📚 Unit Plans → 🌍 Year 9 Science: Aotearoa's Living Landscapes → 📄 Debate Preparation Guide | Y9 Science Ecology
Years 9–10Pūtaiao / Science
← Back to Unit Overview

🎙️ Debate Preparation Guide

Topic: "Should 1080 poison be used for pest control in New Zealand?"

The 1080 Debate

1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) is the most widely used toxin for pest control in Aotearoa. It's used to kill possums, rats, and stoats to protect native species. But it's also controversial.

Your Task: Prepare arguments for a class debate on this important environmental issue.

Background Facts | Ngā Meka Tīmatanga

Fact Details
What is 1080? Sodium fluoroacetate — a poison that occurs naturally in some Australian plants. Used in NZ since 1954.
How is it used? Dropped from aircraft in bait form, or placed in bait stations on the ground.
Amount used 1080 is the main toxin used for aerial pest control in Aotearoa. Check DOC and OSPRI for the current area treated each year — this is a number both sides of the debate will quote at you.
Target pests Possums, rats, stoats — which kill native birds and eat native plants.
Breakdown Breaks down in water and soil. No long-term environmental accumulation.

✅ Arguments FOR Using 1080

1. Protects Native Species

Kiwi chick survival is the strongest evidence. Without predator control, as few as 5% of chicks survive to adulthood. In monitored areas after a 1080 operation, just over half survived to six months — at Riponui, chick survival rose from 5% to 56%. Note the benefit fades: survival at one monitored site dropped to 29% the following year, which is why operations are repeated. Native bird populations (kōkako, kākā, kererū) have also recovered in treated areas. Source: DOC National Predator Control Programme kiwi monitoring; Robertson et al., Tongariro Forest kiwi study.

2. Most Effective Tool Available

Can treat large, remote areas that are impossible to reach by trapping. 1080 can reduce possum populations by 90%+ compared to 20-40% with trapping alone.

3. Supported by Scientific Research

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (2011, 2013) concluded 1080 is the best tool currently available. Supported by DOC, regional councils, and most scientists.

4. Breaks Down Naturally

1080 biodegrades in the environment. No accumulation in soil, water, or food chains. Most breakdown occurs within days to weeks.

5. Cost-Effective

Aerial treatment is far cheaper per hectare than ground trapping, which is why it is used across large remote areas that trappers cannot reach. Look up the current per-hectare figures before you use them in the debate — published costs vary widely by terrain, target species and operator, and any single number you find will be contested by the other side. Finding a defensible cost figure, and being able to say where it came from, is part of the task.

❌ Arguments AGAINST Using 1080

1. Kills Non-Target Species

Some native birds (weka, kea, tomtits) have been killed by 1080. Dogs are highly susceptible and can die from eating poisoned carcasses. Some deer hunters oppose it.

2. Ethical Concerns

1080 causes suffering before death. Animals can take hours to die. Some consider this inhumane compared to quick-kill traps.

3. Questions About Effectiveness

Pest populations can recover quickly after 1080 drops ("boom and bust"). Some argue money would be better spent on sustained trapping programs.

4. Concerns About Waterways

Though studies show 1080 breaks down in water, some communities are concerned about contamination of drinking water sources.

5. Māori Perspectives

Some iwi oppose dropping poison in sacred forests. Concerns about mauri (life force) of the ngahere and food gathering areas. However, other iwi support 1080 for protecting taonga species.

Prepare Your Arguments

You have been assigned: ☐ FOR    ☐ AGAINST

Argument 1:

Evidence to support this argument:

Argument 2:

Evidence to support this argument:

Argument 3:

Evidence to support this argument:

Prepare for Rebuttals

💡 Tip: Think about what the other side will argue, and prepare your responses. A good debater anticipates opposing arguments!

They might say:

You could respond:

They might say:

You could respond:

Speaking Frames

Use these phrases to structure your debate contributions:

Opening Statement

"Kia ora koutou. Today we argue [FOR/AGAINST] the use of 1080 in New Zealand because..."

Presenting Evidence

"According to [source], ..."

"The scientific evidence shows that..."

"DOC research has found that..."

Rebutting Arguments

"While the opposing side claims that..., the evidence actually shows..."

"We acknowledge their point about..., however..."

"This argument fails to consider..."

Closing Statement

"In conclusion, we have demonstrated that..."

"For the sake of our native species / environment / communities..."

"Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa."

Debate Rules

Tikanga for Respectful Debate

  • Whakarongo — Listen to the other side without interrupting
  • Manaaki — Attack arguments, not people
  • Pono — Be truthful; don't make up statistics
  • Tika — Be fair; acknowledge valid points from the other side

Debate Format

  1. Opening statements (2 min each side)
  2. First arguments (3 min each side)
  3. Rebuttals (2 min each side)
  4. Questions from floor (5 min)
  5. Closing statements (1 min each side)

Post-Debate Reflection

After the debate, answer honestly:

1. Did your opinion change during the debate? Why/why not?

2. What was the strongest argument from the other side?

3. Is this issue black-and-white, or more complex than you first thought?

Curriculum alignment

  • Ecosystems — Practices: Observing local ngā tohu o te taiao, such as flowering of certain plants or bird migrations, and explaining why these indicators can be used to understand and predict other en…
  • Ecosystems — Knowledge: Marama Muru-Lanning (Contemporary) explores mātauranga Māori as environmental knowledge, linking Indigenous perspectives to ecological science.