Government cutbacks threaten wilding pine control in Otago

Funding cuts means the control of wilding pines, such as these above the Clutha River, could be more limited. Photo / ODT files

Government cutbacks will create a nearly $1 million shortfall for Otago’s wilding pine control this year.

If planned work goes undone, years of control work could be lost, the Otago Regional Council says.

As a result, regional councillors voted unanimously at the first environmental implementation committee meeting of the term, held in Dunedin last week, to ask staff to lobby central Government against the cuts.

Council national programmes project delivery specialist Gavin Udy said since 2009, about 200,000ha had been covered through wilding pine control work in the region.

“It’s been a significant investment made by central and local governments since 2009, amounting to several tens of millions of dollars,” Udy said.

“In order to lock in and secure that investment in wilding control what needs to happen is you do your initial control and then there needs to be another two to three sweeps ... of maintenance about three to five years apart.

“If we are unable to secure further investment, we are going to lose the gains we have made to date and we will start seeing those gains lost and wildings continuing to expand and spread.”

His report to the council committee last week said the national wilding conifer control programme, established by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) in 2016, included the goal of preventing the spread of wilding pines, “and efficiently containing or eradicating established areas by 2030″.

MPI had recently advised the council the total budget for the national programme would be significantly reduced.

Last year’s national budget of $22.5 million was to be slashed to $10 million a year, with an indicative operational budget of about $8 million from next year onwards.

Under the old funding regime, $1,969,855 had been anticipated for the region for the coming year.

Now, the indicative allocation was $1.07 million, Udy said.

Council regulatory and communications general manager Richard Saunders said because the council was in the third year of its three-year long-term plan budget cycle, the timing of the cuts was challenging.

Saunders said it was important to work with other regional councils with a significant interest in the issue to lobby the Government to reconsider the timing of the cuts.

If the shortfall had been created at a time when councils were considering annual spending, it would allow a “proper conversation” about the level of investment, he said.

“I think the challenge that regional councils have got is the timing of the decision from MPI to reduce that funding heading into year three of a long-term plan cycle.

“It’s very difficult for a council now to try to plug that gap ... those sort of decisions are long-term funding decisions.

“To drop this on councils in year three and then expect a conversation about whether that gap is plugged is unfair.”