More funding for war on weeds

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry

A war on weeds to eradicate some of the region's worst plants will get a much needed boost with $100,000 for Horizons Regional Council.

"DoC will fund 10 regional and district councils to do weed control projects in their communities, especially those that target our annual 'Dirty Dozen' weeds - identified as doing the most damage by smothering our natural landscapes and destroying the habitats of our native species," Conservation Minister Maggie Barry said.

"Invasive weeds threaten our native animals and plants, destroy our unique landscapes, and impact agriculture and the favourite places we like to visit," Ms Barry said.

The project focuses on hard to tackle weeds including old man's beard, wandering willie, Japanese honeysuckle and banana passionfruit and intensifies the efforts to keep them under control or totally eradicate them.

In total, almost $500,000 extra will be spent on regional projects that target the country's worst weeds.

Horizons Regional Council co-ordinator habitat protection Aaron Madden said the extra funding from DoC is targeted specifically for the Te Apiti Manawatu Gorge project.

A total of $80,000 of this will be used for ground control of old man's beard and will be in addition to the project's current $50,000 budget for old man's beard control.

"We hope that the extra funding will allow us to treat all accessible old man's beard vines in the project area during the upcoming control season. If this is achieved, future old man's beard control will consist of maintenance works at a much reduced cost and the native forest will be protected from one of its largest threats," Mr Madden said.

He said the other $20,000 of the extra funding will be used for control of Japanese honeysuckle and wandering willie.

"This work will be undertaken by local iwi Rangitane, who are stakeholders in the Te Apiti Manawatu Gorge project. The current weed budget has not allowed large scale control work for these two weeds so the chance to make a significant impact on them with this extra funding is most welcome."

Department of Conservation supervisor of biodiversity Dan Wynchester said DoC already have weed programmes on Conservation land and in reserves and he didn't believe it had been this bad before.

"It will only get worse as time goes on. Old man's beard is all through rivers and mainly willow areas. Banana passionfruit is limited but also scattered through those areas," Mr Wynchester said. A key part of the regional programme is to build support and help enable people to join the fight in the War on Weeds and know which plants are on this year's Dirty Dozen list.

"Councils are well placed to energise local communities to join forces on the War on Weeds because they already have their own weed control programmes and can quickly mobilise their communities into action," Ms Barry said.

"This extra investment will accelerate and expand the work they are already doing, and enable a regional approach to managing the weeds on the annual Dirty Dozen list." It also feeds into the Battle for our Birds programme and Predator Free 2050 which aims to restore ecosystems and protect natural taonga.