I use a flat garden spade and then go back over the area with a claw hammer to pull the nails. I want something better for the wood shingle tear offs, most of them here are fixed with narrow crown staples which are a pain to remove from the battens after the shingles are off. I use a cats paw for this which works but isn't ideal, slips off the staples too easy and frequently sends them flying all over resulting in a big cleanup that at times includes the neighbours properties!
Any recommendations? Anything I get will have to come from the US as they're not available here in NZ.