Environment Canterbury is exploring options for a 55km wallaby and rabbit-proof fence to stop the spread of the pests into the Mackenzie Country.
A request for proposals for "the manufacture and delivery of materials to allow construction" of the fence, which would provide a barrier to wallaby spread across the Tekapo river system into the Mackenzie Basin, has been published on the Government’s electronic tender service system.
The request for proposals, which closes on June 17, states ECan is seeking suppliers that could provide 15km of fence material up front, with 20km of the remaining fence materials required then supplied per year, subject to confirmation of ongoing funding. It does not include construction of the fence — a later request for proposals will be tendered for this, it states.
ECan wallaby programme leader Brent Glentworth said the regional council was seeking registrations of interest to get a more accurate idea of how much the 55km fence would cost.
The project would require resource consent — this was just the first step, he said.
The Bennett’s wallaby was introduced into New Zealand for recreational hunting in the 1870s. While there is a 900,000ha containment area in South Canterbury, centred in the Hunter Hills and including the Two Thumb, Kirkliston and Grampian Ranges, the animals have been steadily increasing in density and geographic range beyond it since user-pays control was adopted in 1992.
Mackenzie Mayor Graham Smith said the number of wallabies in the Mackenzie district had risen "quite substantially", and it was particularly important to protect the Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park from the spread.
The Mackenzie District Council was supportive of the ECan-led fence project "because we do see it as a benefit to the Mackenzie", Mr Smith said.
While there were still discussions to be had over where the 55km fence would go, it was likely to follow the line of an old rabbit exclusion fence that ran between Lake Benmore and Tekapo, he said.
Meanwhile, the Otago Regional Council announced this week it was making good progress on its wallaby eradication programme to prevent the spread into Otago.
Between July 2021 and April 30 this year, 123,840ha in the region were searched for wallabies, 22 sightings being reported and three animals destroyed.
ORC environmental implementation manager Andrea Howard said wallaby search operations were continuing across seven management units, where four contractors were using a range of aerial and ground-based surveillance methods.
"This includes ground hunters with dogs, thermally equipped drones and aerial surveillance with thermal cameras," she said.
Of eight sightings reported in the past quarter, two animals were killed at Boundary Creek, at the west branch of the Manuherikia River, north of St Bathans, by ground hunters.
Signs had also been erected along state highways in the Lindis Pass, Ranfurly, Omarama, Waitaki Bridge, Palmerston, Dunedin and Middlemarch areas asking the public to report sightings of wallabies. Sightings can be logged online at reportwallabies.nz.
