Horizons Regional Council is concerned after Alligator Weed, a noxious plant with the reputation for being one of the world's worst pest plants, was discovered in an urban waterway in Palmerston North during lockdown.
The South American native thrives in temperate climates and Horizons Biosecurity Co-ordinator for Plants, Craig Davey is worried it will take over parts of New Zealand.
"We've got to go hard, we've got to go early to beat this thing which means full knowledge, full containment and then removal," he said.
Horizons Regional Council recently visited the Waikato where the plant has been a problem for over 20 years. Waikato Regional Council spend over half million dollars each year to contain it, because Alligator Weed poses a particular threat to dairy cows.
"Stock will eat it, they get phyto-synthesis. They want to go away and hide in the shade. If they get into the sun they get blisters, they do not eat they don't produce milk. It's a big impact on them. Stock health disappears and you might even get death of young stock," he said.