Instead of number eight wire Mokau farmer Tom Komene has used a heap of well-tensioned barbed wire, battens and posts to keep his stock from wandering on the road.
The small costal settlement of Mokau 45km north of Whangarei, has been a trouble spot for wandering livestock for 22 years and last week three horses were shot by an animal control officer. Authorities received a complaint of three pigs and a couple of cattle on the stretch of rural road on Saturday.
Some fences bordering the main road are not stock-proof but during the past few months some owners have made some improvements.
Leading the way has been Mr Komene, who in the past year, has worked hard to upgrade the boundary fence on his property. He has also offered to help others with upgrading fences but he says money is usually the stumbling block.
"It comes down to cost for most people. I've spent $4500 on posts to do this fence," Mr Komene said.
"I want to keep my stock off the road ... I don't want the council to shoot them because they are worth too much money these days. Fences keep everyone else's stock out of my paddocks, too."
Mr Komene has lived in Mokau for more than three decades and runs 30 head of cattle and five horses. He said community members recently had made an effort to repair some of the fences by the road.
"We have to get stock off the road because they are a danger to people driving. Before the road was tarsealed it wasn't a problem but now there are more people using this road."
Options to stop wandering stock being explored by Whangarei District Council include installing cattle stops at a cost of $20,000 per unit, or building a small stockyard to keep wandering stock in before trucking them away, which would cost $6000 plus staff time. Some stock could be sold to recover costs and spraying the grass on the roadside so the wandering stock had no food would also be considered. In the meantime, animal control would continue to shoot all beasts on the road.
Last Thursday a stallion, mare and yearling were shot about 8am at Mokau. Environment Northland manager Keith Thompson confirmed there had been three complaints about cows and horses on the road the day before. On Thursday he went to Mokau after another call and found the three horses, in poor condition, on the road. Since June 14, cattle and four horses have been shot at Mokau.