How you can help
When you're gardening be on the alert for pests and diseases you haven't seen before. Call our hotline if you're concerned: 0800 80 99 66
To help stop the spread of weeds and other pests and diseases:
- be familiar with types of weeds
- control weeds in your garden
- know about "unwanted organisms" and the rules around plants in that category
- dispose of greenwaste properly
- don't import plants and seeds (unless you're a seed importer)
- keep a look out for pests.
Weeds are a threat to our environment
A weed is a plant that is invasive or harmful. They are one of the biggest threats to New Zealand's farms, parks, coasts, bush, wetlands, and alpine areas. Weeds smother the habitat of native plants and animals, and can harm agriculture through damaging crops and affecting animal welfare.
Many problem weeds in New Zealand's natural areas started out as plants deliberately grown in gardens.
What are weeds? – Weedbusters website
Control weeds in your garden
Follow Weedbusters' advice to get rid of weeds in your garden.
Weedbusters' 7 tips for weed control
- Find out what weeds you're dealing with first. Ask for expert help.
- Start small. Avoid creating large cleared areas which often allow new and different weeds to establish.
- Plan your control and work in stages. Tackle outlying weed patches first to slow the rate of weed spread before starting on the worst areas. Replace weeds with natives or non-weedy plants as you go.
- If your weeds need chemical control, contact Weedbusters to find out the best herbicide to use and how to apply it. You may need permission or qualifications to use herbicide on public land.
- Destroy weeds before they fruit or seed to prevent a new generation of weeds growing inside your work area.
- When shifting dead weeds take care not to spread any seeds or fragments around that could grow again.
- Decide on the best disposal method to use before you start, particularly if working in a large area.
Controlling weeds – Weedbusters website
Legal restrictions for some plants
Some plants are banned from sale, distribution, display, and propagation. These plants are listed on the National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) list and have all been classed as "unwanted organisms" under the Biosecurity Act 1993.
Plants on the NPPA list should not be available in garden centres or other shops.
If you have a plant in your garden that is on the NPPA list, you are not legally required to remove it but you must not sell, display (for example at a flower show or garden walk), propagate, or move it to another garden.
Read more about banned plants and the NPPA
Dispose of greenwaste correctly
Greenwaste – clippings, branches, or plants you've taken out of your garden and don't want – can spread weeds if not disposed of correctly.
Gardeners should check their regional council's website and the Weedbusters website for information regarding what to do with their greenwaste.
Find contact details for your local council – Local Government New Zealand
Disposing of weed waste – Weedbusters website
Find out more
New Zealand weeds – Massey University website
Weed list – Weedbusters website
Don't bring plants or seeds into New Zealand
Goods coming into New Zealand by air, sea, or mail need to pass strict biosecurity requirements to prevent the introduction of pests and diseases.
You must not bring plants, plant materials, or seeds into New Zealand in the mail (for example through online shopping, or if a friend or relative posts them to you), or in your bags when you come home if you travel overseas.
Read more about bringing goods into New Zealand
Importing seeds for sowing
Importers of seeds for sowing in New Zealand need to meet various biosecurity and phytosanitary requirements.
Find out how to become a seed importer
Pests to look out for in the garden
You can help protect New Zealand’s iconic landscapes by watching out for these nasty pests in your backyard.
Insect pests
If you see any of these insect pests, catch it and call the MPI Exotic Pest and Disease Hotline on 0800 80 99 66
Brown marmorated stink bugs
MPI needs your help to keep watch for the brown marmorated stink bug, which could attack a wide range of New Zealand crops and infest local homes. Gardeners have been asked to be on the lookout because bugs that come through airports or seaports would attack their crops first.
Brown marmorated stink bug alert
Invasive ants
Most ants you will see in your garden are not a concern. However, we need to keep watch to ensure some species of invasive ants don't get established here. Early detection is important to the eradication and control of invasive ants.
How to recognise, identify, and report known invasive ant species [PDF, 802 KB]
Mosquitoes
New Zealand has 15 species of mosquito. They are a nuisance, but not dangerous. Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so the best way to get rid of them is to remove things that hold water from your garden.
Mosquitoes from overseas are a threat to our health, as many of them can carry dangerous diseases.
There are 3 species of exotic mosquitoes that we ask you to keep a close look out for – Asian tiger mosquito, malaria mosquito, and southern saltmarsh mosquito.
Pea weevil
Pea weevils were found in April 2016 in the Wairarapa.
We are confident that they have now been eradicated but, for assurance, monitoring of some commercial pea harvests will continue during the 2020 to 2021 season. Commercial and home gardeners are encouraged to stay alert for any sign of this destructive insect on their pea plants and pea straw.
Read more about pea weevils in the Wairarapa
Termites
Subterranean termites can cause structural damage to all types of wood, including timber house framing, furniture, fences, and trees. Occasionally these introduced termites are found in New Zealand and MPI is keen to identify any populations and eradicate them.
Read more about termites [PDF, 3.4 MB]
Weeds
These pest plants are all on the National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) list. We need your help to prevent the spread of these highly damaging weeds in New Zealand. To see a full list of weeds to look out for go to our National Pest Plant Accord page.
If you find any of these plants,
If you find any of these weeds, call the MPI Exotic Pest and Disease Hotline on 0800 80 99 66
Cape tulip
Cape tulip could have a serious economic impact on New Zealand agriculture if it were to become widely established because it can smother pasture. It is also very poisonous. Although it has been banned from sale since 1950, sometimes plants are still found in private gardens.
Salvinia
Salvinia is an aquatic fern that forms floating mats on still waters and swamps. It can completely smother waterways and badly affect water quality. It can double in area within 2 weeks in warm conditions, such as in the north of New Zealand. Gardeners with fish ponds or other still ponds should keep an eye out for salvinia.
Water hyacinth
Water hyacinth forms dense mats, completely smothering large waterways and badly affecting water quality. These mats kill off native plants, attract breeding mosquitoes, block dams and irrigation systems, remove oxygen from the water and create a drowning risk for people and animals.
Read more about water hyacinth
White bryony
White bryony smothers and shades out whatever it grows on. It is dispersed by birds and its tubers are hard to find. White bryony grows in diverse habitats such as hedges, fence lines, native forest, scrub, paddocks, and exotic plantations. Plants are usually found under places where birds perch.
Plant diseases
If you see any of these diseases, call the MPI Exotic Pest and Disease Hotline on 0800 80 99 66
Myrtle rust
The myrtle rust fungus is present in New Zealand. This fungus is a threat to any member of the myrtle family, including native species such as pōhutukawa, rātā, and mānuka.
The first signs of myrtle rust are powdery, bright yellow or orange-yellow pustules on leaves, tips, and stems.
Potato wart
Potato wart is a fungal disease which, if it was to spread to commercial properties, would have a serious impact on New Zealand's potato industry. Although it doesn't pose a threat to human health, diseased potatoes are not fit for human consumption. The most recent reports of potato wart were in home gardens in and around Invercargill in 2012.
Find out how to identify potato wart [PDF, 559 KB]
Find out more
Search for these and other pests and diseases
Who to contact
If you have questions about biosecurity and gardening, email info@mpi.govt.nz
