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GRazer NZ - mulching and land clearing specialists

Cost guide

What gorse removal costs, and the question to ask before you book

Age of the stand is the biggest single driver, and the one you can still do something about.

Steep gorse face cleared to a clean mulched finish

The honest answer

Gorse cost is driven mostly by how long it has been left. A three-year stand is quick work; a fifteen-year stand with 250mm stems on a steep face is not. The second question worth asking before you book anything is what happens next, because the seed bank in your soil is unaffected by any clearing method and some regrowth is certain. GRazer estimate most jobs from Google Maps, photos and the property address, which means you can get an initial number without anyone driving out. For larger, more complex or high-value projects they may recommend a site visit to confirm scope before work starts.

What actually drives the number

  1. Age and size of the stand

    This dominates. Young gorse is soft and fast. Mature gorse has woody stems. GRazer handle 200mm to 300mm material, which covers most established stands, but thicker and denser means slower.

  2. Slope

    Gorse colonises exactly the faces that are hard to work, which is why it was left. Workable to 55 degrees, but steeper is slower.

  3. Access to the face

    Getting the machine to the bottom or top of the face is often the deciding factor on a hill block. Photos of the access route are as useful as photos of the gorse.

  4. Whether it is one block or scattered

    A single contiguous face is more efficient than the same total area spread across five patches with travel between them.

  5. Follow-up expectations

    The first clearing is the expensive one. Most people find the maintenance pass is a fraction of it, and grazing the regrowth is cheaper again. Worth planning for rather than being surprised by.

How to keep the cost down

  • Do not leave it another season, gorse gets more expensive every year, reliably
  • Clear a whole face at once rather than nibbling at the edges
  • Plan to graze the regrowth, which is the cheapest maintenance available
  • Send photos showing stem thickness, not just the top of the canopy
  • Include the access route in your photos

What is included that is easy to miss

  • Whole plant processed to a mulch layer, stems included
  • No burning and no chemicals
  • Nothing carted off site
  • Work on faces to 55 degrees with nobody standing on the slope
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Cost questions we get asked

Is it cheaper to spray it first?
No, and it usually costs more overall. Spraying kills the plant but leaves it standing, so you still have to remove it afterwards, and dead gorse is drier and more flammable in the meantime. GRazer do not spray.
How much will the follow-up cost?
Substantially less than the first pass, because the regrowth is soft and low rather than a woody thicket. Many properties keep it in check with grazing alone once access is restored.

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Want a number for your place?

Send the property address and a few photos, including the access. Most estimates come back without a site visit.

Get an EstimateCall Dan 027 234 5962