Summary 2007-08

 

Overview

· Northland Regional Council (NRC) is the management authority for pest plants and animals in the region.

· The Council's goal is to prevent potential pests from entering the region, in addition to managing existing targeted pest infestations.

· The Council works in partnership with local communities to facilitate Community Pest Control Areas, in addition to managing its own pest management strategies.

· At a national level, the Council works with other regions and organizations to develop and trial biological control mechanisms and research new or potential pest threats, including Kauri Dieback.

Performance targets

Work to reduce the adverse impacts of exotic organisms, pest plants and animal pests on primary production, natural ecosystems and on human health:

· Promote pest management options, work in partnership with Biosecurity New Zealand to identify, eradicate, contain and manage pest species and provide an organism identification service to the public - ACHIEVED

· Undertake animal pest management operations and report annually to the Landcare Committee on the achievement of set targets -ACHIEVED

· Implement pest plant service delivery programmes and report annually on the implementation of pest management strategies to the Landcare Committee - ACHIEVED

· Enforce rules in the Northland Regional Pest Management Strategies and report to each Council meeting on the number of sites inspected and the outcome of these inspections - ACHIEVED

· Provide advice on the control of problem plants, animals and insects and report to each Council meeting on the number and type of enquiries received - ACHIEVED

Summary of results 2007-08

· The NRC Biosecurity team responded to 833 enquiries in relation to pest management.

· The Biosecurity team continued its pest management operations involving nine pest plant species, four pest invertebrate species and nine pest mammal species.

· The Council continued to administer seven animal and 17 plant Pest Management Strategies.

· New biological control agents were trialed in Northland for gorse and boneseed pest plants.