The 15th New Zealand Fungal Foray
Nga Harore o Te Urewera
The 15th New Zealand Fungal Foray was held in May 2001 in the Waikaremoana area, based at Lake Whakamarino Lodge, Tuai.
The Foray started with a powhiri on Te Kuha Marae
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| Foray participants and locals on Te Kuha Marae, following the powhiri (photo Don Horne) |
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| Neuton Lambert and James Wai Wai, with two of the organisers of the Foray, Peter Buchanan and Peter Johnston (Manaaki Whenua, Landcare Research) (photo Don Horne) |
Hone Pene (Hauraki), representing Manaaki Whenua, lead the mihi for the manuhiri. Also at the foray was Rebekah Fuller (Te Rarawa), an MSc student at Auckland University, who is documenting Maori uses of fungi.
Local Community
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| Pupils from Tuai School using the
microscopes (photo Peter Buchanan) |
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| Pupils from Kokako School learning
about some of the fungi collected (photo Per Marstad) |
Community involvement in this year's Foray was strong. Many local residents came to see the collections of fungi. Both the Tuai and Kokako schools visited.
International participation
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| Egon Horak, a Swiss mycologist, leading a workshop on collection, description, and identification of mushrooms. (photo Peter Buchanan) |
Participants at the Foray usually include several from overseas. Overseas visitors this year were from Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The overseas visitors brought skills and experience on several groups of fungi, which is not available in New Zealand.
Value of the Tuai Foray
- 200 species of fungi collected, 75% not known in Urewera (click here to see list of the species found).
- discovered several fungi new to science.
- 450 species of fungi now known from Urewera, probably several thousand yet to discover.
- each species adds to knowledge on the forests of Te Urewera, helping to understand their ecology.
- wonders of the fungi demonstrated to school children and local community.
- increased our understanding of iwi values and the relationship between Maori and the land.
Some of the fungi seen during the foray
Fungi may appear small and insignificant during a walk through the forest, but fungi provide the ties that bind our forests together, enabling the forests to prosper and to continually renew themselves as trees age and die.Some fungi are:
- pathogens, causing plant and insect diseases
- saprobes, enabling nutrients from fallen trees to be recycled back into the soil
- mutualists, such as mycorrhizal fungi which help trees extract nutrients from the soil
- a food source to beetles, other insects, animals, and humans
Fungi are amongst the most diverse groups of organisms in New Zealand's forests. Although 5,000 species are known from New Zealand, it is estimated that another 15,000 species remain to be found and described. The biology and distribution of most New Zealand fungi is poorly understood.
A better understanding of the fungi in our forests is a key to understanding the overall ecology of these forests.
Contacts:
 | Peter Buchanan Email  |
Landcare Research | |
Phone: +64 9 574 4100 |
 | Peter Johnston Email |
Landcare Research | |
Phone: +64 9 574 4100 |
Forest Research, Rotorua
Geoff Ridley (geoff.ridley@ForestResearch.co.nz)