A 1080 protest will take place in Tokoroa this Saturday.

Pickets opposing poison will be out in force in Tokoroa this Saturday.

Tokoroa hunter Francis Pedersen is organising a peaceful 1080 protest near the Tokoroa i-SITE from 12.30pm-3pm.

It will coincide with the national protest 'Hikoi of a Poisoned Nation', led by Alan Gurden and Emille Leaf, which will arrive at Parliament the same day.

TAMARA THORN/STUFF A gathering of 1080 protesters in Taupō on the weekend is set to be echoed in Tokoroa this Saturday.

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The aim is to put a stop to the use of 1080 in New Zealand which the Department of Conservation (DOC) uses to eradicate pests threatening native animals and plants.

Pedersen, who grew up hunting with her father in the area, said 1080 was causing a headache for hunters.

"Carcasses are being left to rot, ranging from possums to pigs and deer, after animals have been poisoned by 1080," she said.

"Myself and my husband are hunters and we sort of depend on the bush for our kai for our freezer but because of 1080 we now have to travel further away."

"It's the same with [our friends], they have to travel to Whakatane, and some of our favourite spots where we would take the kids out for weekend walks we can no longer access because 1080 signs are up," she said.

She said there were plenty of hunters willing to deal with the pests which she claimed would be safer for the environment and better for the community as a whole.

"Employ unemployed people to get out there and set up possum traps," she said.

"[Return] to Clean Green New Zealand."

But DOC's Herb Christophers said 1080 was still the best option.

"Trapping is used extensively by DOC but it cannot do the same job safely or in a timely manner over rugged, inaccessible terrain," he said.

"The cost of an aerial 1080 pest control operation is significantly cheaper and far more effective compared to the use of trapping."

Christophers said research into alternatives was ongoing.

"If something better comes along… we will use it. In the meantime, continual improvement of all current methods ensures that native species are protected and able to thrive in the absence of predators," he said.

Pedersen encouraged people to show up with banners and pickets for the protest.

"Bring your peacefulness," she said.

"We've picked this time of the day because it is the actual time the protest is going to the Beehive. We thought we would support them from afar."