Privet: A pretty health hazard

Privet in full bloom on the side of Church Road, Kaitaia.

Even on a good day 70-year-old Annette Worrow has trouble breathing. At this time of year, with privet in full bloom, she is seriously unwell.

Mrs Worrow said privet growing on the side of Church Road, over one kilometre from her home to the Kaitaia town boundary, had affected her so badly that she had twice been on the verge of calling an ambulance.

She had not done so, even though she had been so distressed one night that she feared she would not see morning, because she did not know what would become of her dogs.

'I didn't think I would see morning'

Annette Worrow

She had long been asthmatic, but recent weeks had been especially bad, beginning with a chest infection. And despite the cocktail of drugs she had been prescribed, she wasn't getting any better.

"I have never felt so ill in all my life," she said.

She had lived at her current address for three years, and depended on air conditioning for her continued ability to breathe.

Now she was appealing to the Far North District Council to get rid of the privet that was a large part of her problem. Her health was deteriorating by the day, and would only improve if the privet was disposed of.

"On my way home today I counted 51 privet trees," she wrote to Mayor John Carter.

"This plant makes people like me very sick, and this year more so. I am fighting to breathe all the time. I am taking large amounts of steroids but they're not working."

She had been told by the council that her concerns would be passed on to contractor Fulton Hogan, but given that she lived in a rural area there was little hope of having the trees removed.

"I drove from Kerikeri today on SH10, and didn't see any privet until I got to Kaitaia," she added.

"If I could use a chainsaw I would do it myself, but I can't, and fighting to breathe all the time is taking its toll on me."

Mr Carter said the matter had been referred to Fulton Hogan.

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Privet is listed by Northland Regional Council as a pest plant. The council encourages property owners, including NZTA and local authorities, to get rid of it, and can require it be removed if an allergy sufferer can produce a medical certificate.