Download Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan Review

Auckland Regional
Pest Management
Plan Review
Discussion document
October 2015
Feedback must be received by 27 November 2015
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Table of contents
He Mihi ....................................................................................................................... 4
1
Kupu whakataki Introduction ................................................................................ 5
2
Ngā tūnga me ngā kawenga Roles and responsibilities ....................................... 7
3
Take tupu orotā Pest plant issues ...................................................................... 15
4
Take kararehe orotā Pest animal issues ............................................................ 21
5
Te ngaki tipua orotā i te Moana o Tikapa /Te Moananui ā Toi Pest management
in the Hauraki Gulf ............................................................................................. 24
6
Tipua taimoana orotā Marine pests................................................................... 28
7
Ngā mahi ngaki tipua ā-hapori ā muri ake nei The future of community pest
control ................................................................................................................ 29
8
Te whakarite mahere hōu Preparing the new plan............................................. 30
9
Tuku korero ō whakaaro Have your say on Pest Management in Auckland ...... 31
Rārangi Kupu Glossary ........................................................................................... 32
Āpitihanga tuatahi: Ngā tupu orotā i te wā nei Appendix one: Current plant pests .. 35
Āpitihanga tuarua: Ngā kararehe orotā i te wā nei Appendix two: Current animal
pests .................................................................................................................. 42
Āpitihanga tuatoru: Ngā mahi rangahau koiora i te wā nei Appendix three: Current
research organisms ........................................................................................... 44
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan consultation questions: ........................ 46
Cover: (left to right) gorse, a dead kauri crown, rat, argentine ant (credit Richard Toft,
Entcol), feral goat.
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He Mihi
Tuia ki te rangi
Tuia ki te whenua
Tuia ki te moana
Tuia te here tangata
Ka rongo te pō ka rongo te ao.
Bind the domain of the upper realm
Bind the domain of the land, Bind the domain of the ocean
Bind the tapestry of life
which affirms our connection
to the natural world and to one another
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1 Kupu whakataki
Introduction
Pests are invasive plants, animals or other organisms that can have adverse effects
on our environment, economy and health. Controlling pests has many benefits. Pest
management helps protect our native plants, animals and ecosystems. The
productivity of our primary sector (farming, forestry, horticulture, fishing and
aquaculture) relies on effective pest management. Pest management protects wāhi
tapu and taonga, restores the mauri of whenua and wai māori, and enhances the
well-being of local communities. It also contributes to the amenity of our
environment, and maintaining our health. Successful pest management is holistic in
nature and recognises the interconnectedness of people and the environment.
Everyone benefits from pest management and all have a part to play - individuals,
tangata whenua, community groups, industry, local government and central
government. Pests do not respect property, rohe or regional boundaries so a
coordinated effort is required for their effective management.
Auckland Council has a leadership responsibility for pest management in the region
under the Biosecurity Act 1993. In accordance with this act the council produces a
regional pest management plan.
This discussion document starts the review of the regional pest management plan for
Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland. The current plan was created in 2007, and since then
a lot has changed. We’re seeking your feedback on the matters discussed below,
and your comment on any other pest management issues you want to raise. It is
your chance to have your say.
He orotā tonu ētahi tupu otaota, kararehe me ētahi atu koiora e raru ai tō tātou taiao,
tokonga oranga, hauora hoki. He maha tonu ngā painga o te aukati orotā. He mea e
taea ai te tiaki i ā tātou tupu taketake, kararehe me ōna rauiringa taiao. Ko te
whaihua o ngā umanga matua (ahuwhenua, ngahere, tupu huawhenua, hī ika, ahu
kaimoana) me tōtika tonu te aukati i ngā raru tipua orotā. Ko te ngaki tipua orotā
tētahi o ngā here o te noho kaitiaki a te hunga manawhenua. Ko tāna, he tiaki i ngā
wāhi tapu me ana taonga, he whakaora anō i te mauri o te whenua me te wai māori,
e pai ake ai te hā ora o te haukāinga. E whaipānga hoki ki te pai o te taiao e nohoa
nei e tātou, e ora tonu ai tātou. Ko te hua ko ngā mahi ngaki tipua orotā he tāpapa
hora nui tōna āhua, me tōna aro atu ki te hononga tūturu i waenga i te tangata me te
taiao.
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Ka whai painga te katoa i ngā mahi ngaki tipua orotā, arā hei mahi tonu mā tēnā me
tēnā o tātou - takitahi mai, tangata whenua, tira hapori, wāhi mahi, mana kaunihera,
kāwanatanga atu. Kāhore he whakaaro nei o te tipua orotā ki te rawa, takiwā,
whenua ā-rohe rānei, nō reira me honohono tonu ngā mahi e whai hua ai ngā
whakahaere.
He herenga kei runga i te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau ki te arataki i ngā mahi
ngaki tipua orotā i raro i te Ture Tiaki i te Ao Koiora 1993. I raro i te maru o taua ture
ka whakairihia e te kaunihera he mahere ā-rohe hei ngaki tipua orotā.
Ko tā tēnei puka takinga kōrero te tīmatanga o te aromātai i te mahere ngaki tipua
orotā mō Tāmaki Makarau. I hanga te mahere e mau nei i te tau 2007, he nui tonu
ngā mea kua rerekē noa ake. Kei te kimi mātou i ō koutou whakaaro mō ngā take e
whai ake i raro iho nei, me ētahi atu take ngaki tipua orotā e hiahia ana koe ki te toko
ake. Koinei te wāhi e āhei ai tō whakapuaki kōrero.
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2 Ngā tūnga me ngā kawenga
Roles and responsibilities
2.1
Individual residents
The majority of pest management is carried out by individuals on land they own or
occupy, from rural residents controlling rabbits, through to city-dwellers deploying rat
traps. Gardeners may decide to keep their privet hedge trimmed so that it doesn’t
flower or plant a native nῑkau instead of an exotic palm. Many people undertake
integrated pest management on their land as part of an ecological restoration project
(see the box story on the Paradise Alley project). Auckland Council biosecurity staff
support people to carry out their own pest management by providing advice on what
species should be controlled, and how best to do this. Residents also play a valuable
role in reporting new sightings of pests, allowing the council or the Ministry for
Primary Industries (MPI) to take appropriate action.
The Paradise Alley project
Gail and Warwick Stent moved to Pāremoremo
over 15 years ago and started a battle to
control the wild ginger, morning glory, jasmine
and other pest plants that were smothering the
native bush that covers half their property.
Work they dubbed the ‘Paradise Alley’ project.
At first the process was frustrating with lots of
effort for little gain and weeds returning with a
vengeance. “It all started feeling like a rather
hopeless task because we did not have the
manpower or expertise to make a real and
lasting difference,” explains Warwick.
The pair contacted Auckland Council, and Mary Stewart, Senior Biosecurity Advisor
for the North Shore area, paid them a visit. “Mary helped immediately with advice on
which pest plants we should prioritise for control and which herbicides to use,” says
Warwick. “She saw the sense in my request to work alongside someone with
expertise so that we could learn by doing.”
Mary also offered advice on preparing an application for Environmental Initiatives
funding and suggested that the Stents work with a specialist weed control contractor.
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Working alongside the contractor, they quickly learned how to effectively deal with
weeds and use herbicides on their property in a precise and targeted way.
The outcome has been a heartening recovery and regeneration of the native bush.
Less control work is required each year as native seedlings take over the area and
fewer weeds establish.
Gael and Warwick are also controlling rats as part of their restoration work. They
have noticed an increase in native birds and are motivated by a vision of being part
of the North-West Wildlink corridor for birds flying between the Hauraki Gulf islands
and the Waitākere Ranges.
Mary has kept in touch with the Stents and continues to provide advice via email and
the occasional visit. Through the local newspaper, Warwick now shares his
newfound pest management knowledge with the Pāremoremo community. “I see it
as a way of paying back the help we have received,” he says.
2.2
Māori
Ko te noho kaitiaki mō tō rātou rohe he tikanga motuhake ake nā ngā mana whenua
o Tāmaki Makaurau. I te ao Māori, he whanaungatanga kei waenga i ngā mea katoa
- ngā tāngata, tupu taketake, tipua orotā me te taiao whānui tonu. He wāhanga noa
iho te ngaki tipua orotā nō te tirohanga whānui a te ao, e hua ai he painga ā-taiao, āiwi anō hoki. Ko tā te ngaki tipua orotā he whakapai ake i te mauri o te whenua me te
wai māori, me te oranga o te hā ora o te mana whenua me ōna haukāinga. Kia puta
ai ngā hua ki te rohe me mātua mahi tahi rawa tātou. Ahakoa he maha ngā iwi me
ngā rōpū e tautoko ana i ngā mahi ngaki tipua orotā i roto me waho atu i te rohe o
Tāmaki Makaurau, kāhore he aronga atu o te tipua orotā ki te iwi me ōna rohenga
whenua rānei. E hiahia ana te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau ki te mahi i te taha o
ngā mana whenua o te rohe, Te Papa Atawhai (DOC) me ērā atu rōpū hei whakarahi
ake i ngā mahi ngaki tipua orotā puta noa i ōnā rohe whakahaere.
He whānui tonu ngā mahi ngaki tipua orotā ngātahi ā ngā kaitiaki me te kaunihera,
tae atu ki te aromātai i te wai māori, te mate urutā e patu nei i te kauri me te oranga
o ngā ngahere. Ko tā te kaunihera he takitaki, he tautoko i ngā mana whenua i roto i
ā rātou mahi ngaki tipua orotā i runga i ō rātou whenua. Nāwai rā e piki haere ana
ēnei mahi mā roto i te whakarahi ake i ngā papamahi kia hua ai ngā painga ā-iwi, ātaiao anō hoki. I raro i ētahi tikanga ka kawea e ngā mana whenua me te kaunihera
ā rātou mahi ngaki tipua orotā i runga whakaaetanga tūturu, whakahaere ngātahinga
rānei. He tauira o tēnei ko te Mana Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau, i
whakatūria hei tiaki i ngā maunga (puia hū) i muri i ngā whakatau Tiriti o Waitangi.
Kei te tupu tonu ngā mahi ohaoha me ngā rawa whaihua ā ngā mana whenua pērā i
te mahi ngahere, hī ika me te ahuwhenua. He taonga nui tonu ēnei mō te oranga āiwi, ohaohanga noa rānei, e tika ana kia āraia i te tipua orotā. Ko tā te kaunihera he
āwhina me te takitaki i ngā mana whenua ki te kimi rongoa mō ngā whiu a te tipua
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orotā. He papa mātauranga motuhake tō te Māori (he mea tuku iho e pā ana ki tāna
tirohanga whānui ki te ao) me āna
ake tikanga whakahaere. Kei te kitea ēnei i roto i ngā tikanga ārai mō te ao taonga
koiora mai, whai rawa atu hoki. Ko tā te kaunihera he mahi tahi me ngā mana
whenua kia toka ai te mātauranga Māori me ā rātou tikanga hei puna taki kōrero e
whai hua ai ngā hōtaka ngaki tipua orotā o te rohe.
The mana whenua of Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland have an important and unique
role as kaitiaki of their rohe. In te ao Māori everything has a relationship – people,
native species, pests and the wider environment. Pest management is just one part
of a holistic, integrated world view, yielding both environmental and social outcomes.
Pest management can contribute to enhancing the mauri of the whenua and wai
māori, the protection of wāhi tapu and taonga, and the oranga of mana whenua and
local communities. To achieve these outcomes for the rohe, all must work together.
While there are many iwi and other organisations that contribute to pest
management within and outside of Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland, pests do not have
boundaries. Auckland Council wants to work alongside mana whenua as well as the
Department of Conservation (DOC) and other organisations to enhance pest
management across organisational boundaries.
Kaitiaki are involved in a diverse range of pest management activities including
monitoring of wai māori, kauri dieback disease, and the health of te ngahere as part
of animal pest control. The council provides advice and support for mana whenua
undertaking pest control on their whenua. Increasingly this is taking the form of
capacity-building, with the potential to support improved social and environmental
outcomes. In some situations mana whenua and the council undertake pest
management together as part of formal partnership and co-management
agreements. An example of this is the Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau
Authority, which is set up to manage the region’s maunga (volcanic cones) following
Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi settlements. Mana whenua o Tāmaki
Makaurau have increasing economic interests and ownership of primary production
assets such as forestry, fishing and farming. These assets and resources are
important for social and economic well-being but require protection from pests. The
council can assist and advise mana whenua with regards to solutions for economic
pest threats. Māori have a distinct knowledge base, mātauranga Māori (the body of
knowledge originating from Māori ancestors, including the Māori world view and
perspectives) and tikanga whakahaere (management approaches). These are
reflected in mana whenua priorities for biosecurity protection of taonga species and
resources. The council collaborates with mana whenua to ensure mātauranga Māori
me o rātou tikanga are recognised as important sources of knowledge and
information that add value to the region’s pest management programmes.
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2.3
Community organisations
Around 800 community groups undertake pest management across Tāmaki
Makaurau - Auckland. Their efforts cover more than 85,000ha of land and range in
size from a single trap line within an urban local park to large-scale conservation
projects such as Tāwharanui and Shakespear open sanctuaries. Community pest
control has achieved outstanding successes in ecological restoration across the
region. One example is Ark in the Park in the Waitākere Ranges. Ark in the Park has
protected over 3000ha of native forest on public and private land from mammalian
predators for more than 10 years, allowing the reintroduction of native species such
as kōkako, pōpokatea (whitehead) and toutouwai (North Island robin). Auckland
Council supports community pest control activities through the provision of traps,
bait, technical advice and training.
Photo: Ark in the Park
Pōpokatea (whitehead) being released in Ark in the Park.
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2.4
Industry
Pest management is a core activity for primary industry, from farmers controlling
ragwort on their own land, to the sector-wide plan by the kiwifruit industry to manage
the bacterial disease Psa-V (see the box story on Psa-V). Effective pest control also
minimises the cost to others of from weed species spreading to neighbouring
properties. Transport operators have a particular role in preventing the spread of
pests both on machinery and along road or rail corridors. The council supports
industry with advice on pest control and can help facilitate any regional pest or
pathway management plans industry may want to produce.
Tackling kiwifruit vine disease in the Auckland region
Kiwifruit vine disease is caused by a harmful bacterium commonly known as Psa-V.
This plant pathogen was first detected in New Zealand (Bay of Plenty) in 2010 and
has had a major financial impact on the kiwifruit industry. The organisation Kiwifruit
Vine Health Inc (KVH) was established by growers to lead the New Zealand kiwifruit
industry response to Psa-V. KVH now has an interest in managing all biosecurity
threats to kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.).
By 2012, Psa-V was established in kiwifruit orchards in the Franklin area of
Auckland. Approximately 7 per cent of New Zealand’s kiwifruit crop (earning
approximately $100 million per year in revenue) is grown in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and a biosecurity partnership between the kiwifruit industry (Auckland
growers, KVH) and the council was formed to control the disease in the region.
“Auckland Council has been very
helpful in assisting with the
identification and removal of
abandoned orchards,” says John
Mather from KVH, “also by assisting
with the costs of wild kiwifruit control
and surveillance for kiwifruit plants
and symptoms of Psa-V sold in plant
retail outlets such as garden centres
Pre-control with wildling kiwifruit
when undertaking inspections as
part of the National Pest Plant Accord.” John adds: “This cooperation between
industry and regional government has been invaluable in ensuring that Psa-V is
contained and that the kiwifruit industry remains viable. These actions have been
successful in that Psa-V is not yet established in the northwest Auckland kiwifruit
growing region.”
Photo: John Mather Kiwifruit Vine health
KVH and the council jointly funded the control of a sizeable wild kiwifruit infestation
at Pohuehue, north of the city (see before and after control photos). Wild kiwifruit and
abandoned orchards present a biosecurity threat to the kiwifruit industry in that they
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may harbour pests, including Psa-V, and continue to produce fruit which birds
consume. This spreads seed and results in further wild (or naturalised) vines. Wild
kiwifruit is a fast-growing and invasive vine, which reduces the biodiversity value of
native forest and the production value of exotic forest.
Wilding kiwifruit is declared a pest
Photo: John Mather Kiwifruit Vine health
plant within the current regional pest
management plan for Tāmaki
Makaurau - Auckland, but control is
only required within high
conservation value areas. To
prevent wilding kiwifruit becoming
an unwanted inoculum source of
kiwifruit vine disease, it has been
suggested that the council declares Post-control free of wilding kiwifruit
pre-control
wild kiwifruit (i.e. any naturalised Actinidia spp.) a pest, which is required to be
controlled at any identified wild kiwifruit site within the Auckland region.
2.5
Central government
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is the government agency charged with
national leadership in pest management. The ministry is responsible for:
•
administering the Biosecurity Act 1993 and the National Policy Direction
for Pest Management 2015
•
keeping pests out of Aotearoa - New Zealand through border control
•
responding to incursions of new-to-New Zealand pests
•
coordinating programmes to control certain ‘national interest’ pests, for
example kauri dieback and some aquatic weeds.
DOC is responsible for managing pests on conservation land. In Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, the council collaborates with DOC on many joint pest control programmes
such as the management of feral deer and the protection of the Hauraki Gulf islands.
2.6
Auckland Council
Auckland Council has regional leadership and regulatory functions for pest
management under the Biosecurity Act 1993. The council also has pest control
responsibilities as a landowner. In carrying out these activities the council is
committed to meeting its responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of
Waitangi and broader legal obligations to Māori.
The council’s regional leadership functions include:
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•
promoting public support of pest management
•
facilitating communication and cooperation among those involved in pest
management
•
providing education and technical support for pest control
•
researching pests and control methods
•
facilitating the development of regional pest management plans by others.
The council’s responsibilities are at a regional level and do not include national
border control. However, the council assists MPI in responding to new-to-New
Zealand incursions within the region, such as with the recent Queensland fruit fly
response.
The council also collaborates with a range of parties on national programmes as they
relate to the region. An example of this is the national kauri dieback control
programme where the council works with mana whenua, MPI, DOC and the
Northland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regional councils.
As a landowner, the council controls pests on land it administers such as parks and
roads. It also carries out direct control on some less common pests of high potential
threat on both public and private land. Many local board plans have also included
pest management activities in their outcomes and initiatives.
The council has a regulatory function to set and enforce rules. The current Auckland
Regional Pest Management Plan 2007-20121 provides a statutory as well as a
strategic framework for pest management in Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland. It
contains pest management programmes with rules preventing the sale, distribution,
propagation and breeding of some species. It requires landowners to control some
pests and keep others in secure containment. It also contains stronger rules for
particular areas of the region, for example the Waitākere Ranges and the Hauraki
Gulf.
As part of the review of the regional pest management plan, the management
programme for each pest will need to align with the programmes specified in the new
National Policy Direction for Pest Management 2015. Table 1 lists those new pest
management programmes and the relevant objective for each.
1
This document was previously termed the Auckland Regional Pest Management Strategy 2007-2012. The
reforms to the Biosecurity Act in 2012 renamed this document replacing the term “Strategy” with “Plan”.
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Table 1: New programmes that must be used in regional pest management plans.
Pest Management
Programme
The intermediate outcome specified in the National Policy
Direction
Exclusion
Programme
Prevent the establishment of a pest that is present in New
Zealand but not yet established in an area.
Eradication
Programme
To reduce the infestation level of the pest to zero levels in an
area in the short to medium term.
Progressive
Containment
Programme
Sustained Control
Programme
To contain or reduce the geographic distribution of the pest to
an area over time.
Site-led Pest
Programme
A pest that is capable of causing damage to a place is
excluded or eradicated from that place, or is contained,
reduced or controlled within the place to an extent that
protects the values of that place.
To provide for the ongoing control of the pest to reduce its
impacts on values and its spread to other properties.
Think about:
How could the council best carry out its regional leadership functions?
What pests and control methods should the council be investigating?
How could the council support your pest management activities?
See feedback question 1
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3 Take tupu orotā
Pest plant issues
3.1
Introduction
Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland is the weediest region in Aotearoa - New Zealand. In
addition to existing weeds, around four new plant species establish here each year.
Our current regional pest management plan lists over 200 pest plant species in four
management programme categories: total control, containment, surveillance, and
community initiative (see Appendix one). A further 28 plants are included in the
research programme (see Appendix three). The review of the current plan is an
opportunity to assess the pest plant species it contains to determine whether any
should be added or removed. For each species consideration of the aims and what
can be achieved is needed. In addition, the Biosecurity Act requires that a detailed
cost and benefit analysis of proposed programmes be carried out for each species
included in a regional pest management plan. This ensures that the pest
management programmes are targeted to achieve maximum benefits for the least
cost.
Auckland Council uses the pest infestation curve to assist decision-making on pest
management (see Figure 1). New or emergent pests with low numbers and limited
distribution are at the beginning of the curve. Pest control at this stage often involves
relatively low costs and high long-term benefits. For these weeds, progressive
containment or even eradication may be feasible, preventing them becoming the
widespread problem weeds of the future. For widespread weeds at the established
stage of the curve, the costs of control can be high, while benefits are often low.
Eradication of widespread weeds is unlikely to be feasible.
In the new plan, each pest will be managed under one or more of the five new
categories of programmes listed in Table 1.
Think about:
What plant species should be added to or removed from the regional pest
management plan?
What pest management programmes and objectives should apply to new or existing
pest plant species?
For current pest species, view the current Regional Pest Management Strategy
See feedback questions 2 and 3
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Pest Infestation Curve
Lag
Explosion
Established
Extent of infestation
Moth plant
Possums
Climbing asparagus
Woolly nightshade
0
Red eared slider turtle
Bangalow palm
Balloon vine
Time
Management
Objective
Cost Benefit Ratio
Place led
Species led
Prevention
Eradication
Lower costs/
higher benefits
Containment
Sustained Control
Site Protection
higher costs/
lower benefits
The pest infestation curve has three stages. The first is the lag phase, which is the
initial slow establishment phase when a pest is new or emergent and is very limited
in its distribution (the curve is almost flat). The second is the explosion phase when a
pest is still restricted in its range but densities and range are increasing rapidly (the
curve is steep). The third is the established phase when growth slows as the pest
fills most of its available habitat or niche (the curve levels off again). This is the
phase that applies to widespread and entrenched pests. There are often similar
management objectives and cost benefit ratios for pests at similar stages of the
curve.
The infestation curve is a model; it should only be used as a guide. Some pest
species can be widespread yet because of the attributes of the pest and the
available control methodologies, large areas can be successfully controlled for a
relatively low cost. Possums are an example of this.
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3.2
Bangalow palm
Bangalow palm is a native of eastern Australia. It is
very similar in appearance to our native nῑkau palm
and is a popular garden plant. Bangalow palm is a
research organism in the current regional pest
management plan. This means it is not subject to
rules, but has been assessed as a potential pest in
the explosion phase of the infestation curve.
Photo: Ewen Cameron
Bangalow palm is self-fertile, produces large
amounts of seed and is fast-growing. Research
suggests it can out-compete nῑkau palm. The nῑkau
is the world’s southernmost palm species and is a
taonga found only in Aotearoa - New Zealand.
Bangalow palm is increasingly found in areas of
native bush (as many as 1069 seedlings per
square metre in some Auckland forests), making it
a threat to native ecosystems.
To respond to this threat, bangalow palm could be made a pest plant in the new
regional pest management plan. As a pest plant, it would be banned from sale,
distribution and propagation. It could also be subject to active management and
control around areas of high biodiversity value. However, landowners would not be
required to remove established plants.
All species will go through a thorough cost and benefit analysis before being
included as pests in the plan. This is to ensure that the benefits of management
outweigh the costs. Making bangalow palm a pest would impose costs on those
currently selling the plant. It would also provide benefits by reducing the threat the
plant poses to our native forests.
Alternatives to making bangalow palm a pest include removing the plant from the
plan entirely or retaining it as a research organism. These options do not impose
costs on those currently selling the plant but neither do they address its
environmental impacts.
It is possible that bangalow palm will be included in the National Pest Plant Accord
from mid-2021. This will ban it from sale nationally. However, the climate of Tāmaki
Makaurau - Auckland provides ideal conditions for species like bangalow palm and it
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
Discussion document | 17
is likely to become even more invasive with climate change. So it is timely to
consider the status of bangalow palm in this review.
If research, consultation and cost-benefit analysis support making bangalow palm a
pest, the council will work with nurseries and growers to prepare for the change.
Photo: Ewen Cameron
Bangalow palm seedlings on forest floor look very similar to nīkau seedlings.
Think about:
Should bangalow palm be made a pest in the regional pest management plan?
If it is made a pest, what is the most appropriate management programme for it?
How could the spread of bangalow palm be prevented?
See feedback questions 2 and 3
3.3
Widespread weeds
Unfortunately, Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland has many weeds that are at the highly
established stage of the pest
infestation curve. Widespread and
common weeds like moth plant,
woolly nightshade and wild ginger
have adverse impacts on our
environment and are highly visible.
These pests are an important issue
for mana whenua, community
groups, industry and individual
residents. However, managing
these widespread weeds is often
Moth Plant
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
18 | Discussion document
difficult, costly and can be of limited benefit.
In the current regional pest management plan most widespread weeds are subject to
a surveillance pest management programme. This means they are banned from
sale, distribution and propagation. Auckland Council also encourages and offers
advice on their removal. There are no region-wide requirements for the council or
landowners to control surveillance pest plants. However, in specific areas such as
the Waitākere Ranges, Hunua Ranges, and Hauraki Gulf islands, stronger rules
apply for some species.
The council needs to decide whether to include these plants in the reviewed plan,
and which pest management programme(s) should apply. There is no equivalent to
the surveillance pest management programme in the new National Policy Direction
for Pest Management 2015. These weeds could be subject to a sustained control
programme across the region with stronger rules enforced in some areas.
Widespread weeds could also be included in site-led pest management programmes
to protect high value ecosystems and threatened species.
\
Woolly nightshade (left) and wild ginger (right)
Biological control can offer a long-term method to control (but not eradicate)
widespread weeds. These methods involve the application of a pest’s natural enemy
to reduce an infestation through predation or adverse effects. An example is the
control of mistflower which was a widespread weed threatening our native forests.
Mistflower has been successfully controlled by the introduction of two biological
agents: a white smut fungus and a gall fly. Biological control often has high initial
research and establishment costs but can be very cost effective in the long term.
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
Discussion document | 19
The resources available for pest management are limited. The priority given to
managing widespread weeds, relative to the more cost effective control of new and
emergent weeds, needs to be considered. Failure to adequately control new
emerging weeds may simply result in these species joining the ever-lengthening list
of widespread weeds.
Think about:
How should widespread weeds be managed in the regional pest management plan?
What objectives should be set and what rules should apply?
Which places or ecosystems should be prioritised for site-led management of
widespread weeds to protect the region’s biodiversity?
What priority should be given to controlling widespread weeds, compared to the
control of new and emergent weeds?
See feedback questions 2 and 3
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
20 | Discussion document
4 Take kararehe orotā
Pest animal issues
4.1
Introduction
Our current regional pest management plan lists 39 pest animals, including insects,
birds, reptiles and freshwater fish (see Appendix two). A further 10 animal species
are included in the research programme (see Appendix three). Because Aotearoa New Zealand lacks native land mammals (apart from bats), our native ecosystems
are especially vulnerable to the effects of introduced mammals. Predators such as
stoats eat our native wildlife, while herbivores such as possums and deer eat our
native plants. Other types of animals can also be pests. Introduced reptiles and fish
compete with native fish and damage the mauri of wai māori. Wasps compete with
native species and may affect human enjoyment of the environment.
The council is seeking feedback on potential changes to the management of two
pest animals in particular. However, like the pest plant species, this review is an
opportunity to consider the aims, benefits and costs of pest management for all the
animal species listed in the current regional pest management plan. It is also an
opportunity to consider which pest animals should be included or removed from the
plan. Pest animals in the new plan will need to be included in one or more of the five
new pest management programme categories listed in Table 1. For each species to
be included in the plan, the benefits of its management and inclusion must outweigh
the costs.
Think about:
What animal species should be added to or removed from the regional pest
management plan?
What pest management programmes and objectives should be applied to new or
existing pest animal species?
For current pest species, view the current Regional Pest Management Strategy
See feedback questions 4 and 5
4.2
Red-eared slider turtles
Red-eared slider turtles are among the top 100 invasive species in the world. They
are omnivores, mainly eating plants, but also insects, small fish and ground-nesting
birds. Turtles’ feeding activity is likely to degrade the mauri of wai māori by disturbing
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
Discussion document | 21
sediment and affecting other ecosystem processes. They can carry salmonella, and
overseas they have been responsible for disease transmission to humans, especially
to children.
The current regional pest management plan allows for red-eared slider turtles to be
bred, sold and kept as pets if they are held in secure confinement, such as an
aquarium. People typically purchase these turtles as pets when they are small,
attractive juveniles. But red-eared slider turtles can live for several decades and
grow to the size of a dinner plate. Owners can be unprepared for this and illegally
release them into the wild rather than finding alternatives. Red-eared slider turtles
have not yet been confirmed as breeding in the wild in our region. However, with
increasing temperatures it is anticipated that their eggs will soon be able to
successfully incubate and hatch.
It would be possible to ban the breeding, distribution and sale of red-eared slider
turtles in Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland in the new regional pest management plan.
This would reduce the risk of populations establishing in the wild and help safeguard
the mauri of wai māori and associated ecosystems.
People with existing pets could continue to keep them in secure confinement.
Red-eared slider turtle
Think about:
How should red-eared slider turtles be managed in the new regional pest
management plan?
See feedback questions 4 and 5
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4.3
Feral goats
Feral goats are one of the most destructive animals in native and plantation forests.
They are widespread throughout the region. Goats are opportunistic feeders,
destroying native forest understorey up to 2m high and feeding on newly planted or
young trees. Being both hardy and agile they can exploit areas that other grazing
animals cannot reach.
In the current regional pest management plan goats are considered feral and a pest
unless held in secure confinement, such as behind an effective fence. In addition,
the council controls feral goats in and around areas of significant ecological values
such as the Hunua and Waitākere ranges. However, these areas are subject to
constant re-invasion from farm escapes.
To complement the council’s current control activities, the new regional pest
management plan could include goat permit zones for buffer areas around the
Waitākere and Hunua ranges, and throughout the Hauraki Gulf islands. This would
provide greater protection than the current system affords, as goats are notorious for
escaping confinement. Goat permit zones would significantly reduce the risk posed
to important ecological areas by requiring high standards for goat fencing and
identification. However, the system would also provide for people who responsibly
farm and milk goats in these areas.
The council would also continue to work on eradicating the remaining feral goats in
areas of important ecological value.
Feral goats on Mt Richmond
Think about:
How should goats be managed in the new regional pest management plan?
See feedback questions 4 and 5
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Discussion document | 23
5 Te ngaki tipua orotā i te Moana o Tikapa /Te Moananui ā
Toi
Pest management in the Hauraki Gulf
Tῑkapa Moana/Te Moananui ā Toi - the
Hauraki Gulf is a special area, a
sanctuary for many of our threatened
native species, including birds, lizards,
insects and plants. Islands are key
areas for pest management as their
geographic isolation makes them easier
to protect from pest invasion than areas
on the mainland. Auckland Council,
DOC and many others control pest
plants and animals on the Hauraki Gulf
islands. Over half of the islands/island
groups in the Gulf are now free of
introduced mammals. Auckland Council
and DOC also respond to new
incursions of pests to keep these
islands pest free. These eradications
support ecosystem restoration and the
preservation of threatened species on
flagship islands such as Tiritiri Matangi,
Rangitoto, Rotoroa and Rākino.
Senior Biosecurity Advisor Jeff Cook inspects a
rodent monitoring station at Queens Wharf
Pest eradications are part of a range of biosecurity activities protecting the Gulf,
including:

the Treasure Islands public awareness programme, a partnership between
DOC and Auckland Council - www.treasureislands.co.nz

biosecurity checks of commercial vessels, translocated houses and freight
moving to or between islands to prevent re-invasion

traps, bait stations, monitoring devices and signs at prioritised boat ramps,
wharves and marinas within the Gulf for prevention or early detection of reinvasions

the Pest-free Warrant accreditation programme for vessels. Over 40
commercial and non-commercial organisations and contractors operating in
the Gulf now hold Pest-free Warrants.
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There is extra protection in place for the Gulf in the current regional pest
management plan to reflect the importance of the area. The Hauraki Gulf is a
controlled area under the Biosecurity Act 1993. This enables the council to place
restrictions on the transportation of pests to or within the Gulf. These controls are
primarily aimed at animal species such as possums, rats, plague (rainbow) skinks
and Argentine ants. Some pest plants, such as rhamnus (Evergreen buckthorn) and
moth plant, are subject to increased management efforts on Gulf islands compared
to on the mainland. Auckland Council also supports community pest management
and ecological restoration projects, such as the Windy Hill Rosalie Bay Catchment
Trust on Aotea - Great Barrier Island (see box).
The Windy Hill Rosalie Bay Catchment Trust
The Windy Hill Rosalie Bay catchment is located in the south east of Aotea - Great
Barrier Island. This remote area of the island has long been considered ecologically
significant. It has large areas of undisturbed mature coastal broadleaf podocarp
forest. The catchment is home to pāteke - brown teal duck, black petrels, Duvaucel’s
gecko, chevron and striped skinks, kākā and kererū. The rare plant Pimelea
tomentosa is found on the coast.
The Windy Hill Rosalie Bay Catchment Trust was formed in 2001. Currently there
are 14 landowners participating. The trust’s overall objective is to sustain and
enhance the biodiversity of the area by removing invasive plants and animals so that
native species can flourish, threatened species can be protected, and species that
have been lost to the island can be reintroduced.
The trust educates the community on the benefits of conservation and is committed
to assisting the island’s economy by creating conservation-based employment. The
trust raises funds and employs field workers to systematically remove invasive plants
and animals. As well as paid employment, 2000 volunteer hours are contributed
each year. Currently 620ha of land is under intensive management to control rats,
mice, pigs, rabbits and feral cats. Over the past 16 years, 44,000 rats and 302 feral
cats have been caught. Weeds are also managed and the programme now includes
wilding pines.
Auckland Council has supported Windy Hill through the Environmental Initiatives
Fund and the Natural Heritage Fund, co-funding many important ecological and
biodiversity outcomes. This includes the first translocation of the North Island robin, a
regionally extinct species, which was carried out in 2004 with a booster translocation
of 25 robins in March 2009 and another in 2012. Over 140 young robins have
fledged since 2004. Two rare chevron skinks were released at Windy Hill by DOC in
2004 and three pāteke were released in 2011. In January 2011, a Duvaucel’s gecko
was trapped, the second only sighting in 40 years.
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
Discussion document | 25
Several of the larger Gulf islands are home to substantial human populations. Pest
management on inhabited islands can be more complicated and challenging than on
small uninhabited islands. On inhabited islands some mammals can be seen as both
a pest and valued pet (e.g. cats) or food resource (e.g. feral pigs). Rats and other
pests on inhabited islands can be important sources of re-invasion for pest-free
islands. Forest fragments on inhabited Gulf islands are among the weediest in the
Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland region, with many of these invasive plants originating
from gardens.
The new regional pest management plan could continue to provide for particular
biosecurity programmes in the Gulf and address new challenges for pest
management in the Gulf in several ways.
Succulents such as century plant
(Agave americana) and Mauritius
hemp (Furcraea species) thrive on
cliffs and sand dunes and are invasive
on several Hauraki Gulf islands,
displacing native coastal plants and
altering habitat for native animals.
However, because succulents are
tolerant of coastal conditions, they are
also a popular choice of garden plant
for island residents. These plants
mainly spread vegetatively, not by
seed. Therefore their continued
availability on the mainland poses little
risk to island ecosystems compared to
species that are dispersed long
distances by wind or birds.
Agave americana
These species could be banned from sale, distribution and propagation within the
Gulf. Auckland Council could encourage and offer advice on their removal from
island properties. However, these controls would not require the removal of existing
plants and they would still be available for sale on the mainland.
The new regional pest management plan could also recognise the biological, cultural
and social diversity of the Hauraki Gulf islands by including site-led programmes for
particular islands or areas. For instance, feral pigs could be assigned to an
eradication programme for Waiheke Island.
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
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Think about:
How should the special nature of Tῑkapa Moana/Te Moananui ā Toi – the Hauraki
Gulf be recognised in the new regional pest management plan?
What plants and animals should or shouldn’t be considered pests in the Gulf?
How should the new regional pest management plan support pest management on
inhabited islands?
What kind of pest management programmes could apply to particular islands?
See feedback question 6
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
Discussion document | 27
6 Tipua taimoana orotā
Marine pests
The current regional pest management plan does not include any programmes for
marine pests. However, awareness of marine biosecurity roles and issues has
developed substantially since the current plan was produced in 2007. Marine pests
are seen as a particular issue for Tῑkapa Moana/Te Moananui ā Toi - the Hauraki
Gulf as well as a potential issue for the Manukau and Kaipara harbours. Marine
pests can affect recreation and industry, and outcompete native species. Marine
pests are very difficult to control once established, with high costs, rapid dispersal of
very large numbers of juveniles, and a lack of safe, effective control tools. Managing
the pathways by which organisms are introduced and spread can be a much more
efficient method of dealing with marine pests.
The Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan introduces rules regarding vessel biofouling
and in-water hull cleaning in sensitive environments as a means of pathway
management. Developing an inter-regional pathway management plan under the
Biosecurity Act is another option, along with raising awareness and producing best
practice guidelines for marine industries.
Think about:
Should the issue of marine pests should be addressed, and if so, how?
See feedback question 7
Great Barrier Island anting team, following
detection and control work
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7 Ngā mahi ngaki tipua ā-hapori ā muri ake nei
The future of community pest control
Auckland Council works with community groups undertaking pest control by
providing technical advice and resources such as traps, herbicides and bait. The
council also facilitates communication with and among communities through the Pest
Liaison Group. The new regional pest management plan could state that the council
will continue to provide this support as part of its strategic regional leadership
function.
The current regional pest management plan includes a programme type called
‘community initiative pest management’. These programmes allow for groups of
landowners/occupiers to collaboratively control pest plants or animals in an area with
formal support from the council. In some cases these programmes allow for specific,
enforceable rules to be created for that area.
Community initiative pest management programmes are not included in the National
Policy Direction for Pest Management 2015 and consequently cannot be included in
the new regional pest management plan. However, the new plan could signal the
possibility of using partial plan reviews to introduce site-led programmes for
community groups that wish to have their pest control reinforced by rules in the
future. Any partial plan changes would be subject to public consultation and costbenefit analysis as required by the Biosecurity Act 1993.
Consultation questions
Think about:
How can the council can best support pest management by community groups?
Should the new plan provide for site-led programmes for community groups?
See feedback question 8
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Discussion document | 29
8 Te whakarite mahere hōu
Preparing the new plan
Auckland Council welcomes your comments on the issues covered in this discussion
document, and any other pest management issues you would like to raise. You may
wish to suggest:
 new species for inclusion and how they should be managed
 existing pests to be removed from the plan
 changes to existing management programmes and rules
 particular areas where specific controls are required.
All the comments received will be considered in preparing the new regional pest
management plan. All pest management programmes in the new plan will be subject
to a cost benefit analysis as required by the Biosecurity Act 1993. The new proposed
plan will be made available for public submissions. Auckland Council will hold
hearings and then make decisions on the plan. Submitters will have the opportunity
to appeal those decisions to the Environment Court. Once any appeals are resolved,
or if no appeals are lodged, the new plan will come into effect.
There are consultation questions and space for your response on the back pages of
this document.
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
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9 Tuku korero ō whakaaro
Have your say on Pest Management in Auckland
You can have your say by:




Visiting the shape Auckland web page www.shapeauckland.co.nz
Sending an email to [email protected]
In person: Drop off at your local library, service centre or local board office
By post: Place your completed form in an envelope and send to freepost
address.
Regional Pest Management Plan,
Auckland Council,
Freepost Authority 238718,
Private Bag 92 300,
Auckland 1142
You can also view this document at your local library, service centre or local board;
online at shapeauckland.co.nz; or request a copy by calling 09 301 0101
Ka mutu tēnei kōrerorero a te Paraire 27 o Whiringa-ā-rangi 2015
This consultation closes on Friday 27 November 2015.
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
Discussion document | 31
Rārangi Kupu
Glossary
Animal
Animal pest
Bacterium
Biodiversity
Biological control
Costs and benefits
Disease
Distribute
Ecosystems
Effects
Any mammal, bird, fish, reptile or other vertebrate; any insect or other
invertebrate. Any living organism, except a plant, micro-organism or a
human being.
An animal declared a pest in a national or regional pest management plan.
Bacterium (plural: bacteria) constitute a large domain of microorganisms.
Typically a few micrometres in size, bacteria were among the first life forms
to appear on Earth, and are present in most of its habitats. Bacteria can be
pathogens of plants and animals.
The variability among living organisms from all habitats, including terrestrial,
marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological systems of which
they are part of. This includes diversity within species, between species and
of ecosystems.
Applying a natural enemy that will prey upon or adversely affect a pest with
the intention of reducing the level of infestation of the pest.
Costs and benefits of any kind, whether monetary or non-monetary.
A disease is an impairment of the normal state of an organism that
interrupts or modifies its vital functions. All species of plants, wild and
cultivated alike are subject to disease.
To propagate, offer for sale or sell, transport, release or in any way spread a
pest, whether for commercial gain or not. Distribution has a corresponding
meaning.
A dynamic complex of plant, animal and microorganism communities and
their non-living environment, interacting as a functional unit.
Unless the context otherwise requires, the term ‘effects’
(a) includes the following, regardless of scale, intensity, duration or
frequency:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
a positive or adverse effect; and
a temporary or permanent effect; and
a past, present or future effect; and
a cumulative effect that arises over time or in combination
with other effects; and
(b) also includes the following:
i.
ii.
Environment
a potential effect of high probability; and
a potential effect of low probability that has a high potential
impact.
Includes:
(a) ecosystems and their constituent parts, including people and their
communities; and
(b) all natural and physical resources; and
(c) amenity values; and
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(d) the aesthetic, cultural, economic and social conditions that affect or
are affected by any matter referred to in paragraphs (a) to (c).
Eradication
Exclusion
Exotic plant
Hauraki Gulf
Controlled Area
To reduce the infestation level of a pest to zero levels in an area in the short
to medium term.
To prevent the establishment of a pest or group of pests.
Introduced plants that are not native to New Zealand.
That part of the Hauraki Gulf within the Auckland region.
High potential threat
species
Any plant or animal species that poses a high level of threat to economic,
conservation or human health values in the Auckland region.
Incursion
A recent occurrence of a plant or animal species previously unknown in the
given area. Usually refers to highly invasive species.
A pathogen or its parts which can cause infection when transferred to
another favourable location or host.
Guardian, care giver.
The body specified as the management agency in a pest management plan
or a pathway management plan.
The essential quality and vitality of a being or entity.
A cooperative agreement between Nursery and Garden Industry New
Zealand, regional councils and government departments with biosecurity
responsibilities, to prevent the sale and/or distribution of specified pest
plants where horticultural trade is the most significant way of spreading the
plant in New Zealand.
The direction approved under section 57 of the Biosecurity Act 1993. Its
purpose is to ensure pest management plans provide the best use of
available resources and align with one another, when necessary.
See section 2 and Part 5 of that Act.
(a) in relation to any place physically occupied by any person, means
that person; and
(b) in relation to any other place, means the owner of the place; and
(c) in relation to any place, includes any agent, employee, or other
person, acting or apparently acting in the general management or
control of the place.
Welfare, well-being.
Organism:
Inoculum
Kaitiaki
Management agency
Mauri
National Pest Plant
Accord
National Policy
Direction
Occupier
Oranga
Organism
Pathogen
(a) does not include a human being or a genetic structure derived from
a human being;
(b) includes a microorganism;
(c) subject to paragraph (a), includes a genetic structure that is capable
of replicating itself (whether that structure comprises all or only part
of an entity, and whether it comprises all or only part of the total
genetic structure of an entity);
(d) includes an entity (other than a human being) declared by the
Governor-General by Order in Council to be an organism for the
purposes of the Biosecurity Act 1993;
(e) includes a reproductive cell or developmental stage of an organism;
(f) includes any particle that is a prion.
An infectious agent such as a virus, bacterium, prion, fungus, viroid or
parasite that causes disease in its host. The host may be an animal, a plant,
a fungus or even another microorganism.
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Pest
Pest plant
Progressive
containment
Propagation
Plant
Regional Pathway
Management Plan
Regional Pest
Management Plan
Research organism
Rohe
Rule
Secure confinement
Sell
Site led pest
programme
Sustained control
Taonga
Te ao Māori
Te ngahere
Wāhi tapu
Wai māori
Whenua
An organism specified as a pest in a national or regional pest management
plan.
A plant that has been declared a pest in a national or regional pest
management plan.
To contain or reduce the geographic distribution of a pest to an area over
time.
To grow new plants from seeds or from pieces cut from an existing plant, or
to make a plant produce more plants.
Any grass, tree, shrub, herb, flower, nursery stock, culture, vegetable, or
other vegetation, and also includes the fruit, seed, spore, portion or product
of any plant. Includes all aquatic plants.
A plan for the prevention or management of the spread of harmful
organisms made under Part 5 of the Biosecurity Act 1993.
See the interpretation and Part 5 of that Act.
A regional plan for the eradication or effective management of a particular
pest or pests made under Part 5 of the Biosecurity Act 1993.
See the interpretation and Part 5 of that Act.
An organism which is to be investigated or have research carried out on it to
determine if it will be declared a pest under the Biosecurity Act 1993.
Region.
A rule included in a pest management plan in accordance with section 73 of
the Biosecurity Act 1993. A breach of a rule constitutes an offence under
the Biosecurity Act 1993.
Means to keep an organism in a facility or structure that effectively prevents
the escape or passage of that organism.
Includes barter; and also includes offering, exposing, or attempting to sell,
or having in possession for sale, or sending or delivery for sale, causing or
allowing to be sold, offered, or exposed for sale, and also includes any
disposal whether for valuable consideration or not. ‘Sale’ has a
corresponding meaning.
A pest programme that contains, reduces or controls the pest(s) within a
place to an extent that protects the values of that place.
To provide for the ongoing control of a pest to reduce its impacts on values
and its spread to other properties.
Culturally valuable objects, resources, phenomena, ideas and techniques.
The Māori world [view].
The bush, forest.
Sacred place.
Fresh water.
Land.
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Āpitihanga tuatahi: Ngā tupu orotā i te wā nei
Appendix one: Current plant pests
Common name
Scientific name
Current management
programme (applies
throughout region unless
otherwise stated)
African club moss
African feather grass
Selaginella kraussiana
Cenchrus macrourus syn.
Pennisetum macrourum
Eragrostis curvula
Cotyledon orbiculata
Agapanthus praecox syn. A. orientalis
(large forms only)
Alternanthera philoxeroides
Aristea ecklonii
Lamium galeobdolon syn.
Galeobdolon luteum & Lamiastrum
galeobdolon
Zantedeschia aethiopica
Fallopia japonica syn. Reynoutria
japonica , F. sachalinensis & hybrids
syn. R. sachalinensis
Asparagus drepanophyllus & A.
umbellatus
Carex longebrachiata
Surveillance
Total control
African love grass
African pig’s ear
Agapanthus (large forms)
Alligator weed
Aristea
Artillery plant
Arum lily
Asiatic knotweed
Asparagus species
Australian sedge
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control
Total control
Containment (boundary
control) in rural areas and
Containment (removal) in
mapped area of Clevedon
and Surveillance elsewhere
Surveillance
Total control
Baccharis
Balloon vine & Small
balloon vine
Banana passionfruit
Baccharis halimifolia
Cardiospermum grandiflorum &
C. halicacabum
Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima, P.
mixta & P. tarminiana
Barberry
Bartlettina
Berberis glaucocarpa
Bartlettina sordida
Bathurst bur
Xanthium spinosum
Blackberry (wild
aggregates)
Rubus fruticosus agg.
Surveillance
and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
and
Community Initiative
Containment (removal) on all
sheep, cattle and cropping
farms and
Surveillance elsewhere
Surveillance
Bladderwort species
Utricularia arenaria, U. gibba, U. livida
Surveillance
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Common name
Scientific name
Blue morning glory
& U. sandersonii
Ipomoea indica
Blue passion flower
Blue spur flower
Bog bean
Bolivian fuchsia
Bomarea
Boneseed
Boxthorn
Brazilian pepper tree
Broomsedge
Brush cherry
Passiflora caerulea
Plectranthus ecklonii & P. grandis
Menyanthes trifoliata
Fuchsia boliviana
Bomarea multiflora syn. B. caldasii
Chrysanthemoides monilifera
Lycium ferocissimum
Schinus terebinthifolius
Andropogon virginicus
Syzygium australe
Brush wattle
Paraserianthes lophantha
Buddleia
Bur daisy
Burdock
Bushy asparagus
Buttercup bush
Buddleja davidii
Calotis lappulacea
Arctium minus
Asparagus aethiopicus syn. A.
densiflorus
Senna septemtrionalis
Californian bulrush
Cape honey flower
Cape ivy
Schoenoplectus californicus
Melianthus major
Senecio angulatus
Cape sundew
Cape tulip
Carex
Castor oil plant
Cathedral bells
Cat’s claw creeper
Caulerpa
Chilean flame creeper
Chilean glory creeper
Cilean needle grass
Chilean rhubarb
Clasped pondweed
Clematis flammula
Climbing asparagus
Drosera capensis
Moraea flaccida syn. Homeria collina
Carex divulsa
Ricinus communis
Cobaea scandens
Macfadyena unguis-cati
Caulerpa taxifolia
Tropaeolum speciosum
Eccremocarpus scaber
Nassella neesiana
Gunnera tinctoria
Potamogeton perfoliatus
Clematis flammula
Asparagus scandens
Climbing dock
Climbing gloxinia
Rumex sagittatus
Lophospermum erubescens
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Current management
programme (applies
throughout region unless
otherwise stated)
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control
Surveillance (Hauraki Gulf
islands)
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Containment (removal)
Surveillance (Hauraki Gulf
islands)
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance and Community
Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Common name
Scientific name
Current management
programme (applies
throughout region unless
otherwise stated)
Climbing spindle berry
Coast banksia
Coltsfoot
Cotoneaster
Celastrus orbiculatus
Banksia integrifolia
Tussilago farfara
Cotoneaster glaucophyllus &
C. franchetii
Salix x fragilis
Total control
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Crack willow
Darwin’s barberry
Devil’s fig
Devil’s tail
Egeria
Berberis darwinii
Solanum torvum
Persicaria perfoliata syn. Polygonum
perfoliatum
Opuntia monacantha
Kennedia rubicunda
Vallisneria australis (syn. V.
gigantean & V. spiralis)
Egeria densa
Elaeagnus
Elaeagnus x reflexa
Elephant’s ear
English ivy
False tamarisk
Fire tree
Firethorn
Formosa lily
Fringed water lily
German ivy
Giant hogweed
Giant reed
A. brisbanensis
Hedera helix subsp. helix
Myricaria germanica
Myrica faya
Pyracantha angustifolia
Lilium formosanum
Nymphoides peltata
Delairea odorata syn. Senecio
mikanioides
Heracleum mantegazzianum
Arundo donax
Goat’s rue
Gorse
Galega officinalis
Ulex spp.
Great reedmace
Green cestrum
Grey willow
Typha latifolia
Cestrum parqui
Salix cinerea
Guinea grass
Megathyrsus maximus syn. Panicum
maximum
Lycopus europaeus
All Hieracium spp.
Drooping prickly pear
Dusky coral pea
Eel grass
Gypsywort
Hawkweed
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Total control
Total control
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control (Great Barrier)
and Surveillance elsewhere
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Containment (boundary
control) in rural areas and
Surveillance elsewhere
and Community Initiative
Total control
Total control
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
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Common name
Scientific name
Current management
programme (applies
throughout region unless
otherwise stated)
Hawthorn
Heather
Surveillance
Surveillance
Hemlock
Himalayan honeysuckle
Crataegus monogyna
Calluna vulgaris (excluding double
flowered cultivars)
Conium maculatum
Leycesteria formosa
Hornwort
Horsetail
Houttuynia
Hydrilla
Iceplant
Italian arum
Italian jasmine
Japanese honeysuckle
Ceratophyllum demersum
All Equisetum spp.
Houttuynia cordata
Hydrilla verticillata
Carpobrotus edulis & hybrids
Arum italicum
Jasminum humile
Lonicera japonica
Japanese spindle tree
Jasmine
Euonymus japonicus
Jasminum polyanthum
Johnson grass
Kangaroo acacia
Khasia berry
Sorghum halepense
Acacia paradoxa
Cotoneaster symondsii syn. C.
simonsii
Pueraria lobata syn. P. montana
Lagarosiphon major
Kudzu vine
Lagarosiphon, Oxygen
weed
Lantana
Lantana camara
Lizard’s tail
Lodgepole pine
Madeira vine
Saururus cernuus
Pinus contorta
Anredera cordifolia
Male fern
Manchurian wild rice
Marshwort
Mexican daisy
Mexican feather grass
Mexican water lily
Mickey Mouse plant
Mile-a-minute
Dryopteris filix-mas
Zizania latifolia
Nymphoides geminata
Erigeron karvinskianus
Nassella tenuissima
Nymphaea mexicana
Ochna serrulata
Dipogon lignosus
Mist flower
Monkey apple
Ageratina riparia
Syzygium smithii syn. Acmena smithii
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
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Surveillance
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control
Surveillance
Total control (rural areas) and
Surveillance elsewhere
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control in High
Conservation Value sites
and Surveillance elsewhere
and Community Initiative
Surveillance
Total control
Total control
Surveillance
Total control
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance and
Common name
Scientific name
Montbretia
Montpellier broom
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora
Genista monspessulana syn. Teline
monspessulana
Araujia hortorum syn. Araujia
sericifera
Moth plant
Nardoo
Nassella species
Nassella tussock
Needle grass
Nodding thistle
Noogoora bur
Current management
programme (applies
throughout region unless
otherwise stated)
Norfolk Island hibiscus
Nutgrass
Old man’s beard
Oxylobium
Palm grass
Marsilea mutica
Nassella spp.
Nassella trichotoma
Austrostipa rudis
Carduus nutans
Xanthium strumarium syn.
occidentale
Lagunaria patersonia
Cyperus rotundus
Clematis vitalba
Callistachys lanceolata
Setaria palmifolia
Pampas grass
Cortaderia jubata & C. selloana
Paperbark poplar
Parrot’s feather
Pennisetum (now
Cenchrus) species
(except kikuyu grass and
pearl millet)
Perennial nettle
Periwinkle
Phoenix palm
Phragmites
Pitted crassula
Plectranthus
Plumeless thistle
Port Jackson fig
Privet
Melaleuca quinquenervia
Myriophyllum aquaticum
All Pennisetum spp., now Cenchrus
spp. (except P. clandestinum, now C.
clandestinus & P. glaucum, now C.
americanus)
Urtica dioica
Vinca major
Phoenix canariensis
Phragmites australis
Crassula multicava
Plectranthus ciliatus
Carduus acanthoides
Ficus rubiginosa
Ligustrum lucidum & L. sinense
Purple loosestrife
Pyp grass
Lythrum salicaria
Ehrharta villosa
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Containment (removal) in
mapped zones of Waitākere,
Hunua, North Shore and
Hauraki Gulf islands and
Surveillance elsewhere and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control
Total control
Containment (removal)
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control
Surveillance
Surveillance
and
Community Initiative
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance and
Community Initiative
Total control
Surveillance
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
Discussion document | 39
Common name
Scientific name
Current management
programme (applies
throughout region unless
otherwise stated)
Queensland poplar
Ragwort
Homalanthus populifolius
Jacobaea vulgaris syn. Senecio
jacobaea
Reed sweet grass
Rhamnus
Glyceria maxima
Rhamnus alaternus
Rhus tree
Toxicodendron succedaneum syn.
Rhus succedanea
Cyathea cooperi
Osmunda regalis
Carthamus lanatus
All Sagittaria spp. (except S. teres)
Salvinia molesta
Geitonoplesium cymosum
Gymnocoronis spilanthoides
Rhaphiolepis umbellata
Acaena agnipila
Chondrilla juncea
Asparagus asparagoides
Surveillance
Containment (boundary
control) in rural areas and
Surveillance elsewhere and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Total control (Hauraki Gulf
Controlled Area) and
Containment in mapped
mainland coastal zone and
Surveillance elsewhere in
region and Community
Initiative
Surveillance
Rough tree fern
Royal fern
Saffron thistle
Sagittaria species
Salvinia
Scrambling lily
Senegal tea
Sexton’s bride
Sheep’s bur
Skeleton weed
Smilax
Snow poppy
Spanish heath
Spartina
Eomecon chionantha
Erica lusitanica
Spartina alterniflora, S. anglica & S. x
townsendii
Spiny broom
Strangling fig
Sweet briar
Sweet pea shrub
Calicotome spinosa
Ficus microcarpa
Rosa rubiginosa
Polygala myrtifolia (excl. cv.
‘Grandiflora’)
Pittosporum undulatum
Myoporum insulare including hybrids
Tradescantia fluminensis
Sweet pittosporum
Tasmanian ngaio
Tradescantia
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Surveillance
Total control
Surveillance
Total control
Surveillance
Total control
Total control
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Containment (removal) on
Great Barrier island and in
mapped zone of Waitākere
and Surveillance elsewhere
and Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control (Waitematā and
Manukau harbours and east
coast waterbodies) and
Surveillance elsewhere
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance and
Common name
Scientific name
Tree of heaven
Tuber ladder fern
Ailanthus altissima
Nephrolepis cordifolia
Tutsan
Variegated thistle
Velvet groundsel
Hypericum androsaemum
Silybum marianum
Roldana petasitis syn. Senecio
petasitis
Eichhornia crassipes
Pistia stratiotes
Hydrocleys nymphoides
Ludwigia peploides subsp.
montevidensis
Bryonia cretica
Solanum marginatum
Cytisus scoparius (excl. cultivated
varieties)
Hedychium gardnerianum & H.
flavescens
Water hyacinth
Water lettuce
Water poppy
Water primrose
White bryony
White-edged nightshade
Wild broom
Wild ginger
Current management
programme (applies
throughout region unless
otherwise stated)
Wild kiwifruit
Actinidia species (wild varieties only)
Woolly nightshade
Solanum mauritianum
Yellow flag
Yellow water lily
Iris pseudacorus
Nuphar lutea
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
and Community Initiative
Surveillance
Containment (removal)
Surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control
Surveillance
Surveillance
Total control
Total control (rural areas)
and Surveillance elsewhere
Containment (removal) on
Great Barrier and in mapped
areas of Waitākere and Hunua
and Surveillance elsewhere
and Community Initiative
Containment in natural
habitats throughout region
Containment (removal) on
Great Barrier and in mapped
areas of Waitākere and
Containment (boundary
control) elsewhere and
Community Initiative
Surveillance
Surveillance
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Āpitihanga tuarua: Ngā kararehe orotā i te wā nei
Appendix two: Current animal pests
Common name
Scientific name
Current management
programme
Linepithema humile
Polistes chinensis
Polistes humilis
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Vespula vulgaris
Vespula germanica
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Gambusia
Ameiurus nebulosus syn. Ictalurus
nebulosus
Gambusia affinis
Gudgeon
Gobio gobio
Declared pest across the region
Koi carp
Cyprinus carpio
Declared pest across the region
Marron
Declared pest across the region
Orfe
Perch
Cherax tenuimanus & C.
quadracarinatus
Leuciscus idus
Perca fluviatilis
Rudd
Scardinius erythrophthalmus
Tench
Tinca tinca
Invertebrates
Argentine ant
Asian paper wasp
Australian paper
wasp
Common wasp
German wasp
Freshwater Fish
Brown bullhead catfish
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest in high conservation
value water bodies and their
catchments
Declared pest in high conservation
value water bodies and their
catchments
Declared pest in high conservation
value water bodies and their
catchments
Reptiles
Blue-tongued skink
Eastern water dragon
Pogona barbata syn. Amphibolurus
barbatus
Tiliqua scincoides & T. nigrolutea
Physignathus lesueurii lesueurii
Red-eared slider turtle
Trachemys scripta elegans
Shingleback lizard
Trachydosaurus rugosus syn.
Bearded dragon
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Declared pest across the region
when not held in secure containment
Surveillance throughout region
Declared pest across the region
when not held in secure containment
Declared pest across the region
when not held in secure containment
Declared pest across the region
Common name
Scientific name
Current management
programme
Tiliqua rugosa
when not held in secure containment
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Feral goat
Feral pig
Ferret
Hedgehog
Magpie
Mouse
Felis catus
Cervus, Axis, Dama, Odocoileus, or
Elaphurus spp. including any hybrid
Capra hircus feral
Sus scrofa
Mustela furo
Erinaceus europaeus occidentalis
Gymnorhina spp.
Mus musculus
Possum
Rabbit
Trichosurus vulpecula
Oryctolagus cuniculus cuniculus
Rats (Ship and
2
Norway rat and Kiore )
Stoat
Wallabies
Rattus rattus, Rattus norvegicus
and Rattus exulans
Mustela erminea
Macropus, Petrogale or Wallabia
spp.
Mustela nivalis vulgaris
Declared pest across the region
Acridotheres tristis
Corvus frugilegus
Cacatua galerita
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
wherever it is not held in secure
confinement
Mammals
Feral cat
Feral deer
Weasel
Birds
Myna
Rook
Sulphur-crested
cockatoo
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest in Hauraki Gulf
Controlled Area
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
Declared pest across the region
2
Representatives of Ngāti Wai have stated that they regard Kiore as taonga. Kiore are present on some outer
off-shore islands in the Hauraki Gulf (e.g. Aotea). Auckland Council recommends consultation with mana whenua
(including but not limited to Ngāti Wai) before any rat control that may impact on Kiore is undertaken.
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
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Āpitihanga tuatoru: Ngā mahi rangahau koiora i te wā nei
Appendix three: Current research organisms
Plant species
Common Name
Agapanthus (dwarf forms)
Alder
Bangalow palm
Bead tree
Bear’s breeches
Brazilian rattlebox
Camphor laurel
Century plant
Chilean rhubarb
Chinese fan palm
Chocolate vine
Cretan brake
Dally pine
Feral olives
Furcraea species
Guava
Loquat
Marram grass
Moreton Bay fig
Porcelain berry
Queen of the night
Queensland umbrella tree
Silky acacia
Sycamore
Sydney golden wattle
Taiwan cherry
Wild tamarind
Wongawonga vine
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Scientific Name
Agapanthus spp. & cultivars & hybrids
Alnus glutinosa
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
Adenanthera pavonina
Acanthus mollis
Sesbania punicea
Cinnamomum camphora
Agave americana
Gunnera manicata
Trachycarpus fortunei
Akebia quinata
Pteris cretica
Psoralea pinnata
Olea europaea
Furcraea spp.
Psidium guajava & P. cattleianum
Eriobotrya japonica
Ammophila arenaria
Ficus macrophylla
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata
Cestrum nocturnum
Schefflera actinophylla
Albizia julibrissin
Acer pseudoplatanus
Acacia longifolia
Prunus campanulata
Leucaena leucocephala
Pandorea pandorana
Animal species
Common Name
Bearded dragon
Darwin’s ant
Eastern water dragon
Feral peafowl
Galah
Hare
Rainbow skink (now Plague skink)
Red-eared slider turtle
Shingleback lizard
Tree frog
Scientific Name
Amphibolurus barbatus syn. Pogona barbata
Doleromyrma darwiniana
Physignathus lesueurii lesueurii
Pavo cristatus
Cacatua roseicapilla
Lepus europaeus
Lampropholis delicata
Trachemys scripta elegans
Trachydosaurus rugosus syn. Tiliqua rugosa
Litoria species
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
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Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan consultation
questions:
Ngā kawenga o Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland Council’s role in
pest management:
Q1:
What should Auckland Council’s role be in pest management?
Ngā take tupu kīrearea - Pest plant issues:
Q2:
What plant species should be added or removed from the regional pest
management plan?
Q3:
How should council manage pest plant species?
Ngā take kīrehe kīrearea - Pest animal issues
Q4:
What animal species should be added or removed from the regional pest
management plan?
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Q5:
How should council manage pest animal species?
Whakahaere kīrearea i Tikapa Moana/Te Moananui ā Toi me ngā kīrearea waitai
Pest management in the Hauraki Gulf and marine
Q6:
How should the special nature of Tikapa Moana/Te Moananui ā Toi - the
Hauraki Gulf be reflected in the new regional pest management plan?
Q7:
How might the issue of marine pests be addressed?
Whakahaere ngā take kīrearea - The future of pest control
Q8: How can the council best continue to support pest management community
groups?
Q9: Do you have any additional comments on pest management in the Tāmaki
Makaurau – Auckland region?
Need more room? You can attach extra pages, but please make sure they are A4,
and also include your name and contact information
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
Discussion document | 47
Auckland Regional Pest Management Plan review
48 | Discussion document