Between Dunedin city and the Otago Peninsula lies a critical buffer zone known as Sector 5 - a patchwork of steep gullies, road reserves, and pockets of bush where the last remaining possums are making their stand.

Ahead of the local body elections, Predator Free Dunedin reached out to all candidates running for Dunedin City Council (DCC) and Otago Regional Council (ORC). We asked them two key questions to understand their position on our city's natural heritage and its protection - and this is what they said.