The hillsides above the Manawa Karioi Spring are a very visible area of our project, and it is here that we face a big challenge from environmental weeds, Japanese honeysuckle and Old Man’s Beard in particular. Regrowth by blackberry is also a problem.
 
After trying to control them with hand tools for several years and making little progress we realized a new approach was needed. Spraying with herbicide was not an option; the gullies were too steep and the weeds too dense. Instead we came up with the idea of using goats.
 
We were unable to find any similar situations where goats have been used to control environmental weeds, but goats are used to control agricultural weeds, such as gorse, on marginal farmland. The key issues appeared to be escapes and insufficient grazing pressure on target weeds.
 
To counter the first issue, the two gullies, were fenced with 2.5 metre high deer-proof fence. The two areas are each approximately 1.5 hectares and have proved to be the right size to provide sufficient food for the goats, without allowing them to move to ungrazed areas.
 
The eight goats arrived in May 2007. They were neutered male kids, but in the two years they have grown to maturity and are not as easy to handle now.
 
It has not been a matter of simply leaving the goats inside the fence to do their work. Regular checking to ensure they have drinking water and are in good health is needed, and Pete Russell has taken on this responsibility. Committee members have been called on to help when needed, in particular with worming the goats and clipping their hooves every six months.
 
An account of the most recent “goat wrangling” illustrates the delights of handling these weedeaters. First, the goats had to be brought down into a small race which Pete had constructed at the bottom of the hill. Even with five people — one of whom was 5-year-old Aisla — guiding them down, the goats had a mind of their own and near the bottom when they were so close to being inside the narrowing line of the fence to the race, the leader managed to slip around the less agile humans and escape back to the hilltop.
 
Once they were inside the enclosure each goat was held still to have the drench medication inserted into its mouth, and each hoof checked and clipped level. Goat horns make natural handles for managing­ the goat, provided you are on the correct side of the goat’s head and not the receiving end. One by one they were dealt with. Even the leader was successfully brought in, dosed and clipped.
 
The goats have proved extremely effective in almost eliminating the Japanese Honeysuckle, Old Man’s Beard and Blackberry. Photographs taken at regular intervals over the two years document the progress. Eight billy goats have proved invaluable allies in Manawa Karioi’s battle against environmental weeds.
 
Our success is good news for other projects dealing with similar serious weed problems, but goats are not to be taken on lightly. Secure fencing and good management are essential for success.