Wairau Waihopai TB Management Area (TMA)
Pest control work planned for Wairau Waihopai includes ground control.
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 Wairau Waihopai TMA
The Wairau Waihopai TMA covers about 115,400 hectares south-east of the Wairau River, including the catchments of the Waihopai, Leatham, Upper Wairau and Branch rivers.
The habitat is dry grassland interspersed with commercial forests and patches of scrub and bush. Altitudes range from several hundred metres above sea level to over 2000 metres.
History of TB and pest control in Wairau Waihopai
The Wairau Waihopai TMA has a long history of TB infection in wildlife. We last found TB-infected:
- ferrets in 2018
- possums in 2021.
We completed ground control in:
- Upper Waihopai in 2014
- Waihopai Spray and Wairau South in 2015
- Upper Wairau Rainbow and Wairau South in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
We completed:
- aerial control in Upper Waihopai in 2009
- aerial control in the Rainbow area (Mangerturk Vector Control Zone) in 2024
- wildlife surveillance across most of the TMA in 2016/2017 and 2021/2022.
Current state
As of June 2025, there are no infected herds in the Wairau Waihopai 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 Wairau Waihopai 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 | 3984ha | Upper Wairau |
Map of 2025/2026 pest control operations
The proposed area for ground control is marked in green on the map.
Interactive map showing Wairau Waihopai TB management area boundaries, Vector Control Zone, and proposed control areas.
Contacts
Downer NZ Ltd manages eradication activities in the Wairau Waihopai TMA. Contact them directly if you have feedback or questions about upcoming operations.
Downer NZ Ltd
Phone: 0508 392 355
Email: biosecurity@downer.co.nz
OSPRI
PO Box 3412
Wellington 6140
Phone: 03 363 3090
Email: vectornsi@ospri.co.nz