More to deal with kauri dieback
Northland Regional Council has boosted its response to kauri dieback in the region via its long-term plan 2018-28 and its Regional Pest Management Plan, both of which include new measures, and additional funding.
Group manager — environmental services Bruce Howse said the new initiatives included an effective tripling of funding to almost $300,000.
“This boost, which took effect last week, means we can increase staff numbers to specifically respond to latest information about where the disease may be present on private land in the North, and we’ve already begun advertising for two new staff accordingly,” he said.
The new pest management plan, which took effect late last month, contained a number of rules, including a legal requirement for any suspected dieback to be reported to an appropriate management agency. The NRC was one of the first local authorities in the country with rules specifically addressing kauri dieback.
Mr Howse added that contrary to recent incorrect claims, a detailed region-wide aerial survey for dieback, covering some 1.2 million hectares, had been completed over summer via a fixed wing aircraft using innovative high-resolution camera equipment developed privately by a council staff member, which had allowed the capture of much more detailed data than earlier fly-overs.
“As a result, we’re aware of about 100 high-priority sites on private and district council land that are being urgently followed up on the ground to establish if the disease is present,” he said.
“There are also another roughly 200 lower priority sites, again on private or district council land, where we suspect the disease might possibly be present, and which may also need further investigation.”
The NRC did not own any publicly accessible land with kauri, the vast majority in Northland being scattered over thousands of hectares of land controlled by the Department of Conservation or privately owned.
The council had been working closely with DOC and a number of other partners to learn more about, and try to control, kauri dieback for a number of years, a process to which DoC had been “very committed.”
Tangata whenua too were hugely invested in the process, including Te Roroa, which had been working closely with the council as part of a tactical plan aimed at stopping the spread of the disease in Waipoua Forest.
“Council also has processes in place to work with Northland land owners and communities who wish to be upskilled in disease identification, and sharing with them how to reduce the risk of disease spread,” Mr Howse said.
To date the council had worked with land owners to help design about 30 tailor-made management plans for those keen to protect their privately-owned kauri from wandering stock and other threats. It was also coordinating a regional stakeholder group of agencies, including the Matakohe Museum, to keep up to date with the latest developments.
A range of information about kauri dieback can be found at www.kauridieback.co.nz Flotation devices will be installed at Cable Bay on Saturday August 18, followed a few days later by Taipa and Cooper’s Beach, with Mayor John Carter and Ngati Kahu leaders officiating.
The installations will be the first phase of Operation Flotation, organised by a charitable trust established after 54-year-old Wairongoa Renata drowned at Cable Bay on January 2 while attempting to rescue children who had been caught in a rip.
Phase two will be development of a monitoring and/or GPS tracking system tonotify emergency services when a device is removed, and installation of more devices around Doubtless Bay
Phase three would be collaboration with other communities to replicate the system throughout the Far North once the concept had been refined and agreed, trustee Pat Millar said.