Auckland-based Soar Printing has once again placed the environment ahead of profits by joining the campaign to save our kauri forests, becoming a sponsor of the Kauri Dieback Management Programme.
Jenny Carter, director of Soar, says, “We’re an Auckland family-run business, which is passionate about supporting our community. We’ve seen first-hand the terrible effects of kauri dieback in our region: thousands of kauri have died and there is no cure. We really wanted to get involved and raise awareness of this disease to help stop its spread throughout kauri lands. As a print company, we depend on paper and, while ours comes from sustainably managed plantations, helping spread the word about kauri makes sense.”
Soar now provides pro-bono printing to the Kauri Dieback Management Programme as well as helping to, “spread the word, not the disease”. In March, Soar will gift wrap 60,000 New Zealand Herald newspapers with photos of diseased kauri and information on how to help stop the spread of kauri dieback.
Ian Mitchell, relationship manager for the Kauri Dieback Management Programme, says the programme wants to express its gratitude for Soar’s support and the growing number of schools, community groups and corporates which now involved. He says, “Soar is being innovative and proactive in helping us to get the message out to the public about the need for cleanliness, vigilance and care around kauri trees. We need all the help we can get to stop the spread of kauri dieback disease and everyone can help right throughout the kauri land regions.”
Carter adds, “Kauri dieback is carried in soil, so the one simple thing we can all do to stop the spread is clean our shoes and equipment before and after visiting kauri forests.”
The Kauri Dieback Management Programme, a partnership between the Ministry for Primary Industries, Department of Conservation, Northland Regional Council, Auckland Council, Waikato Regional Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council and tāngata whenua, sees the partnership agencies undertaking a diverse programme to understand the complexities of the disease, including how to control or cure it. Until more is known, the preventative measures of cleaning soil off shoes and equipment before and after forest visits is essential.
Kauri dieback, caused by a fungus-like disease, involves microscopic spores in the soil infect kauri roots and damage the tissues that carry nutrients within the tree. Infected trees show a range of symptoms including yellowing of foliage, loss of leaves, dead branches and lesions that bleed gum at the base of the trunk. It kills kauri of all ages including small saplings and giants that are many hundreds of years old.
