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RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Concerns the battle against wilding conifer pines is being lost, amid funding uncertainty
Pine seeds could travel tens of kilometres by wind and grew easily posing a difficult task for teams trying to stamp out infestations. Photo: Central Otago Wilding Conifer Group The fight to stop the remarkably rapid spread of wilding conifer pine trees continues, as Southland officials are warning the pines have caused a land-use and biosecurity crisis for the region . Around 2 million hectares of New Zealand were affected by wilding pines, like common offenders Pinus contorta and Douglas fir, and untreated areas expanded at a rate of about 5 percent each year. Pine seeds could travel tens of kilometres by wind and grew easily posing a difficult task for teams trying to stamp out infestations. A quarter of New Zealand would be covered in the unwanted pines without controls, according to the Ministry for Primary Industries website . In late July, the government announced an extra $3 million over three years for wilding pines controls in Molesworth and Mackenzie Basin areas, funded by the International Visitor Levy, adding to the $12m already allocated this financial year. Industry group Federated Farmers' pest animal and weed spokesperson, Richard Dawkins, said wilding pines posed an "ecological crisis" - and while the funding was welcomed, it fell short of what was needed. "The battle against wilding conifers is being lost," he said. "Some funding has been allocated over the years, but it's been patchy and nowhere near enough to tackle the problem properly." Around 2 million hectares of New Zealand were affected by wilding pines. Photo: Central Otago Wilding Conifer Group Southland Regional Council councillors were told this week the spread of Douglas fir in particular was accelerating across the region, and current investment and control methods were "inadequate" to keep pace with the scale of spread. Environment Southland's report author warned the cost of controls increased exponentially over time, once trees matured and seeded. "Without further intervention, vast areas of northern Southland could be overtaken within 30 years, resulting in irreversible environmental and economic loss," it said. "Wilding conifers are spreading at a scale and speed that outpaces current control budgets and operational efforts can contain." Biosecurity New Zealand coordinated the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme with landowners, industry groups and councils. Manager Sherman Smith said it was working to manage a dozen problematic species across 42 areas nationwide that threatened biodiversity. "They form a monoculture of these unwanted and pretty much useless trees," Smith said. "They shade out all the native plants and animals, they increase the fire risk warning because wilding pines are quite flammable and there are no fire breaks, so they can cause some significant increase in fire risk. "They can also reduce the amount of water that is going into streams, particularly in those drier areas of the country, which has some flow-on effects in terms of irrigation and hydro generation." Smith said they also had effects for tourism too. "Obviously it has quite a landscape impact, it cloaks a lot of the iconic New Zealand areas in these forests that are exotic, so collectively those impacts are worth billions to New Zealand if we allow these things to keep spreading." He said the programme prioritised areas, then developed plans with regional councils and landowners that contractors helped implement. "I think at peak, we had about 500 contractors on the ground. It's a little bit less than that at the moment, obviously with their funding being a little bit lower than it was at peak." Photo: Supplied/Whakatipu Wilding Control Group More than $150m of government money has been committed to the programme since it was launched in 2016, with another $33m from landowners and communities. The government established a baseline funding model of $10m in 2023/2024, excluding top-ups, which deferred some work and prompted concerns by Southland officials. Smith said there had been some success in control areas where seeding trees were removed, then seedlings were controlled in three-yearly cycles before they coned. "We've got some really good success stories that are getting to the end of the journey and really at a point that we can hand back the management, to the landowner to manage as part of their day-to-day farming operations or land management work." But he said there was more work to do. "There are still some big challenges in front of us," he said. "We've done the first round of control across about three-quarters of our known infestations, so there's a quarter out there that we haven't started into yet and obviously the gains that we have made, we've got to keep on that maintenance to lock in those benefits that we've achieved." Smith asked farmers to check there were no "problem tree species" in their shelter belts and small woodlots, which were two major sources of the trees. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
Wilding pine problem at ‘tipping point' in Southland
Wilding pines pictured at Mid Dome, Northern Southland. The trees are causing major issues in the region. Photo: Environment Southland / Supplied Wild conifer trees are running rife in Southland with fears some areas could be overtaken in the next 30 years. The region is now at a "tipping point" as trees spread aggressively through high country, farmland and conservation areas, councillors have been warned. These grizzly details were captured in an Environment Southland report presented to council on Wednesday, which one elected member described as "sobering". Photo: A species of concern was the Douglas fir which was reeking havoc for a number of reasons including the distance its seed could travel, a tolerance to the climate, and commercial popularity. Its spread was accelerating at a rate which current investment and control could not keep up with, the report said. "Without further intervention, vast areas of Northern Southland could be overtaken within 30 years, resulting in irreversible environmental and economic loss." Productive land, native ecosystems and landscapes were all at risk because of rapidly spreading conifers - especially Douglas fir, the report said. It noted that Southland risked passing a "point of no return" under its current response. Meanwhile, costs rose by 30 percent every year removal was delayed, and the $24.6 million spent on the problem since 2016 could end up going to waste without follow-up work. Councillor Eric Roy said the battle was being lost, and called for immediate action such as limiting where trees could be planted. "This is one of the most sobering reports I've read in some time," he said. Council chair Nicol Horrell said there had been conversations with Government ministers who were aware of the problem. The Government had committed "quite a bit" of money as part if its shovel ready projects, but it would all be wasted if control work couldn't keep up, he said. Mid Dome Wilding Trees Charitable Trust covers an area of more than 68,000 hectares in Northern Southland, and was one such example of a group struggling under reduced budgets. The Trust aims to control wilding pines from the Mid Dome area before handing over the control of any wilding re-growth to landowners. Last year, it expressed concern all of its work was at risk and called on the council to increase its funding after 18 years of stagnancy. A series of recommended steps were included in the council report such as clarifying roles and responsibilities, securing long-term funding, and supporting landowners and community action. Wilding conifers are invasive weeds that threaten to permanently alter New Zealand's landscapes, the DOC website states. When conifer cones mature, they open to release masses of wind-blown seeds which can travel kilometres, according to DOC. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
Council plans to block road access to Cape Palliser due to vandlism
Cape Palliser Lighthouse. Photo: 123RF Plans to block road access to a remote stretch of the South Wairarapa coastline will deny surfers access to one country's most pristine surf breaks. South Wairarapa District Council wants to close access to a paper or unfinished road that leads to the Cape Palliser coast line due to continued vandalism and destruction. The road passes through private and Crown land before ending at the rugged beach. The council said native flora and fauna in the area has been damaged by four wheel drives, quad bikes and campers, who are also a fire risk. The area includes Wāhi Tapu sites, ancestral burial grounds and historic pā sites. "Council has engaged with local hapū, Ngāti Hinewaka and have agreed the continued vandalism, disrespect to the land and its owners and the poor social behaviours displayed are not acceptable," South Wairarapa District Council said. If the proposal to block road access goes ahead, there will be no overland route to reach that part of the beach. Michael Gunson first surfed White Rock along that part of the coast in 1976. Gunson told Checkpoint it was a popular surf spot but really hard to get to, even with the paper road open. He said if the road is shut, there would be no access for the general public. "It's a gem, it really is a gem. It's on par with Castle Point, as far as I'm concerned, as far as dramatic landscapes go," he said. While Gunson understands where the council and landowners are coming from, he wants to work to find a solution. "I am not going to defend clowns in any way, shape or form. What I think that needs to be done is some good consultation, some good kaupapa shared with the landowners, DoC and the council, and we need to work this out," Gunson said. He said they need to find out how to maintain public access in a way that minimises any damage to the coastline. Gunson said said there could be signage and education around how to respect the landscape, and encourage others to report bad behaviour when they see it. He said there has been a lot of opposition to the council's proposal as it has sparked a lot of attention among surfers online. "Not everybody that goes there is a vandal. They go there out of deep respect for the beautiful, wonderful coastline," he said. The South Wairarapa District Council in a statement to Checkpoint said there has been 2139 online submissions on the proposal so far. The council said the proposed bylaw is being developed using powers under the Local Government and Land Transport Acts but acknowledges that restricting walking access to the paper road would not be legally enforceable. However, that right of access doesn't extend to the adjoining private land, and council is responding to issues raised by the hapu around ongoing damage to land bordering the paper road. It said the consultation is providing an understanding of what level of access the community feels is appropriate - balancing the need for safe public access with respect for adjoining landowners. South Wairarapa District Council is accepting feedback on the proposal until 19 August . It said all feedback will be reviewed before a final decision is made. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
