IRC 8569 Darwin Barberry containment or eradication.pdf

4 July 2025
File Ref: IRC-8569
Wellington RatePayer
[FYI request #31223 email]

Tēnā koe Wellington RatePayer

Thank you for your email dated 5 June 2025 to Te Kaunihera o Pōneke | Wellington City
Council (the Council). Your request has been considered under the Local Government Oﬃcial
Informa on and Mee ngs Act 1987 (LGOIMA).

1.  Any documenta on, reports, mee ng minutes, correspondence or internal briefings
that informed or jus fied the decision to not pursue containment or eradica on of
Darwin’s Barberry in Te Kopahou, Wrights Hill, or Polhill Gully.
Decisions were made through staﬀ knowledge of weed control theory and experience at an
opera onal level. The Council does not hold documents, reports, minutes, correspondence
or internal briefings specific to the decision to not pursue containment or eradica on of
Darwin’s Barberry. This part of your request has been refused under sec on 17(e) of the Act
that the document alleged to contain the informa on requested does not exist.

2.   Any ecological assessments or vegeta on surveys since 2010 that record or discuss
the extent and impact of Darwin’s barberry in these loca ons.

Please see items below for reports and assessment of Darwin’s Barberry.
Item  Document Name
Decision
Release with
Polhill Gully George Denton Park Wildlands
1.
redactions under
Ecological Management Plan 2010
section 7(2)(a)
Release with
Wrights Hill Reserve Wildlands Ecological
2.
redactions under
Management Plan 2010
section 7(2)(a)
Release with
WCC SNA Botanical Ground-truthing of Wellington
3.
redactions under
South Coast 2021-22
section 7(2)(a)
4.
2019 August - Audit
Release
5.
2022 June - Audit
Release

3.  Copies of work orders, opera onal plans, or contractor instruc ons addressing
barberry—whether for monitoring, removal, or inten onal omission from weed
control eﬀorts.
The Council has accumulated up to 11 years of data on monitoring, removal, and weed
control eﬀorts. Due to the age of these documents and the various systems used over  me,
colla ng this informa on will be  me-consuming and may divert oﬃcers from their daily
du es. Below is an example of the type of informa on we hold. To assist us in fulfilling your

request, please specify the exact informa on you need, such as a par cular document or a
narrower  me period. If the request cannot be refined, then the Council will need to refuse
this part of the request under sec on 17(f) of the Act that the informa on requested cannot
be made available without substan al colla on or research.

Work orders and contractor instruc ons are given as geographic informa on system files,
and opera onal maps. These are based on the areas of known infesta ons and historic
contractor informa on.

Below are some examples of what is given annually to contractors.

Explana on of Item 7: Ops Map 24 September 2020.
This is an example of a combined work order in 2020. An explana on of how this should be
interpreted is as follows:
a.  Where contractors should go e.g. DB_1.
b.  Where contractors have been e.g. NZBSL_tracks_19_20.
c.  Where contractors have controlled Darwin’s barberry e.g. 19 20 controlled points.
Instruc ons are that contractors revisit previous points and expand out into new areas as
budget allows.

Below are copies in response to quesƟon 3
Item
Document Name
Decision
Release with
6.
Research Permit Application
redactions under
section 7(2)(a)
7.
Ops Map 24 September 2020
Release
8.
Ops Map 30 September 2021
Release
9.
Ops Map 2017
Release

4.  Any evalua on by the Council of the role na ve birds play in propaga ng barberry
into reserves, and what mi ga on responses, if any, have been considered.
The Council has not undertaken any evalua ons on birds propaga ng Darwin’s Barberry. No
mi ga on responses have been considered. This part of your request has been refused
under sec on 17(e) of the Act that the document alleged to contain the informa on
requested does not exist.

The Council does undertake Bird Monitoring across the city. There was an anecdotal
reference to Darwin’s barberry in the 2016 report. “In 2012, for instance rela vely high
numbers of tui encountered at bird count sta ons in southern and western parts of the city
appeared to be linked to the prolific frui ng of Darwin’s barberry (Berberis darwinii) at the
me (McArthur et al, 2013a).” This report can be found online - Data, monitoring and
repor ng - Environment - Wellington City Council.

Wellington City Council   |   2 of 4

5.  An outline of the current priori sa on methodology used by Council in pest plant
management, par cularly how decisions are made to resource mammal
eradica on over invasive flora.
Animal Pest Control and Ecosystem Weed Control receive equivalent funding of
approximately $1m each. Both programmes of work have one full  me FTE managing the
respec ve programmes. While the funding alloca ons may have small varia ons year on
year based on need and opportuni es for partnership, collabora on or community requests,
they are largely directed by previous Council decisions. For example, when Council decided
to support Predator Free Wellington and community trapping, the funding for pest animals
was increased to match that requirement, and that funding is set under that decision and
funding agreement.

The Pest Animal Control Programme includes:
  WCC Predator Free Wellington contribu on.
  The possum control programme delivered by Greater Wellington Regional Council
(GWRC).
  The provision of traps, consumables and training for all community trapping across
the reserve network.
  The hun ng services for goats, pigs and deer.
  The control of rabbits.
  WCC Capital Kiwi contribu on.
  Monitoring/tracking of pest animals.
  Cat management in collabora on with Public Health.

The impact and visibility of animal control eﬀorts appear larger than the weed control space
due to community par cipa on, GWRC contribu on, cost recovery programmes and
na onal/philanthropic funding that support ini a ves such as Predator Free Wellington.

A few years ago, we received increases to weed control funding which has allowed us to
increase our level of service by using contractors and opera ons staﬀ. The increased
funding-built community weed control support and training programmes.

6.  Any correspondence or memoranda of understanding with Forest & Bird or similar
partners that relate to pest management priori sa on.
There is a standard Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Forest and Bird and similar
partners and community groups. The MOU is to recognise the partnership between the
par es involved by clarifying the commitments, roles and responsibili es held. The MOU
focuses on ensuring the Council supports our partners on habitat restora on, weed and
animal pest control and protec on of flora and fauna on project sites.

The MOU and correspondence with our partners do not specify pest management
priori sa on. This part of your request has been refused under sec on 17(e) of the Act that
the document alleged to contain the informa on requested does not exist or despite
reasonable eﬀorts to locate it cannot be found.

Wellington City Council   |   3 of 4

We can advise that the Council Rangers & Specialists will look at an area, iden fy what is
there, and let partners know what would make the most impact. Community groups will
determine their own course of ac on to take and in some cases the Council may provide
tools and training to help.

7.  Clear confirma on of whether any funded control or eradica on eﬀorts are
planned for Darwin’s barberry in the above reserves—and if so, when they will
commence.
Eradica on is not a goal for the Council’s weed control programme because of the
prohibi ve costs. There will be no funded control or eradica on in Wrights Hill and
Waimapihi.

In Te Kopahou, Darwin’s barberry control is targeted to protect rare habitats such as the only
significant area of Dracophyllum filifolium in the city. Containment occurs in some southern
catchments where there are a very small number of individuals plants. Successful control at
these sites has meant that the areas will next be revisited in 2027.

Some informa on has been redacted under sec on 7(2)(a) of the Act, to protect the privacy
of the natural persons. As per sec on 7(1) of the LGOIMA, I do not consider that in the
circumstances of this response, the withholding of this informa on is outweighed by the
other considera ons which render it desirable to in the public interest to make the
informa on available.

Please note, we may proac vely release our response to your request with your personal
informa on removed.

You have the right, by way of complaint under sec on 28(1) of the LGOIMA, to request an
inves ga on and review of the Council’s decision by the Ombudsman. Informa on about
how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800
802 602.

If you require further informa on, please contact oﬃcial.informa [email address].


Nāku noa, nā


Asha Harry
Oﬃcial Informa on & Privacy
Wellington City Council
Wellington City Council   |   4 of 4