Pest control expert Eric Dodd rewarded for his ‘lasting legacy’ in the Horizons region

Eric Dodd’s contribution to pest management in the Horizons region was recognised with the Peter Nelson Award. Photo / Horizons Regional Council

Eric Dodd has been recognised for his long service in pest control with Horizons Regional Council.

The recently retired Dodd is the first person in the Horizons region to receive the annual Peter Nelson Award, presented for services to biosecurity.

Horizons environmental manager Craig Davey said he was pleased Dodd’s contribution to pest management had been recognised by the New Zealand Biosecurity Institute.

“Eric is the first person from the Horizons region to receive this award, and we couldn’t think of a better candidate,” Davey said.

“Eric worked for Horizons over a span of almost 40 years, and through his experience at Horizons and his roles prior to joining Horizons, he really became a leading subject matter expert in vertebrate pest management.”

Davey said Dodd was a team asset, sharing his knowledge and helping control a variety of pest animals within the region.

“His work at Horizons included possum control [and] leading the Kia Whārite biodiversity project which protected kiwi and whio, as well as overseeing pest plant and soil conservation in the Ruapehu district for a period of time.

“He spent a considerable amount of energy targeting possum control, which was a vital component in the fight to eradicate the incidence of bovine tuberculosis [TB] from cattle and deer herds in the Ruapehu district.”

Davey said although Dodd had retired, his long service had left a lasting legacy.

The award is named after Peter Nelson, who made an invaluable contribution to establishing professionalism within the pest management field in New Zealand. His long career in pest control – in various roles – had its origins in the 1960s and continued until his death from cancer in 1998.

The trophy is a carved kōkako standing above the skulls of small predatory mammals - a rat, a possum, and a stoat - and was designed and made by Ray Weaver.