October 14, 2025 • 8 mins
Lyn looks at the issues around wallabies in the Mackenzie country and their effects on the environment.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Did you is the song is Independent Woman by Destiny's
Child and International Rural Woman's Day. This is the muster
on ha on this guess we'll agree with that title,
(00:23):
Lynn Berry, Good afternoon.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Good afternoon. Awesome to see the woman a day. It'd
been nice to even up a little bit with a
rural Men's Day, because you know.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
I wasn't gonna say that. I'm glad you did. Why
isn't there an international Men's Day?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Oh, you know, you probably haven't got around to organizing it.
Just one of those things.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Probably watching Bethist instead.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Exactly exactly, and that ties.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
This in with a bit of a seguey for our
topic today, Bethurist. There was a carneally get wiped out
by a wallaby or kangaroo towards the end of the
race and the wet Now you went over to Bethurs.
You actually drove that track a wee while ago. But
you want to talk about wallerbyes today up in the
Mackenzie Country through South Canterbury. It sounds like they're becoming
a real issue.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yes, well, I happened to be driving through on the
way to christ Church on Sunday and for a moment there.
I thought we were in Australia because we came. Well,
we probably counted about eight to nine dead wallabies on
the side of the road. And I've never in the
whole time that I've driven through that area ever seen
(01:32):
wallaby's lying dead on the side of the road and
at all. So that was the first time I've seen
a wallerby in New Zealand, and in such large numbers
over a short distance.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Why so many of them? Why they exploded? Lack of
contraception obviously, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Well it's quite interesting.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Mite.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
They got introduced into New Zealand back in eighteen seventy
by Old George to George Gray. They brought in five
different species of wallabyes for the fur trade and they
were introduced into down and wy Matty. They bought three
of them down to y Matty in eighteen seventy and
(02:11):
they've just you know, ticked away over time. They've started
causing a significant problem back in the nineteen forties. So
down here and in Rhoderu around road is another big
population that's causing issues nowadays as well. And they were
introduced in nineteen twelve and down up in the McKenzie Country.
(02:34):
They actually have a ninety thousand hectare containment area to
try and keep them in there and they but the
current area that wallabies cover at the moment is about
one point five million hectares around South Canterbury and they've
actually spread a lot in the last fifteen years and
(02:56):
their numbers have sort of exploded. They tried to keep
them hemmed in in the around the Rangatiki y Teki
and Taupo using the rivers as a border, but they
have been like sneaking over.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
How old do they grow through? How old can they go?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Oh, they can go to it. They can get to
be about nineteen years old. And they're really quite cool
because they can actually jump about thirteen feet high like
and they're quite quick at thirty miles an hour. But
what's interesting is that when a female wallawy reaches about
two years of age, she can start breeding. So she
(03:36):
has this little joey and it only she gests or
gestation periods about twenty eight to thirty days, and it's
partially formed when it's born, but it's got really well
developed arms and it climbs all the way up into
her pouch because it's partially formed, naked and blind and
then it stays in there, hooks onto a teep and
(03:58):
stays in there for nine months, that in that pouch.
But in the meantime she can get pregnant again and
she can hold that embryo in you trine for up
to a year. So it's just floating around inside there,
hanging out, waiting for the other Joey to weaned, to
be weaned and kicked out, and then she can have
(04:21):
another little baby.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I must stink like a teenager's room and that pouch
after a while.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
You would think so, wouldn't buy crikee. It must be
must have a self cleaning mechanism of some sort. She
probably she probably gets in there and cleans it herself
with like mob.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
There's no rent cycle coming through from the dishwasher.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
No, definitely not. But the biggest problem with them, apart
from getting so some people must have had some pretty
banged up cars if they got whacked one of those
wallabies on the road. But apart from that is that
they come out at night time and they graze at
night mainly and hide away up in the tussocks and
the bush blocks and the pine plantations. But they eat crops.
(05:10):
They compete for grass paddocks. I saw a video of
a farmer up in Rotorua. He went out at night
shooting and he put the light on in his paddock
and there were just hundreds of little eyes and they
were all wallabies that it's been coming out into his paddocks.
They nipped the tops out of any pine trees that
have been planted, and they and the same with any
(05:32):
of your natives that you're trying to develop round as well.
And they take out your electric fences when you're doing
great fencing because they just hop through them. And that's
quite the pain in the neck when you're trying to
break feed animals. And I've heard people, you know, hunters
talking about these stories about you know, animals coming into
(05:53):
areas in different ways. But they are classed as an
unwanted organism, so you can't have them as a pet,
breed from them, you're not allowed to sell them, and
you're not allowed to move them from one area to another.
You're not allowed to release or exhibit exhibit them without
a permit, and if you get caught, that can be
(06:16):
up to a one hundred thousand dollars fine and or
five years imprisonment.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Well ad South has been very stringent about Wallaby's. There
was one scene there at Mosborn whether it had fallen
off the back of a use or what. I think
that may have been the answer. But certainly they're very
proactive likes of the rock, likes of the wallaby being
seen in the South.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Yeah, yeah, no, it's they get in there and they
get a foothold. They're just as bad as rabbits. You know,
it's terrible when what the damage that your rabbits do
up around those country areas, it's seen. Wallabyes be just
as bad.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
They go pretty good in pies too, don't they. Wallabies.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
You've got to stop at Wymani because I'm hidden that
way shortly for a Wallaby pie. They're actually really nice.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
You know, I haven't actually been to way Medi for
a day or two, but hear about it. I mean
you talk about meat sources. How much meat would you
actually get off one? Though it would it'll be a lot.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Oh well, they can get up to thirty kilos like likewise,
so you know half of that if you if you're
processing them, that's not too bad.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
I imagine. So hey, good on your interesting as, always
appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
You have a great day.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Lund Berry talking about Wallabies or has the rugby team
has been known for the last few years the Wobblies,
although they are progressing better and that's good for international
reguy but nonetheless we carry on before we wrap up
on the musta for what are we Wednesday? Olivia Weatherburn
talking International Rural Woman's Day.
Did you is the song is Independent Woman by Destiny's
Child and International Rural Woman's Day. This is the muster
on ha on this guess we'll agree with that title,
(00:23):
Lynn Berry, Good afternoon.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Good afternoon. Awesome to see the woman a day. It'd
been nice to even up a little bit with a
rural Men's Day, because you know.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
I wasn't gonna say that. I'm glad you did. Why
isn't there an international Men's Day?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Oh, you know, you probably haven't got around to organizing it.
Just one of those things.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Probably watching Bethist instead.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Exactly exactly, and that ties.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
This in with a bit of a seguey for our
topic today, Bethurist. There was a carneally get wiped out
by a wallaby or kangaroo towards the end of the
race and the wet Now you went over to Bethurs.
You actually drove that track a wee while ago. But
you want to talk about wallerbyes today up in the
Mackenzie Country through South Canterbury. It sounds like they're becoming
a real issue.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yes, well, I happened to be driving through on the
way to christ Church on Sunday and for a moment there.
I thought we were in Australia because we came. Well,
we probably counted about eight to nine dead wallabies on
the side of the road. And I've never in the
whole time that I've driven through that area ever seen
(01:32):
wallaby's lying dead on the side of the road and
at all. So that was the first time I've seen
a wallerby in New Zealand, and in such large numbers
over a short distance.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Why so many of them? Why they exploded? Lack of
contraception obviously, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Well it's quite interesting.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Mite.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
They got introduced into New Zealand back in eighteen seventy
by Old George to George Gray. They brought in five
different species of wallabyes for the fur trade and they
were introduced into down and wy Matty. They bought three
of them down to y Matty in eighteen seventy and
(02:11):
they've just you know, ticked away over time. They've started
causing a significant problem back in the nineteen forties. So
down here and in Rhoderu around road is another big
population that's causing issues nowadays as well. And they were
introduced in nineteen twelve and down up in the McKenzie Country.
(02:34):
They actually have a ninety thousand hectare containment area to
try and keep them in there and they but the
current area that wallabies cover at the moment is about
one point five million hectares around South Canterbury and they've
actually spread a lot in the last fifteen years and
(02:56):
their numbers have sort of exploded. They tried to keep
them hemmed in in the around the Rangatiki y Teki
and Taupo using the rivers as a border, but they
have been like sneaking over.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
How old do they grow through? How old can they go?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Oh, they can go to it. They can get to
be about nineteen years old. And they're really quite cool
because they can actually jump about thirteen feet high like
and they're quite quick at thirty miles an hour. But
what's interesting is that when a female wallawy reaches about
two years of age, she can start breeding. So she
(03:36):
has this little joey and it only she gests or
gestation periods about twenty eight to thirty days, and it's
partially formed when it's born, but it's got really well
developed arms and it climbs all the way up into
her pouch because it's partially formed, naked and blind and
then it stays in there, hooks onto a teep and
(03:58):
stays in there for nine months, that in that pouch.
But in the meantime she can get pregnant again and
she can hold that embryo in you trine for up
to a year. So it's just floating around inside there,
hanging out, waiting for the other Joey to weaned, to
be weaned and kicked out, and then she can have
(04:21):
another little baby.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
I must stink like a teenager's room and that pouch
after a while.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
You would think so, wouldn't buy crikee. It must be
must have a self cleaning mechanism of some sort. She
probably she probably gets in there and cleans it herself
with like mob.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
There's no rent cycle coming through from the dishwasher.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
No, definitely not. But the biggest problem with them, apart
from getting so some people must have had some pretty
banged up cars if they got whacked one of those
wallabies on the road. But apart from that is that
they come out at night time and they graze at
night mainly and hide away up in the tussocks and
the bush blocks and the pine plantations. But they eat crops.
(05:10):
They compete for grass paddocks. I saw a video of
a farmer up in Rotorua. He went out at night
shooting and he put the light on in his paddock
and there were just hundreds of little eyes and they
were all wallabies that it's been coming out into his paddocks.
They nipped the tops out of any pine trees that
have been planted, and they and the same with any
(05:32):
of your natives that you're trying to develop round as well.
And they take out your electric fences when you're doing
great fencing because they just hop through them. And that's
quite the pain in the neck when you're trying to
break feed animals. And I've heard people, you know, hunters
talking about these stories about you know, animals coming into
(05:53):
areas in different ways. But they are classed as an
unwanted organism, so you can't have them as a pet,
breed from them, you're not allowed to sell them, and
you're not allowed to move them from one area to another.
You're not allowed to release or exhibit exhibit them without
a permit, and if you get caught, that can be
(06:16):
up to a one hundred thousand dollars fine and or
five years imprisonment.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Well ad South has been very stringent about Wallaby's. There
was one scene there at Mosborn whether it had fallen
off the back of a use or what. I think
that may have been the answer. But certainly they're very
proactive likes of the rock, likes of the wallaby being
seen in the South.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Yeah, yeah, no, it's they get in there and they
get a foothold. They're just as bad as rabbits. You know,
it's terrible when what the damage that your rabbits do
up around those country areas, it's seen. Wallabyes be just
as bad.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
They go pretty good in pies too, don't they. Wallabies.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
You've got to stop at Wymani because I'm hidden that
way shortly for a Wallaby pie. They're actually really nice.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
You know, I haven't actually been to way Medi for
a day or two, but hear about it. I mean
you talk about meat sources. How much meat would you
actually get off one? Though it would it'll be a lot.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Oh well, they can get up to thirty kilos like likewise,
so you know half of that if you if you're
processing them, that's not too bad.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
I imagine. So hey, good on your interesting as, always
appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
You have a great day.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Lund Berry talking about Wallabies or has the rugby team
has been known for the last few years the Wobblies,
although they are progressing better and that's good for international
reguy but nonetheless we carry on before we wrap up
on the musta for what are we Wednesday? Olivia Weatherburn
talking International Rural Woman's Day.
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