Book Review-“Duped -the True Story behind Predator Free New Zealand”

Marlborough conservationist Les Kelly is hopping mad. 

But then he was some time ago when he learned a combination of bureaucrats and untrustworthy individuals stole not only his team’s practical and environmentally safe concept of eliminating undesirable predator species from New Zealand but the name too!

Predator Free New Zealand was established twelve years ago in 2008 by Les Kelly and a team of sincere New Zealanders.

Back then, Les and a team of committed individuals set out to find a way to achieve Predator Free NZ without using toxins such as 1080, which in itself was causing and still is wreaking ecological havoc of the natural ecosystem, mainly on public lands.

Les Kelly tells why we don’t need 1080 poison.

“We New Zealanders are allowing the destruction of our unique ecosystems by the continual mass applications of toxins. We cannot keep on poisoning them.”

Highly efficient “Goodnature” traps instead of poisons would be used.

Barefaced in motive but stealthily and covertly in manner, successive governments sabotaged Les Kelly’s team’s PFNZ concepts and plans while setting up their own project that do use the ecosystem poison 1080. And to add salt to the wound they purloined the name Predator Free New Zealand.

Les Kelly pulls no punches in calling organisations like Forest and Bird and some in the Department of Conservation, treacherous. The theft has left Les both bewildered and frustrated so he set out to reveal them by writing and publishing a book.

Governments get caned about “this assault on democracy.”

“The previous and current governments have compromised DoC which under the pretence of saving our birds, is in fact destroying all living things within our conservation estate.”

“New Zealand needs a government that refuses to be seduced either by blind ideology or hidden faces with hidden agendas.” 

I finished the book astounded at the deception, the duplicity and deceit. The tragic thing is the skulduggery is at the expense of our unique birds, insects indeed all wild life and our natural ecosystem. The dishonest and the perpetrators need exposing and they get it in “Duped”.

“Duped” is a very easy read but highly revealing of the duplicity and the misguided ideologies and often two-faced ways of people involved in the treachery. The chapters are often short I suspect deliberately, thereby making for emphatic messages but there’s 82 chapters in this 277 page book.

Highly recommended to those who care about our birds, wildlife, public lands and our precious democracy.

© Les Kelly –  “we cannot keep poisoning them”