Rat Heads were part of my last exhibition called Predator Free Aotearoa 2050 which is looking into alternative pest control methods to reach this target. Those heads were part of 100 as a wall display set up like a pyramid to show the fast rate at which rats breed and why pest control methods are necessary.

​The Predator Free Aotearoa 2050 target is less than 30 years away, which doesn’t seem that far off if you consider how long we have been trying to manage invasive introduced species in Aotearoa. The main way we have managed pests over the years in New Zealand has been to mistakenly introduce new species such as stoats to control rabbit populations, as well as some foreign birds such as the yellowhammer and magpie to control insects for the agricultural industry, but more commonly known and still in use today is trapping, shooting and controversial registered poisons. However, advances in science and technology could change the way we manage pests in the coming years with methods such as gene editing, pest specific bait and fertility control. Information, research, and time is what is needed here to make an informed choice, but the clock is ticking and predator free by 2050 is just around the corner.

The Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and Galah are from a series I made called Bittersweet Wish: The Flight of the Genie Birds where early settlers in NZ introduced birds some which became unwanted pests. The genie shaped bottles with handles (like those two) if you see them in the wild, they should be reported.

The reference to genie shaped bottles in this exhibition looks at a selection of feral introduced birds presently in New Zealand as well as specific exotic birds species with handles attached; these are birds to report to DOC if you spot them in the wild! Species such as the Rainbow Lorikeet, Ring Neck Indian Parakeet and Galahs feature in public bird aviaries and some are kept as exotic pets, but they are unwanted flying about freely in Aotearoa.