A Kauri dieback outbreak detected in the Kaimai Ranges has prompted authorities to take swift action, resulting in the temporary closure of the forest and several tracks as a precautionary measure.
Ngāi Tamawhariua chairman Hone Winder-Murray said the iwi had been alerted to the positive test results on the Wharawhara track, in Katikati, “and as a result, we have initiated discussions with all neighbouring hapū around us, including Ngāti te Wai in Taupiro, Te Whānau a Tauwhāo in Otāwhiwhi and Ngāti Hako in hopes of collectively determining the best pathway forward as kaitiaki of our ngāhere here”.
Winder-Murray emphasised that kaitiakitanga (guardianship) over the Kaimai Ranges primarily lay with the hapū and iwi.
However, the Department of Conservation (DOC), through its testing initiatives, has demonstrated a willingness to collaborate and work alongside them.
“From the outset, it was decided that there would be an equal partnership with Te Papa Atawhai (DoC), and that we, as mana whenua and tangata whenua, along with our hapū and iwi, would be involved in the decision-making process to identify how we collectively and meaningfully move forward”.
“We also want to embody that kaitiakitanga and that includes placing a full rāhui (prohibition) and supporting the Crown closures on the Kaimai Ranges.”
The rāhui and closure will allow iwi, hapū and Te Papa Atawhai (DoC) the time to develop an investigation plan and conduct testing in the area to gain a deeper understanding of the potential spread of the disease and the risk it presents to kauri within the wider Kaimai landscape.
The rāhui will be assessed after 10 weeks, on September 29.