Whangārei District Council Herbicide Use and Public Space Spraying

As part of the No More Glyphosate NZ Council Herbicide Transparency Project, we asked councils across New Zealand about herbicide use in public spaces, the products being used, the policies governing their use, and whether those practices have been formally reviewed.

Whangārei District Council provided a detailed response, including a table outlining herbicide use across different council activities, a Spray Use Policy, and an independent Glyphosate Use Review prepared by WSP New Zealand Limited (WSP) in May 2025.

The response shows that glyphosate and a range of other herbicides are used across council-managed areas. It also reveals that Whangārei has recently undertaken something relatively uncommon among the councils we have reviewed so far: commissioning an external assessment specifically examining its continued use of glyphosate and possible alternatives.

Quick Summary

What We Learned

Whangārei District Council uses herbicides as part of weed and vegetation management across a range of public spaces. The information supplied identifies glyphosate use alongside other herbicides, with practices varying according to the type of land and vegetation being managed.

Council told us that its contractors operate within a wider regulatory framework including the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act 1997, Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and NZS 8409:2021 Management of Agrichemicals.

Council also said contract managers oversee the safe use of chemicals, undertake health and safety inspections and investigate reported incidents.

There have also been changes in particular locations. Council identified a directive instructing contractors not to use herbicides near playgrounds, a move to organic herbicides at the Town Basin, notification of local hapū in the Tutukaka area when spraying is scheduled, and an approach of minimising spraying in open drains by leaving drain banks vegetated.

Most significantly, Whangārei District Council commissioned WSP to undertake a formal review of its use of glyphosate. The review was completed on 30 May 2025 and examined whether glyphosate use should continue, along with alternative methods, health and environmental considerations and costs.

Products Identified

Council supplied a separate herbicide table identifying products used across its operations.

Note: The council’s supplied information identifies not only herbicides but also wetting agents, adjuvants and other products used as part of its vegetation-management programme. These have been included to provide a more complete record of the products associated with herbicide application.

Application Locations and Frequency

Council’s supplied information identifies herbicide use across a number of council-managed environments.

The WSP review provides additional detail about roadside and parks operations. It states that accredited contractors use glyphosate and other herbicides along roadsides and within public parks, with roadside spraying undertaken three times annually. Vehicles fitted with downward-facing spray equipment are used for roadside applications, while herbicides within public parks are primarily applied using knapsack sprayers.

For roads with pedestrian footpaths, the review describes targeted weed control along expansion joints using a smaller vehicle fitted with a single fixed spray nozzle. Roads without footpaths receive vegetation control extending approximately two metres from the road edge using a larger vehicle with an extendable boom.

Council also told us that it has taken steps to reduce or alter herbicide use in some areas, including avoiding herbicides near playgrounds, moving to organic herbicides at the Town Basin and minimising spraying of open drains by leaving drain banks vegetated.

Policies and Guidance

Council described a number of legislative and operational requirements governing agrichemical use, including HSNO legislation, ACVM requirements, NZS 8409:2021 and workplace health and safety requirements.

Council also told us that a draft Chemical Use policy was developed internally in 2014 but was never adopted, noting that much of the information in that draft is now out of date.

However, Council separately supplied Spray Use Policy 0067, which records an adoption date of 14 December 1993 and a review date of February 2016.

The supplied policy states that sprays should be limited to circumstances where the Roading Manager or Parks Manager considers manual, mechanical or other pest and weed-control methods impractical or uneconomic. It also states that Council will endeavour to use unscheduled or low-toxicity chemicals when selecting herbicides and pesticides.

The policy contains specific provisions for parks and places where people congregate, as well as schools, kindergartens, daycare centres and other public buildings used by children. It also sets requirements around weather conditions, contractor qualifications, record keeping and spray application.

It is not clear from the information supplied how the older Spray Use Policy relates to the unadopted 2014 Chemical Use policy referred to in Council’s LGOIMA response, or whether all provisions of Spray Use Policy 0067 remain operational today. The 2025 WSP review also refers extensively to a WDC roadside spraying specification governing contractor operations, but this was not separately identified or supplied with Council’s response.

Public Notification and Chemically Sensitive Residents

Council identified some location-specific notification practices, including notifying local hapū in the Tutukaka area when spraying is scheduled.

The supplied Spray Use Policy contains considerably broader notification provisions. It states that notices of weed-control programmes should be published in a local community newspaper, generally twice a month and at least one week before work begins. Notices are to identify the areas or parks involved, chemicals being applied, anticipated application period and vegetation being treated.

The policy also provides for registers of properties not to be sprayed because of the personal preference of owners or occupiers. For registered properties, chemical weed-control methods are not to be used provided the owner or occupier maintains the affected area to Council’s satisfaction and, when requested, appropriately marks the area.

Review History

Whangārei stands out in this project because Council commissioned an external review specifically examining glyphosate use.

WSP’s Glyphosate Use Review, completed on 30 May 2025, assessed glyphosate’s use across council activities and investigated alternative weed-control methods. It considered costs, health implications and environmental effects.

WSP concluded that glyphosate remained the most effective and cost-effective option it examined, while also stating that health and environmental concerns could justify selecting a more expensive alternative. It presented Council with three broad options: continue using glyphosate with additional safeguards; consider alternative weed-control methods as substitutes; or reduce, rather than completely replace, glyphosate while supplementing it with alternatives.

If glyphosate use continued, WSP recommended several additional controls. These included specifying a minimum spraying distance upwind of people and animals, strengthening controls around spray height and droplet size, reconsidering how long warning signs remain following spraying in parks, and avoiding glyphosate where culverts, water tables or similar structures feed receiving aquatic environments.

The report also considered high-pressure steam, hot-water treatment and mechanical weed control, although each came with higher indicative costs and/or a need for more frequent treatment or supplementary control.

Council told us that, apart from this glyphosate review, it was not aware of a formal review of its broader agrichemical use. It said, however, that its approach is continually considered through operational changes such as those around playgrounds, the Town Basin, open drains and notification in the Tutukaka area.

No More Glyphosate NZ has previously examined the WSP review separately, including what subsequently happened to some of its recommendations. That investigation can be read here: When “Best Practice” Isn’t in the Contract.

Documents Provided

Whangārei District Council supplied:

• OIA262136 Herbicide Table – information on products, locations and application frequency across council activities.
• Spray Use Policy 0067 – an adopted council policy dating from 1993, carrying a February 2016 review date and addressing spray use, notification, sensitive locations, no-spray properties, record keeping and operational requirements.
• WSP Glyphosate Use Review – 30 May 2025 – an independent review examining continued glyphosate use, existing controls, alternatives, costs and potential additional safeguards.

Observations

Whangārei District Council provided considerably more supporting information than a simple list of herbicides in response to this request.

Of particular significance is the 2025 WSP review. Council commissioned an external assessment of its continued use of glyphosate and potential alternatives. The resulting report did not recommend a single course of action but identified options and additional safeguards for Council to consider.

The documents also raise a question about the status of Council’s policy framework. Council’s response refers to an unadopted 2014 draft Chemical Use policy, while the documents supplied include Spray Use Policy 0067, adopted in 1993 and carrying a February 2016 review date. The information supplied does not explain the relationship between the two documents or clearly establish the current operational status of the older policy.

That matters particularly because Spray Use Policy 0067 contains substantive provisions, including public notification requirements, restrictions around places where children congregate and a no-spray register.

The WSP review itself also identified areas where existing controls could be strengthened. Those recommendations, and Council’s subsequent response to them, are examined separately in our earlier article rather than repeated in detail here.

Overall, Whangārei’s response provides an unusually detailed picture not only of what herbicides are being used, but of the ongoing discussion within Council about how glyphosate and other weed-control methods should be managed.

Why This Matters

Councils manage a wide range of public spaces on behalf of their communities. Understanding what products are being used, where they are applied, and how decisions are made helps contribute to greater transparency around weed management in public areas.

The Council Transparency Project aims to build a nationwide public record of herbicide management practices across New Zealand local authorities so residents can better understand what is happening in their own communities.

Want to Avoid Roadside Spraying Outside Your Property?

Whangārei District Council provides an option for residents who do not want weed sprays applied to the roadside frontage of their property.

The information is not presented on a dedicated “No Spray Register” page. Instead, it can be found on Council’s Roadside Maintenance page under the section Roadside weed spraying. Residents are advised to contact Council to obtain an agreement to maintain the frontage themselves.

In rural areas, separate Council guidance states that property owners wishing to establish a no-spray zone need to mark the area with signs and register the zone with Council.

Council information:
Roadside maintenance – Whangārei District Council

Information Request Details

Image Source & Attribution

The feature image on this page was supplied by a No More Glyphosate NZ supporter in Whangārei and edited by No More Glyphosate NZ using Canva.