Maggie Barry yesterday confirmed 19 sites, including the Dart, Routeburn and Caples Valleys had been chosen for 1080 aerial drops as part of the Department of Conservation's next phase of the Battle for our Birds pest control programme.
Naysayers needed to get on board, Mrs Barry said while making the announcement at Bobs Cove, near Queenstown, because Doc was not going to stop using the controversial poison.
"The anti-1080 brigade need to come up to date with the science and leave us to do what we need to do to conserve our vulnerable species. The era of protesting about 1080 needs to come to an end. It is outdated and wrong. We need to be able to focus on saving our birds.''
The "science'' had moved on since the 1960s and 1970s, she said.
"It's targeted, it's efficient and it breaks down. It doesn't sit there for years and have unintended consequences.''
She did recognise concerns and stressed Doc wanted to allay people's fears and ensure people were informed about when drops would take place, but did not apologise for its use.
"You target what you have to and you try to minimise the impact on recreational hunters and others. Ultimately, we have to keep our eye on the prize. If we don't act now, and if we don't use 1080, then we lose our native birds. It is the best and most effective device we have at this time and we will continue to use it.''
Ms Barry also confirmed the Dart and Caples Valleys drops would include added deer repellent to safeguard the deer populations, something the local hunting community had called for.
The Government has committed $20.7million to fund the Battle for our Birds programme, which includes the placement of predator traps, research and consultation, alongside 1080.
Ms Barry made the announcement while checking Doc traps at Bobs Cove with local Doc staff, operations manager Geoff Owen, ranger Chris Hankin and scientist Graeme Elliott.
The programme will invest in self-setting traps.
They are pricier than traditional Doc box traps, but more efficient, meaning multiple kills and fewer man-hours.
Mr Hankin said more than 380 traps in the Queenstown area were being maintained by community groups.
The success was evident in increased native bird numbers.
The Queenstown area drop will be between August and October, depending on pest monitoring during that time.
