Press Release – Waikato Regional CouncilSoil testing has confirmed the presence of Phytophora agathidicida (PA), the pathogen that causes kauri dieback disease, at the site of the oldest kauri at Long Bay Kauri Walk, near Coromandel town. Waikato Regional Council Biosecurity and Biodiversity Manager Patrick Whaley says confirmation of PA is incredibly disapppointing. “The Coromandel Peninsula has relatively few recorded cases of kauri disease, and none as publicly accessible as Long Bay Kauri Walk,” says Mr Whaley. The council has been testing for PA in Long Bay Kauri Walk and other areas of the Coromandel Peninsula for many years. At Long Bay Kauri Walk, Waikato Regional Council and Thames-Coromandel District Council, with advice from local iwi, have worked together to mitigate risk.