Greens want $50m spent to protect kauri

WELLINGTON: The Green Party wants $50 million of the Jobs for Nature package to go towards protecting kauri forests.

Jobs for Nature is a $1.3 billion programme allocated in Budget 2020 to provide up to 11,000 jobs to improve biodiversity, freshwater and biosecurity.

Green Party coleader Marama Davidson and conservation spokeswoman Eugenie Sage made the announcement at Aratia in Auckland yesterday.

Ms Davidson said kauri were an important part of Aotearoa’s natural heritage, but without a political commitment to help protect them, they were facing potentially fatal threats from kauri dieback.

When kauri suffered, the ecosystems that depended on them did too, she said.

‘‘That’s why . . . the Green Party is announcing we will focus part of the Jobs for Nature package towards kauri protection by dedicating $50 million over the next two years,’’ she said.

Ms Davidson said the Greens would also push to see additional longterm funding allocated in future budgets, depending on how much additional investment was needed.

Mr Sage said the funding would be used to employ people within the Department of Conservation to work in partnership with iwi and alongside regional councils.

She said the money would enable the upgrade of tracks to protect kauri roots, and control pests such as pigs, which helped spread kauri dieback.

The Ministry for Primary Industries has been unable to secure enough funding for a national pest management plan for kauri.

‘‘Doc would ensure that protection and work on kauri dieback gets the commitment and priority attention it deserves; instead of it being just one of the many biosecurity issues MPI is responsible for,’’ she said.

This move was likely to require changes to the Biosecurity Act, Ms Sage said. — RNZ