Pest Control

The Otago Regional Council leads pest control for the area and has developed a Pest Management Plan to target a range of pest plants and animals.   This can be read on the Otago Regional Council (ORC) website:

We manage pests on Council owned or managed land. This includes an annual goat cull, regular broom removal and destroying wasp nests. 

Please don't feed the geese or ducks!

Feeding geese and ducks encourages them to gather in large numbers, which results in a lot of bird poo! This can cause bacterial pollution from nasties like E-coli and Campylobacter, which affect water quality and make it unsafe to swim in the lake.

We are looking to discourage nonnative species of geese, particularly Canada Geese (in Wānaka) and Greylag Geese (Lake Hayes).

If you come across pests on our land, please let us know.  You can contact us by phone on 03 441 0499 (Queenstown) or 03 443 0024 (Wānaka) or online using the link below:

Property owners are responsible for controlling pests (goats, rabbits, possums, feral cats, broom etc) on their own land. Guidelines for private property pest management can be found in the Otago Regional Council Pest Management Plan.

QLDC does not carry out rabbit or pest control on private land.

Works identified through community requests are scoped, quoted, reviewed and scheduled collectively by maintenance contractors and QLDC Parks Contracts team, and reported monthly through the below Reactive Pest Plant Control Programme.

A preventative control programme aligned to the Otago Regional Council’s Pest Management Plan is reviewed annually, works scheduled throughout the growing seasons, and reported annually through the below Preventative Pest Plant Control Programme.

The key to rabbit control is ensuring landowners work collaboratively, and QLDC works with neighbouring landowners to achieve this.

Like all landowners, QLDC must comply with Otago Regional Council's (ORC) Pest Management Plan which targets a range of pest plants and animals and can be found here: www.orc.govt.nz/pesthub

ORC is the regulatory body for pest management in the region and QLDC manage pests on Council-owned or managed land only and undertakes rabbit control where budget allows. Tools for control in areas of proximity to urban and built-up areas are limited, meaning Council is generally unable to poison or shoot rabbits under these circumstances.

If you live in an urban area and have an issue with rabbits, one of the best ways to deter them is to install rabbit-proof fencing.

We’re currently installing fencing on several Luggate reserves to aid the rabbit control, help protect residential properties and support biodiversity. We’ve also prioritised fencing in heritage sites such as Shotover and Glenorchy cemeteries.

Wherever possible, we work with local community groups to manage rabbits and help support their native planting initiatives such as on reserve land between Beacon Point and Waimana Place in Wānaka.

For details on current and past rabbit control operations in the district please go to QLDC - Rabbit Control: Shooting Operations and QLDC - Rabbit Control: Baiting Operations.

Introduced wasps are a significant pest which harm our native birds and insects, and can be dangerous to humans.

A limited number of Wasp Dome Traps are available to purchase at the subsidised price of $15 each. 

These reusable traps are highly effective and available on a first come, first serve basis.  Wasp lure is not included with the trap, however this can be easily made by combining the following ingredients and placing it inside the trap.

If you’d like to purchase a trap, please contact us by phone on 03 441 0499 (Queenstown) or 03 443 0024 (Wānaka) or drop in to your nearest Council office.   

If you come across stock wandering on public roads, please call us on 03 441 0499 (Queenstown) or 03 443 0024 (Wānaka). We will arrange for an Animal Control Officer to get them to safety.