Over the past five years Local Authorities and Transit New Zealand have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in Northland to control pest plants like broom, gorse, pampas, privet, wild ginger and ragwort along roadsides.
Brett Miller, a Biosecurity Officer with the Northland Regional Council, says thousands of kilometres of road verges around Northland have been treated; all State Highways in the region, as well as many sealed arterial roads.
Authorities are now poised to expand the programme for another five years – aiming to re-treat previously covered locations and expand into some new areas.
Mr Miller says as the Local Authorities continue to clear roadsides in their areas, Regional Council Biosecurity staff will be enforcing landowner boundary control requirements.
He says the Regional Council has detailed rules pertaining to clearance of broom, gorse and ragwort inside all boundaries. Similar rules cover the clearance of broom, gorse, pampas, privet and wild ginger inside roadside property boundaries.
“We need the public’s help to clean up their sections and inside roadside boundaries,” Mr Miller says.
“A 10-metre buffer from a boundary line is required for broom, gorse, pampas grass, privet and wild ginger. Ragwort must be kept clear for at least 50-metres from boundaries, as well as being removed from all roadside verges and floodplains.”
Mr Miller says boundary control rules are designed to reduce the impacts of pest plants on adjoining properties.
He says the Regional Council receives regular complaints from people whose properties are free of a particular pest plant – or who have worked hard and at some cost to remove it – only to find it at risk of infestation from neighbouring land.
“Plants need to be treated by a recognised method at intervals that will ensure the infestation is controlled and the number of plants reduced to prevent seeding.”
Mr Miller says anyone wanting information on the best control methods and management for pest plants can contact Biosecurity staff at Regional Council offices in Whangarei, Dargaville and Kaitaia.