Back in April this year, my wife and I attended an "adopt-a-track" event as part of the push by local iwi to enforce a rāhui throughout the Waitākere Ranges in West Auckland, due to the problem our local forest is facing from the Kauri Dieback disease, which is killing our magnificent kauri trees. The event we attended was part of a concerted effort by the Te Kawerau ā Maki iwi to encourage the Auckland Council, local residents, and visitors to our district to respect the rāhui. We took along our Ezy-Up marquee, and handed out information leaflets to passers-by who were entering the forest at Karamatura Valley. Similar teams were out doing the same at other entrances to the forest on that beautiful Easter weekend day.
Fast forward some 2 months, and Auckland Council has now agreed with local iwi about most of the stipulations of the rāhui. From what I understand, Council still have reservations about some of the restrictions being called for by iwi, mostly due to "commercial sensitivity", but more yet needs to be done. Closing the forest is a good start, to give our forest the chance to revive by itself, so that future generations of Kiwi's and visitors can enjoy the kauri stands as our ancestors have. There also needs to be remedial work done, such as the building of safe walkways / boardwalks to protect the vulnerable root systems, and reduction of pests, particularly wild pigs in the area, which also currently contribute to the spread of the disease, although no where near as much as unchecked human activity has contributed to the spread.
Towards this end, a meeting is being planned for Thursday 16 August 2018, from 7:30pm – 9:00pm, to be held at the Kelston Community Centre, Corner Awaroa Road and Great North Road, Glendene, Auckland. This meeting is being organised by Waitakere Forest & Bird, and is open to all ages, with no entry fee. The meeting is part of Forest & Bird's "Third Thursday Talks" series, and the speakers will be...
- Edward Asby – Te Kawerau a Maki executive manager
- Jack Craw – Biosecurity specialist
- Dr Mels Barton – Kauri advocate and Tree Council spokesperson
- Nick Waipara – plant pathologist
- Phil Brown – biosecurity manager Auckland Council
There will be a supper provided afterwards, and a koha would be appreciated to help cover the cost of the hall hire. Further information about this meeting is available by contacting Liz Anstey at 0274762732 or lizanstey@hotmail.com.