May 24, 2026 • 11 mins
Today Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard, along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, announced a $79 million boost over three years for tourism and farming by stopping the spread of wilding pines.
The work will be concentrated around Queenstown, the Mackenzie Basin, the North Island’s Central Plateau, and New Zealand’s largest farm in South Marlborough.
The extra funding will take the total for stopping the spread of wilding pines to $109m over the next three years.
Hoggard joined Tim Beveridge to chat about the pines and their negative impact on our environment.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend collective podcast from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hey look now moving on to our next to chat. Today,
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hogart, along with Christaph Luxen and David Seymour,
announced seventy nine million dollar boost over three years for
tourism and farming by stopping the spread of wilding pines.
The work will be concentrated around Queenstown and Mackenzie basin
North Island, Central Plateau and the New Zealand's largest farm
(00:32):
in South Marlborough. Like most of our biodiversity issues, the
exci exotic pines were imported to solve a problem, in
this case erosion, But of course, as we've seen, there
now colonized massive areas of land now unusable for farming,
recreation and conservation. So the extra funding will take the
total for stopping the spread of the dreaded wilding pines
(00:52):
to one hundred and nine million dollars over the next
three years. And Andrew Hogart is with me nugod afternoon. Hey, yea,
how do you explain the scale of the problem too.
I don't want to say to a towny, but let's
put it that way.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
So I guess the scale is about there's two million
hectares of New Zealand that currently is affected by these
wilding pines, and if we do nothing, that could potentially
go up the seven million hectares of New Zealand that
gets affected. And I guess how it would relate to
someone in ten is that these things they suck up
(01:26):
a heap of water and so where they're really bad
is in the central Otago all around our hydro dams,
So that could be less water going through hydro dams,
which then affects everyone in New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
So what damaged specifically do they do once they get
established to the farming and native landscapes, and obviously I've
touched on water as well.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Yeah, yeah, So they basically you'll get in depending on
the species they'll take off. You'll get them where they
call coning. So when they develop seeds, and these seeds
just spread on the air for you know, between ten
thirty kilometers and so where the seeds land and other
tree pops up. So the impact for you know, farmers
(02:10):
or the conservation estate is these trees just start popping
up and if no one's going around pulling them out
or chancelling them down, then they just keep growing and multiplying.
One of the places I visited is called the branch
leath them. It's just above Molesworth and it's a major
seed source area and I went in with a helicopter
and you know, there was one valley we landed in
(02:32):
which was sort of pristine native New Zealand landscape so
that everyone loves. And the next valley was just choked
with these pine trees so thick to thick that you
couldn't even walk through them. And so that's the sort
of damage. You know, left uncheck, they will sort of
take over some of our native forests and our farmland.
And so you know, in that valley where there was
(02:54):
all pines, you know, there's nothing else growing by the
pine trees mess of firisk.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
It doesn't just from what you've said, are we just
going to be perpeture chasing our tails on this issue.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
No, this funding is designed to get us ahead of
the curve. And so it's the right amount of funding
to push back on these seed source areas and actually
make progress. And in the three years of the funding,
what we're going to do is work on what's called
a national pest management plan, so there is guaranteed long
term funding from a clear range of contributors. Because in
(03:33):
the past there's been one government departmental chuck in some
one year and another another year, and sometimes regional council
and so it's been sort of higgelity pigglty. And what
we need is consistent funding so we can actually really
get out there, do the job, clean it up, and
then be able to return it to the landowner and
say right, we've got it down. Ongoing maintenance is now
(03:55):
on you.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
So what does it actually buy? Is it people with chainsaws, spraying, helicopters,
mapping contractors. What does it look like that this money
what it buys.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Probably mainly lots of spray and helicopter time, and teams
are with chainsaws and loppers, and then also probably a
little bit of planning, but not too much. It's mainly,
you know, we focus on stuff that kills trees, not
writes on paper.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Does this funding also, i mean, does it support jobs
in regional areas? Do you have a sense of how
many contractors of workers are going to be involved in
the program.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Well, it obviously will support jobs for people doing the work,
but that's you know, probably it's probably about the same
sort of level of work that's currently going on. It's
we're not using this as a job creation exercise. It
is about getting on top of the pests.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Tell us about the iconic sort of high country views
that are being swallowed by unwandered pints, because most New
Zealanders they might not see the views you get to
see of it, But I've noticed it when I've been
in the Queen's Down area. You think, look at all
those bloody pine trees.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, exactly, And so I guess you've only just got
to look at Country calendar episodes and like most of
those who generally are filmed in the high country, and
just picture that landscape suddenly choked full of pine trees
that you can't actually walk through, and that sort of
landscape we're losing, not not only as the native bushes,
(05:28):
but also you know where you've got that iconic sort
of vista. Think of Lord of the Rings the second episode,
you know, the Rohen sort of scenes. Think of that
all covered in pine trees, and it wouldn't look anywhere
near as good a movie, well.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
As one way of looking at it. Look how pressing
is the issue, because because obviously when you get to
fly on and you see, you know, you describe that
value that was just choked with pines, does that really
hit home or were you aware already of.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
How that it was? I was, well, I knew there
was a problem. I've seen the sort of reports telling
me of the potential impacts the cost of an action,
but just actually flying into that valley and just seeing
how there was absolutely no other life via these little
(06:20):
pine trees, and the juxtaposition of that previous valley I'd
been in, which was sort of the idyllic nature that
really brought it on to me how important it was
to get on top of them.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
You mentioned that once you've gone on with the lot,
with all the equipment and done the job, then at
some stage you'll say right to the landowners over to you,
Is it just over to them to do as they
want or is there some expectation on what landowners need
to do again on top of this problem.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
No, there will be an expectation that you know, once
we've knocked it down and said right, the peace levels,
you know, pine levels are down to the point where
it's your ability to manage near expectation is that people
do manage that. There are mechanisms. If people don't want
to manage it, then we can tell them to manage it,
(07:11):
and what way through rules in the biosecurity actor.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Okay, what about the future of science playing a role
in this. I've heard, you know, a while ago that
scientists work, for instance, they're imagining whether it would be
ethical or a good idea to actually stop the ability
of wasps to reproduce. Is there anything to do with
the pines where science might have a role to stop
(07:37):
the seeding of these trees or is it too risky
for the commercial industries?
Speaker 3 (07:42):
So we can't do anything about the trees that are
currently alive or currently in the ground. But one thing
that is potential in the future is only planting sterile
pine trees. So for the plantation forests to stay, only
plant sterile pine trees mean you don't have to worry
about the risk of seeds coming off the plantation forest
(08:05):
story and infecting areas. So that is a science solution
that is a potential that does require a gene editing,
I believe. So that's kind of held up at the moment.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
That does Okay, yeah, because that does sound like that
ultimately has to be the future of it. And because
as long as we're sticking these trees in the ground,
which can spread the seeds everywhere, we're always going to
be fighting this unless we do something maybe a bit
more radical with the science.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Yeah, look, that is I think that's a really important
thing for the future, is to make sure that we're
you know, for plantation forestry, it's either sterile trees or
you have kind of a belt around them of gum
trees which prevent the seeds blowing out or something similar.
But that or you look at windflow and all the
(08:54):
rest of it and you go, right, you don't plant
here because you can create a massive problem over all
this area. But it is something for the future to
make sure that, hey, we'll get on too of the
ones that are out there now, but we can't let
the problem regrow as it were.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Sorry, a dumb question because I probably should know this,
But where are we at with our scientists and the
sort of restrictions on them from indulging in this sort
of stuff.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
So the bill is currently sitting in no man's land
at the moment. It's a head. It's first reading. It
went to sleep committee come back. At this point, it's
up to the Minister when she wants to reintroduce to
the house or wait, I don't know Penny about that one.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Do you feel a little bit of a need to
encourage her to get moving on that?
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Look, there's definitely there's a lot of concerns out there,
so I think it's important that we take people with
us on that one. I can certainly personally see the
benefits from some of these technologies, and but you know,
we're going to make sure everyone's head moving forward, and
you know, industry's race and concerns around tres ability and
(10:12):
you know market access. So there's a few things we've
got a soul first before we push ahead with it.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
I do appreciate it was a kind of loaded line
of questioning there, but hey, just lastly, when and how
will we measure success?
Speaker 3 (10:27):
For me, success will be that there is a national
Press management plan in place in that two and a
half years, and then it'll be, you know, going forward
to the amount we have to spend each year slowly
decreases and decreases because we're getting on top of it
and there's not that many pine trees to chop down.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Well, fingers crossed. Hey, I really appreciate your time this
auvening Andrew, thanks so.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Much, Noris, thanks Tim.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Yes that's Andrew Hogard. He's acting, but also by a
security minister.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to news
talks it'd be weekends from three pm, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend collective podcast from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hey look now moving on to our next to chat. Today,
Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hogart, along with Christaph Luxen and David Seymour,
announced seventy nine million dollar boost over three years for
tourism and farming by stopping the spread of wilding pines.
The work will be concentrated around Queenstown and Mackenzie basin
North Island, Central Plateau and the New Zealand's largest farm
(00:32):
in South Marlborough. Like most of our biodiversity issues, the
exci exotic pines were imported to solve a problem, in
this case erosion, But of course, as we've seen, there
now colonized massive areas of land now unusable for farming,
recreation and conservation. So the extra funding will take the
total for stopping the spread of the dreaded wilding pines
(00:52):
to one hundred and nine million dollars over the next
three years. And Andrew Hogart is with me nugod afternoon. Hey, yea,
how do you explain the scale of the problem too.
I don't want to say to a towny, but let's
put it that way.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
So I guess the scale is about there's two million
hectares of New Zealand that currently is affected by these
wilding pines, and if we do nothing, that could potentially
go up the seven million hectares of New Zealand that
gets affected. And I guess how it would relate to
someone in ten is that these things they suck up
(01:26):
a heap of water and so where they're really bad
is in the central Otago all around our hydro dams,
So that could be less water going through hydro dams,
which then affects everyone in New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
So what damaged specifically do they do once they get
established to the farming and native landscapes, and obviously I've
touched on water as well.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Yeah, yeah, So they basically you'll get in depending on
the species they'll take off. You'll get them where they
call coning. So when they develop seeds, and these seeds
just spread on the air for you know, between ten
thirty kilometers and so where the seeds land and other
tree pops up. So the impact for you know, farmers
(02:10):
or the conservation estate is these trees just start popping
up and if no one's going around pulling them out
or chancelling them down, then they just keep growing and multiplying.
One of the places I visited is called the branch
leath them. It's just above Molesworth and it's a major
seed source area and I went in with a helicopter
and you know, there was one valley we landed in
(02:32):
which was sort of pristine native New Zealand landscape so
that everyone loves. And the next valley was just choked
with these pine trees so thick to thick that you
couldn't even walk through them. And so that's the sort
of damage. You know, left uncheck, they will sort of
take over some of our native forests and our farmland.
And so you know, in that valley where there was
(02:54):
all pines, you know, there's nothing else growing by the
pine trees mess of firisk.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
It doesn't just from what you've said, are we just
going to be perpeture chasing our tails on this issue.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
No, this funding is designed to get us ahead of
the curve. And so it's the right amount of funding
to push back on these seed source areas and actually
make progress. And in the three years of the funding,
what we're going to do is work on what's called
a national pest management plan, so there is guaranteed long
term funding from a clear range of contributors. Because in
(03:33):
the past there's been one government departmental chuck in some
one year and another another year, and sometimes regional council
and so it's been sort of higgelity pigglty. And what
we need is consistent funding so we can actually really
get out there, do the job, clean it up, and
then be able to return it to the landowner and
say right, we've got it down. Ongoing maintenance is now
(03:55):
on you.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
So what does it actually buy? Is it people with chainsaws, spraying, helicopters,
mapping contractors. What does it look like that this money
what it buys.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Probably mainly lots of spray and helicopter time, and teams
are with chainsaws and loppers, and then also probably a
little bit of planning, but not too much. It's mainly,
you know, we focus on stuff that kills trees, not
writes on paper.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Does this funding also, i mean, does it support jobs
in regional areas? Do you have a sense of how
many contractors of workers are going to be involved in
the program.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Well, it obviously will support jobs for people doing the work,
but that's you know, probably it's probably about the same
sort of level of work that's currently going on. It's
we're not using this as a job creation exercise. It
is about getting on top of the pests.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Tell us about the iconic sort of high country views
that are being swallowed by unwandered pints, because most New
Zealanders they might not see the views you get to
see of it, But I've noticed it when I've been
in the Queen's Down area. You think, look at all
those bloody pine trees.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, exactly, And so I guess you've only just got
to look at Country calendar episodes and like most of
those who generally are filmed in the high country, and
just picture that landscape suddenly choked full of pine trees
that you can't actually walk through, and that sort of
landscape we're losing, not not only as the native bushes,
(05:28):
but also you know where you've got that iconic sort
of vista. Think of Lord of the Rings the second episode,
you know, the Rohen sort of scenes. Think of that
all covered in pine trees, and it wouldn't look anywhere
near as good a movie, well.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
As one way of looking at it. Look how pressing
is the issue, because because obviously when you get to
fly on and you see, you know, you describe that
value that was just choked with pines, does that really
hit home or were you aware already of.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
How that it was? I was, well, I knew there
was a problem. I've seen the sort of reports telling
me of the potential impacts the cost of an action,
but just actually flying into that valley and just seeing
how there was absolutely no other life via these little
(06:20):
pine trees, and the juxtaposition of that previous valley I'd
been in, which was sort of the idyllic nature that
really brought it on to me how important it was
to get on top of them.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
You mentioned that once you've gone on with the lot,
with all the equipment and done the job, then at
some stage you'll say right to the landowners over to you,
Is it just over to them to do as they
want or is there some expectation on what landowners need
to do again on top of this problem.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
No, there will be an expectation that you know, once
we've knocked it down and said right, the peace levels,
you know, pine levels are down to the point where
it's your ability to manage near expectation is that people
do manage that. There are mechanisms. If people don't want
to manage it, then we can tell them to manage it,
(07:11):
and what way through rules in the biosecurity actor.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Okay, what about the future of science playing a role
in this. I've heard, you know, a while ago that
scientists work, for instance, they're imagining whether it would be
ethical or a good idea to actually stop the ability
of wasps to reproduce. Is there anything to do with
the pines where science might have a role to stop
(07:37):
the seeding of these trees or is it too risky
for the commercial industries?
Speaker 3 (07:42):
So we can't do anything about the trees that are
currently alive or currently in the ground. But one thing
that is potential in the future is only planting sterile
pine trees. So for the plantation forests to stay, only
plant sterile pine trees mean you don't have to worry
about the risk of seeds coming off the plantation forest
(08:05):
story and infecting areas. So that is a science solution
that is a potential that does require a gene editing,
I believe. So that's kind of held up at the moment.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
That does Okay, yeah, because that does sound like that
ultimately has to be the future of it. And because
as long as we're sticking these trees in the ground,
which can spread the seeds everywhere, we're always going to
be fighting this unless we do something maybe a bit
more radical with the science.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Yeah, look, that is I think that's a really important
thing for the future, is to make sure that we're
you know, for plantation forestry, it's either sterile trees or
you have kind of a belt around them of gum
trees which prevent the seeds blowing out or something similar.
But that or you look at windflow and all the
(08:54):
rest of it and you go, right, you don't plant
here because you can create a massive problem over all
this area. But it is something for the future to
make sure that, hey, we'll get on too of the
ones that are out there now, but we can't let
the problem regrow as it were.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Sorry, a dumb question because I probably should know this,
But where are we at with our scientists and the
sort of restrictions on them from indulging in this sort
of stuff.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
So the bill is currently sitting in no man's land
at the moment. It's a head. It's first reading. It
went to sleep committee come back. At this point, it's
up to the Minister when she wants to reintroduce to
the house or wait, I don't know Penny about that one.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Do you feel a little bit of a need to
encourage her to get moving on that?
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Look, there's definitely there's a lot of concerns out there,
so I think it's important that we take people with
us on that one. I can certainly personally see the
benefits from some of these technologies, and but you know,
we're going to make sure everyone's head moving forward, and
you know, industry's race and concerns around tres ability and
(10:12):
you know market access. So there's a few things we've
got a soul first before we push ahead with it.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
I do appreciate it was a kind of loaded line
of questioning there, but hey, just lastly, when and how
will we measure success?
Speaker 3 (10:27):
For me, success will be that there is a national
Press management plan in place in that two and a
half years, and then it'll be, you know, going forward
to the amount we have to spend each year slowly
decreases and decreases because we're getting on top of it
and there's not that many pine trees to chop down.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Well, fingers crossed. Hey, I really appreciate your time this
auvening Andrew, thanks so.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Much, Noris, thanks Tim.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Yes that's Andrew Hogard. He's acting, but also by a
security minister.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to news
talks it'd be weekends from three pm, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio
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