Kauri: Witness to a nation's history

by Joanna Orwin

New Zealand's giant native conifer, the kauri, once dominated the country's northern landscape. Over the centuries, kauri's high quality timber has yielded war canoes, ship's spars, furniture and houses, and the industries that sprang up around it had a defining impact on early New Zealand society.

Now, in the twenty-first century, at the same time northern communities are rallying to restore the health and biodiversity of the few remaining kauri forests, a new plant pathogen is killing kauri trees throughout their natural range. This revised and updated edition shows how the ongoing story of kauri continues to encapsulate the story of New Zealand in the challenging environment of our modern world.

278 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2019

About the author

Joanna Orwin is a writer of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Many of her books have been shortlisted for or have won awards, including Children's Book of the Year in 1985 and the Senior Fiction category of the New Zealand Post Book awards for Children and Young Adults in 2002. She lives in Christchurch, New Zealand. You can find out more about her on her website at https://www.joannaorwin.com.

Reviews

[Ewen Stapley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive reference of the history of kauri in New Zealand with extensive photos and information. A very informative read.

[Deborah Makarios · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forestry, it has been said, is actually about people.