Ministry moves to combat dieback disaster
The Government is reviewing the kauri dieback programme, following concerns not enough is being done to stop the spread of the disease killing the native trees.
The kauri dieback response will also be included in a new national pest management programme to be developed by MPI.
Former Auckland Council biosecurity manager and kauri expert Jack Craw said at the current rate, kauri would be extinct in 30 years.
Kauri dieback is caused by a microscopic spore in the soil that attacks the roots and trunks of kauri. It damages the tissues that carry nutrients within the tree, starving them to death.
In the past decade, kauri dieback has killed thousands of trees, and there’s no cure.
The upper-North Island is the natural kauri area. Northland and Auckland, particularly Waipoua Forest and the Waita¯ kere Ranges particularly affected by the disease.
The Kauri Dieback Programme was launched in 2009.
Craw said in those first five years, the co-management system worked well. However, after it came up for renewal in 2014, the plan became less effective, thanks to poor management by MPI.
Craw said he was ‘‘dismayed’’ by how the programme had been handled, and believed not all of the money allocated was being spent.
Others, including scientists and iwi, were also concerned with the programme’s direction.
This was the ‘‘most daunting pest’’ Craw had encountered. The scale of the issue had increased recently.
Forestry Minister Shane Jones said he found the situation was ‘‘particularly galling’’.
Jones said the review was ‘‘urgently needed’’. ‘‘I’ve made it absolutely clear to the forestry officials that everyone can be better and we must be better.’’
He said an overarching pest management programme was also being developed, and would be coordinated by MPI. Details about the scheme would be announced soon, after further briefings.