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Progressive Containment
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The progressive containment programme aims to stop a pest from spreading and/or contain it to a certain area.
Below is an example of the pest infestation curve which is used around New Zealand to help us figure out the best management option for pests. Where a pest sits on the curve tells us the most cost-effective way to control or eradicate it.
African love grass
Grows as clumps of grass up to 1.5m tall with small white flowers and black-olive/purple seeds. Report this pest!
Bomarea
Bomarea is a climbing, woody vine with long, narrow leaves and large clusters of tubular flowers, typically orange, red, or yellow. Management programme: Progressive Containment.
Boneseed
Boneseed is a woody shrub with dull green leaves and bright yellow flowers. It spreads fast, forms dense patches, and pushes out native plants in coastal areas. Report this pest!
Bur daisy
Bur daisy is a small, weedy herb with bright yellow pom-pom flowers that turn into hard, spiky burs. It spreads easily by sticking to stock and can quickly take over pasture, affecting wool quality and native plants.
Cape ivy
Cape ivy is a tangled, climbing plant that forms thick mats up to 2–3 m tall. Its leathery, pointed leaves and clusters of yellow ragwort-like flowers smother low-growing plants, preventing native seedlings from growing. It produces many long-lived seeds and is found mainly around Dunedin City and the Otago Peninsula in about 85 known sites.
Nassella tussock
Nassella tussock is a perennial grass that grows up to 1.5 meters tall, with long, fine leaves and distinctive fluffy seed heads. Management programme: Progressive containment,
Old man's beard
Old man’s beard is a fast-growing climbing vine that smothers trees and native plants. It can reach up to 20 m high, has creamy-white flowers and fluffy seed heads, and spreads rapidly with about 1,000 seeds per m² that are wind-, water-, and bird-dispersed. Its stems also root easily, forming new plants.
Perennial nettle
Perennial nettle is a tall, stinging plant that can form thick stands in paddocks, riverbanks, and roadsides. Its sting irritates skin and deters animals, reducing usable grazing land. It spreads fast through underground rhizomes and thrives in both wet and dry areas.
Spartina
Spartina is an invasive estuary grass that forms thick clumps, traps sediment, raises flood risk, and alters bird habitats.
White-edged nightshade
White‑edged nightshade is a spiny, fast-growing shrub with pale flowers and tomato-like berries that smothers farmland and native plants.
Wilding conifers
Wilding conifers are invasive pine and fir trees spreading into tussock and farmland, reducing grazing land and increasing fire risk.
