Old Man's Beard Free Wellington

08/08/2026

🌿 Next stop: OMB-Free Zone 2! 🌿

Now that Zone 1 is clear of all known Old Man’s Beard (OMB) infestations, we're turning our sights to Zone 2 — stretching from Oriental Bay to Island Bay along the eastern side of the ridgeline.

There’s already a fantastic network of volunteers and community groups tackling OMB across this area, and we’re excited to build on that work.

Our goal is to have the bulk of Zone 2 cleared over the next year. We’re currently at 28% clear, so there’s plenty to do — but with the community behind us, we know what’s possible!

🌱 How you can help

🔎 Report OMB you spot
Report any Old Man’s Beard you find on iNaturalist. Visit ombfree.nz/report for information on how to report it.

🏡 Control OMB on your property
If you have OMB growing on your property, we can advise you on how to control it and help you get started.

💪 Join a working bee
When we find a patch that's big enough to tackle as a group, we organise working bees through the OMB Free Community Group on Facebook.

🌿 Join our midweek sessions
We also run regular midweek control sessions. Contact us if you’d like to get involved.

🧤 Tackle OMB in your neighbourhood
Want to take action locally? We can provide training and certification if you’d like to control OMB on Wellington City Council land.

👥 Form a local group
Got a group of neighbours or friends keen to make a difference? Get in touch and we can help you get started.

🗺️ Check the map before you report

Visit map.ombfree.nz to see where OMB has already been recorded in your area. It's worth checking the map before reporting a new sighting, as you may be able to avoid creating a duplicate report.

Every patch we find and control brings us one step closer to an OMB-free Zone 2 — and every person who gets involved makes that job a little easier.

Want to help? Get in touch!
📧 [email protected]
💬 Or send us a DM

Next stop: OMB-Free Zone 2! 🌿💪

01/08/2026

🌿 Zone 1 is now Old Man's Beard Free! 🌿

We're thrilled to announce that all known Old Man's Beard (OMB) infestations in Zone 1 have now been cleared!

This milestone is the result of seven years of dedicated work by an incredible team of volunteers. The journey began in 2019 when Anthony and Nigel tackled Tanera Gully, and it concluded with Sam, Linda and Nigel clearing the last known OMB patch on Rolleston Street.

Along the way, more than 50 volunteers have contributed their time and energy through working bees across Prince of Wales Park, Rolleston Street, Wellington High School, Central Park, and the Macdonald Crescent/Terrace Tunnel area. Every hour of effort has helped make this achievement possible.

A huge thank you to Wellington City Council for supporting this work by funding tools for our volunteers and contractors to tackle some of the larger infestations.

We're also incredibly grateful to everyone who has reported Old Man's Beard in Zone 1, especially our amazing "superspotters", Linda and Tim. Your keen eyes have made a real difference!

While we're celebrating today, the work isn't over. Over the next few years we'll continue monitoring Zone 1, checking for regrowth and newly emerging seedlings, and responding quickly to any new reports to keep the area OMB-free.

🌱 Next stop: OMB-Free Zone 2! 🌱
Our next focus is the area from Oriental Bay to Island Bay along the western side of the ridgeline.

You can help! If you spot Old Man's Beard, please report it on iNaturalist, or join one of our working bees through the OMB Free Community Group on Facebook. Together, we can keep the momentum going and make even more of Wellington OMB-free.

02/04/2026

Help make Mt Cook and Te Aro OMB Free 🌿

Keep an eye out and tell us if you see any old man's beard - see ombfree.nz/report.

We've already cleared 95% of known old man's beard in this area. Help us find and kill the remainder.

Old man's beard (OMB) is an invasive vine that smothers and kills native bush. It has thousands of seeds that are spread by wind.

OMB Free Wellington is a volunteer group.

Get in touch and we can:
* advise or control this invasive vine
* train you how to tackle it
* provide herbicide gel to kill the roots

06/02/2026

This weekend's a good time to tackle OMB before it goes to seed 🌿

06/02/2026

OMB is mostly in flower now. It's a good time to tackle it before it goes to seed 🌿

25/01/2026

Despite the crappy weather so far this summer, old man's beard is already setting seed! 😢

See ombfree.nz/control to find out what to do about it..

24/01/2026

We're making the most of some fine weather to tackle the OMB at the South end of the Terrace Tunnel this morning between 10 am and 2 pm. If you're not doing anything, come on down!

Send a message to learn more