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Mangawhai residents are being asked to keep an eye out for new patches of Manchurian wild rice grass amid fears the invasive pest plant could have been spread during recent flooding.
The Northland Regional Council says in Northland, the core rice grass infestation occurs in the Kaipara District on the banks of the Wairoa River and its tributaries, and on adjacent farmland.
There are also small infestations in Mangawhai on pasture and cropping land, roadsides, and in and around creeks and farm drains.
Due to the scale of the infestation, total eradication is not possible with current technologies, but the goal is to progressively contain it and reduce its distribution.
Manchurian wild rice is a giant grass that grows up to four metres high. Native to Asia, it arrived unintentionally in ship’s ballast near Dargaville more than 100 years ago.
It has harsh, dull green leaves that are one to two centimetres wide and grow in fans.
