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Auckland Council has voted to close tracks in the Waitakere and Hunua ranges where walkers carry a high risk of spreading kauri die back disease.
The closure from May 1 gives a formal bite to the rahui imposed earlier by mana whenua iwi Te Kawerau a Maki.
Nick Waipara, the council’s principal biosecurity advisor, says in recent weeks ambassadors posted at the entrances to some of the most well-used tracks have advised people of the rahui and the consequences of their walking in the ngahere, and received a good response.
The closures will give the council time to upgrade some tracks with gravel, boardwalks and cleaning stations.
"Some of these really paru muddy tracks, especially with the huarere, the weather at the moment. It’s like candy floss to kauri die back – mud, wet, and people moving it, so the tracks can be made dry, they can be made safe in the meantime and then reopened once that’s happened," Dr Waipara says.
The closures also give the scientists more time to look for treatments and controls for the soil-borne disease.
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