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Te tiaki i ā tatou pākai papa tākaro ā Rehia

Caring for our park buffers

We need to protect our native plants and wildlife from one of the biggest threats in our region: weeds.

About park buffer zones

A park buffer zone is an area surrounding an ecologically important park.

These parks:

  • are home to native plants and animals
  • have to be protected from invasive pest plants.

A buffer zone extends 500 metres beyond the park boundary.

A park buffer zone around an ecologically important park.

Check if you are in a park buffer zone

Only some parks in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland have buffer zones around them.

We do not do work in all of the park buffer zones at the same time. If we are working in a park buffer zone, the park is marked as ‘active’ on our maps.

Visit Conservation map to:

  • find park buffer zones
  • find out which buffer zones are ‘active’.

Why we need to control park buffer weeds

Pest plants spread very fast and can grow in lots of different environments.

They can quickly invade native ecosystems and have a significant negative impact. Native plants can be smothered and killed, and native seedlings cannot grow up through the pest plants.

This reduces food sources and habitats for native animals like birds and reptiles.

Find out more about park buffer zone pest plants

Select the following images to find out more about each pest plant:

A spiny green bush with red berries.

Bushy asparagus


A green spiny plant with orange berries.

Climbing asparagus


Broad leaves with white flowers and a large green fruit.

Moth plant


Leather like glossy leaves with ants crawling over a bunch of small red berries.

Rhamnus


Flat long leaves with tall stems leading to yellow flowers.

Wild ginger


Hairy big leaves with a bunch of small green berries in the centre and a bluster of small purple flowers towards the left.

Woolly nightshade


Controlling other weeds

To find out how to control other weed species that may be a threat to the environment or to your garden, visit:

Visit Auckland Biodiversity Facebook page to follow and take part in community projects.

 Related topics

 

 

Plant for your local ecosystemhttps://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/environment/plants-animals/plant-for-your-ecosystemPlant for your local ecosystemFind information on how to plant to suit your local ecosystem.aspxBiodiversity
Volunteer in our parkshttps://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/environment/what-you-can-do-for-environment/Pages/volunteer-in-our-parks.aspxVolunteer in our parksJoin community planting days or join a Friends of Parks group to volunteer in our parks.aspxVolunteering
How to dispose of weedshttps://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/environment/plants-animals/pests-weeds/Pages/how-to-dispose-weeds.aspxHow to dispose of weedsYou need to be careful when disposing of weeds. Check which transfer stations accept green waste or have a garden company collect the weeds you removed.aspxBiosecurity
Eradicating low incidence pest plantshttps://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/environment/what-we-do-to-help-environment/our-biodiversity-projects/Pages/eradicating-low-incidence-pest-plants.aspxEradicating low incidence pest plantsFind out how we are managing pest plants and how you can help. aspxEnvironment Biosecurity
Pest-free Aucklandhttps://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/environment/what-we-do-to-help-environment/our-biodiversity-projects/Pages/pest-free-auckland.aspxPest-free AucklandGet involved in Pest-free Auckland, a community-led conservation initiative. aspxVolunteering
Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP)https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plans-projects-policies-reports-bylaws/our-plans-strategies/topic-based-plans-strategies/environmental-plans-strategies/Pages/regional-pest-management-plan.aspxRegional Pest Management Plan (RPMP)Information about our plan to set priorities for managing animal and plant pests.aspxStrategies