NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
    • The Great NZ Road Trip
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Why is killer disease drawn to our kauri?

Jamie Morton
By Jamie Morton
Multimedia Journalist·NZ Herald·
1 Jan, 2017 11:46 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

This kauri in the Huia Forest is one of nearly 20 per cent of kauri in the Waitakere Ranges now suffering from dieback disease. Photo / File

This kauri in the Huia Forest is one of nearly 20 per cent of kauri in the Waitakere Ranges now suffering from dieback disease. Photo / File

Scientists are seeking to solve one of the most intriguing mysteries of the disease that's killing our kauri - why it's attracted to the native tree's scent like we're drawn to coffee.

In one of two newly-funded studies targeted at the still-Incurable kauri dieback disease, Otago University biochemist Dr Monica Gerth will investigate what makes kauri so alluring, when other tree species in the forest are left untouched.

Answering this question could lead to ways to repel the fungus-like disease or effectively mask kauri from it.

In the decade since kauri dieback was first detected, it's spread throughout kauri forests in the upper North Island; in the worst-hit Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, infection rates had doubled over five years from 7 per cent to 19 per cent of kauri.

A major way it spread was through zoospores that swam through the soil.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

With their long flagella and rudders, they could move through water-logged soil at incredible speeds of up to 0.7m an hour.

Once they find their target kauri roots, they form a cyst and initiate an infection that eventually starves the tree to death.

In her study, Gerth and her team will identify the chemical signals from kauri and other native plants that attract, repel or generally disrupt the "homing" ability of zoospores.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We're basically looking at what the spores are smelling - so we're going to test lots of different plants that are found with kauri trees in the forest to figure out what chemical compounds in the plant the spores are using as signals to navigate," Gerth said.

Next, they'll join Lincoln University researcher Dr Amanda Black in testing the effect of these compounds on the movement of zoospores through soils.

Their ultimate goal is to create new agents to protect kauri forests, Gerth said.

Zoospore repellents could potentially be applied around kauri trees to deter the spores and in the long-term, the work could also be applied to the battle against other plant pathogens.

Discover more

Entertainment

McCahon trees a picture of health

22 Jul 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Northland kauri tracks on DOC's proposed no-go list

17 Jul 10:00 PM

These are problematic around the world: another host-specific form caused the Irish potato famine, and one with a more general appetite, which Gerth has been studying, is attacking many Australian natives and avocado trees.

"We think with kauri dieback disease, it's probably something similar," Gerth said.

"Because it's so host-specific with its infection, we think it will have a host-specific chemotactic response - so we think there are some chemicals kauri trees are making that the spores are swimming towards."

Another unique part of the study would be its use of Matauranga Maori (Maori knowledge), which Gerth said would prove valuable as native plants were almost certainly important sources of naturally occurring chemo-attractants or repellents.

"As the first part of our project, we're hoping to build research collaborations with the Kauri Dieback Programme Tangata Whenua Ropu, kaitiaki and other experts in ngahere kauri, who can help guide our choice of native plants besides kauri to study."

Meanwhile, in another study also supported by one of the Government's National Science Challenges, focused on biological heritage, Plant and Food Research scientist Dr Ian Horner and colleagues will develop a new programme aimed at remedial treatment of kauri otherwise doomed to die.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Of the control tools investigated to date, phosphite injection treatment is the most thoroughly studied and promising, but it may still be some time before research is completed, with widespread release of the treatment tools.

In the meantime, researchers must apply treatments under strict protocols so scientists can properly measure its efficacy and possible side effects of the treatment, helping the wider research programme and the eventual roll-out of treatment tools.

Research was already underway with a pre-programme survey to find out community attitudes and responses to the trees, the disease and treatment options.

Kauri dieback disease

• Found in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, along with private land throughout the Auckland region, forest plantations at Omahuta, Glenbervie and Russell in Northland, Department of Conservation reserves at Okura, Albany, Pakiri, Great Barrier, the Coromandel Peninsula, Trounson Kauri Park and Waipoua Forest in Northland, home of our most iconic kauri - Tane Mahuta.

• A new survey of the Waitakere Ranges found more than half the substantial kauri areas contained symptoms of infection, and infestation rates were worst in those areas with the highest foot traffic, including areas where intensive pest control is carried out. Rates had doubled over five years.

• People walking in areas where kauri grow could help prevent dieback spread by ensuring shoes, tyres and equipment were cleaned to remove all visible soil and plant material before and after visiting forests. They should also use cleaning stations installed on major tracks, keep to paths and away from kauri roots, and keep dogs to leashes at all times.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Model railway enthusiasts bring farming history to life

17 May 05:01 PM
Premium
Editorial

Editorial: A delusional alternative budget from Greens is what we've come to expect

17 May 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Vege tips: Why every gardener needs a worm farm

17 May 05:00 PM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Model railway enthusiasts bring farming history to life

Model railway enthusiasts bring farming history to life

17 May 05:01 PM

Club initially used ex-dairy farmer and life member Brian Harvey’s hobby room and shed.

Premium
Editorial: A delusional alternative budget from Greens is what we've come to expect

Editorial: A delusional alternative budget from Greens is what we've come to expect

17 May 05:00 PM
Vege tips: Why every gardener needs a worm farm

Vege tips: Why every gardener needs a worm farm

17 May 05:00 PM
Premium
'Our life has been consumed': Remuera couple's six-year legal fight over 'defective' mansion reno

'Our life has been consumed': Remuera couple's six-year legal fight over 'defective' mansion reno

17 May 05:00 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP