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Auckland Island, the fifth largest island in New Zealand, is the only island in New Zealand’s subantarctic region where introduced mammalian pests remain (pigs, Sus scrofa; mice, Mus musculus; cats, Felis catus). The island has unique biodiversity and is a key site for progressing New Zealand’s goal to be free of several introduced predators by 2050. Recent island eradication successes have rekindled interest in eradicating pests from Auckland Island, and for the first time considering all three pests in one project. Over a 3-year period, we tested the feasibility of eradicating pigs, mice and cats by looking at what it would take to succeed, rather than what we could practically deliver with the tools we currently have. We proposed adaptations to current methods and used an evidence-based approach by undertaking large-scale field trials to test uncertainties and emerging technologies in-situ. We gathered data and evaluated proposed methods against five established principles of eradication while considering the logistics and infrastructure requirements of the project. Eradicating pigs, mice and cats from Auckland Island is worthwhile and feasible but dependent on further development of emerging technologies and capabilities for efficient delivery with an acceptable level of risk. Three eradication operations are required with specific sequencing and timing, supported by initial establishment of infrastructure. The project needs a large investment spread over 8 to 10 years to yield permanent and internationally important benefits with low ongoing cost to sustain. The feasibility study exposed the project’s scale and was used to inform decision makers, who postponed the work in 2020 in response to the economic impacts of COVID-19. The study focusses future preparations on identified planning issues and dependencies to progress project readiness in anticipation of it being launched when economic conditions allow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among different ethnic groups and the influence of deprivation on the prevalence of diabetes among Māori and New Zealand Europeans was investigated. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey on all patients registered with 10 practices in the Rotorua General Practice Group on 1 July 2007. Patients diagnosed with diabetes were identified though diagnostic codes for diabetes, prescriptions for diabetes medications and laboratory tests for glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c). Prevalence of diabetes by ethnicity, age group, gender and NZDep2001 quintiles was calculated. Adjusted ORs for the risk of diabetes were obtained from logistic regression analysis. Results: Of the 45 500 patients registered, 1819 had been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. In the 40+ age groups, the prevalence of diabetes in Māori and Pacific people was around three times that in Europeans. With increasing deprivation, the age-standardised prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased among European males (2.7-5.0%) and females (2.1-3.1%). However, the prevalence of diabetes was highest among the least deprived Māori (males 9.7%, females 6.2%). The adjusted risk of diabetes for the most deprived Māori is not significantly different from that for the least deprived Māori. The most deprived Europeans had nearly twice the risk of having diabetes than the least deprived Europeans. Conclusions: Although the rising prevalence of diabetes with increasing deprivation among Europeans shows a similar trend to results from national and international studies, the trend among Māori seems to be different because the least deprived are equally at risk of diabetes. Diabetes interventions aimed at Māori should be tailor-made to include the least deprived groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]