The Tort of Nuisance – a potential avenue to leverage wilding pine control

Date: 9th December 2024

The success of the national collaboration that is the wilding pine management network is based on the “carrot approach” – good relationships where landowners, agencies and communities agree that wilding pine control is necessary, and work gets undertaken.

However sometimes the “stick” approach is required. Tools such as RPMS’s (Regional Pest Management Strategies, Notices of Direction etc. are examples of this. Another tool is the Tort of Nuisance which is largely untried for wilding management in New Zealand.

This idea was raised at our 2024 conference by Simon Hodgson of Aoraki Tree and Scrub https://www.aorakitreeandscrub.co.nz/ who in addition to running a pest control and revegetation business has a legal background. He has provided a summary of how the Tort of Nuisance works.

Private Nuisance Notes for Landowners and Biodiversity Officers (003)Download

In this time of severe underfunding and going backwards at an increasing rate of knots we need to consider ALL options to going backwards at an increasing rate of knots. If you would like to know more please contact Simon directly using his details in this post.

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