Moth Plant Competition 2026
Monday 23 February to Friday 15 May 2026.
Moth plant is a pest plant that is taking over gardens, reserves and forests in Taitokerau. It smothers native plants and spreads easily on the wind.
Take part in our Moth Plant Competition to help stop the spread of moth plant in your neighbourhood – plus, awesome prizes are up for grabs!
Register as an individual or team/group and earn points by collecting moth plant pods and seedlings or vines pulled by the roots.
There are cash prizes for the team or individual with the highest points totals, and spot prizes of $50 Prezzy Cards.
The competition is open to Northland residents.
You may enter as a school group, team, community group, or individual. Maximum 10 people per group/team.
Those under the age of 18 must be supervised by a responsible adult who takes full responsibility for their health and safety at all times.
Anyone under the age of 18 must have written permission from their parent or legal guardian to participate.
Download and complete the Parent/legal guardian permission form (PDF 234 KB)
Employees, contractors, elected members of Northland Regional Council (NRC) and their immediate families can participate in the competition but are not eligible to receive any prizes.
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Monday 23 February 2026Competition opens: 9:00am
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Friday 15 May 2026Competition closes: 8:00pm
Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams/individuals who receive the most points from collecting pods and/or seedlings/vines pulled out with the roots attached.
The prizes are:
| Category | Prize |
| 1st place – awarded to the team or individual with the most points | $500 |
| 2nd place – awarded to the team or individual with the second most points | $300 |
| 3rd place – awarded to the team or individual with the third most points | $200 |
Category prizes will be paid to the winners via bank deposit. Teams must nominate one member’s bank account for the prize money to be deposited in to.
A small pool of $50 Prezzy Cards will be awarded as spot prizes at NRC’s discretion.
This is a points-based competition – you earn points by removing and collecting moth plant pods and pulling out seedlings/vines with roots attached:
- Each moth plant pod is worth one point.
- Each moth plant seedling/cut vine with the root attached is worth three points.
- All pods and seedlings/vines must be collected from within the Northland regional boundary.
To receive the points, you must submit photos that show the collected pods and/or seedlings/vines with roots attached.
Photos must show:
- The pods arranged in easily countable grids of 10, 20, or 50.
- Seedlings/vines with roots attached lined up in rows of 10 or 20.
- A piece of paper that clearly states the total number of pods and vines in the photo, your name/your team’s name and the date in writing.
Examples
Example of how to photograph pods.
Example of how to photograph seedlings/vines.
While we encourage you to take photos with your collection (we would love to get photos from our winners later!), please only submit photos that do not include any people.
Photos must be submitted via the reporting form. You will receive a link to this form once you have registered.
You can collect moth plant pods and/or seedlings/vines and submit photos from the date you receive confirmation of your registration until the competition ends. Late entries will not be accepted.
To enter you must register via the online registration form below
If you are registering as a team/group, you must nominate a leader. All communication from NRC about the competition will be sent to the leader.
By registering for the Moth Plant Competition 2026, you acknowledge that you have read, understand and will comply with the Mandatory Safety Precautions and Disposal Requirements.
Read the Mandatory Safety Precautions, Transport and Disposal Requirements (PDF 265 KB)
Please read the document carefully. It lists the safety precautions you must follow to keep yourself safe while participating in the Competition. The sap of the moth plant is dangerous:
- Contact with eyes can cause stinging, swelling and can impair vision.
- Contact with skin can cause severe dermatitis in some people.
- It is poisonous when ingested.
The document also outlines the approved disposal method that must be followed once you have photographed the moth plant pods and vines. Failure to follow this method may result in your disqualification from the Competition.
By registering for the Moth Plant Competition 2026, you acknowledge that you have read, understand and accept the Terms and Conditions.
Moth plant is fast growing vine that smothers and strangles whatever it climbs on. After flowering it produces large, light green, oval pods that can each contain up to 1000 seeds. When these pods split open the seeds can then be blown several kilometres by wind.
Moth plant is also bad news for moths, butterflies and insects because they can become trapped in the sticky sap and die.
Pods usually start to burst and release their seeds in late autumn so every pod you remove during the competition will help stop the spread.
Want to know more? There’s lots of great information on our Pest Control Hub or you can check out the Weedbusters website.
If you have any questions, please email mothplantcomp@nrc.govt.nz or call us on 0800 002 004 and ask to speak to the Moth Plant Competition coordinator.