Million Dollar Mouse, a joint project between the Department of Conservation, Morgan Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, Island Conservation and the New Zealand public, sought to eliminate more than 200,000 mice from the remote island.
The project culminated in a helicopter bait drop in June 2016.
It was hoped this would rid the island of mice, its only introduced mammalian predator, which had plagued the island for about 100 years, feasting on bird eggs and chicks, native plants and invertebrates.
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced yesterday a month-long mice monitoring project, assisted by three rodent-detecting dogs, had found no sign of mice on the windswept isle, recognised as a World Heritage area for its outstanding biodiversity and natural values.
''This is huge news for conservation, both in New Zealand and internationally,'' Ms Sage said.
''Special plants and wildlife, including 21 species of breeding seabirds, more than 150 species of insects - 17% of them only found on the Antipodes - 21 uncommon plant species and four unique land birds are found on the Antipodes Island.''
Speaking yesterday aboard the research vessel Evohe, which had just returned from Antipodes Island, Doc project manager Stephen Horn said it had been a long wait for the public, who had raised more than $1million for the project in 2012, but Mr Horn was confident no mice were hiding on the island.
''We waited for effectively two mouse breeding seasons. If there were any survivors, they would have rebounded to numbers that are in the realms of detectability,'' he said.
