Rahui being urged for Waitakere Range

Oh, bloody hell - just spent ages typing a reply, posted and ... it's disappeared !!! ... here is a shorter version (probably better that way) As you have quoted, madpom, Sec 131 allows for the declaration of a controlled area (which restricts access because you can't enter and leave the area without removing some of the organism - my words) and Part 8 defines the enforcement, offences and penalties for non-compliance. You might also have a look at the Resource Management Act (sec. 30) which empowers Regional Authorities to "control the use of land for the purpose of c(i) soil conservation; c(iv) the avoidance or mitigation of natural hazards. The Minister of Conservation can authorise enforcement through DoC or Local Authority officers. All in all, I think trying to argue, in court, that one was OK to enter the declared area because there is no legal right to enforcement 'is unlikely to be persuasive' :)

i wonder whats going to happen with the ark in the park area where theres pest control, whether the people doing it will get an exemption for it, otherwise a lot of work is going to be undone, theres a lot of native birds that will die in there. they have kokako they have introduced to the area in recent years... for whatever reason they don't do aerial poison drops there. but its not that big an area involved, just a small part of the park. its still a lot of work to trap it though,

I don't know what's planned but controlled access can be managed to not increase risk of spread. There is a readily available 'wash' for boots etc just no straight forward systemic treatment.

BTW, the organism in question has been classified and named as  Phytophthora agathidicida (killer of Agathis) of which Kauri is one species.

Hi @bernieq. You're right that it's simplistic. I'm not in a position to respond to that with a level of expertise right now, either. The passage is from an FAQ rather than a full on research publication, and I guess that's symptomatic of the sorts of problems I'm trying to point out. This whole online and social media fostered debate which people are having is based on simplistic, dumbed down and often unrealistic representations of reality. Those putting in the serious effort and expertise to study this sort of stuff generally aren't at that level of stupid, despite what some people out there like to suggest. I suspect if those who authored that passage were approached and challenged with specific concerns, they'd have a whole host of extra reasoning to justify why they've come to believe foot traffic is highly significant. Even without that there's plenty of other research material out there. Also media interviews and recorded council sessions where the evidence was considered to draw on. These sorts of questions have been asked and answered. If there weren't reasonable answers then it becomes more interesting, but that's not the engagement that a lot of people are trying to have.

It's another black or white one for me. There is an ancient endemic tree in this country called kauri. Not only is it an amazing beautiful tree of its own accord. But it has also played an important part in the shaping of this country for the endemic people and the colonial inhabitants of these motu. It is now threatened with extinction and surely we would all be behind trying to save this tree in anyway we could to protect it right? No? We're only interested in the legalities imposed by some abitrary faction who care not for trees but the laws of man. O.k. So if we find loopholes we can go for a Sunday walk right? Wtf.

they've tried closing tracks for years, it never stopped the spread of the disease , there are other animals spreading the disease. everyone points the finger at people but its not just people, the waitakeres in all probability is stuffed as far as kauri go in the long term, its far too late... pigs arent supposed to be in the park but they still are, who knows if or when they will get rid of the pigs... not to mention all the smaller mammals running around... aparently the disease is capable of moving itself around in the soil as well or it gets moved around in water.

That's a very good point Wayno. But I still think if we do whatever we can to help stop the spread that's a good thing. It would be an absolute tragedy to lose kauri.

@izogi on disease spreading next to tracks: you don't believe every mammal in the forest isn't using those tracks? We built highways for them. Pigs and stoats all use them. Obviously it spreads next to tracks, as that is where all the movement is! So I didn't find that a convincing scientific argument at all. My main beef is that we can't fire anyone if it appears nothing has changed in 5 years. Which I'm quite convinced will be the case.

i've seen stoats walking along the tracks in broad daylight there.