Northland woman's 'astounding' effort to tackle thousands of moth plants

A Northland woman has turned her loathing of a toxic weed into environmental success - and a competition result even entire teams of weed-busters couldn't match.

Aroha Chase pulled up 11,168 moth plant vines in less than three months, most of them near her home in Pakaraka, in rural mid-Northland.

On one occasion she found and pulled out 736 vines in a single day.

She also collected 295 moth plant pods, each of which contains hundreds of seeds.

Chase said the Northland Regional Council's Moth Plant Competition went hand-in-hand with her love of gardening and the environment.

She did most of her moth plant hunting during weekends but also worked it into her everyday routine, searching roadsides in Kerikeri and Waipapa while visiting friends or taking her daughter to the playground.

Chase said combating the fast-spreading, toxic vine had been "a personal thing" since she heard a talk about the plant during her school days.

The South American native was introduced to New Zealand as an ornamental plant and has since become a serious pest in frost-free parts of the country.

The vines and pods produce a milky, toxic sap, which is a powerful skin irritant and can cause blindness if it gets in the eyes.

The vines grow quickly, smothering native trees and shelter belts, and producing large numbers of choko-like pods.

When the pods burst the seeds are carried up to 25km on the wind by silk-like filaments.

The plant is also known as kapok vine or, in Australia, as jumbo weed.

Last year's competition was organised by Kerikeri High School teacher Kate Crawford.

This year is the first time it has been organised by the regional council and expanded to cover the entire region.

Jack Craw, who chairs the council's biosecurity working party, described Chase's efforts as "astounding".

Her team, dubbed Chasing Kings, received 33,799 points, with one point awarded for every pod and three points for every vine pulled up complete with roots.

"Everyone who participated is a winner and it's really satisfying to see the engagement from the public, including community groups and schools," he said.

"Making a difference isn't just about collecting the most pods, even a handful of collected pods will mean there are 1500 fewer moth plants in Taitokerau [Northland] … As well as removing pods and vines from the environment, the competition has also helped to educate the public on moth plant," Craw said.

"Competitions like this grab people's interest and then they start to notice it and what a destructive impact it can have, with its fast-growing, smothering vines."

Chase, who also won last year's Kerikeri-based competition, received $500 in prize money.

Second place went to the Pod Poppers of Glenbervie, near Whangārei, with 17,301 points, while Project Island Song in the Bay of Islands was third with 16,301 points.

Craw said entries came from as far south as Mangawhai and as far north as Kaitāia.

The competition would be back next autumn, he said.