On a sunny Sunday morning in April, members of the South Wellington Weed Action Coalition (SWWAC!) met in the Voglemorn Community Centre for an exciting morning of weed work.
SWWAC!’s members (Manawa Karioi, Southern Environment Association and Paekawakawa Reserve group, Friends of Ōwhiro Stream, Ōwhiro Stream Team, Ōwhiro Bay Residents Environment Group, and Conservation Volunteers Wellington) are planning more and better weed control coordinated across the beautiful south coast of Wellington.
Darryl Kee and members of SWWAC at Vogelmorn Community Centre
With the support of the Wellington City Council, we were thrilled to have expert weed controller Darryl Lee of Weedworks run a workshop specifically tailored to the needs of our South Wellington conservation groups. And thanks to SWWAC member Paul for the morning tea overflowing with juicy feijoas! After the morning’s presentation by Darryl, the team went to Ōwhiro Stream for a while to talk more about the weeds we saw over lunch.
The main things we learned at this workshop were:
- We need to look at weed control as part of the overall environmental restoration mahi.
- We need to pay attention to the weeds that are emerging problems like climbing asparagus and another new weeds to the area, parsnip palm. Parsnip palm is suddenly quite conspicuous at Manawa Karioi, and now is a good time to stop it becoming more widespread.
- We need good survey information about which weeds are most problematic where – this will allow us to do our own control work, and also to be successful in getting the extra funding we are looking for. This is where the coordinated approach of SWWAC! is really helpful.
Manawa Karioi weed FAQs
What are weeds?
Weeds are often defined as an unwanted plant growing in the wrong place. We have plenty of these at MK, because we are trying to restore native forest and introduced weed species take up the space where we want to plant natives, or smother native species especially when they are young. Introduced weeds also often grow and spread faster than native species and, without control, become more and more of a nuisance over time.
What are the most troublesome weeds in Manawa Karioi?
Japanese honeysuckle which can look nice but spreads fast and definitely can smother native growth
Old Man’s Beard which is widespread and very spreading
Climbing asparagus has not been around for long but forms very dense strangling patches and can ringbark and kill some native species
How can I help with weed control?
Learn how to identify the weeds mentioned and pictured here and keep an eye out for them. If you are confident that what you’re looking at is a weed – and not a native species - don’t hesitate to pull out the little ones from beside the track or where you are walking! You can then take them home whole and disposed of in the rubbish or commercial green waste. This will help limit their spread.