Up to one million elusive wallabies are believed to live in and around Rotorua’s treasured lakes. Their voracious appetites (and that of other pests) are stripping native forests bare, leaving some areas on the brink of environmental collapse.

Local iwi are frustrated by the lack of government resources and funding to control the pest population which is destroying the ngahere (forest) in front of their very eyes, especially those who have previously donated land to the Crown for scenic reserves.

Wallabies were introduced to New Zealand from Australia in the mid-1800s. But they don’t have any natural predators in this country so their numbers soon exploded. Rather than sit back and watch disaster unfold, seven iwi banded together recently to form the Te Arawa Wallaby Control Kāhui to tackle the problem head on.

Unfolding Crisis

In 2023 the kāhui began training its own pest control team to kill as many wallabies and possums as possible using a variety of different methods.

Kahui Chair Cyrus Hingston says “ground zero” is around lakes Okareka, Okataina, Tarawera, Rotoiti, and the Whakarewarewa Forest. Wallabies were largely controlled up until the late 1990s but when 1080 poison became too controversial to use, the population quickly took hold with devastating consequences.

“Deer and pigs eat all the vegetation in the forest to a certain height, and then possums, rats and stoats do what they do. Wallabies basically mow down everything that’s rejuvenating. So, there’s no rejuvenation in the forest and in some places it is close to environmental collapse. We’ve lost all the birdlife, and when you walk through those areas you can see through the forest because there’s little understory left whatsoever.

“Because the forest understory has been eaten away, we are also seeing more slips happening due to increased rainfall. And that then affects the water quality of the lakes so there’s a huge knock- on effect.”

Taking Charge

A national strategy is in place to try and contain the spread of wallabies within the Bay of Plenty and Lakes regions, with funds administered by Bay of Plenty Regional Council. But Cyrus says iwi are concerned that work is concentrated on maintaining the perimeter of the containment zone while wallaby populations inside the area are left unchecked.

“DOC and MPI don’t have the money to address the issue. We want to be part of the solution, which is why we’ve set up our own pest control programme. We are supposed to be this jewel of New Zealand’s tourism crown. But our forests are being eaten to death.”

The kāhui’s pest control team have now all gained their Level 3 national certificates in pest control as well as their firearms licenses. They’ve also undertaken chemical handling, health and safety, tracking, trapping and monitoring training to enable them to work safely and effectively.

“We started with a group of young trainees,” Cyrus says. “We had a couple of young mothers, a number of seasonal orchard workers and others who were on the benefit. The transformation in them has been amazing. They’re now confident young men and women. We identify the places we want them to work in, do the planning and preparation, and they just go for it. The work they’ve done is amazing and we will go to hell and back to find ways to continue to fund this important work.”

Pitching In

The seven iwi involved (Ngāti Unenukukopako, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Rangitihi, Tūhourangi, Ngāti Tarāwhai and Ngāti Rongomai) have agreed to contribute $20,000 each annually to the pest control operation.

Extra financial support is sought from a variety of different sources including a Ministry for Primary Industry’s contestable funds and community groups. Bay Trust has this year granted $30,000 towards operational costs which will be used to pay wages and buy new equipment.

“This grant is very welcome. It helps us buy more traps, trail cameras, firearms, thermal scopes, GPS locators… basically the equipment necessary to do the job effectively. Any funding we get, we’re most grateful for.”

The pest control team is also working with Māori land trusts who own farms and forestry blocks, and the kāhui is exploring ways to sell more possum skins (potentially exporting them to Australia for use in traditional Aboriginal cloak making), to help raise more funds.

“We’re waging the war and trying to keep control of these pest numbers to protect our forests. We can't just throw our hands in the air and say it’s all too hard. You’ve just got to get out there and do something before it’s too late.”