Wallaby fence on track to protect Mackenzie Basin
It’s harder for wallabies to access the Mackenzie Basin across the Tekapo/Takapō River as the next stage of a wallaby-proof fence is completed.
More than half (about 30 km) of the 51km wallaby exclusion fence is finished with another 8km to be completed in the next six months.
The finished fence will run along the western border of Canterbury’s wallaby containment area, from Lake Benmore through to Lake Tekapo/Takapō. The fence is a key tool in the strategy to restrict wallabies within this area.
Wallaby spread into the Mackenzie
Over the past decade, wallabies have been spreading out of the containment zone and into the Mackenzie Basin.
In the year to 30 June 2024, around 150 wallabies were destroyed by contractors in the area west of the new fence.
According to wallaby programme lead Brent Glentworth, they are succeeding in reducing numbers outside containment, and more effort is being put into work here as the fence progresses.
“Our contractors are working hard to find and destroy any wallabies already in the river systems in the wider Mackenzie through to the Ben Ohau range. We have been making good gains over the last three years and expectations are, that this will continue down to total elimination.”
He gives credit to local landholders who’ve worked with them to help get the fence erected.
“Fencing will play a critical role in providing a secure boundary so we can progressively reduce densities within containment and eliminate the spread on the other side.”
Something the fence won’t be able to stop is the deliberate release of wallabies by people, or people keeping wallabies as pets, both of which are illegal. There are significant fines and even jail terms for people if they get caught.
The wallaby containment area designated in the Canterbury Pest Management Plan in 1996 (green) and the location of the fence (yellow)
A special pest-proof fence
For most of its length, it will replace an existing rabbit-proof fence that is over 50-years old and needed upgrading.
Wallabies often damage normal farm fences as they attempt to push through or go under them, so this fence features an apron along the bottom to prevent that.
It’s 1.3m high and constructed with purpose-built Australian-made wallaby exclusion netting. It’s also rabbit-netted, allowing continued management of this pest.
The project is expected to cost $1.6 million and is being funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries-led Tipu Mātoro National Wallaby Eradication Programme.