The Waitākere Ranges include some of the highest biodiversity values in the Auckland Region. Pest plants such as agapanthus, climbing asparagus, moth plant, gorse and pampas smother native vegetation. 

Road verges are typically an ideal place for these pest plants to establish and then spread to surrounding areas. Under the Regional Pest Management Plan there is a legal obligation for managers of road corridors within the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area, including Bethells, to control these species.

Specialist ecological Auckland Council Contractors will be working in the Bethells area to remove these species from road corridors over the next few weeks. Preferred methods are manual control by hand pulling or cutting the weeds back and treating the stumps with a small amount of an appropriate gel-based herbicide to prevent regrowth. Or trained operators will carefully apply appropriate foliar treatments from a knapsack or hand sprayer using low pressure and appropriate nozzles.

Requests for no spraying along private property boundaries can be made on the Auckland Council website (search “no spray register”).

Auckland Council also has a limited budget to replace invasive species in driveway crossings with suitable, attractive native or other non-invasive exotic species. Priority will be given to erosion-prone sites. This service includes site preparation, planting and one season maintenance. If this is of interest, please let us know.

For further information, or to identify any problem weed areas requiring attention, please contact the Contractor: 

Good Wood Aotearoa Ltd.   

email: [email protected] 

ph: 027 4837 050