Kauri Protection
Help Protect Kauri
Kauri are an ancient and precious keystone species that shape many forest ecosystems of Aotearoa’s upper North Island.
In 2008 a novel threat to kauri was identified: the pathogen Phytophthora agathidicida, which causes kauri dieback disease. Since its identification various groups including iwi, researchers, and community and government organisations have worked to understand and mitigate the impacts of kauri dieback. Kauri dieback was found in Kaipātiki in 2018, leading to the closure of two affected local reserves and the implementation of preventative measures, including the closure of higher-risk tracks and the installation of numerous shoe cleaning stations throughout the community.
Protecting kauri also comes down to individual actions, which is why we encourage members of the Kaipātiki community and beyond to learn about kauri dieback, help to educate their friends and whānau, and take action to help stop the spread of this devastating disease.
Educational Resources
We are fortunate to work with some wonderful schools around Kaipātiki and we know just how enthusiastic students are about protecting our native ecosystems. We have developed a worksheet for highschool-age students to learn about kauri and how we can protect them from dieback disease. Feel free to download and make use of this resource at home or in the classroom!
Download by clicking the image below. We appreciate any feedback if you make use of this resource.
Kauri Protection Workshops
Pest Free Kaipātiki offers Kauri Protection workshops throughout the year where members of the public can learn about this disease and its impacts, and gain skills to help protect these precious trees and the ecosystems they support.
Who Should Attend?
We welcome anyone who is interested in learning about kauri dieback and how they can help protect kauri. In particular, we encourage you to attend if you have kauri on your property or the property you work on, or carry out restoration work within reserves with kauri (e.g. predator control, planting, or weeding).
Workshop Content
The workshop aims to upskill residents and volunteers so as to minimise the risk posed by activity undertaken near kauri. There are two components to this workshop:
Part One: Kauri Care
This section of the workshop is suited to anyone interested in learning about kauri dieback and how kauri can be protected, including those who live or work near kauri. In particular, we recommend attending if you have kauri on your property and would like to learn how to protect them from dieback. The Kauri Care section of the workshop will provide you with the knowledge needed to formulate your own plans for protecting the kauri you interact with at home, work, or while accessing reserves.
Part Two: Certification
Sponsored by the Auckland Council Kauri Dieback team, this part of the workshop is focused on upskilling those who work in reserves so they are equipped to look after kauri while conducting restoration work. If you are a volunteer who wants to safely continue your work in areas with kauri, this section is for you! Attending this section of the workshop is step one in the process of becoming certified to enter reserves in the case of kauri dieback closures.
NOTE: If you only wish to come for the Kauri Care section of the workshop, you are welcome to leave before the Certification section. If you are interested in the Certification, we strongly advise you attend the entire workshop.
Kauri Dieback Management Plan Tutorial
After attending the Certification section of the Kauri Protection workshop, you may be interested in developing a Management Plan for your reserve group. PFK has developed a tutorial to assist you with this process. Working through the tutorial will help you understand the level of detail needed in your plan.
Kauri Dieback Management Plans are simple proposals developed by reserve groups outlining how work will be undertaken in an area at risk of kauri dieback, and are approved by Auckland Council. The plan is designed to show Council where and how you will be operating in a designated reserve. The plan you create will be unique to your reserve.
Click here for the mapping tutorial, using Auckland Council’s GeoMaps software. Regardless of the means by which you create your maps, be they hand drawn or made using ArcGIS or Google Maps, the required components are the same.
You may want to have Council’s Standard Operating Procedure open as you work through the tutorial: 2021 Standard Operating Procedures for Kauri Dieback Mitigation.
Please get in touch if you have any further questions about protecting our local kauri.