3 September 2004

More parks to benefit from weed budget boost

The Recreation and Events Committee yesterday declared war on weeds by allocating an additional $100,000 to weed control across 26 city parks and reserves – three more than last year.

The council’s weed management programme started three years ago and prioritised 23 parks and reserves across the city with significant natural bush areas requiring weed control. The aim of the programme is to reduce weeds to a level where they can be controlled at minimal cost.

The three additional parks -– Symonds Street Cemetery, Wattle Bay Reserve and Captains Bush – have recently been identified as needing treatment so were added to the list of targeted parks.

“Significant inroads have been made into the weed problem in some of our most cherished parks. Aucklanders just need to take a walk around the Auckland Domain, Tahuna Torea Nature Reserve or St Johns Bush Reserve to clearly see the difference we’re making,” says chairperson of the Recreation and Events Committee, Councillor Scott Milne.

“There’s still more work to be done. This is an ongoing problem. We need to keep up the good work on the parks we started with and add a few more ‘at risk’ parks to the mix,” he says.

The committee also agreed to allocate $10,000 of the additional budget to educate neighbours living around the 26 targeted parks and reserves about the importance of controlling weeds on their own properties and not dumping garden waste in the reserves.

“A large part of our weed problem is caused by the illegal dumping of garden waste in parks. We want to educate the people living around these parks so that they are contributing to the solution, rather than the problem,” says Mr Milne.

Some of the invasive and undesirable weeds that have been identified by Auckland City for control and eradication are tree privet, mexican daisy, tobacco weed, gorse, asparagus, vine, ginger, wandering jew and madiera vine.

“It’s thanks to the past and future good work of local volunteers and community boards who help us to stay one step ahead of the weeds and get the most bang for our buck,” says Mr Milne.

The Auckland Regional Council has booklets and leaflets available for identifying and removing weeds. Helpful tips include: dispose of unwanted weeds using a hired green bin; report illegal dumpings to Auckland City; plant natives to replace weed plants; join in with the volunteer park care programme, www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/parkvolunteer; and avoid purchasing plants from garden centres that have the potential to become weeds.

The 26 city parks and reserves targeted in the weed management programme includes: Auckland Domain, Auckland Central Avondale South Domain, Blockhouse Bay Ayr Reserve, Parnell Belfast Reserve, Hillsborough Craigavon Park, Blockhouse Bay Dingle Dell, St Heliers Glen Atkinson Reserve, Kohimarama Hillsborough Reserve, Hillsborough Jaggers Bush Reserve, Westmere Kepa Bush Reserve, Kohimarama Manukau Domain, Lynfield Mt.Eden/Maungawhau, Mt Eden Mt Richmond, Otahuhu Newmarket Park, Parnell Oakley Creek Walkway, Mt Albert Orakei Basin, Orakei St Johns Bush Reserve, St Johns Tahuna Torea Nature Reserve, Glendowie Tamaki Drive Premier Park, Mission Bay Vandammes Lagoon, Mt Wellington Waikowhai Reserve, Waikowhai Withiel Thomas Reserve, Epsom Waiotaiki Walkway, Glendowie

Three additional parks: Symonds Street Cemetery, Auckland Central Wattle Bay Reserve, Lynfield Captains Bush, Waikowhai

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

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