Who are ‘Weedbusters’?

Weedbusters was launched in 2003 to raise awareness of and encourage community action against invasive plant species - or weeds. It’s an ‘umbrella’ under which all the government departments, region & local councils, community organisations and trusts involved with weeds issues can work under to provide a consistent message to catch public attention and interest.

Weedbusters is thrilled that NGIA is supporting this initiative and has a representative on the national Weedbusters Management Committee.

Around three quarters of the plant species that have ‘jumped the fence’ and gone weedy in New Zealand started off as ornamental garden plants. With most species, there is a significant lag period between when they arrived in the country and when they started to be found in the wild. It is fair to say that most of the species that will become the weeds of the future are already in New Zealand gardens, working their way through this lag period.

In following issues of the NGIA newsletter, we’ll be looking at some ornamental species that are already widely recognised as a threat to our coastal, wetlands, tussocklands and bush areas, and some that are only just beginning to make the great escape.

Weedbusters welcome your feedback on the species that are featured, and on ones that you would like to see featured in the future. Carolyn Lewis (National Weedbusters Coordinator) can be contacted on cl.sb@xtra.co.nz or check out their website at http://www.weedbusters.co.nz/.