Invasive species in New Zealand

A number of introduced species, some of which have become invasive species, have been added to New Zealand's native flora and fauna. Both deliberate and accidental introductions have been made from the time of the first human settlement, with several waves of Polynesian people at some time before the year 1300,Rat remains help date New Zealand's colonisation. New Scientist. 4 June 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2008. followed by Europeans after 1769.Abel Tasman did not land, so is unlikely to have introduced anything.

Almost without exception, the introduced species have been detrimental to the native flora and fauna, but some, such as farmed sheep and cows and the clover upon which they feed, now form a large part of the economy of New Zealand. The possibility of introduced herbivores (deer) to serve as ecological proxies for extinct moa has been questioned.David M. Forsyth, Janet M. Wilmshurst, Robert B. Allen, David A. Coomes, 2010, Impacts of introduced deer and extinct moa on New Zealand ecosystemsKate Guthrie, April 25, 2019, Moa vs Deer – are they so different?, Predator Free NZ TrustBeth Daley, October 19, 2022, Despite the myth, deer are not an ecological substitute for moa and should be part of NZ’s predator-free plan, The ConversationHannah Rae, February 6, 2022, NZ Hunter - Deer Vs Moa, EverandFarah Hancock, April 14, 2019, Deer are not like moa, NewsroomRebekah White, Too much browsing, New Zealand GeographicAdrian Currie, April 3, 2017, Much Ado About Niches, Extinct

Biosecurity New Zealand maintains registers and lists of species that are invasive, potentially invasive, or a threat to agriculture or biodiversity. They also manage a small number of species under the National Interest Pest Responses (NIPR) programme. The rainbow lorikeet is the one animal that has been covered by the NIPR, and was eradicated in 2014. All the other species covered by the NIPR, past or present, are weeds.

Animal species

Many invasive animal species are listed in schedules 5 and 6 of the Wildlife Act 1953. Those in Schedule 5 have no protection and may be killed. Those in Schedule 6 are declared to be noxious animals and subject to the Wild Animal Control Act 1977. In 2016 the New Zealand government introduced Predator Free 2050, a project to eliminate all non-native predators (such as rats, possums and stoats) by 2050.

Some of the invasive animal species are as follows.

Mammals

Cat

Dog European hare European hedgehog European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Fallow deer Ferret (Mustela putorius furo) Goat Himalayan tahr Horse (Equus ferus caballus) House mouse (Mus musculus) Least weasel Pig Stoat (Mustela erminea) Red deer Rusa deer Sambar deer Sika deer Wallaby Wapiti (elk) Whitetail deer

Reptiles Plague skink or rainbow skink (Lampropholis delicata)

Birds

Common mynaLowe S., Browne M., Boudjelas S. and de Poorter M. (2000, updated 2004). 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species: A selection from the Global Invasive Species Database . The Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG), a specialist group of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), Auckland. Common redpoll

Mallard Mute Swan

Fish Koi Gambusia affinis Common rudd

Brown trout

Invertebrates Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) Asian paddle crab (Charybdis japonica) Asian paper wasp (Polistes chinensis) Australian paper wasp (Polistes humilis) Carpet sea squirt (Didemnum vexillum) Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) German wasp (Vespula germanica) Varroa mite (Varroa destructor)

Spiders there are 73 known introduced spiders, of which 50 are Australian, including Philoponella congregabilis The redback, Latrodectus hasselti, thought to have arrived with a steel shipment in the 1980s

Plant and other non-animal species The National Pest Plant Accord, with a listing of about 120 genus, species, hybrids and subspecies, was developed to limit the spread of plant pests. Invasive plants are classified as such on a regional basis with some plants declared as national plant pests. Biosecurity New Zealand manages a small number of weeds under the National Interest Pest Responses programme. As of May 2024, NIPR covers nine weeds. Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) was covered until it was eradicated in 2014. Additionally, as at 2024 the Department of Conservation lists 386 vascular plant species as environmental weeds.

Some of the better-known invasive plant species are:

Acacia species (mostly Australian) especially wattle Acanthus - bear's breeches Agapanthus Arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia) Arundo donax - giant reed (or elephant grass) Asiatic knotweed (Reynoutria japonica or Fallopia japonica)

Boneseed (Chrysanthemoides monilifera) Boxthorn (Lycium ferossimum) Broom (Cytisus scoparius) Buckthorn (Rhamnus alaternus) Californian thistle (Cirsium arvense) Cape sundew (Drosera capensis)

Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) Caulerpa brachypus Caulerpa parvifolia Christmasberry (Schinus terebinthifolius) Climbing asparagus (Asparagus scandens) Cotoneaster Montbretia Irises Dactylis ("Cocksfoot" grasses) Darwin's barberry (Berberis darwnii) Didymosphenia geminata ("didymo" or "rock snot") Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) Glyceria maxima, also called Poa aquatica Gorse (Ulex europaeus) Heather (Calluna vulgaris) Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) Jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum) Kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum) Lantana camara Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

Madeira vine (Anredera cordifolia) Mexican daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus) Mexican devil (Ageratina adenophora) Mile-a-minute (Dipogon lignosus) Mistflower (Ageratina riparia) Morning glory (Convolvulus) Moth plant (Araujia sericifera) Old man's beard (Clematis vitalba) Oxygen weed (Egeria) Oxygen weed (Lagarosiphon major) Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana)

Tree privet (Ligustrum lucidum) Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) Queen of the night (Cestrum nocturnum)

Rhododendron ponticum Royal fern (Osmunda regalis) Salix cinerea (gray willow) Salix × fragilis (crack willow) Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium) Smilax (Asparagus asparagoides) Spikemoss Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) Tradescantia fluminensis Water pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata) Woolly nightshade (Solanum mauritianum) Yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus) Zantedeschia ("Arum Lily")

Auckland has been declared to be the weediest city in the world.

Invasive species in New Zealand

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