Councillors unanimously carried the motion to join the Otago Wilding Trust and delegated Ms van Uden the authority to sign the charitable trust deed, during a full council meeting last month.
The trust was described as "a united front" to share information and methods on wilding control efforts throughout Otago and be an umbrella group for community-driven operational groups and to identify funding opportunities for groups to pursue, district forester and Wakatipu Wilding Conifer Control Group chief executive Briana Pringle said in her tabled report.
The trust would consist of the five mayors and the chair of the Otago Regional Council, plus representation from the three wilding community groups and the Department of Conservation, Mrs Pringle reported.
The trust would be a stronger political voice to lobby for funding and assistance from central government.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council would provide administrative support to the board for 12 months from the date of the deed, but there would not be any additional cost to the council.
Trustees would decide how administrative support would be provided after 12 months.
Cr Mel Gazzard asked if the Otago Regional Council offered any reason why it did not get involved in controlling wilding pines when its Southland and Canterbury counterparts did.
Ms van Uden said the regional council had been willing to be a part of the Otago Mayoral Forum, which acknowledged the need to be proactive in wilding control, in December.
The Central Otago District Council set aside $10,000 in its draft long-term plan to look into the wilding issue during its meeting earlier this month, "but if they take action now it will cost them a lot less money than us", Ms van Uden said.
The Wakatipu Wilding Conifer Control Group said the introduced trees infested 73,000ha in the Wakatipu Basin and suffocated biodiversity, costing an estimated $5.7 million to control.
The group submitted in late April the regional council should contribute $600,000 during the next decade to help fight the pest plant.
