and thermal binocular trials.
Lover's Leap And Tennis Rackets For Baiting
- Field teams faced inaccessible cliffside bush and once joked about lobbing baits with tennis rackets from ridgetops.
- Kennedy recalled standing at Lover's Leap imagining how to reach possums in ledges and crevices before drones existed.
Multi-Sensor Detection Improves Predator Identification
- Detection tech now includes thermal cameras on drones plus acoustic recorders and AI cameras to reduce misidentification.
- Taranaki Regional Council trials show councils are adopting multi-sensor approaches to identify predators accurately.