May 13, 2013
DoC cuts make kauri battle harder
One of the kaitiaki of the Waipoua forest fears that government cut-backs is making it harder to address problems like kauri dieback.
Trees within 100 metres of the ancient giant Tane Mahuta have succumbed to the disease, which is a soil-borne pathogen that is being spread by people walking from affected areas.
Will Ngakuru from Te Roroa says the Waipoua-based iwi has been working with the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for Primary Industries, local government and other agencies for several years to bring a Māori perspective to the problem.
He says it’s a symptom of a wider problem.
"The forest is tired and it's about the whole forest. Yes there is the disease that's killing but the forest is already sick and there is a lot of that stuff, regardless of the research, we can address. We do know that we need more tracks, better tracks if we are going to have more visitors. We do know we need more possum control. But all of these things are getting hammered in this new economic growth model the government’s put up," he says.
Mr Ngakuru says a rahui or ban on visitors may be needed to slow down the spread of the disease.
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