Recently while in the Forum North carpark, I saw a large sign near the Regional Council building asking citizens to kill or report the pest plant Wild Ginger. As I had seen several plants of this weed in the Maunu area, I decided to report them. A pleasant young biosecurity officer who spoke with me asked if the weeds were on my property. I told her that they were probably on District Council land, specifically on the banks of the stream beside Maunu Rd.
I understood from her that the District Council probably would not spray these weeds, but the Regional Council would provide me with the means to do so, such as spray chemical and a sprayer.
After some thought, the following questions arose: Is the WDC as owner/manager of land around our city not too concerned about noxious weeds? Do they have a licensed contractor to do any spraying that is required? If I had charged ahead and sprayed these plants myself, would I have been prosecuted for not having a resource consent, or not being a licensed spraying operator? What would have been the effect of spray drift on aquatic stream life?
There seems to be some confusion here. The NRC is responsible for the eradication of pest plants in Northland, yet does not do any of this itself. The WDC, who as a land owner/manager is responsible for eradicating pest plants on its land, either does not know or bother about them.
Do these two organisations not communicate? (Abridged.)
