Mōkau wallaby find ‘disappointing’

It is highly likely that a female wallaby found in Mōkau got there with human assistance, says Waikato Regional Council.

Senior Biosecurity Officer Dave Byers, who leads the council’s progressive containment management programme for wallabies near the boundary with Bay of Plenty, said a landowner found the wallaby with a badly broken hind leg and a reasonably large joey in her pouch on 25 July 2022.

“Being on the west coast, Mōkau is so far outside the containment area for dama wallaby in the North Island that we can only suspect it was assisted by a human to get there,” said Mr Byers.

Wallabies are classified as an Unwanted Organism under the Biosecurity Act. It is illegal to have, hold, move or transport wallabies in New Zealand without a specific permit. Those who do can face significant penalties. As an individual, you can be fined up to $100,000 and/or sent to prison for up to five years.

Mr Byers said the wallaby find was incredibly disappointing as the council was working hard with Bay of Plenty Regional Council to stop wallabies from spreading from a defined containment area within the Bay.

Wallabies have been pushing their way into the region from the Bay and left unchecked, it has been conservatively estimated that one third of the North Island could be subjected to the impacts of wallabies in less than 50 years.

Wallabies are a significant pest and threat to our environment and native species habitat. They eat seedlings, grass and crops, causing costly losses to forestry and farming by competing for pasture with stock and damaging forestry seedlings. They also target the same native plant species as deer, so the combined impact of both animals on long term health and structure of native forests and our biodiversity can be dramatic.

Mr Byers said Waikato Regional Council is now working with a dog surveillance team to look for a further presence of wallabies in the Mōkau area.

He said scat was located by a dog on 2 August, and a footprint from a wallaby was also found.

“The footprint is fresh and has not been eroded by rain. It was found one week after the female was located so it’s likely another wallaby is still there.”

The scat is being DNA tested for gender, and the dog surveillance team will be widening their search area. Trail camera surveillance may also be undertaken on the pasture-bush margin.

“We’ve been talking to landowners, of course, but as wallabies are both shy and nocturnal, they are not seen very often, particularly when the numbers are low.”

The work by Waikato Regional Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council is part of the national wallaby programme, Tipu Mātoro Wallaby-free Aotearoa, led by Biosecurity New Zealand.

The programme is a partnership that includes iwi, regional councils, the Department of Conservation, Forest & Bird, Federated Farmers, LINZ, farmers, and other landowners. 

More information on the long-term management of wallabies in areas where they are established can be found here.

Anyone who sees a wallaby in the wild anywhere in New Zealand should report it to www.reportwallabies.nz. Waikato Regional Council is asking anyone in the Mōkau area to be vigilant and report any sightings of wallabies to Senior Biosecurity Officer Dave Byers on 0800 800 401.