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An expert in kauri die-back says a rahui on the Waitakere Ranges is the right step to highlight threat the disease poses to the ngahere.
Te Kawerau a Maki elders gathered at Cascade Falls on Saturday to formally declare the ban on anyone walking through the 2500 hectares of kauri stands in the 16,000 hectare park.
Auckland Council will tomorrow decide whether to give official backing to the rahui.
Nick Waipara says what has been done so far hasn’t worked and may have encouraged complacency about the threat.
He was part of a new study which showed 83 percent of visitors were not cleaning dirt and mud off their shoes before and after walking in the park, meaning they could be spreading the soil-borne fungus that kills the trees.
"We’ve given agencies 10 years to get this sorted, so actually mana whenua Te Kawerau a Maki have my full support. I tautoko their kaitiakitanga over Waitakere and it's time we really have to take this seriously," Dr Waipara says.
He says poor maintenance means many of the tracks are muddy which is an ideal environment for the fungus spores to spread.
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