Aggressive pest found in Bay

An aggressive pasture-invading weed has been discovered in Tauranga - raising questions of whether biosecurity officials are being tough enough at the border.
Alligator weed, an aquatic pest which invades pasture and cropping land, has been discovered on 1.5ha of Gordon Carmichael Reserve between Brookfield and Bethlehem.
Federated Farmers president John Scrimgeour said that throughout his life he had kept on hearing about new weeds establishing in New Zealand.
"No sooner have we developed strategies to deal with one pest than we have another one to deal with. It is quite a concern."
Mr Scrimgeour said alligator weed was particularly dangerous because of the way it could move from water to land and its dense root system made it hard to eradicate.
"It raises the question, are our biosecurity inspectors strict enough in terms of inspecting material that arrives in the country. Are they making sure there are no contaminants?" he said.
The outbreak in Tauranga was discovered during a routine pest plant inspection by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
It was found growing on both land and pond edges.
Council land resources manager for the Western Bay Robyn Skelton said the weed could grow easily from a small fragment, and because of this it was often spread within and between waterways.
"It may have been brought to the site by someone dumping the contents of a fish bowl or on contaminated machinery."
If alligator weed established it could seriously impact on farming activities and block waterways.
The affected pond in Gordon Carmichael Reserve was near the outdoor classroom platform and playground.
The infestation would be dealt with by agrichemicals and digging it out.
The pond may need to be quarantined and fenced off.
A native of South America, alligator weed is recognised by its white, papery, clover-like flowers. Its leaves are shaped like teardrops and grow in tiers opposite each other.
Alligator weed is already widespread in Northland and has been discovered in Auckland and the Waikato. The Bay of Plenty hosts a handful of land-based sites, including one near Edgecumbe, all of which are under intensive long-term control programmes.