Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Calls for Canada goose cull in Tauranga reserves over fears for ecosystem

Harriet Laughton
By Harriet Laughton
Multimedia journalist·Bay of Plenty Times·
5 Jun, 2024 05:00 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Some in Tauranga aren't happy with the large population of Canada geese at Gordon Carmichael Reserve. Photo / Alex Cairns

Some in Tauranga aren't happy with the large population of Canada geese at Gordon Carmichael Reserve. Photo / Alex Cairns

A hunter says an explosion in Tauranga’s population of Canada geese is damaging public spaces and there should be a cull.

Adam Rayner has hunted the geese for farmers over the past 12 years and said their effects on open green spaces were “devastating”.

“They eat so much grass and if they’re not eating it they are defecating on it. Something needs to be done,” the Welcome Bay resident said.

He had seen farmers who “couldn’t afford to keep on their sheep because the geese ate all their grass”.

Hunter Adam Rayner believes the overpopulation of Canada geese at Gordon Carmichael Reserve is damaging the ecosystem. Photo / Alex Cairns
Hunter Adam Rayner believes the overpopulation of Canada geese at Gordon Carmichael Reserve is damaging the ecosystem. Photo / Alex Cairns
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said the goose population had “gone crazy” over the past three years and estimated 300 to 500 lived in and around the Gordon Carmichael Reserve in Bethlehem, as one example.

He believed they were “damaging” the reserve’s ecosystem.

“You see fewer ducks at the reserve now because there are more geese and you only have to look to see how polluted their waterway is.”

The two species typically cohabited but the extra geese meant they were all fighting for food sources.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Rayner said the geese were territorial and aggressive, especially mothers during the summer breeding season, and this could be dangerous for children visiting the reserve.

The geese bred successfully in New Zealand because of its warm climate and absence of natural predators.

He urged Tauranga City Council to take more action because, if it was not an issue now, it would become one if the population kept growing.

An estimated 300 to 500 Canada geese are living at Gordon Carmichael Reserve. Photo / Alex Cairns
An estimated 300 to 500 Canada geese are living at Gordon Carmichael Reserve. Photo / Alex Cairns

Neil Donaldson said he was biking through Gordon Carmichael Reserve when a Canada goose flew across his path and caused him to tumble to the ground.

He said his fall earlier this year resulted in a torn shoulder and scraped knee.

He believed the goose population was “out of control”.

“I don’t know what the answer is in today’s world – I was brought up on a farm so I’ve got answers from 30 years ago but you can’t do that any more. I know and I understand that.”

In his opinion, the overpopulation resulted in fewer ducks at the reserve, bank erosion and a concerning amount of excrement across the park.

“I would assume competing with large quantities of geese who eat similar amounts as a flock of sheep may be the reason for less species of a few birds at the park,” Donaldson said.

Erosion at Gordon Carmichael Reserve. Photo / Alex Cairns
Erosion at Gordon Carmichael Reserve. Photo / Alex Cairns

The Bay of Plenty Times posted on social media asking locals who visited the reserve for their views. Some shared their concerns about waterways being polluted by goose droppings, while others worried the geese had driven away other wildlife.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Others reported having to dodge goose “landmines … bigger than dog s***” and seeing geese with goslings attacking small dogs and children. One said she would not take her child to the playground because of it.

Some commenters had no problem with the geese and said off-leash dogs were the issue as they were known to chase and harm the birds.

A Canada goose at Gordon Carmichael Reserve. Photo / Alex Cairns
A Canada goose at Gordon Carmichael Reserve. Photo / Alex Cairns

Tauranga City Council environment team leader Paul Greenshields said he was aware of concern about the large numbers of geese living and feeding within the city’s open green spaces.

The council had not received any reports of fewer ducks at Gordon Carmichael Reserve or of polluted waterways.

“Due to their high mobility and the restrictive nature of an urban environment, control methods are limited,” Greenshields said.

“The most effective technique used is egg addling, where the eggs are painted with an oil-based natural liquid that prevents development and therefore it does not hatch.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The council addled more than 300 eggs last spring across city reserves such as the Kōpurererua Valley and Gordon Carmichael Reserve.

A city-wide pest management strategy was being developed in the next three years that would provide high-level guidance and kick off pest animal control plans “implemented either by species or by reserve outcomes”.

The council was also looking into modifying parks and reserves through planting to limit the space for geese to graze.

How Tauranga Airport deters geese

Tauranga Airport manager Ray Dumble said its deterrents for geese included bird-scare cannons, lasers, pyrotechnic screamers and bangers.

“Occasionally, there are geese in the vicinity of the airport, but they … have caused no issues in the past 20 years.”

Canada geese at Holdens Bay in Rotorua. Picture / Andrew Warner
Canada geese at Holdens Bay in Rotorua. Picture / Andrew Warner

Canada geese are classed as an unprotected species after being moved from schedule 1 of the Wildlife Act to schedule 5 in 2011, which meant they are no longer considered game birds.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Anyone is allowed to manage the geese on their own property by any humane means.

Farmer Peter Davies, who owns a farm near Lake Rotoma, said sometimes there were so many geese on his property that they “blocked out the sun”.

They polluted four to five hectares at a time over a couple of weeks.

“They’re a good nuisance to all farmers and they are hard to get rid of because they are very intelligent.”

Harriet Laughton is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty.


Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'The man I once trusted violently raped me': Man jailed for attacking ex-wife next to sleeping child

07 Jul 08:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Do it now, run him over'. Teen who ran over mother's partner twice can finally be named

07 Jul 07:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Hunter who feeds the hungry named Volunteer of the Year

07 Jul 06:56 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'The man I once trusted violently raped me': Man jailed for attacking ex-wife next to sleeping child

'The man I once trusted violently raped me': Man jailed for attacking ex-wife next to sleeping child

07 Jul 08:00 AM

The man apologised to his victim, but pleaded not guilty.

'Do it now, run him over'. Teen who ran over mother's partner twice can finally be named

'Do it now, run him over'. Teen who ran over mother's partner twice can finally be named

07 Jul 07:00 AM
Hunter who feeds the hungry named Volunteer of the Year

Hunter who feeds the hungry named Volunteer of the Year

07 Jul 06:56 AM
Downhill mountain bikers impress on world stage

Downhill mountain bikers impress on world stage

07 Jul 06:38 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP