Some of our bigger programmes include:

• priority possum control across the region on more than 500,000 hectares and with 5,000 landowners
• alligator weed control along the Waikato River, from Mystery Creek to Port Waikato
• wilding pine control in the Coromandel Peninsula and Taupō catchment
• wallaby control near the regional boundary line with Bay of Plenty.

We also collaborate with central government on local and national biosecurity programmes, for example pest seaweed Caulerpa (Mercury Islands), invasive Corbicula freshwater clams (Waikato River) and kauri protection across the northern half of the region.

Waikato Regional Council’s Integrated Catchment Management Committee, which is made up of 10 councillors and meets quarterly, has responsibilities that include overseeing and monitoring the performance and effectiveness of biosecurity undertaken against agreed strategies and plans.

Waikato Regional Council’s Strategy and Policy Committee, which is made up of 14 councillors and meets bi-monthly or as required, is responsible for council policy, including development of the Waikato Regional Pest Management Plan.

Did you know?

Our Waikato Regional Biosecurity Strategy sets out Waikato Regional Council’s blueprint for ensuring we operate and maintain a collaborative, cohesive and comprehensive biosecurity system within the Waikato region.

Our regional pest management plan, prepared under the Biosecurity Act, focuses on species where we can make a cost-effective but real difference in protecting our environment, economy and cultural and social wellbeing.

For some widespread pests, we support landowners and community to manage them by offering technical support and advice, investment is new tools such as biocontrol and access to contestable funding for management.

We partner with iwi Māori to protect the region from biosecurity threats, ensuring Māori values, knowledge, and priorities are integrated into pest management and biosecurity planning.

• Co-governance arrangements guide biosecurity strategies, embedding Māori perspectives in decision-making.
• Mātauranga Māori informs pest control, species protection, and ecological restoration, creating sustainable biosecurity solutions.
• We support iwi-led initiatives to manage invasive species, restore native ecosystems, and protect culturally significant sites.
• Iwi contribute to regional biosecurity policies and plans, ensuring responses align with Māori values and aspirations for environmental protection.

Through these collaborations, Waikato Regional Council upholds its Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitments while fostering resilient ecosystems and sustainable biosecurity practices.