Payments
How can I make a donation?
The easiest way to make a donation is using your credit card online. Donate via credit card online.
If you don’t have a credit card you can donate over the counter at any KiwiBank branch.
You can also make an payment through internet banking to The Million Dollar Mouse account (bank account number 38 9012 0521410 00) or send a cheque to "Million Dollar Mouse" and post to Million Dollar Mouse, C/- The Morgan Foundation, PO Box 10068, Wellington 6143. Make sure to include your name and contact details so we can send you a receipt.
ˆ back to top
How do I get a receipt?
Payments over $5 are tax deductable, we will issue a receipt for any payment over $5. For payments made by credit card receipts will be automatically emailed to the email address provided.
If you make a payment via internet banking or over the counter at a Kiwibank branch you will need to send us your receipt as proof of payment (please ensure you include your surname as a reference on the payment so we can reconcile it.) Post the receipt and your name and address to Million Dollar Mouse, C/- The Morgan Foundation, PO Box 10068, Wellington 6143 and we will send you a reciept.
ˆ back to top
How do I pay through internet banking?
You can make a payment through Internet banking to The Million Dollar Mouse account. The bank account number is 38 9012 0521410 00
Please include your surname as a reference.
ˆ back to top
How do I pay by cheque?
Post a cheque to made out to "Million Dollar Mouse" to:
Million Dollar Mouse
C/- The Morgan Foundation
PO Box 10068, Wellington 6143.
Be sure to include your name and contact details so we can send you a receipt.
ˆ back to top
I don’t have a credit card – how else can I pay?
If you don’t have a credit card you can donate over the counter at any KiwiBank branch.
You can also make an payment through internet banking to The Million Dollar Mouse account (bank account number 38 9012 0521410 00) or send a cheque to "Million Dollar Mouse" and post to Million Dollar Mouse, C/- The Morgan Foundation, PO Box 10068, Wellington 6143. Make sure to include your name and contact details so we can send you a receipt.
ˆ back to top
About the project
What and where are the Antipodes Islands?
The Antipodes Islands are a group of 5 islands situated 845km South East of New Zealand. They are one of the most remote parts of New Zealand both geographically and ecologically.
The Antipodes contain a unique ecosystem dominated by tall tussocks, megaherbs and seabirds.
Mice are currently the only pest species on the islands. They occur only on the main island.
ˆ back to top
What is so special about the Antipodes and why should we do this?
The Antipodes Islands are a unique part of New Zealand and it is up to us to protect and maintain them. New Zealand has five subantarctic island groups, including the Antipodes. These islands are like liferafts in the Southern ocean for a wide range of native species. These animals either haul up from the sea or descend from the sky above it for rest, recreation, recuperation and reproduction. When the mice on the Antipodes are removed, Auckland Island will be the only New Zealand subantarctic island whereintroduced mammals remain to be eradiated.
The Antipodes are important breeding grounds for a number of land and seabird species, some of which can be found nowhere else, including the Antipodes Island and Rieschieck’s parakeets, the Antipodes Island snipe and pipit.
The islands provide a breeding site for four species of albatross, including the Antipodes Wandering Albatross. More than 99% of the world’s breeding population of this species is on the Antipodes.
There are also seven species of burrowing seabirds as well as two species of penguin on the Antipodes. The Erect Crested Penguin is restricted to the Antipodes and the Bounty Islands, 215 km to the north. The islands also have large numbers of New Zealand fur seal and the highest number of elephant seals found in the New Zealand region. Providing them a safe breeding ground is important to secure their survival.
There are also seven species of burrowing seabirds as well as two species of penguin on the Antipodes. The Erect Crested Penguin is found only on the Antipodes and on the Bounty Islands, 215 km to the north. The islands also have large numbers of New Zealand fur seal and the highest number of elephant seals found in the New Zealand region. Providing them a safe breeding ground is important to secure their survival.
There are a number of invertebrate species that are endemic to the islands, some of which have been wiped out from the main island by the mice and only cling to the smaller, mouse-free islands.
Many of the species we’re talking about here face threats from fishing, climate changepollution and so on. While many of these are international issues are largely beyond our control, mice are the one threat we can do something about. For a mere million dollars, we can eradicate the only introduced animal pest from the Antipodes Islands, allowing them to return to their natural condition.
You might think of mice as small and relatively innocuous: don’t believe it. They have a major impact on the islands, mainly on the plants (through eating seeds) and invertebrates, but this in turn has an impact on many birds through competition for food. Mice have even been observed killing large albatross chicks on Gough Island in the South Atlantic.
ˆ back to top
How will the mice be eradicated?
Two aerial bait drops will be carried out. Bait will be dropped from specially designed buckets slung under helicopters, using purpose-designed GPS systems to guide their flight lines. This ensures both that no gaps are left (which could lead to mice surviving) and minimises overlap, which would result in wasted bait.
ˆ back to top
When will the pest eradication be completed?
The Department of Conservation anticipates that the project will be carried out in the winter of 2013 (or by 2014 at the latest). This will allow time for the required planning.
ˆ back to top
How can I be sure that the money I give will be used to eradicate mice of the Antipodes Islands?
The Morgan Foundation will hold this money in trust until DOC is ready to execute the project. The Morgan Foundation (or a trusted third party, such as the Fiordland Conservation Trust) will project-manage the eradication to ensure budgets are met and the project is successful. The Fiordland Conservation Trust will help manage expenses and ensure the project is delivered to budget
ˆ back to top
What if there is surplus?
The Million Dollar Mouse Fund will stop receiving donations once the million dollar target is reached. If the project runs under budget, then any surplus will be used to monitor pests on the island to confirm the success of the project and to measure the results on the species on the island.
ˆ back to top
Who will run the project?
The Department of Conservation will oversee and execute the programme. Since the successful eradication of pests from Campbell Island a decade ago, they are recognised as world leaders in the eradication of introduced species from islands and have led the way in rodent eradications, developing techniques such as the spreading of bait by helicopter. New Zealand’s eradication expertise, including planning and implementing projects, is keenly sought overseas.
ˆ back to top
What species will benefit with mice removed?
The germination of most plant species will increase, most of the invertebrate life (such as the insects) will increase rapidly in number as predation by mice stops. The combination of increased plant growth and increased invertebrate numbers will form the basis for a recovery of the ecology of the island to what it would have been like without pests.
Seabird species whose numbers will increase: (8)
Little shearwater; common diving petrel; cape pigeon; white-headed petrel; soft-plumaged petrel; grey-backed storm petrel; black-bellied storm petrel; Antarctic tern.
Seabird species whose numbers should increase: (3)
Sooty shearwater; white-chinned petrel; grey petrel and three albatross species that might be at risk if mice have learned to predate their chicks (Antipodean; white-capped; and light mantled sooty).
Land birds that will increase in number once mice are removed: (4)
Antipodes Island snipe; Antipodes red-crowned parakeet; Antipodes parakeet, Pipit.
ˆ back to top