Selwyn mayor: Lizard surveys holding up big projects

Selwyn's mayor has suggested the council needs to hire a "lizard whistler" to save time and money on projects.

Mayor Lydia Gliddon made the jest at the finance and performance meeting on Thursday, where it was revealed that lizard surveys, which cost $14,000 each, could hold up three major projects.

"Should we just start employing a lizard whistler to move the lizards on?" Gliddon quipped.

"We've got this across three projects already, and we're looking at six months each project for a lizard survey."

Council head of capital works David Spriggs said that "if you wind the clock back a few years, nobody ever spoke about lizards".

"Lizards are now just the default thing we have to make allowance for and deal with. It's just part of a project now and a cost we can't avoid."

The three projects impacted are the $9.6m Jones Road- Two Chain Road realignment, the $7.6m Walkers Road -Two Chain Road roundabout, and the $6.8m Whitecliffs Bridge replacement, which are all being tendered.

Spriggs said while they may have to wait for up to six months for a Wildlife Act consent, there may be opportunities to start work in areas that do not require lizard management.

After the meeting, the mayor said her comments at the meeting were to highlight the frustration with the timing and cost of the process.

"It's not saying that we don't care about our wildlife," Gliddon said.

"The frustration is around the cost and the timing.

"We're having to undertake these surveys and not be able to go into construction space over construction season is a little bit frustrating, because it just delays projects.

The mayor said she wanted to raise awareness of the issues councils are dealing with.

"It's not as simple as just being able to go out and turn dirt.

"People get frustrated with council [delays], and it's these types of things that frustrate us."

At the meeting, Cr Samuel Wilshire asked for clarity on "how many baby dinosaurs" needed to be identified on site in the $14,000 survey to trigger a halt to work.

Spriggs said it is determined by DOC and their lizard management plan and processes.

He said he understood the aim is to capture as many lizards as practically possible before work can proceed, although "the definition of practically is obviously quite subjective".

Managing lizards can only happen over the summertime as it's based on temperatures, Spriggs said.

Wilshire noted that there had been "investment into JBL hi-fi speakers and karakia with whale song forkauri dieback" and wondered if a similar study could be funded for lizards.

Department of Conservation has been approached for comment.

Under the Wildlife Act 1953, all native New Zealand lizards are protected, and it is illegal to hunt, capture, kill, or disturb them without a permit from DOC.

A report on the conservation status of reptiles in New Zealand released earlier this year showed there are 147 living native gecko and skink species, and many are threatened or at risk of extinction.