Dung Beetle Workshop

Dung Beetle Workshop

Livestock in New Zealand produce an estimated 100 million tonnes of manure a year. Most sits from weeks to months unrendered on pastures or washes into our waterways resulting in poor water quality. Dung beetles represent a low cost, significant, self-sustainable tool deployed across pastoral land to improve water quality by 80% in addition to improving soil health, soil conservation, carbon sequestration and pastoral productivity. Mangamingi, Makuri and Waitotara groups engaged Dr. Shaun Forgie, a dung beetle specialist with 30 years experience in the ecology, economics, importation and mass rearing of dung beetles to present a workshop to promote this environmental option. Exhaustive research, presentations, negotiations, and workshops were conducted in order to satisfy the concerns of all stakeholders: government, EPA (formerly ERMA), upholds approval, iwi, farmers, environmentalists, academics and the general public. 

In the face of overwhelming evidence in support of dung beetles, in February 2011 the release of dung beetles in New Zealand was finally given the official green light. However, it would take two further years of continual reassessment before the first 500 dung beetles would take flight in their new home – a dairy farm in Gore – on 26 September 2013. Mangamingi catchment have taken delivery of 20,000 beetles in June 2023 for distribution in their region, and have placed an order for another 20,000 for summer delivery. The dung beetles are working hard to remove pastural dung and through this process, aerate the soil and reduce surface run-off from pasture to stream.