DOC proposes to close 24 tracks to protect kauri

Thursday, 12 July 2018

The cleaning station outside Waipoua Forest. It is vital people clean their footwear and gear before entering any kauri forest.

The Department of Conservation is proposing to close 24 tracks in the North Island in an effort to stop the further spread of kauri dieback through human contact.

A further 10 could be partially closed as the department steps up its initiatives to halt the spread.

There is no cure for kauri dieback disease.

Thirteen of the proposed tracks to be fully closed are in the Northland area. The remainder are in Hauraki, Tauranga, Great Barrier and Waikato.

The closures do not include the tracks that lead to Tane Mahuta or Te Matua Ngahere in the Waipoua forest.

* Kauri dieback: The battle against the 'biological bulldozer'

* Another kauri dieback case found in Coromandel Peninsula**

DOC's Northern Director of Operations Sue Reed-Thomas said the decision to propose track closures was not taken lightly.

It had been considered in situations where there was a high kauri dieback risk, low visitor use, high upgrade and ongoing maintenance costs, and a similar track in the near vicinity.

Human behaviour was the biggest challenge to stopping the disease from spreading, she said.

'Humans are the number one way in which the disease is spread. It is absolutely critical people understand they need to stick to the formed tracks and use cleaning stations – both here [in Northland] and at other kauri forests.'

While most tourists were compliant, locals did not always use the footwear cleaning stations, or enter and exit the forests through approved routes, she said.

Members of the public had also witnessed people avoiding or walking around the stations or using public land, often without landowners' permission, to enter forested areas.

DOC had employed a behavioural change ranger to help identify the reasons for the behavioural issues, she said.

'Social science research is key in helping us find ways to increase compliance around cleaning footwear and gear and staying on the tracks.

'We need to help visitors understand what they need to do and why, so we are working on how we can build a 'social norm' around these issues.'

Public input was sought on the proposal and DOC had been contacting local Treaty partners and national recreational bodies.

All consultation feedback would be considered before a final decision was made on the track closures.

Specific dates would be made available on the DOC website once the process was complete.

'This consultation process allows the public, who we know have a vested interested in the forest, kauri and kauri dieback, a chance to have their say,' Reed-Thomas said.

Public submissions should be made on DOC's website by August 10.