Kahikatea (Podocarpus dacrydioides) forests were once found extensively on alluvial plains and river flats throughout New Zealand. Today these forests have dwindled in extent; largely as a result of clearing of the fertile soils for pastoral farming and the use of the non-tainting timber for butter boxes. Kahikatea is still being used for many purposes despite the availability of suitable substitutes. The largest remaining areas of kahikatea are in South Westland, where they are protected by a Government-imposed moratorium on logging which expires in 1990. To protect these forests after that date and to establish ongoing reserves, two clear courses of action must be taken: the protection of these forests from logging, and the drawing up and implementing of a policy directed specifically at managing kahikatea in all stages and conditions of its development.