Mount locals may have noticed an increase in rabbits popping up in the suburbs lately.

Mount Maunganui resident Rosalie Liddle Crawford says they're all along Maunganui Road and Totara Street at the moment, as well as Mauao itself.

She jokes 'you don't need to go to the supermarket if you live at the Mount, just live off the land”.

Tauranga City Council parks and recreation manager Mark Smith says there is a programme in place for rabbit control in the Mount Maunganui area, including Mauao, throughout the year.

'However, the programme is paused during the busy summer period to ensure public safety. As a result there is usually an increase in rabbits around this time,” he says.

Council uses three different methods for rabbit control at three main locations – Mauao, Moturiki, and Mt Drury:

- Night shooting, between the hours of 12am and 5am, carried out by specialist contractors and primarily on Mauao

- Gassing burrows

- Pindone pellet poison

'Regardless of method, we take every precaution and work to industry best-practice methods for pest control.”

'There is no need for the public to report rabbits to Council – the team are aware of the issue and plan to re-start controls in February. This is an annual cycle.”