Rotorua, New Zealand — More than 2,000 wallabies were killed or contained in the Bay of Plenty region during the 2024/25 pest control program, raising questions about the escalating cost of managing the invasive marsupials.
A Growing Wallaby Problem in New Zealand
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s efforts highlight a nationwide struggle to control a population exceeding one million wallabies, impacting both the environment and local economies.
- Introduced from Australia in the late 1800s, wallabies now pose a significant threat to New Zealand’s native forests and farmland.
- The Bay of Plenty Regional Council eradicated 15 wallabies and contained 1,988 others in the last year.
- The government has committed $1 million over two years to support national wallaby eradication efforts.
- The Central North Island containment area, roughly the size of Luxembourg, is a key focus of the eradication program.
What’s the big deal with wallabies? These seemingly harmless creatures are quietly wreaking havoc on New Zealand’s delicate ecosystems. They devour native seedlings, hindering forest regeneration, and cause substantial financial losses to farmers.
“Wallabies eat everything within their reach in our native bush, including the seedlings that make up future forests,” explained Zane Jensen, Department of Conservation Rotorua operations manager. “Wallabies cost New Zealanders millions of dollars in lost farm production and lost benefits from the environment.”
Eradication and Containment Strategies
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council changed its Regional Pest Management Plan in June to address wallaby populations through eradication or progressive containment. Eradication aims to completely remove wallabies from an area, while containment focuses on preventing their spread.
The current containment zone in the Central North Island spans approximately 260,000 hectares—an area comparable in size to Luxembourg. Natural barriers like rivers, gorges, and lakes define the zone, with a surrounding buffer area for operational work.
Davor Bejakovich, Bay of Plenty Regional Council wallaby programme leader, stated, “Current activity is focused on finding and eliminating all wallaby populations in areas outside this core range.” Contractors utilize wallaby indicator dogs and trail cameras to pinpoint and assess population sizes.
The council collaborates with landowners to implement control measures on private property. “Where wallaby populations exist outside of the containment area, council will work with the landowners to plan and deliver wallaby control,” Bejakovich added. “In these areas the numbers of wallabies killed is less relevant than determining whether any survived, as our focus is on finding and eliminating the last wallaby in the area.” Night shooting is employed within the containment zone to reduce numbers and prevent further spread.
Wallabies aren’t the only animal pest concern in the Bay of Plenty. The regional council manages 20 pest species, with landowners responsible for containing established populations. In the year ending June 30, the council received 147 public inquiries regarding other pests, such as rabbits, stoats, and possums. The council could not provide a breakdown of which pests generated the most complaints.
A recent “rabbit plague” at Okere Falls highlighted the complexities of pest management. The council also processed nearly 1,000 feral goats this year—eight eradicated and 960 contained—marking the 20th year of the Eastern Bay of Plenty Feral Goat Programme. Over two decades, roughly 35,000 goats have been controlled with a $10 million investment covering an area larger than one million rugby fields.
