A group of Whitianga Cubs and Keas have helped Waikato Regional Council tackle the invasive pest plant ‘wild ginger' on the Coromandel.

The weed-busting work was carried out at Riverglen Camp on the Tapu-Coroglen Road, says Whitianga-based pest plants biosecurity officer Benson Lockhart.

'We had a contractor do ginger control earlier in the year at the site.

'But it's a hard plant to eradicate so it was good to go back at the weekend and pull up any fresh seedlings as well as clumps of older plants. These clumps had seed heads removed and underground stems and roots were dug out.”

Following a briefing from Brenson, the Scout members got stuck into wild ginger patches with trowels, spades and forks, and were rewarded for their work with weedbuster badges and stickers.

The Riverglen Camp has also kindly offered the group accommodation for a night which they are planning to use in mid-November when they carry out some more ginger control.

'We're very grateful for the way the kids have pitched in to help us with this important work. They had fun and were really enthusiastic about lending a hand to keep their backyard free of this pest plant,” says Benson.

There are two types of wild ginger in New Zealand – kahili ginger which is native to India and Nepal, and yellow ginger which is also native to India, as well as Madagascar.

In New Zealand only kahili ginger will set seed, which are spread by birds. But both types spread vigorously from large, fleshy underground stems called ‘rhizomes' and many new infestations come from garden waste dumped in the countryside.

Wild ginger forms dense clumps in native forests, smothering young plants and preventing native seedlings from growing, and is considered a serious threat to native ecosystems. If left unchecked, wild ginger could permanently replace rare plants.

Dense clumps of wild ginger in areas where kiwi are present will also prevent them from foraging on the forest floor.

Wild ginger is now scattered throughout the Waikato region and is classed as a ‘progressive containment pest', requiring the removal of all plants. The largest infestations within the Waikato occur on the Coromandel Peninsula and on the west coast between Raglan and Mokau.

For more information visit the Waikato Regional Council's website at: www.waikatoregion.govt.nz