Aotea kauri survey to begin in Summer 2025/2026
A community meeting will be held at the Claris Conference Centre to discuss this project on Wednesday, November 26, at 5:00 p.m.
A survey of kauri health will soon begin on Aotea, Great Barrier Island, to determine the extent of both
the soil-borne pathogen Phytophthora agathidicida, the causal agent of kauri dieback disease, and
symptomatic kauri.
Phytophthora agathidicida was first detected on Aotea in 1972 and is current distribution on the island
is patchy. It is not known to be present in the Northern area of Te Paparahi. DOC has conducted various
tree health assessments and soil testing over the years. In 2020, the Auckland Council conducted aerial
surveillance from helicopters, followed by ground-truthing.
The survey is being done in partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Ngāti Rehua
Ngātiwai Ki Aotea Trust. It will include the forested area of Aotea, encompassing Auckland Council,
Public Conservation Land, and contiguous private properties, who will be contacted directly soon.
To understand kauri health at a population level across Aotea, this project will combine mapping of the
kauri population from aerial imagery and data from field surveys. Recent learnings from the 2021
Waitākere Survey and 2024 Hūnua Survey will be used to inform the survey design.
Randomly selected kauri totaling 540 will be surveyed for their health and have soil samples collected
for laboratory analysis. The random selection of 540 trees will give us a baseline prevalence of tree
health and pathogen presence or absence at a landscape scale. This will create a cohort of monitored
trees that can be consistently re-measured to understand change in tree health.
This survey will inform future management decisions in kauri forests on Aotea, protecting them for
future generations.
