A free talk about fascinating fungi and magnificent mushrooms is happening at Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga Library this Saturday, April 26, from 12.30pm to 2.15pm.

It is part of the Fungi Fest New Zealand 2025 programme running from March 29-May 4.

The talk is by David Whyte, a member of the Fungal Network of New Zealand’s council, who will give a presentation around the ecology of fungi; how they work symbiotically with trees, plus the more well-known breaking down of organic materials.

He’ll also touch on what to look for when attempting to identify fungi, finishing with a short Q&A session.

A trained scientist in the biotech industry-turned amateur mycologist, he has contributed significantly to fungal observations on inaturalist.nz with nearly 4000 recorded observations, including exotic and indigenous fungi.

He is part of Mushroom Hunting NZ, a Facebook community with nearly 60,000 members, and is the collector of multiple new to Western Science indigenous fungi. Find out more at: https://www.ecoscievents.org.nz/fungifestnz