One of the quieter offerings of Budget 2014 is a multi-million-dollar weapon to help fight the disease that threatens Northern New Zealand's iconic kauri trees.
The Government is investing $15.8 million of operating funding and $10.7 million of capital funding over the next four years to ramp up measures to protect kauri forests from the dieback disease, Phytophthora taxon - Agathis.
Nearly all infected trees die and there is no known cure. The disease has been found in Northland, Waitakere Ranges, Great Barrier Island and Coromandel Peninsula.
The Department of Conservation leads the Kauri Dieback Management Programme, with stakeholders including Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), Auckland Council, Northland Regional Council, Waikato Regional Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and iwi.
It was set up with funding from Budget 2009 through to June 2014.
Northland Regional Council biosecurity manager Don McKenzie said the council is pleased the Government has renewed the funding to the level sought.
The funding is on top of resources already put into fighting the disease.
Mr McKenzie said it will free up resources for more research and control options.
It will also enable DoC to upgrade 100km of high-use tracks through kauri forests, construct boardwalks to keep visitors away from the root system of trees, and install over 300 hygiene stations to reduce the risk of the disease spreading.