The mid-term review of the council’s 2019-29 Otago regional pest management plan, by consultants Sapere, found the council was "partially effective" in achieving the objectives of its plan to exclude, eradicate, contain or control the 51 pest species it addresses.
The council was graded as "effective" at excluding, or keeping out, six pest species identified in the plan - African feather grass, Chilean needle grass, egeria, false tamarisk, hornwort and moth plant.
It was also effective at eradicating both rooks and spiny broom.
The consultants found the council was effective in raising awareness of the wallaby issue in Otago but "not effective" in reducing populations and preventing spread.
But there was hope, the review report said.
In particular, the consultants were impressed with the council’s work on its "Judas wallaby trials" where helicopter-based hunters follow GPS-collared wallabies to find other wallabies, which are destroyed.
"Targeted monitoring by ORC has demonstrated effective outcomes, especially in controlling rooks, spartina, and spiny broom," the report said.
"In wilding pine management, ORC has achieved partial effectiveness by leveraging national funding support.
"While ORC’s wallaby population control efforts are not effective at present, their collaboration with the national wallaby programme has yielded promising results.
"Initiatives such as the Judas wallaby trials have contributed to developing targeted and cost-effective control measures."
The report said containing wallabies, which could move up to 9km a day, was a challenge because there were limited numbers of the animals across a very large area.
It said council staff told the reviewers the at present 1.5 fulltime staff positions would need to increase to five fulltime staff to meet the objectives of the pest plan.
"A recent report identified that current funding is indeed too little to maintain gains and progressively eradicate wallabies in Otago, stating that $1.4 million is needed."
The reviewers said the plan provided a "framework" for the council to identify priority pest species, set objectives for their control, and outline responsibilities for landowners, local authorities, and other stakeholders.
Funding increased from $1.3 million in 2019-20 to $2m in 2021-22. It then jumped to $3.2m in 2021-22, then $3.8m (2022-23) and $4m (2023-24).
"The increased funding reflects the fact that the 2019 [plan] introduced significant changes to align with national policies and address local pest management challenges more effectively."
The review found overall, the council had made important investments, such as improving pest data capture and increasing its biosecurity team, in response to meeting the the pest management plan’s objectives.
The changes it had made were "significant", and the council could build on its progress in the first five years and achieve "greater effectiveness" by the conclusion of the 10-year plan.
The report suggested "ineffective enforcement" was plaguing rabbit control efforts.
Wilding pine containment suffered from inadequate "good neighbour" rules.
It contained 13 recommendations to improve the 2019-29 plan and nine recommendations to help prepare the next 10-year pest plan.
