Pest control by location
Pests change as you head south.
Pick your city to see which pests matter there and what its regional pest plan says, or use any page on the site if your town isn't listed.
Why does the place matter?
A pest job in Whangārei isn't the same as one in Invercargill. Climate decides how long pests stay active, and each region has its own pest management plan. The city pages below use facts from regional councils, DOC and NIWA, so they name the region when a rule belongs to the whole region.
A few examples show how much it shifts. Mynas live in the North Island north of 40 degrees south, and Health NZ says redbacks are present only in Central Otago. On wasps, councils generally look after nests on council land, but Waikato has its own rule. Under Otago's plan, possums are listed as pests only in Dunedin's site-led areas.
What if your town is missing?
These are the cities we've written up so far, and the rest of New Zealand still has the same pests. The pest control services list covers each job for the whole country, and the pest identification pages helps you work out what you've got.
Pick your city
Auckland region
Canterbury
Wellington region
Otago
Manawatū-Whanganui
Northland
Hawke's Bay
Nelson Tasman
Taranaki
Southland
Gisborne (Tairāwhiti)
Marlborough
Related help
More on pest control by location
Pest control servicesEvery pest job in one list, what a pest business does, and what to ask one.Read it
Pest identificationEvery pest in the field guide, plus the signs that point to each one.Read it
Pest control in AucklandWasps, Argentine ants, cockroaches and rats in the ceiling: what's different in Auckland.Read itHow Which Pest worksTap what you've seen, add your postcode, and one local pest business rings you.Read itWhere this information comes from
- New Zealand Birds Online (Te Papa, Birds New Zealand, DOC) Common myna (2013, updated 2022), checked 3 November 2026
- Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora Treating spider bites, checked 3 November 2026
- Department of Conservation Wasps, checked 3 November 2026
- Waikato Regional Council Common wasp and German wasp factsheet (Regional Pest Management Plan 2022 to 2032), checked 3 November 2026
- Otago Regional Council Possum, checked 3 November 2026
Rules and advice change, so check the source before you act on anything here. How we write and check these pages.