Wilding pines outcompete natives - growing taller and faster than most species in the Far North and pose a serious risk to the biodiversity and unique landscapes of the area.

The Wildings, which can mature at five years old in this region, are a 4.6-billion-dollar threat to the NZ economy and every year they are left to grow, the cost of controlling them increases by 30%.

In response, and with funding assistance from the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme (NWCCP), Northland Regional Council (NRC) has partnered with local iwi, landowners and the Department of Conservation to tackle the problem in the Far North.

NRC Biodiversity Manager, Lisa Forrester says a special feature of the program is the close relationship that has developed with mana whenua through the shared goal of protecting the land.

"Mana whenua have an investment and long-term enduring relationship to the land that will go well beyond the scale of this project. We have so many vulnerable habitats up there that the wilding pines can move into."

These unique environments include gum lands, dune lakes, wetlands and sand spits such as Kokota Spit on Exhibition Bay which would disappear if taken over by wilding pines.

Once identified in a location, a combination of herbicide and felling by local contractors is used to get rid of the problem wildings.

Te Aupōuri, Pou takawaenga taiao (Environmental Manager) Niki Conrad says the program has also opened up a good stream of work opportunities for rangatahi.

"It’s been really good because contractors are local, they are part of the iwi, building capacity and getting all the skills that need to be done for future work and we are working well with them because we already know them."

NRC Wilding Pine Project Lead, Ceres Sharp says overall the NWCPP funding has been a "game changer" for Northland allowing the team to tackle a problem in unique habitats before it becomes out of control.

"Places like Te Paki dune lakes and Kokota Spit on the North Cape means we’ve actually got a chance to eradicate wildings, probably within a 10-year period."

The National Wilding Conifer Control Programme is a collaborative cross-sector Programme led by Biosecurity New Zealand, part of the Ministry for Primary Industries. See wildingpines.nz for more information.

© Scoop Media