Waiheke Island is set to be hosting its first in-person Pestival. This day event organised by Waiheke Collective will be launched during EcoFest at the Sustainability Centre on Sunday 2 April. The day will include guest speakers, outdoor interactive workshops, stalls, food trucks and a kid's zone and some live music! It is a family-friendly event with activities for all ages.

The lineup of speakers includes Ben Paris, AKA Batman. Ben will be diving into his passion for New Zealand native bats with his talk ‘So you want to be a bat-spotter? Long-tailed bat monitoring with the community.

Professor Margaret Stanley is also a guest speaker. Margaret will talk about her group’s research on a range of factors impacting birds, everything from rats to family pets to noise. She’ll give some useful tips on ways we can make our backyards better homes for wildlife.

Outdoor information stalls and interactive workshops will include, responsible pet ownership advice. Rat detection and making rat traps with Te Korowai o Waiheke, kids' activities with an ‘egg and stoat’ race, and animal mask-making with prizes - and a photo booth.

There will also be a chance to meet a conservation dog and advice on choosing the right native plants for your backyard.

We still have space for information stalls, food and drinks stalls and workshops so if you want to be part of this amazing fun and educational day celebrating Waiheke’s journey to a healthy and thriving natural environment please get in touch at waihekecollective@gmail.com.