Council Warned Against Picking Up Slack From Government Funding Cuts

Wednesday, 7 May 2025, 7:33 pm
Article: Lois Williams - Local Democracy Reporter

As the Government cuts back on funding for departments and environmental programmes, local government must be wary of picking up the slack, the West Coast Regional Council has been warned.

Resource Management Committee members pondering the spread of pest plants on the Coast, heard that DOC could no longer afford to fund a weed-buster position in Buller.

Science manager Shanti Morgan said the council was trying to eradicate weeds like banana passionfruit in Buller and had very good data because of DOC’s work.

“It’s been really great, for identifying things early and being able to stop the spread but the funding has been cut because it was on private land.”

But DOC was now funding weed control work only on Conservation land, Ms Morgan said.

Meanwhile, council’s science staff were trying to eradicate two pests new to the West Coast: climbing asparagus and woolly nightshade, while pampas grass was spreading fast in Westland.

Chief executive Darryl Lew told councillors it was no secret that government departments including DOC, NIWA and crown research institutes, were suffering significant budget reductions.

“The regional sector has to be careful here that as the Government retreats and doesn’t invest in some of these things, that we don’t just commit ratepayers’ funds and go in and pick all that work up as an unfunded mandate.”

An example was the reduction in NIWA hydrometrics – rainfall and flow stations, which were no longer being used or maintained to their previous standards, Mr Lew said.

“That’s really important to us, because some of it is flood warning; but there’s growing concern in the regional sector that we don’t just … pick all that work up - we need to watch that very carefully.”

If the Council wanted to bring forward such programmes it would need to be a conscious decision and subject to the Annual Plan process, Mr Lew said.

Updating councillors on recent bio-security efforts, Ms Morgan said her team was trying hard to eradicate climbing asparagus which has caused big problems in the North Island.

The coast was also seeing an increase in woolly nightshade which was toxic to stock, and efforts were underway to eradicate that.

Tradescantia beetles and a fungus have been introduced on the Coast to attack Wandering Willie - which smothers the forest floor.

And the council was working with farmers on when to spray ragwort, and when to avoid spraying to let an introduced predator, ragwort moth, do the job.

Ms Morgan was less hopeful of banishing purple pampas grass.

Cr Andy Campbell noted the invasive pest plant was spreading badly in South Westland.

Ms Morgan said the team was working on it.

“There is a property where someone has planted quite a lot and its spreading through to Okarito. We have quarterly meeting with DOC and pampas is on the radar."

Some riverbeds where pampas was growing, were DOC’s responsibility, she said.

“We work with landowners, and DOC does some spraying up riverbeds in key locations but again … budget constraints.”

Cr Campbell said there had to be a concerted effort or there was little point.

“With ragwort, it used to be if a farmer didn’t spray everyone copped it. If you’re just controlling one patch in a river bed it’s a waste of time. ”

Ms Morgan agreed a catchment-wide approach was needed.

“We’re seeing more, as we gather data – there’s a point where we see a species has got to this level, it’s gone – and the effort we’re putting into eradicating it is not sustainable.”

That was when a bio-control would normally be used – but there was no predator for pampas grass in New Zealand, Ms Morgan said.

Since January the environment team had identified 90 sites up and down the Coast where people were dumping green waste, Ms Morgan said.

“It’s mostly in riverbeds and the problem is that rivers rise and (the pest plants) spread from there."

-LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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