Readers View: Kauri Dieback

In reference to an article published in January Issue No 240 page 12 called “Walking through the Cascade Kauri Forest”, and a reader’s comment in the April edition Issue No 243 regarding the article.

Our club would like to clarify two points.

Firstly, the article your reader is referring to in the January 2018 issue of your magazine was written by a visitor to our club on the walk for the day. This walk took place in January 2017 almost a year before the rahui was put in place.

Secondly, when the rahui was implemented our club agreed to fully support it and cancelled all our walks in the affected areas.

We have always protected kauri by either using the cleaning stations provided or carrying our own spray.

Our club participated in the recent Auckland Council survey regarding further proposed Waitakere track closures and emphasised the need for upgrading tracks to kauri-safe standards, more robust education of the public regarding cleaning boots before and after walking and installing more efficient cleaning stations in the fight against kauri dieback. Derek Nelson, President Auckland Natural History Club Inc. www.aucklandnaturalhistoryclub. org