# Kauri (Agathis australis)

> New Zealand's giant, a conifer typically 30 to 60 m tall with a smooth grey branch-free trunk 3 to 4 m (rarely 7 m) across and a huge spreading crown. Tāne Mahuta in Waipoua Forest is the most famous tree in the country. Logging and gum digging destroyed most kauri forest, and the soil-borne pathogen Phytophthora agathidicida (kauri dieback) now kills trees of all ages; the species is listed At Risk - Declining and is managed under a National Pest Management Plan.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/agathis-australis · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: New Zealand kauri
- Family: Araucariaceae
- Type: Conifer
- Mature height: 40 m; spread 15 m
- Growth: Slow growing; lives about 1000 years
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Moderate water
- Soil: Deep, free-draining soils; historically best on river terraces, coastal plains and basalt
- Native range: Endemic to the northern North Island of New Zealand, from Te Paki south to about Kawhia in the west and Te Puke in the east.

**Benefits:** Long lived, Stores carbon well, Wildlife, Birds, Shade

**Good for:** Reforestation, parks, Timber

**Watch out for:** Pest prone, Large roots

## Care

Plant only within or near its natural range, in well-drained soil, ideally with nurse cover or in a dense grove on good sites. Never move soil from near existing kauri, clean footwear and tools, and follow track closures and cleaning-station rules. Growth is slow; it needs little pruning. Goats and possums browse seedlings.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** New Zealand (Endemic to the northern North Island; At Risk - Declining (2023); kauri dieback is managed under the National Pest Management Plan 2022 with track closures and hygiene stations)

## Sources

- https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/agathis-australis/
- https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/diseases/kauri-dieback/
- https://www.gbif.org/species/5284415