Northland Rugby squad promote boot cleaning to stop kauri dieback disease spreading

Wednesday, 14 August 2019

Northland Rugby Union starts a three-year commitment to 'Keep Kauri Standing' by preventing the spread of kauri dieback.

Squeaky clean boots are not normally associated with rugby players, but that is something the Northland Mitre 10 Cup squad want to change.

Northland Rugby is launching a three-year partnership with the Keep Kauri Standing programme, to raise awareness of kauri dieback.

The key message promoted was for walkers to thoroughly clean their shoes, plus to stay on the path, to prevent spreading the disease.

Tāne Mahuta, in Northland's Waipoua forest, is more than 1000 years old but is now being threatened by kauri dieback.

Northland's premier Mitre 10 Cup players were helping promote this message by featuring in promotional videos, after visiting Tāne Mahuta, believed to be between 1250 and 2500 years old.

* Kauri dieback five-year survey under way: How far has it spread?

Aorangi Stokes, pictured with Matt Matich during Northland's win over Southland on August 8, says kauri dieback education is important,

* Kauri dieback: National treasure on the brink of extinction

* Mitre 10 Cup: Northland come from behind to hand Southland 22nd straight NPC loss**

Children clean their boots to prevent kauri dieback spreading - a message encouraged by Northland's Mitre 10 Cup side.

Northland loose forward Aorangi Stokes said the campaign was all about educating the nation.

'If you think about rugby as a whole, it's more or less the game of our nation. It's been around for a long time now, 100-plus years,' he said in the video.

'It's a long time but it's only a blip on the radar of a kauri, especially [Tāne Mahuta].'

The partnership was a natural fit for Northland Rugby, who uses the kauri tree as its emblem.

The kauri symbol meant strength, said Snow Taoho Tane, general manager of Te Roroa iwi, whose rohe (area) includes Waipoua forest.

Kamo Intermediate students are one of the first to win free tickets to Northland Mitre 10 Cup games with their Kapa Taniwha chant.

'When you wear that symbol, you play hard for that symbol. In fact, we used to say that you die for that symbol - you die for the kauri.'

Northland Rugby will officially launch the Keep Kauri Standing partnership at its first home game of the season, held against Auckland in Whangārei on Thursday night.

The campaign will also involve distributing 4000 boot bags and cleaning kits to Northland junior rugby players across the region, starting at Whangārei's Kensington Park on Saturday.

The bags are branded to raise awareness of kauri dieback, and are specially designed to hold muddy boots or shoes so they can be taken home and properly cleaned.

The Keep Kauri Standing campaign will run with the help of Northland Regional Council, Mitre 10 Mega Whangārei, the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Meanwhile, school students are being encouraged to chant for the Northland Mitre 10 Cup team in exchange for free tickets to local games.

Schools which film themselves performing the Kapa Taniwha chant and share the video will receive free tickets for all their students - as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult.

A number of schools have already taken up the challenge, including Kamo Intermediate, Kaurihohore, Whangārei Primary and Whau Valley.