The brief for this report asks for an examination of some possible models for delivering potential future funding to rabbit control; clearly this will be dependent on the purpose of funding.
Public good funding for research, facilitation, coordination and information would be better targeted to institutions with existing responsibilities for these roles.
Funding for on-ground rabbit control on particular properties, to organisations such as the former rabbit boards, is a different matter.
It should not be automatically assumed that collective approaches to rabbit management are the most effective and most appropriate; with all ‘rabbit board-like’ structures there is a major issue in that landholders no longer own their rabbit problem – it becomes the board,s problem or the community,s.
In general, as these organisations grow in size, and as they move further from targeted user-pays approaches to a flat per-hectare rate, the responsibility for rabbit control moves further from the landholder.
The evidence presented earlier in this report suggests that this would not be in the best interests of rabbit management. One of the important achievements of the RLMP was the change in attitude of many landholders to taking personal ownership of the rabbit problem on their land (Robson, pers. comm.).
The Maniototo Model:
(Based on information supplied by MPM Ltd chairperson John Beattie) With the integration of Pest Destruction Boards into the newly created regional councils in 1989, the Maniototo Pest Destruction Board ceased to exist. Local farmers then formed the Maniototo Pest Advisory Group to look after the interests of the area.
When the option for user pays was offered to Otago landholders, the Maniototo farmers voted for continuation of a rating system. The advisory group had convinced them to vote for a continuation of the rating system to ensure cross-boundary control. Farms in the Maniototo were smaller and there was a lack of rabbit proof fencing between properties.
This meant that they were more reliant on a community based system for successful rabbit control; in essence each landholder was reliant on their neighbours, performance. However the group did not favour the rating system offered by the Otago Regional Council so, having seen the successful establishment of a company to run the Maniototo Irrigation Scheme (which took over the irrigation scheme from the Crown, reducing overheads and running costs and thus irrigation water charges), they proposed a similar corporate structure. They felt such a structure would work with pest control using a system where every property had its own account.
As a result, Maniototo Pest Management Limited (MPM Ltd) was established in 1997 and took responsibility for an area of approximately 250,000 hectares. Landholders within the Maniototo became shareholders. Each property,s shareholding was initially based on local knowledge of the amount of work required to ensure the desired level of control; the shareholding can be adjusted.
There are currently 85 shareholders with holdings ranging from 50 to 2500 shares. Each landholder pays a tax-deductible subscription based on their shareholding; in effect it is a de facto rating system. At present the annual subscription is $2.50 per share; of this, administration charges are 30 cents per share.
The subscriptions are put into property accounts from which administration and monitoring charges are deducted. The balance is held for work done on the property, be it night-shooting, helicopter-shooting or saved for a future poison operation. The company’s property account is held in trust and currently totals $330,000.
The company has the legal right to enter shareholders properties for the purpose of pest control and to charge that property for the work carried out. In return it undertakes to control the pests on the property in accordance with the Otago Regional Council’s Regional Pest Management Strategy.
The successful operation of Maniototo Pest Management Limited provides some support to those who seek the re-establishment of rabbit boards as an answer to increasing rabbit numbers and the associated high costs of controlling them. This model works well for the Maniototo and the company operates successfully without public funding.
One reason for this success is that the Maniototo Basin is a distinct geophysical entity with its boundaries being mainly high altitude land of low rabbit proneness. Also the area is very community focused and the willingness to be included in such organisations is very high.
Peer pressure from neighbours ensures that all landholders are involved - an essential criterion for successful cross-boundary rabbit control. The company has developed a protocol for procedure and consultation with its farmer clients and other landowners such as DOC, LINZ and forestry companies.
A very important factor in the success of such enterprises is the availability of skilled, dedicated and experienced staff. As noted elsewhere in this report, the shortage of such people is an increasing concern. The antisocial aspect of working at night, the distance from cities and the desire of young families to be closer to urban facilities means that young staff often leave the industry after training.
Experience plays a big role in rabbit control because of the need to understand rabbit dynamics and seasonal influences, to be able to read rabbit sign, to know which techniques are appropriate for a particular situation and how and when to apply them. This knowledge and experience takes time to acquire.
Maniototo Pest Management Limited benefited from the strong farmer leadership in the Maniototo Pest Advisory Group that promoted its inception. They had gained the confidence of most landholders that the group would implement a scheme that would best suit the district.
The company was also lucky in that there were enough older farmers around at the time of its establishment who appreciated the value of cross-boundary pest control and who never wanted to see the rabbit plagues of the past.
This company appreciates the need to monitor rabbit populations. All properties are inspected every 2 years and infestation levels recorded. Areas of concern are monitored more frequently, especially if a poison is indicated. Properties are still subject to inspections by Otago Regional Council staff to ensure compliance with the RPMS.
In summary, this approach to the management and funding of rabbit control has been successful and is a good model for groups of landholders wishing to adopt a system reminiscent of rabbit boards. By avoiding a flat per-hectare rating regime, the model is likely to more equitably allocate the control costs to the land concerned.
An established structure of this nature may provide a good model for distributing any future pubic funds (e.g. via regional councils), if granted, as long as suitable safeguards and external technical and financial audit procedures are in place.
However, an organisation such as this requires a strong community belief, good leadership and skilled staff, especially if it is to operate successfully without the Government contributions that sustained the rabbit boards until shortly before their demise.
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