News and stories

Responding to Kauri Dieback -Te Roroa Commercial Development Company

Date

07 November 2019


“Ko au te ngahere, Ko te ngahere ko au, I am the forest and the forest is me."

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This statement underpins the cultural and historic relationship and connection Te Iwi o Te Roroa has with the Ngahere o Waipoua (Waipoua Forest) and is born from its concern, passion and deep rooted responsibility they feel for the forest.

Finalists in the 2019 New Zealand Biosecurity Awards Māori Award, Te Roroa has shown outstanding leadership in response to the presence of kauri dieback being located close to Tane Mahuta in the forest. Being the kaitiaki of Waipoua ngahere, Te Roroa acted to provide leadership and advocate for a multi-agency approach to respond to this threat.

This threat lead Te Roroa to:

  • develop a response plan to undertake biosecurity measures to mitigate further spread of the disease
  • develop longer-term goals and objectives across the wider forest through implementation of the plan.

This required collaboration, co-ordination and approval of several stakeholders at a time when quick and critical decisions were required.

Te Roroa, being at the forefront of the plan’s development, implementation, and the workstreams resulting from the plan, continue to lead the biosecurity on and around kauri dieback.