Urewera TB Management Area (TMA)
Pest control work planned for Urewera includes ground control and wildlife surveillance.
Eradicating bovine TB in NZ
As part of our TBfree programme we deliver our pest control operations through a framework of TB management areas (TMAs). TMAs are areas with known TB infection in livestock or wildlife. Each TMA has a specific TB control plan designed to eradicate TB as effectively as possible.
The Urewera TMA
The Urewera TMA is in the northern Hawke’s Bay and Eastern Bay of Plenty regions. It is to the west of Lake Waikaremoana, and includes the headwaters of the Waiau River.
The northern section of the TMA includes part of the iwi-managed Te Urewera protected area. There is pine forest in the Mohaka Forest, Maungataniwha and Willowflat areas. Some scattered areas are used for agriculture.
Herds in the TMA are predominantly beef breeding and meat production herds.
History of TB and pest control in Urewera
Numbers of TB-infected cattle herds, deer and pigs have been low in the Urewera TMA. The most recent case of wildlife TB was an infected pig caught in the Mohaka Forest area in November 2009. However, several infected pigs were caught in the adjacent Waipunga area in 2018.
Previous possum control and livestock disease management has reduced the number of infected herds in the Bay of Plenty region. However, our monitoring has shown that we need to do further control work in the Urewera area to reduce the possum population. This will:
- minimise the risk of the disease spreading through wild animal populations into farmed cattle and deer
- ensure further good progress towards eradicating TB.
We completed aerial control in:
- Maungataniwha in 2018 and 2024
- Willowflat and the northern Mohaka Forest in 2021/2022.
We completed ground control in:
- Mohaka Forest, Matahorua, Opouahi North and Willowflat in 2019/2020, 2020/2021, and 2021/2022
- Boundary Stream, Waiau, Maungataniwha, Raupunga North and Coach Road North in 2020/2021, 2021/2022, and 2022/2023
- Matahorua, Mohaka Forest, Opouahi, Waiau, Willowflat in 2023/2024
- Mohaka Forest in 2024/2025.
Current state
As of June 2025, there are no infected herds in the Urewera TMA.
Future pest control operations
We plan our pest control operations up to 3 years in advance. The current year runs from July 2025 to June 2026.
Dates and control methods for pest control operations in Urewera are provisional and subject to change. If you’re affected by any upcoming operations, our pest control contractors will contact you before work begins. They will:
- talk you through the specifics of each operation
- explain what you need to do before the operations start
- get your consent for the work to be done.
| Type of control | When | Coverage | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground control | 2025/2026 | 24,607ha | Matahorua, Mohaka Forest, Opouahi North, Willowflat |
| Pig survey | 2025/2026 | 26,739ha | Mohaka Forest, Maungataniwha, Maungataniwha Urewera |
Map of 2025/2026 pest control operations
The proposed areas for ground control are marked in green on the map, and the proposed areas for wildlife surveillance are marked in blue.
Interactive map showing Urewera TB management area boundaries, Vector Control Zone, and proposed control areas.
Contacts
Better Nature manages eradication activities in the Urewera TMA. Contact them directly if you have feedback or questions about upcoming operations.
Better Nature
Phone: 06 836 5590
Email: admin@betternature.nz
OSPRI
PO Box 3412
Wellington 6140
Phone: 06 353 2710
Email: vector.sni@ospri.co.nz