Working together to eliminate wallabies
Wallabies are not a new problem. But they are a national pest problem that needs a joint effort to solve.
Tipu Mātoro is a national eradication programme and a partnership of Biosecurity New Zealand (BNZ), iwi and regional councils in wallaby-affected areas, the Department of Conservation (DOC), Federated Farmers, Forest & Bird, Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), farmers, foresters, landowners, researchers, and communities.
Our aim is to stop the spread of wallabies (by containment) and improve the effectiveness of wallaby management.
Together we have a long-term aspiration for a wallaby-free Aotearoa.
To do this we need to:
- contain wallabies to the known core population areas in the Bay of Plenty and Canterbury regions.
- remove any wallabies found outside of them.
- over time, work steadily from the outside in to reduce wallaby numbers and the sizes of these areas.
The 'Tipu Mātoro Aotearoa New Zealand wallaby strategy' sets out the partnership's proactive plan for protecting New Zealand's natural and production environments from introduced pest wallabies.
Tipu Mātoro Aotearoa New Zealand wallaby strategy [PDF, 4.2 MB]
The summary of the Tipu Mātoro strategy explains the approach and framework.
Summary of the Tipu Mātoro wallaby strategy [PDF, 1.9 MB]
What we're doing
Once we stop the spread of wallabies from core populations and eliminate outlier populations, it will make eradication possible.
Tipu Mātoro is tackling the wallaby problem by:
- doing surveillance and population control in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Canterbury, and Otago
- improving wallaby detection and control methods
- doing research to better understand wallabies in New Zealand
- working together with wallaby-affected mana whenua, farmers, landowners, and communities.
Tipu Mātoro’s operational research programme
Since inception in 2020, Tipu Mātoro has invested in research to better understand wallabies in New Zealand.
We are looking for new and better ways to find, monitor and control wallabies and to improve cultural and social licence to protect our farms, forests, native bush, and wildlife.
Our Tipu Mātoro National Research Plan for dama, parma and Bennett’s wallabies in New Zealand is a high-level guide to the research needed to support our strategy and the long-term vision of a wallaby-free Aotearoa.
Tipu Mātoro National Research Plan for dama, parma and Bennett’s wallabies in New Zealand [PDF, 2.2 MB]
Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research supports this work through a co-funding agreement that allows even more research to be done and implemented daily in our operations.
Coordinating wallaby control
Biosecurity New Zealand coordinates the Tipu Mātoro National Wallaby Eradication Programme and brings together all the programme partners across the various workstreams. The programme’s (Crown) funding for wallaby control goes to the regional councils in areas affected by wallabies. As well as the Crown funding, regional councils, iwi, and some landowners also make financial contributions for controlling wallabies.
Regional councils are responsible for operations on the ground – though noting this is increasingly in partnership with mana whenua and there are also responsibilities on some Canterbury landowners under the Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP). This maximises efficiencies and benefits to landowners, and allows for co-ordination between neighbours (including iwi, DOC, and LINZ as large landowners) to target wallabies in a systematic way regardless of who owns the land.
Biosecurity New Zealand also co-ordinates the wallaby operational research programme.
Tipu Mātoro National Wallaby Eradication Programme
Help from other organisations to control wallabies
We're not doing this work alone. We are working with partner organisations including councils, farmers, and iwi.
Regional councils involved and their wallaby web pages
Bay of Plenty Regional Council | Toi Moana
Waikato Regional Council | Te Kaunihera ā Rohe o Waikato
Environment Canterbury Regional Council | Kaunihera Taiao ki Waitaha
Government agencies
Department of Conservation | Te Papa Atawhai – Hunting wallabies
Land Information New Zealand | Toitū Te Whenua – Biosecurity and biodiversity programmes
Iwi organisations
Te Arawa Kāhui a collective of 8 Te Arawa hapū/iwi
Research organisations
Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research
