The Department of Conservation (DOC) is among those being told to take action by the Otago Regional Council (ORC), after allowing rabbit numbers to get to unacceptable levels in Central Otago.

Fellow government department Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has also been instructed to do control work near Cromwell by the pest overseer.

The DOC block where ORC’s inspection found high levels of infestation is at Poison Creek, a conservation area between Cromwell and Luggate, DOC Central Otago senior biodiversity ranger John Keene confirmed.

DOC dedicates a considerably higher amount of money than LINZ to rabbit control, with DOC spending $80,000 annually just in Central Otago, while LINZ spends around $100,000 on all pest control (including plant pests) for the whole of Otago.

John said DOC worked with ORC and neighbouring landowners on rabbit control and priority is given to areas where control is most needed. 

“Poison Creek has not reached the same level of urgency as some other sites until now. Poison Creek Conservation Area covers 28 hectares of designated stewardship land and is dominated by regenerating kanuka forest.”

He said high rabbit numbers at this site can have an impact on new seedlings but as they are unlikely to affect more mature forest the focus is on complying with the regional pest management plan, rather than protection of ecological values.

The department managed land in Lake Hayes and Gibbston Valley in the Queenstown region where unacceptably high rabbit numbers had also been identified.

John confirmed that rabbit control work would be ongoing across Central Otago.

“This year we have more than 1000ha of control planned at sites in the Upper Clutha, Cromwell, Alexandra and Macraes areas. Because rabbits move across the landscape, we coordinate operations with neighbours whenever possible.”

However, LINZ, whose infestations found to be unacceptable by ORC are around the shores of Lake Dunstan, were yet to schedule ongoing control work.  

LINZ is currently undertaking poisoning and night shooting operations near Cromwell.

Sonya Wikitera, Head of Crown Property, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).

“We have not carried out rabbit control around Lake Dunstan in recent times,” LINZ head of Crown property Sonya Wikitera said.

“We prioritise and allocate funding to manage pests on LINZ managed lands according to requests from regional councils which are responsible for monitoring pest impacts, and in response to information from adjacent landowners and managers,”

Expensive wire fortresses are essential for Mokihi Reforestation Trust’s native plantings if they are to survive the rabbit pest around Lake Dunstan.

Plantings in the Lake Dunstan LINZ-managed area, including those undertaken by Mokihi Reforestation Trust, are regularly targeted by rabbits. The cost of protecting plants from the pest is equal to, if not more, than the cost of the plants themselves, LINZ says.

LINZ says once current control operations are completed around Lake Dunstan it will assess the results and continue to monitor (and control where necessary) rabbits in the area. 

Recent inspections on land managed by the Central Otago District Council had not resulted in any ‘request for work’ letters being issued from ORC, a CODC spokesperson confirmed last week.

Control work on council land was budgeted into annual expenditure with areas focused on including Alexandra airport and the Lower Manorburn Dam area.