by Kevin Hague
Following my call last week, today the Government has announced it will act to prevent the spread of kauri rot, the didymo of the forest that affects the native kauri tree. The kauri is an evolutionary dinosaur, first appearing in the Jurassic period 195-130 million years ago. It’s a taonga to all New Zealanders.
The Ministers of Conservation and Biosecurity today pledged $4.7 million to help save kauri from the dieback disease. This nearly doubled the funding for fighting this enormous threat to what is arguably our most iconic tree.
The five-year programme aims to contain the soil-borne disease, which is attacking kauri trees in the upper North Island and on Great Barrier Island.
Multiple Government agencies, councils, iwi and environment groups are working together on the project, but desperately need more support to be effective.
I am pleased that my call for that extra support has fallen on listening Ministerial ears, and has been so prompty actioned. A week ago I said the Government needed to act “swiftly and definitively”, and Ministers have – it’s good to see.
Not only that, but I called for both research funding and “an enhanced public information and awareness campaign to prevent the spread of kauri rot”. They have responded with both:
The five-year programme will cover research into the detection and spread of kauri dieback and methods to control it. A public awareness campaign to arrest its spread will also be developed.
My call was unlikely to be the only reason for the swift action. In my statement a week ago I pointed out that:
Conservation Minister Tim Groser’s recent announcement of plans to create a National Park in Northland’s Waipoua Forest will be a waste of money if Tane Mahuta and other giants of the kauri forest fall victim to kauri rot.
I’ve got a feeling that alerting Minister Groser to the potential problem of a Kauri National Park with sick or no kauri has helped the Government’s resolve to solve this problem.
But good on them – whatever the trigger.
Footnote: Metiria Turei also recently pointed out that there is a mining permit covering the Waipoua Forest Sanctuary, which is the proposed Kauri National Park area. The Northern Advocate reported (offline) last week that both the DOC Area Manager and Waipoua Forest trustee were unaware of this, and aghast. So, now that Ministers Groser and Carter have listened and acted on kauri rot; hopefully Ministers Brownlee and Groser will listen on the importance of protecting places like the Waipoua by leaving them in Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act!
Published in Environment & Resource Management by Kevin Hague on Thu, October 29th, 2009
Tags: Auckland, brownlee, conservation, david carter, didymo, environment, groser, kauri, kauri rot, Kevin Hague
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on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
This is good stuff Kevin, these issues are where the Greens can really lead the way.
Wouldn’t it be interesting/tragic if this disease was linked to a biosecurity issue. I would imagine that the likes of palm kernel imports could seriously threaten our native biodiversity as well as agriculture with these sorts of diseases.
There is just too much at risk to continue this short term thinking.
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I think the probability is high Shunda. Hard to tell exactly when the disease started (not necessarily the same as when it was first noticed) but it certainly seems to be a new problem. The pathogen is similar to those found in other countries that are also specific to trees or types of trees, including Kauri relatives. So the options would seem to be a biosecurity incursion (and this is soil-based, like Foot and Mouth, incidentally) or something that was there all along but has recently been activated by some changed environmental factor (climate change, changed habitat, unintended consequences of chemical use, for example) or some combination of the above.
Incidentally, for those interested in the Palm Kernel biosecurity issues, I gave the Government another serve on Wednesday in my speech on the second reading of the Biosecurity Bill, particularly on the Minister’s “shoulder-shrug” response to the very real Foot and Mouth Disease risks I have raised. I’m also preparing the next batch of questions following up on some of the areas of concern that are still unclear. For example Gerry Brownlee’s comment on behalf of the Minister that most of the insect infestations in arriving palm kernel are thought to have occurred since it arrived in NZ. The logical consequence, if that were true, is that if NZ insects can get in then Malaysian insects can get out!
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Hi Kevin
I am still engaged in a campaign to protect my kauri (www.tengaetrees.com) from an application by the Rotorua Airport Company for an enforcement order requiring the tree to be “topped” at a height of approximately 12 metres – effectively a death sentence.
I have had some good support for my stand from local Green Party people, but they tell me that their Green MPs “don’t want to know” about efforts to protect native and other trees from encroachments by an expansionist airport company.
Perhaps you may be able to clarify the position for me.
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Kevin: By your silence you have confirmed that the Green MPs “don’t want to know” about the intended destruction of kauri and other trees by Rotorua Regional Airport Ltd. But now the children of Ruamata marae are pleading for your help to avert the imminent destruction of their living environment and way of life. Will you and the Green Party still choose to remain silent?
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Geoff
I suggest you WRITE to Kevin. Posting something here ( which I didn’t notice until this posting and I spend more time here than he does) isn’t the same as directly communicating with him.
BJ
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I’ve advised Geoff to do that before, and it works with emails too, but he doesn’t seem to like the idea. By his refusal, one might conclude that he doesn’t really want a response, but only a superficial basis for claiming that none was forthcoming. Of course I don’t like when people engage in conspiracy theories, so would never claim such a thing myself.
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Kevin said:
something that was there all along but has recently been activated by some changed environmental factor (climate change, changed habitat, unintended consequences of chemical use, for example)
ain’t that sobering!!! What else do we have, slumbering in our environment, waiting ….
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If I had written “Kevin this is good stuff..” as Shunda did, I would have received an immediate reply, as Shunda did. But because I asked Kevin to state Green policy on this issue, he chooses to remain silent.
Look, I know the attitudes of the Green Party MPs. I know they want to ignore the “Cry for help” from the children of Ruamata marae, its kohanga reo and kura kaupapa. Don’t try to pretend that I have to use different channels of communication. You know that is a false, misleading and hypocritical line of argument.
Fact is, we here at Te Ngae will do what we can to help the the kids at Ruamata, and we wil leave the hypocrites like Kevin to do their self-serving thing in parliament.
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No actually, I know nothing of the matter, so the advice stands. If its clarity you really want, you know how to get it. If you’re just grandstanding, one would think an official response would help with that too.
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Don’t try to pretend the Geoff should email Kevin directly – that’s false, misleading and hypocritical. If Geoff can’t get immediate satisfaction from a blog, something’s seriously wrong with the world!
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and for the one’s that can’t be saved…..we have a volunteer from the Maori Party to carve a bloody big waka eh?
To remind us we are all New Zealander’s
I forget little stuff like my car keys…
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A waka carved from a kauri that died as the result of the abuse of the whenua by humans?
No self respecting, life-loving kaihoe would set foot into that craft.
Toituu te whenua, toituu te tangata
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All it takes is for more than 10 posts of unrelated stuff to appear on the blog in between your comment and the next time someone looks at it, and it is gone. Unless I’ve subscribed to the thread it won’t appear in my e-mail and I won’t see it. I have this up on one of my computers most of the day, most days. I still did NOT see your post. Not until just now.
I repeat mate. If you want to be sure of a response you write to the MP. Don’t post on this blog and expect it all just happen. I get responses from all sorts of people by writing TO THEM, not to an audience.
I’m also unlikely to call them hypocrites if I actually want a response. I should note that I write to NATIONAL MPs as well as Greens. People I neither like nor trust.
I get responses. Maybe not what I want to hear, but they do engage. You seem to be intent on p!ssing off as many people as possible. Good luck with that approach.
BJ
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Well necessity is the Mother of Invention Fly; I’ll do it if no one else wants to – gimme a mill up on the Kaipara – build you some ocean going Kauri – all new eh?
Solar Powered: Lug Sails; want fer nuthin – holds 50 people – 20 in luxury. Yeah if I were King I’d stick them Boat people up a Gully an Tax ‘em hey?
Whoohoo – no one get in it cos no one wants to row eh?
It’s a design i pinched in Florida – there’s gotta be air tickets out there…Pete? John?
pai A poti!
Will send Photo!
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PS: Run a few Pirate Galleys out of Kapiti eh?
Air Tickets you fella’s.
RTW this afternoon, would be good
“A new fascism promises security from the terror of crime. All that is
required is that we take away the criminals’ rights — which, of course, are our own. Out of our desperation and fear we begin to feel a sense of
security from the new totalitarian state.” – —
Gerry Spence- Lawyer and author
- Source: Give Me Liberty, 1998
Commie or sumpthin
Gaga’s – that’s right!
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Weigh hey Mark! We’ve a kauri twin-hull down here already, waiting for the Flood. Massive!
Stood on Tuteremoana, Kapiti’s peak and looked out to my Old Island and felt my heart swell – you can see a loooong way from up there, Te Rau!
Watched a pair of Kokako clambering through the branches – that’s worth the trip alone.
I can feel those tickets in my back pocket, though Jeanette’s withdrawal might stay Key’s hand for a moment. Must exert more pressure, make Key go GaGa!
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Yeh – it’s Historically Accurate too!
Except this is an ocean going Ark (Brethren Appeal) – flat roof with lanterns etc…if he doesn’t hurry up we’ll sail round the world
AND (more mmp conspiracy paranoia) sell it for a Scandalous Price in Aussie on the way home.
Kauri hulls still sell for $$$ there!
I can feel an article coming on; entitled
“The Exclusive Brethren in Power” John.
You’re in it somewhere – some air tickets, a simple saw mill on Te Kaipara, and no one need say a word!
A small Venture on Kapiti – Nicky Hagar will forget he ever knew this embarring litany – which is getting larger all the while…
Save the manu!
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Out of Kapiti? Why not out of Whanganui? Have access to the sea and a lovely river traditionally used for trade and war! Use the plunder to expand to the retirement villages of paraparumu and taranaki. wellington and auckland are next; though, dont know why you would want them other than the bounty.
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‘Paraparaumu’ – the dross left behind from an earth oven – sounds like Papatuanuku’s new name
If we’re going to sail the seven seas, I’ll bring my sons – skilled sailors both (and piratical too).
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Well the river mouth has a shifting sand bar – though my(the Nation’s) kauri craft’ll be ok.
For the price of a 2nd hand 1924 dredge they could have kept it as an International Port – but we seem to be from a long line of quitters when it comes to Thinking Big (we sink big – altogether less fun).
Look at what the Mayor comes out with and you’ll see the sense of it.
Kapiti – I just think it’ll make a good Capital for Harry and the rest of us Natives Hey?
Too bludy right Sapient – a small integral Nightclub with the Gaga Bar downstairs….Kiwi’s have a lot of imagination – they’re just addicted to selling it overseas.
I find that Deeply Offensive! (heh)
That Fly’s into the Sap I’ll warrant.
Who invited the Bro back?
Still, it IS nice to vote ‘im orf hey?
Why not out of Palmerston – build a Canal to the sea?
Our Slaves (I mean Prisoners) could do it!
Ko Te Pai!
ps No; we leave them city folk to the Toxic fumes and the Road rage (Re; p-rage, steriod-rage,money-rage etc etc)
There will be no Taxes on Kapiti!
Gaga hey?
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A Russian style slave-built canal from Palmy to the sea? Sounds good!
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