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Behind the fence

My house backs on to a large sports park that slopes down to the road below. The large area between the road and the playing field is wildlands. Lots of rubbish. Lots of pest plants. Some natives.
Just through my back gate are several pine trees from which I gather cones and firewood.

Wildland behind my place. Firewood foraging. Removing pest plants.

Natives coming through
As for native plants, are self seeded pseudopanax, Coprosma robusta and repens, renga renga (probably from nearby gardens).

Pseudopanax, five finger, is one of the first natives to grow in bare areas under a canopy.

Coprosma repens, taupata is common esp around the coast. There's a row of them behind my fence that the birds enjoy the berries. This particular seedling has extra large (XL) leaves.

The baddies
Of course there are way more pest plants than natives. I pull out the small ones, if they're too big I break the tops off so they don't seed or spread seed as far.
The menu comprises bear's breeches/Acanthus mollis, German ivy ( I saw only one plant), ivy, prunus, cotoneaster, broom/Cytisus scoparius and some Norfolk Island pines.
Weedbusters has info on how to control pest pants.

Wild cherry or some sort of prunus. There's a group of these and many dotted around. Pull them out while they are small.

Wild cherry or some sort of prunus from below

German ivy. Just this so far. I will properly remove it tomorrow

Karo, Pittosporum crassifolium. A native but not native to the Wellington region and it takes over

Mulch
Such a pity I can't use the abundant pine needles for mulch or compost in my garden. There's tradescantia and many other weeds among them and I daren't risk them taking a liking to my garden.

While I'm scrambling around, I lay branches horizontally between trees to create a bit of a shelf. Over time, this reduces soil and water running down the hill and creates a shelf for seeds to settle and grow.

Agapanthus (aggies) out

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On my walk up my street this afternoon, every other verge had agapanthus, Agapanthus praecox, growing healthily. Definitely the predominant species round these parts.

A healthy aggie clump leaving no room for any other plant

Aggies quickly cover the soil making it impossible for other plants to grow

Agapanthus praecox, the predominant species locally.

Aggies quickly establish and take over and are extremely hard to remove

Why it's a pest plant

It seeds prolifically, spreads seeds effectively which germinate densely. Fragments of the roots easily regrow. Plants live a long time and can handle a wide range of conditions and soil types.
Wherever it grows, it forms solid clumps. I've seen layers and layers grow on top of each other. It bullies all other plants out and takes over.
For information on getting rid of agapanthus see Weedbusters,

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Local natives and weeds

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First day beating the feet during the rahui to save lives and eliminate Covid-19.
I explored part of Sinclair Park, discovering natives and exotic weeds mixed together. And a lovely wildness in the margins.

Some of the natives
Hover over the photo for more information.