Pest Plants: Recognise, Report, Remove, Restore

Have you seen these pest plants?

Help free your backyard and neighbourhoods of these pest plants

For pest plants, remember the Four R's:

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Recognise - Learn to recognise pest plants using the iNaturalist app or the Forest & Bird Weed Guide 2021

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Report - Report pest plants (aka weeds) and the weed control work so that fellow volunteers and restoration groups can achieve more –  to find out more about reporting weeds, go to EcoNet CAMS Weed App

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Remove - Remove pest plants 

• Use our Six Pest Plants - Recognise and Remove flyer

• Follow best practice outlined in the Forest & Bird Weed Guide 2021 

• Borrow tools or herbicide gels from us at the PFK Toolshed

• Volunteer to help with weed control in your area

• Dispose of pods, roots and seed heads in our community pest plant bins

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Restore - Restore native biodiversity by planting native plants in your backyard, your workplace or school, by yourself, with your whanau, or by joining a restoration group​

Pest plant information

Pest plant factsheets

If you want more details on some of the worst weeds to view or download, use the fact sheets below to learn how to recognise and remove these pest plants.

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Moth plant fact sheet (PDF)

moth plant pods and vines 

aka moth vine, cruel plant

Moth Plant advice in Chinese? 

If you have neighbours who would welcome some moth plant information in Chinese, click here for the Auckland Council brochure Moth plant brochure in CHINESE

Council also has a range of weed brochures in Chinese - ask at your local library.

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Wild ginger fact sheet (PDF)

wild ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum)

aka Kahili ginger

Woolly nightshade fact sheet (PDF)

woolly nightshade (Solanum mauritianum)

aka tobacco plant, tobacco weed

Disposal of seriously invasive pest plants

There are many ways to dispose of pest plants safely and effectively.

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For more information, please see our Pest plant disposal page.

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See PFK on Facebook for updates and Events page for community activities

Auckland's Regional Pest Management Plan

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What is the Auckland "Regional Pest Management Plan" (RPMP)?

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The RPMP or Regional Pest Management Plan includes rules about all sorts of pests - animals, plants and pathogens. It is written within the context of the Biosecurity Act and takes into account the Good Neighbour rules. 
 

The RPMP will introduce a new approach to controlling environmental weeds in buffer zones around high value reserves. It has selected Pest Free Kaipātiki to work with it to develop a community led education and encouragement approach to controlling the weeds which do the most damage to ecological reserves. 

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Under the RPMP, property owners/occupants will be required to control the following highly invasive weeds if they live within a "buffer" zone - an area of 500 metres around high value ecological reserves.  The RPMP is based on the "Good Neighbour" principles of the Biosecurity Act - but we hope that people will control invasive weeds across Kaipatiki to protect our native bush reserves and SEAs as well as their neighbours' gardens. 

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Read more here: Auckland Council's Regional Pest Management Plan
 

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How can I do more to help control pest plants?

How do I become a street champion or join a pest plant Hit Squad?

Click on the Volunteer button and fill in your details.

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Want to help with pest plant hit squads or weeding bees?

Go to this page: Where and when are pest plant hit squads and working bees held

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How does the Pest Plant Campaign help with wider environmental issues?

• Environmental weeds destroy biodiversity by smothering native and food-producing plants

• They suppress native regeneration - meaning that the ecology under old trees gradually dies out

• Our pest control programmes complement native restoration and tree planting programmes

• Some environmental weeds have adverse health effects - eg moth plant, woolly nightshade, privet

• Controllling environmental weeds is a step in making for a healthier neighbourhood and planet.