In a flap: Pigeon poo ruffles event centre feathers

A problem with unwanted guests is frustrating the Ashburton Event Centre and “it’s getting serious”.

Centre general manager Roger Farr is fed up with pigeons and the financial burden of the unwanted feathered foes nesting on the building.

They recently removed “over half a tonne of pigeon poo off the roof,” Farr said.

The centre, an Ashburton District Council-funded agency, spent about $8000 for contractors to clean about 600kg of pigeon droppings off the roof and is also employing someone “to maintain the pigeons”.

“It’s starting to be a real financial cost to the organisation just trying to maintain some level of cleanliness,” Farr said.

The event centre has tried deterrents like a laser light and scarecrow kites, he said, but they have just blown away.

“We have tried netting, trapping … we have tried everything and it hasn’t worked.

“We have kept the numbers down but it’s not enough.”

Unfortunately, the roof “is like a five-star hotel” for the pigeons with heat ducting to nest under, he said.

Farr sought advice from the council, asking what measures they will have in place for pigeon control at the new $56.75 million library, Te Pātaka a kā Tuhituhi, and civic centre, Te Waharoa a Hine Paaka.

Ashburton Trust Event Centre general manager Roger Farr is fed up with financial burden of pigeons after paying to remove an estimated 600kg of pigeon droppings off the roof.
Photo: LDR / Jonathan Leask

Council chief executive Hamish Riach said the council was aware of the pigeon issue in the CBD, and its contractors had reported issues with pigeons on the under-construction building.

They were currently using laser lights but ensuring they were moved regularly “to try and upset the learned avoidance of pigeons”, Riach said.

It was a good sign the event centre’s main concern was pigeons as Farr said “things are starting to pick up again” after the difficult Covid-impacted period.

“There have been difficulties along the way but it certainly started to look as though we are turning a corner.

“The touring side of things is coming back slow but it will come back.”

A large number of Covid-delayed events finally taking place made for a busy end to 2023 with 21 ticket events in the past six months of the year, he said.

There was $397,000 spent on tickets, Farr said, with a rough average of 79 percent ticket sales at each event, which was lower than they aim for but was “acceptable” given the busy run of events.

Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air