Extra funding boosts wilding pine control in the Mackenzie Basin

Work to control wilding pines in the Mackenzie Basin is ramping up with an extra $2 million in government funding that recognises the serious threat these pest trees pose to the region.

This investment will support efforts to protect South Canterbury's unique landscapes, native biodiversity, and productive farmland from the spread of these invasive trees.

We manage wilding pine control across Waitaha Canterbury as part of the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme. In 2025, the regional budget is almost $5 million, with the extra $2 million earmarked for targeted work in the Mackenzie Basin over the next three years.

Why are wilding pines a problem in the Mackenzie Basin?

Wilding pines spread aggressively, with windblown seed travelling up to 40 kilometres. Left unmanaged, they:

• overpower native tussock grasslands and fragile alpine ecosystems
• threaten native biodiversity and the open landscapes that define the Mackenzie
• reduce productive farmland and water availability for irrigation and hydropower
• increase the risk of wildfire across dry high country areas.

How are wilding pines controlled? 

Control work in the Mackenzie Basin combines skilled on-the-ground and aerial methods.

• Groundwork: Highly skilled contractors undertake groundwork such as felling and mulching trees.
• Aerial control: Helicopters identify and spray trees in hard-to-reach areas.

Scientific evidence shows wilding pines need to be controlled and then, within several years, control activities need to be redone to ensure enduring cones, seeds and new seedlings don’t create a new generation of problems.

National investment in pest tree control

Since 2016, more than $150 million has been invested nationally in wilding pine control. The strengthened programme in South Canterbury’s Mackenzie Basin builds on this effort to protect New Zealand’s high country landscapes for future generations.