Possums are another introduced pest:
"Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) were first brought from Australia in 1837, to Riverton in Southland, to form the basis of a fur industry.
They eat and damage the forest at every point, taking mainly leaves, but also buds, flowers, fruit and seeds from the tallest tree tops. On the ground they eat seedlings, saplings and sometimes bark. Possums also eat parts of perching plants, scramblers, climbers, some tree ferns and fungi. Favoured foods include mistletoes, tree fuchsias, kāmahi and rātā trees, which is why these are among the first species to be eaten out of the forest.
By feeding selectively, possums have radically altered the makeup of forests. In the 1960s, possums opened up large tracts of forest in the Ruahine Range to invading scrub. They have eaten nearly all of the rātā trees from the Aorangi Range, and have almost wiped out mistletoes in the North Island.
Traps, poisons and guns can control possum numbers. However, these are expensive methods, and only practical in easily accessible bush or in bush that is valuable to conservation or farming. This leaves possums uncontrolled over large areas of hinterland. Scientists are searching for new methods of control – the most promising are ways of making possums less fertile."
My husband told me that people have been encouraged to run them over with their cars if seen in the street. He worked for a wild life reserve he for a while so I think I can take his word on that. I have yet to see a possum here but I'm new.
Check out this page if you want to learn more about possums in New Zealand:
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/introduced-animal-pests/1
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