Keeping the Bathurst bur out of our backyard: Quick info about regional pests
Bathurst bur (Xanthium spinosum) is actually from South America and accidentally made its way to Australia in the early 1800s where it got its name. From there it crossed the pond where it now contaminates wool, breaks shearing combs, cause skin irritations and dermatitis, and poisons stock – a true nasty!
With fifteen active control sites in the Wairarapa, some farms have thousands of plants on them! However, the plant is still relatively rare in the Wellington region and we plan to keep it that way.
Our pest plants team work hard on the fifteen sites to minimise the impact of this pest on people and livestock.
So if you see a plant with hundreds of straw-coloured burs, each 1.0–1.5 cm long, with many yellow hooked spines you’ve probably got Bathurst bur and our team wants to know about it and they’ll control it for free – to put those Aussies in their place!
Contact pest.plants@gw.govt.nz if you think you've seen it.
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
Do you think you know the answer?
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Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕
Wellington’s identity is built on its cafe culture, but with costs climbing, that culture is under pressure. We’ve seen the headlines about recent closures, and it’s a tough pill to swallow along with a $6+ coffee.
We all want our favourite spots to stay open, but we also have to balance our own budgets ⚖️
We want to know: How are you handling the "coffee math" in 2026? Are you still heading to your local for a chat and a caffeine fix, or has the cost of living changed your habits?
Keen to read more about "coffee math"? The Post has you covered.
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42.2% I avoid spending money on coffee
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47.4% I still indulge at my local cafe
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10.4% Irrelevant - coffee is not for me
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