Yes, there a few. Kill the buggers. They bring nothing good and can happily be exterminated from NZ with no ill effect to the local flora and fauna.

I love bugs and insects of all shapes and sizes, but the only good wasp is a dead one. 

A lot of them looking for somewhere to hibernate over winter - around my wood pile especially.

The ongoing mild weather will keep them unusually active and multiplying. We need a cold frosty winter to reduce numbers.

Here in Ti Tahi Bay there has been a few....

Plenty here in my back yard in Auckland too. Well there were, but not anymore.

I thought there was a council sponsored program in Auckland, but I can't find it any more. We have a problem for the past 2 years. I am confident the nest isn't on our property, and can't really go from property to property trying to find it, not sure what recourse or options I have.

I got smoked by one while stacking wood the other day. Horrible animals. 

I've been smacking them with wooden spoon or yard broom … there used to be a quite expensive bait available (Vespex?), but I now see that the hardware stores have wasp bait/poisons/traps around the $20 mark, so might try one while the warm weather lasts.

Rickles:

 

I've been smacking them with wooden spoon or yard broom … there used to be a quite expensive bait available (Vespex?), but I now see that the hardware stores have wasp bait/poisons/traps around the $20 mark, so might try one while the warm weather lasts.

 

That doesn't kill the hive though, right?

     >That doesn't kill the hive though, right?<

Not that I am aware of … some baits take the poison back to the hive I think.

I Vespex the MoFos  - assuming you mean the common wasp not paper wasp.

Paper wasps seem very interested in a post in our garden that has holes drilled into it.  So I regularly apply a contact insecticide to the inside of those holes.

It seems one of the best options is to put out the correct traps as the queens wake up and start building their nests because each queen you kill is one less nest. 

danielfaulknor:

 

It seems one of the best options is to put out the correct traps as the queens wake up and start building their nests because each queen you kill is one less nest. 

 

What are the "correct" traps?

A few people here (from posts/photos on local Facebook groups) caught hundreds of queens with this - http://www.nopests.co.nz/product-details/wasp-dome/ - at the peak they were having to empty it every few days

networkn: What are the "correct" traps?

Petrol poured down the hole at dawn or dusk, if they are nesting underground.