Last month I represented the Kaipātiki Local Board at the Environment and Climate Change Committee on the proposal to end the North Shore’s 20+ years of using chemical-free methods of weed control in the road corridor (roads, footpaths, gardens, etc).

The former North Shore City and most of Auckland City used non-chemical thermal methods, and that has continued until now. Other parts of Auckland use glyphosate or a mix of glyphosate and plant-based herbicide.The proposal before the committee was for all of Auckland to use the mix of glyphosate and plant-based herbicide. However after several presentations and deliberations, the committee supported Chair Richard Hills’s proposal to allow local boards to choose the method of control. However this flexibility comes with a standardised budget for each local board, resulting in a cut to the current budget for the Kaipātiki Local Board and other northern and central areas (although an increase in other areas).

Next year, the Kaipātiki Local Board will need to make a decision on the method of weed control in the road corridor, and if we decide to retain a chemical-free method, determine whether it can be funded by the new level of budget or whether we will need to top up the budget with our discretionary budget. An alternative option that I have informally discussed with some members of other northern local boards, is to pool together our budgets and procure a contractor who can deliver non-chemical treatment across the North Shore at a similar or lower rate than council has been providing chemical methods elsewhere (there is some evidence that this will be possible).

Photo: Local board members presenting to the Environment and Climate Change Committee. L-R: Victoria Short (Hibiscus and Bays), John Gillon (Kaipātiki), Jon Turner (Puketāpapa).