In early December 2025, two consultants hired by NZ MFAT travelled to Rarotonga to meet with the National Environment Service, Ministry of Agriculture, Te Ipukarea Society, Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, and the Palmerston island community. The consultants were conducting a mid term review commissioned by NZ-MFAT, on the Restoring Island Resilience (RIR) project on managing invasive species in the Pacific. The RIR activity is a NZD 20.6 million project funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) through the Pacific Regional Invasive Species Management Support Service (PRISMSS). Running from July 2023 to June 2026, the RIR project supports 14 Pacific Island countries in managing invasive species impacts on ecosystems, food security, and climate resilience.
The two consultants met with local project partners to obtain feedback on the implementation and monitoring of local projects funded by PRISMSS from July 2023 to December 2024, such as the rat eradication in Palmerston and work on biological controls. In particular, the review was set to assess PRISMSS’s progress in scaling up invasive species management work, how well it is incorporating practices to support GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion) and Indigenous knowledge, the effectiveness of approaches and strategies for communicating the climate impact of the activity through the use of storytelling.
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