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National Wallaby Eradication Programme E-Newsletter
Autumn 2026
Welcome
Tēnā tātau katoa,
When faced with a mobile animal pest such as the wallaby, ensuring that we are all working in unison becomes very important. Work done in one location, will be much more effective if the neighbours are on board too.
Our teams are currently preparing operational control plans for the next financial year, with collaboration front of mind. This includes talking with landowners to get wallaby control over whole blocks of land.
Announcements from partners of additional funding for wallaby control are welcome news. This includes the $1 million from the International Visitors Levy that DOC announced in 2025 and recently Environment Canterbury announced an additional $2 million.
Collaboration is also central to our current strategy review with our community engagement meetings held in May.
Alongside this, our in-market campaign reinforcing the need for farmers and landowners to work together with each other and regional partner agencies – because coordinated action across boundaries is what will make the difference in controlling wallaby spread.
Ngā mihi,
John Walsh
Chair, Tipu Mātoro Governance Group
Wallaby Strategy Review – Summary and Update
We're reviewing the Tipu Mātoro Aotearoa New Zealand Wallaby Strategy to ensure it reflects what we’ve learned over the past five years. The goal is to refine the strategy's aim and objectives to best support the Programme long term.
Over the last few months, we have held a series of workshops with Programme parters to seek their views on the strategy. In May we held a series of community meetings to seek wider feedback on what people would like from the Programme. At these meetings we discussed various options and priorities for wallaby control operations.
Feedback gathered through these meetings will inform recommendations to the Tipu Mātoro National Wallaby Eradication Programme Governance Group and the drafting of a revised strategy.
If you missed these meetings, or have more to say, we would like to hear from you. Email your thoughts by 30 June 2026 to wallaby@mpi.govt.nz
“It’s only one wallaby”: the harm and cost are more than you think
Wallabies are not something to ignore. If they’re not eliminated early, they can have real and lasting impacts on properties and livelihoods.
Wallabies eat the same feed as stock, foul pasture, and damage crops, young trees, and fences. They can also worsen erosion and water quality. For those on the land this pressure can lead to lighter animals, lower weaning rates, poorer stock condition, higher animal health costs, extra labour, and reduced profitability.
Our hunting partners with proof that reporting wallaby sightings helps to prevent wallaby spread into new locations. Photo courtesy of Otago Regional Council.
As one wallaby-affected farmer says: “Wallabies don’t stop at the boundary. They’re a very mobile and devastating pest. Ignore them now and you’ll be dealing with an expensive mess later.”
Earlier this year, a wallaby unexpectedly sighted and reported by several people in Central Otago was quickly found and controlled by our hunting contractors. That area is now under ongoing monitoring to ensure there are no other wallabies in an area that should be wallaby free.
Farmers and landowners are often the first to notice signs of wallabies, e.g. scat or damage. Every report helps protect neighbouring properties and the wider region as everyone plays a part.
If you see a wallaby, tracks, scat, a road‑killed animal, or shoot one, report it straight away at www.reportwallabies.nz. It’s always better to report than risk a new population establishing.
Working together to stop wallaby spread into Te Urewera
Stopping wallabies spreading from containment areas (part of the North Island’s is outlined and shaded in red on the map) is a key focus for the Programme.
In the North Island, a lot of effort is going into buffer areas around the main wallaby population in the southeastern Bay of Plenty. Keeping numbers low here is imperative to prevent wallabies moving towards Te Urewera.
Green and orange lines show ground crew activity. Red dots are night shooting kills. Map: Biosecurity New Zealand.
Since January, ground crews have covered large areas (shown by orange shading and green lines on the map). They have removed 720 wallabies through night shooting (red dots on the map). This work aims to lower the risk of wallabies moving back into Matahina Forest, where aerial 1080 control has recently been successful. It also helps reduce the risk of spread into other buffer areas and beyond.
Work with iwi, communities, and landowners is ongoing, especially where aerial control is the best option. Dogs and cameras are used to track wallaby presence and check how well control techniques are working. These valuable insights help plan and deliver the Programme’s aims more effectively.
Community collaboration key to wallaby control: A farmer’s perspective
South Canterbury farmer Matt Simpson of Ranui Station knows first‑hand what coordinated wallaby control can achieve.
For years, his property was overrun, with recreational shooters removing around 3,300 wallabies annually, later dropping to 2,400 using thermal equipment.
Matt Simpson on farm at Ranui Station.
Everything changed when the Tipu Mātoro National Wallaby Programme undertook subsidised 1080 control on his high-country blocks.
The results were outstanding,” Matt says. “We now only shoot about 130 wallabies a year across the whole property.”
The benefits have been significant:
Pasture and native vegetation have bounced back
Stock graze more cleanly without wallaby scat
Pig numbers have reduced
Fewer shooters on‑farm means less disruption to stock.
Matt strongly encourages landowners to work with their neighbours and local catchment groups.
“If your neighbour isn’t controlling wallabies, your own efforts are largely wasted,” he says. “But when communities participate together, follow‑up is easy—just picking off the last few animals.”
He emphasises the need for ongoing coordination before and after programme operations to prevent reinfestation and keep progress on track.
“The time to act is now. Wallabies spread fast, and they’re incredibly hard to remove once established. Working together is the only way we’ll stay ahead of them.”
More information on working together as landowners can be found at www.biosecurity.govt.nz/stop-wallabies
Choosing the right tools to find wallabies
Not sighting wallabies during a search doesn’t always mean they aren’t there. It may mean the method used wasn’t effective enough for the situation.
Understanding how well different surveillance tools detect wallabies helps determine how much searching is needed to be confident an area is clear — and whether local elimination has been achieved.
Our Programme research compared several commonly used surveillance tools for detecting Bennett’s wallabies.
Pestmasters NZ contractors preparing their dogs to detect wallabies. Photo courtesy of Bioeconomy Science Institute.
Findings show that dog assisted hunting and night-time UAVs using thermal cameras are more effective at detecting wallabies than daytime helicopter surveys using thermal cameras, non-hunting detector dogs locating live wallabies, and ground-based visual surveys by staff. The research also showed that searching for droppings should be considered an effective tool for confirming the presence of wallabies.
However, no single method suits every situation. Alongside the tool’s detection effectiveness, other factors like habitat, terrain, weather, technology used, operator experience, and cost all play a role. In practice, selecting a surveillance approach means balancing these factors to choose the best fit for the location and purpose.
You can read this and other research and technical reports at www.mpi.govt.nz/wallabies
Telling on themselves: what wallaby DNA can tell us
Knowing how wallabies move and settle in new areas is key to stopping their spread. The Programme’s new genetics research is helping do this in a smarter, more practical way by using a wallaby’s own DNA to answer questions that were once difficult, time‑consuming, and costly.
Understanding how individual wallabies are genetically related across the landscape helps us predict where they might spread and where control is needed to stop them returning.
When a wallaby is found far outside its known range, it raises key questions. Did it come from nearby or further away? Is it alone, or could there be others in the area? Until now, answering these questions often required long and expensive follow‑up work. This world‑first research for wallabies is changing that by tying these individuals to their source populations.
Genetic information from small tissue samples provides clues about where each individual may have come from and whether it is likely part of a breeding population. That information supports teams to decide what action is needed and where to focus effort.
There are also future uses after control work. Testing DNA from wallaby droppings could show whether wallabies have returned, and/or survived control, and help estimate numbers supporting clearer, on-the-ground decisions across New Zealand.
In optimal cases it may be possible to know exactly how many individuals remain in an area and tick them off as they are removed.
You can read this and other research and technical reports at www.mpi.govt.nz/wallabies
Scientist, Andrew Veale, undertaking wallaby genetic research. Photo courtesy of Bioeconomy Science Institute.
Acknowledging wallaby expert Bruce Warburton
Bruce Warbrton in the field as part of our recently completed wallaby detection research. Photo credit Bioeconomy Science Institute.
Bruce Warburton has made an outstanding contribution to wildlife research in New Zealand and overseas and is widely recognised as a leading expert in vertebrate management and control projects, Bruce’s insight and leadership have been instrumental in strengthening evidence‑based pest management.
His recent award of the Caughley Medal—the highest honour of the Australasian Wildlife Management Society—recognises a career dedicated to advancing wildlife management across Australia and New Zealand. Bruce’s work has spanned animal welfare and ethics, cost‑effective and innovative pest‑control strategies, novel technologies, and decision‑support systems that have shaped best practice in the field.
MPI, on behalf of Tipu Mātoro, wishes Bruce all the very best for his retirement. While he will continue leading contracted research through to June 2026, we look forward to ongoing opportunities to draw on his expertise—so happily, this is not goodbye.
Wallaby control fence showing vegetation damage (top); 1080 control area boot cleaning station (middle); collecting foliage treated with 1080 gel (bottom). All photos courtesy Kevin Foster.
Kawau Island: a smaller project with big lessons for wallaby control
A recent visit to Kawau Island offered a clear snapshot of what wallaby control involves and why it requires careful planning. The trip brought together national, regional, and local partners, including Tipu Mātoro’s senior health and safety advisor, council representatives, Auckland Council staff, and the eradication lead for Island Conservation.
From the ferry landing at Mansion House Bay, even simple steps such as using the boot wash station highlighted how biosecurity and safety are built into everyday practice.
At the Department of Conservation depot, the team was briefed on site safety, the project objectives, and the task for the day: collecting all cut foliage treated with 1080 gel and signage used in the ground-based operation. A detailed toolbox talk, equipment checks and clear task allocations came first before teams travelled by light utility vehicles to their sites.
The work itself was methodical. Each bait was removed, photographed, and recorded, with all materials accounted for. Heavy vegetation browsing was visible, showing the scale of damage wallabies can cause. Night shooting had previously been undertaken in the area, with staff monitoring low wallaby numbers and adjusting plans accordingly.
The journey back provided a powerful reminder of the outcomes. A long‑term island resident spoke of vegetation returning to over a metre high and praised the control work already completed. The day ended on a positive note: no health and safety issues were observed, reinforcing that effective wallaby control depends on both good outcomes and safe, well‑managed operations.
Engagingly engaging: What do wallabies and rugby players have in common?
Behind the scenes filming with Ethan de Groot, ORC's Lisa Scott, Biosecurity Assistant "Barry" and Jasmine Couch. Photo courtesy of Otago Regional Council.
Unless it’s our sporting rivals across the ditch, usually nothing! However, when you’re an Otago Highlander with environmental passion and you team up with wallaby control then you really have something!
Highlander's Ethan de Groot with ORC's Gavin Udy.
In February, an Otago Regional Council (ORC) campaign featuring Highlander’s prop Ethan de Groot, ORC’s Gavin Udy and ORC “Biosecurity Assistant ‘Barry’” (aka the taxidermized wallaby) and a bunch of rugby-related terms was hugely successful in bringing attention to wallabies as a pest and threat. So successful it even “crossed the line” and featured on 9Now “Today” TV show in Australia! Great teamwork to support “kicking (furry) wallabies to touch!”
Minister gets first-hand look at wallaby control efforts
During a recent visit to Rotorua, Minister for Biosecurity Hon. Andrew Hoggard (fourth from left) met with BNZ team and partners to see the scale of work underway to control wallabies.
This included the 12.5km fence at Whakarewarewa Forest and the critical role of surveillance, research, and detector dogs in working towards a wallaby-free Aotearoa.
Farmers working together with farmers to stop wallabies
A huge thanks to Kane Murdoch of Cloudy Peaks Station, Pete Strawbridge of Waikite Valley Farm, Pamū, Matt Simpson of Ranui Station, and Young Farmers Shanice Young and Jack Arthurs-Schoppe, for all being part of a current campaign around farmers and landowners connecting with wallaby control and all of us working together to stop wallabies in their tracks.
We really appreciate those affected by wallabies telling their stories and helping others understand what’s at stake and how to go about tackling the problem.
The campaign runs through to the end of June with practical details about who to contact and what to do available at www.biosecurity.govt.nz/stop-wallabies
You can also talk wallabies at Sites E38 (Science for Farmers) and PD44 (MPI) at National Fieldays at Mystery Creek, Hamilton, 10 – 13 June 2026.
Farmers Pete Strawbridge and Kane Murdoch putting real faces to a very real problem.
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Ngā mihi nui, The Tipu Mātoro Programme Team
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