The Forest Bridge Trust

A Rodney-based conservation group on a mission to create a connected landscape with healthy forest and flourishing indigenous wildlife from the Kaipara Harbour to the Pacific Coast.

The Forest Bridge Trust was founded in 2014 by Kevin and Gill Adshead. After regenerating acres of forest on their farming property in Glorit, Kevin and Gill started a predator control programme, to remove possums, rats, and mustelids.

In 2015 they introduced kiwi to their property. Once the kiwis were established Gill and Kevin started to broaden their outlook. The questions were raised, what if these kiwis thrive and start to travel? What do we need to do to protect them?

That was the start of the Forest Bridge Trust. A small group of people with a big dream to connect Tawharanui’s kiwi population with the kiwi population on the West Coast in Glorit. Protecting the kiwis from mustelids was a principal objective.

The Forest Bridge Trust and their lead funder, Jobs for Nature set a lofty goal to achieve 54,000 hectares under mustelid control across the “wider bridge” by 30 June 2025.