Wilding control announcement May 2026

24 May 2026

Kia ora koutou, we have some exciting news.

The Government has announced that the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme will receive a significant increase in funding over the next three years. Details are available on the Beehive website.

We are pleased to be able to share this news with you - this will be a huge boost to the collective efforts on wilding control across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Here's the key news:

Budget 2026 commits $109 million over the next three years through the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme. This is a funding increase of $79 million. 

We will be working with the Governance Group and the Operational Advisory Group on the approach to ensure this funding is applied in the most effective ways to progress our Programme goals and we’ll share more details once that is finalised.
The National Strategy that is currently being refreshed will help ensure that the decisions made over the next three years will be built on the collective learnings from the last decade. This is currently being developed through conversations with many of you involved in wilding control around Aotearoa New Zealand.

A milestone for successful collaboration

This news is an endorsement of what everyone has achieved in wilding control over the past ten years (and more for many of you).

The National Wilding Conifer Control Programme is built on strong cross-sector partnerships involving central and local government, industry, landowners, researchers, farmers, iwi, and the community. Together with the Programme’s partners, including community groups and volunteers, we’ve tackled some of the worst infestations across the country. These efforts are making a real difference, and this funding boost will provide strong momentum.

Since 2016, the Government has invested more than $175 million and into control efforts to slow the spread of wilding conifers. This has been supported by over $38 million of funding from Programme partners and landowners. To date, National Programme partners have delivered wilding conifer operations on around three million hectares of land. This has protected significant productive land and vulnerable landscapes including native ecosystems and iconic scenery.

We look forward to sharing more details with you in the near future.

Thank you

John Walsh
Chair, National Wilding Conifer Control Programme Governance Group
Director Pest Management, Biosecurity New Zealand

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