Lani Rotzler-Purewa, a visitor to Waitangi from Te Uruwera, for Waitangi Day, learns about kauri and their protection in Te Tai Tokerau from the new Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri - the Kauri Protection Education Trailer.
Lani Rotzler-Purewa, a visitor to Waitangi from Te Uruwera, for Waitangi Day, learns about kauri and their protection in Te Tai Tokerau from the new Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri - the Kauri Protection Education Trailer.
Northland schools and community events can get a multi-sensory lesson on the importance of protecting the country’s iconic kauri tree after the launch of a new, mobile education resource.
Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri - the Kauri Protection Education Trailer, was launched at Waitangi on February 6.
It will tour the region’s schools and community events, educating all about the kauri tree, the threat from kauri dieback disease (the pathogen phytophthora agathidicida, or PA), and its cultural and economic significance to the country.
The innovative advocacy and education trailer is the result of a partnership between the Kauri Ora Iwi CoLab, Northland Regional Council and the Department of Conservation, with support from Ministry for Primary Industry’s Tiakina Kauri.
Kauri Ora Iwi CoLab is a collective of four Te Tai Tokerau iwi - Te Roroa Commercial Development Ltd, Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa, Ngātiwai Trust Board and Ngāti Kurī Trust Board.
The goal is to share a clear goal - to strengthen community understanding of kauri protection and support action on the ground to keep kauri safe, Debbie Martin from Kauri Ora Iwi CoLab said.
Ngātiwai shared the korero of kauri and Tohorā - Brothers of Land and Sea - for the Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri - the Kauri Protection Education Trailer.
“The partnership has been guided by the CoLab’s whakataukī / vision: E kore te kauri e tū mokemoke. Our kauri never stand alone.
“The forest ecosystem stands with kauri, as do all hapū, iwi and community.
Martin Akroyd, plant pathogen manager for DoC said the partnership had been fantastic, with all working together in collaboration on an advocacy initiative that will help communities understand the impact of the disease on kauri, and the behaviours required when visiting the majestic kauri forests in Te Tai Tokerau.
Visitors to Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri can engage with visual and hands-on immersive learning activities, including a kauri bark rubbing activity; the relationship between kauri and tohorā, brothers of land and sea as told by Ngātiwai; kauri hygiene protocols to prevent PA spread; get to know the flora and fauna that live and interact with kauri as whānau and a virtual reality experiences within kauri ngahere.
Candace Rameka and Don MacKenzie (NRC) and Debbie Martin (Kauri Ora Iwi CoLab) hold a hoe carved by the late Tā Hekenui Busby, master waka builder and navigator, on loan to Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri from Mita Harris of Tiakina Kauri.
Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri was inspired by the Waikato Regional Council’s (WRC) kauri trailer resource.
Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri will travel across Northland to kura, schools, and community events. For more information or to get the trailer to your school or event email matauranga@kauriora.org.nz.
Kauri dieback disease (the pathogen phytophthora agathidicida, or PA)
■ PA is spread by soil movement, including by footwear, clothing or equipment that touches the soil; vehicles that have driven through infected areas; animals, including wild pigs and stock, that have walked through infected areas.
■ PA infects kauri trees through their roots and restricts their ability to transport water and nutrients between their roots and the leaves. This causes the condition known as kauri dieback disease, which eventually starves the kauri.
■ There is no proven way to cure a kauri tree that has been infected by the PA pathogen, and there are limited treatment options.
