Concerns for the health of children and pets are being aired following the laying of possum bait in a Brookfield park, with one resident upset with a lack of community knowledge.

To Rynae Butler's knowledge, bait stations appeared in and around Sydenham Botanic Park on September 9.

Rynae Butler on the boundary of Sydenham Botanic Park, with Brookfield Primary School in the background. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

There are three Tauranga City Council signs in the park warning of the bait, but Rynae says they are not obvious enough, leaving many people are unaware of the poisonous risks.

Brookfield Primary School, which backs onto the park, was also not notified of the bait until Rynae contacted school staff.

"These baits are placed right next to the school."

Rynae uses the park every day with her border collie and values the area highly. She believes the lack of communication from TCC has put children and animals' health at risk.

'I just feel really angry, because we don't know when we are allowed to go back to the park safely with our dogs.

"Tauranga City Council have covered their arses by letting the school know about the bait six days after it was placed there, and after I contacted them.”

Tauranga City Council communications advisor Marcel Currin says the signage meets legislative requirements.

One ‘Danger Poison' sign is at the park's main entrance and two are on the track where the bait stations are set.

The signs read 'All persons visiting the area are warned that pest off poison baits have been laid for the control of possums”.

They also warn no one is to handle the bait, children must be supervised while the bait is in place, and dogs are not permitted.

'We're not required to notify the school for this particular possum bait but once the one person complained to us, our parks staff phoned the school to double-check that they're happy, and they are.”

Marcel says the bait stations have been placed at the request of the Sydenham Botanic Park Advisory Group due to possums threatening the health of kauri trees.

Sydenham Botanic Park Advisory Group deputy chairman Daniel Hancock doesn't know the exact details but believes one of the advisory group members placed the stations there as possums are getting up into the trees and damaging the branches.

'I think the bait stations were put there by one of the advisory group people. He decided afterwards he better let everyone know that he had done that as it's in a public place.”

Daniel understands TCC plans to send a pest control officer to the park to possibly try and shoot the possums – removing the bait stations in the process.

'I think the preference is to go for that [pest shooting] anyway regardless. The bait stations were really someone's reaction to getting upset about the trees.”

Sydenham Botanic Park covers three hectares and is located opposite the Brookfield Shopping Centre.

Rynae Butler with one of the possum traps.