Land Information Minister Maurice Williamson says wilding pines have been cleared from 150 hectares of land at Lake Pukaki.
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has just completed an 18-month eradication programme in the area between the western shore of the Canterbury lake and State Highway 80.
Mr Williamson says the pines compete with native flora and fauna for sunlight and water and the clearance will allow the environment to return to its natural state.
LINZ will now look at undertaking a similar project on the lake's eastern shoreline, he says.
