Vehicle and heavy machinery hygiene

Advice on how to protect kauri from disease while driving and working near kauri.

Kauri are under threat from a disease caused by the pathogen Phytophthora agathidicida (PA). The disease is also known as 'kauri dieback'. These guidelines will help avoid spreading the disease.

Guidelines to prevent the spread of disease to kauri

People and their activities are the primary cause of spread through soil contaminated conveyances. Vehicles (e.g. cars, trucks, four-wheel drives, tractors) and heavy machinery (e.g. dozers, excavators, graders) are often used in and around kauri forests where earthworks, maintenance and construction operations are involved. 

These guidelines outline best practice hygiene measures when using vehicles and heavy machinery and the use of such vehicles when transporting potentially contaminated soil or other loads from an infected or potentially infected area.

National plan to protect kauri

Note: From 2 August 2022 ten new rules/regulations have been introduced as part of a National Plan to help protect kauri from the PA pathogen that causes ‘dieback’ disease.

More information on the Plan and how it affects operations on your land.  

Research has underpinned the information in some of these guidelines. These resources will be updated in the coming months, with new guidelines to be developed.

More information about how to identify the disease.