Greater Wellington has released a consultation document this month as the first stage of the five-yearly review of the Regional Pest Management Strategy (RPMS).

The consultation is an opportunity for the public to have a say in how Greater Wellington will manage pest plants and pest animals over the next five years and beyond.

Greater Wellington’s Biosecurity Manager Wayne O’Donnell says that the current Regional Pest Management Strategy is working well but some fine tuning is required to take into account new information collected over the past few years.

“We also need to analyse whether the current strategy objectives are still appropriate and achievable. The consultation includes our ideas on what changes we believe are required but we also need the public’s thoughts and opinions to guide us,” says Mr O’Donnell.

Greater Wellington's current Regional Pest Management Strategy was approved in September 2002. This strategy remains operational for twenty years, unless revoked by Greater Wellington. The Biosecurity Act 1993 requires that the strategy is reviewed every five years. The first review of the current strategy is due for completion by September 2007.

The consultation document is online or you can contact Greater Wellington’s RPMS liaison team for a copy on 06 370 5674 or email rpms@gw.govt.nz 

Submissions close on Friday 13 October 2006.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Catriona Robertson
Senior Communications Advisor
Catchment Division, Greater Wellington
T 06 370 5642
M 027 432 1653
E catriona.robertson@gw.govt.nz