I must be mad. Good old Gisborne District Council, in its wisdom, is having a crack at spraying its reserves to help rid us of the dreaded Cape daisy. Good on them.

However, if they spray one side of the road as in the Esplanade Reserve, why not the other which is also infested with the weed?

I’ll tell you why; because they get funding to do this in the reserve but not on the road berm. Ever heard anything so silly? It’ll be all back in the reserve next season as it gets blown, walked or pooped from across the road.

Saints preserve us, but I can’t see the logic!

GRUMPY OLD MAN

Footnote from GDC reserves supervisor Andrew Walker:

The council sprays its parks and reserve areas for a range of broadleaf weeds including Cape daisy and also the prickly Onehunga weed and a range of other flat weeds that result in a deterioration in the quality, appearance and use of the turf. This is a once-a-year activity.

Areas outside the park boundary that are not used by the public are not treated. The rate of seed spread is slow, so this frequency is sufficient on parks.

Spraying other unused areas would be an unnecessary expense for ratepayers.