Free pest plant workshops in July

 

Pest plant experts will be passing on tips on how to tackle some of Northland’s worst weeds at a series of free winter workshops in Dargaville, Kerikeri, Coopers Beach and Whangarei.

It will be the sixth year the council has held the popular three-hour workshops, which will once again be run by staff pest plant specialist Sara Brill.

Two pest plant workshops per day will be held at each venue based on demand from local communities.

Annually up to 200 people take advantage of the offer to learn how to better manage both land and freshwater-based weeds either on their own land, or properties they manage for others.

The relaxed hands-on workshops will teach how best to tackle a wide variety of more than 20 nasties including wild ginger, lantana and moth plant as well as highlighting the need to report freshwater weeds like salvinia and water hyacinth.

Workshop dates are: Dargaville (July 25), Kerikeri (July 26) Coopers Beach (July 27), and Dargaville (July 29).

Two separate three-hour workshops will be held at each weekday venue; one from 9am til noon and the other from 1-4pm, but numbers are limited to about 30 people each time so registration is essential.

There’ll also a final weekend workshop in Whangarei on the morning of Saturday July 30, 9am until noon, for those who might not have been able to make any of the earlier weekday events.

General information on pests in Northland is available from the council’s website via nrc.govt.nz/nasties.

n Keen to attend? Contact Sara Brill directly on (09) 470 1162 or freephone (0800) 002 004 to register or learn more about the workshops which run from either 9am until noon or 1pm-4pm each day.