Important and caution notes

Important notes

• All areas where pesticides have been laid are clearly identified with warning signs. Take note of signs when entering area.

• Pesticide summaries are refreshed daily to show lists of animal pest operations using vertebrate pesticides and broad scale insecticides (eg. fipronil for wasp control) that are undertaken by DOC or other parties on lands administered by DOC. This includes offshore islands where the pesticides have been laid in a place where the public ordinarily has access, and the use of pesticides for the control of pest fish in waterways administered by DOC.

• This pesticide summary does not apply to the use of:
  • Pesticides for rodent control in huts, buildings or other structures.
  • Cyanide paste baits for possum skin or fur recovery
  • Pesticides laid on offshore islands where public access is prohibited
  • Pesticides laid on (either private or public) land which is not administered by DOC
  • Localised use of insecticides such as for individual wasp nest destruction

• Areas where pesticides may be or have been laid are divided into the following 3 categories:
  • Proposed application: the application is planned to go ahead but the precise details of the operation cannot yet be confirmed. It may not proceed past the proposed stage.
  • Will be laid: The application has DOC permission to proceed although the exact timing could change.
  • Have been laid: Pesticides have been laid in the area defined or the application is imminent, the presence of warning signs is the definitive indication that pesticides are present in an area.

Caution notes

• The ‘date of application’ for the 'proposed' and 'will be laid' operations is provisional only and may be subject to change.

• Occasionally urgent reactive operations (such as TB blips or pest incursions to fenced mainland sanctuaries) may be added to the pesticide summary with little notice prior to the application date. Be aware that printed or downloaded copies of pesticide summaries may be out of date.  Check the latest pesticide summary information on the DOC website, or check with the local DOC office before entering any area.

• The ‘expected time to warning sign removal’ is an estimate only. This period will be extended if bait or carcass monitoring indicates that pesticide residues may still be present. Until this period is finished, warning signs will stay in place and the operation will continue to be listed on the pesticide summary.

• Do not eat animals from these areas (except for areas where only cyanide and/or cholecalciferol and/or insecticides have been laid) while warning signs are present and operations are listed on the pesticide summary. Do not eat trout for seven days after aerial application of 1080 baits.

• Also, do not eat animals from within the ‘buffer zone’ outside of the operational area boundary, as listed below. Note that there are no buffer zones for cyanide, cholecalciferol or insecticides. 

Source: MPI Animal Products Notice: Specifications for Products Intended for Human Consumption (2016)

Disclaimer

While the information in these pesticide summaries is provided in good faith, any person using theinformation does so at his or her risk solely, and neither Her Majesty the Queen, nor the Minister of Conservation, nor Director-General of Conservation, nor any employee or agent of the Department of Conservation shall be liable for any errors or omissions in these summaries.

Any person who takes any animal from land administered by the Department of Conservation does so at his/her own risk and no warranty, express or implied, is given as to the fitness for human or other consumption of such animals.

Notice

The Department of Conservation’s pesticide summary notification process has been approved by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) as a poison use statement for the purposes of presenting wild animals for processing to a MPI registered processor.