Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri launches at Waitangi on 6 February 2026. This mobile kauri education resource brings a unique multi-sensory experience to the people of Te Tai Tokerau. The public are invited to visit from 9:30 am at the Sportsfield, M1, opposite the Treaty Grounds.

The innovative advocacy and education platform is the result of a partnership between the Kauri Ora Iwi CoLab (a collective of four Te Tai Tokerau iwi), Northland Regional Council, and the Department of Conservation, with support from Ministry for Primary Industry’s Tiakina Kauri. The partners share a clear goal: strengthen community understanding of kauri protection and support action on the ground to keep kauri safe.

Debbie Martin from Kauri Ora Iwi CoLab says “The partnership 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. Unchecked, disease caused by the pathogen Phytophthora agathidicida (PA), would devastate Kauri forests, and consequently the wellbeing of the ngahere and its people. We are all connected.”

Chair of NRC’s Biosecurity and Biodiversity Working Party Jack Craw says: “Protecting our Kauri is something every one of us can play a part in. Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri will help grow the awareness and know-how our communities need to keep these taonga thriving.”

Martin Akroyd, Plant Pathogen Manager for DOC acknowledges the partnership: “It has been fantastic working together in collaboration on an advocacy initiative that will help our communities understand the impact 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 both visual and hands on immersive learning activities, including:

• 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
• Virtual reality experiences within kauri ngahere

Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri will travel across Te Tai Tokerau to kura, schools, and community events Northland. Please email matauranga@kauriora.org.nz for more information.

Background information

• The Kauri Ora Iwi CoLab is a collective of four Te Tai Tokerau iwi represented by Te Roroa Commercial Development Limited, Te Rūnanga o Te Rarawa, Ngātiwai Trust Board and Ngāti Kurī Trust Board. Together, these iwi are mana whenua over approximately 60 percent of the remaining kauri whenua in Te Tai Tokerau. The CoLab exists to ensure the survival of kauri through iwi led biosecurity, governance, and operational leadership and excellence.

• Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri was inspired by the Waikato Regional Council’s (WRC) kauri trailer resource — an initiative that has proven impactful in community and school settings. We gratefully acknowledge the support and sharing of WRC of resources and guidance.

• Featuring Tane Mahuta, Rakau Rangatira from Waipoua, we acknowledge Te Roroa for allowing us to represent their taonga on Te Ara Mātauranga o Te Kauri.

• Partners acknowledge the permission to share the Ngātiwai korero of Kauri And Tohorā: Brothers Of Land And Sea.

• Partners acknowledge the funding and visuals provided by Tiakina Kauri. Key messages about Phytophthora agathidicida

• Kauri are threatened by a soil-borne pathogen called Phytophthora agathidicida (PA).

• PA is spread by soil movement, including by:

o footwear, clothing or equipment that touches the soil

o vehicles that have driven through infected areas

o 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.

• To date, the PA pathogen has been detected in the Northland, Auckland, and Waikato regions, but we do not yet know how many Kauri trees have been infected by it.

• Ensuring the survival of Kauri for future generations depends on all of us taking actions and doing everything we can to stop the PA pathogen from spreading.

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