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New
management plan for the Waitakeres becomes operative
The Minister for Conservation has signed off a new plan for managing the
Waitakere Regional Parkland following extensive submissions and hearings.
The Auckland Regional Council wants to more actively manage the pressures
the Ranges are under due to their proximity to a large and rapidly growing
metropolitan area.
Parts of the parkland are showing signs and wear and tear, and in places
the maintenance of tracks is not keeping pace with the level of use. There
is also evidence of the development of informal tracks, especially around
stream banks.
The ARC is trying to balance the ecological and scenic importance of the
park, with the needs of visitors, those seeking active recreation, volunteers
carrying out conservation work and communities who live alongside and
within the park. It wants to prevent over-use of particular areas which
are popular or which have very sensitive environments.
The people of Auckland primarily visit the Ranges for the peace and quiet
afforded by the natural qualities of the park, and an escape from the
pressures of urban life. The Plan gives priority to protection of this
experience, while catering for other compatible activities.
The new aspect of the plan is to place limits on organized sporting activities
at 6 specific locations which are particularly sensitive ecologically
and/or under pressure from visitors – Anawhata, Pararaha, Glen Esk,
North Piha, Whatipu and Karekare.
The numbers set in these limits allow for all existing organized sporting
activities. The ARC will work with sports organisers to identify other
locations in the Waitakeres and other parkland where further events can
occur. The Waitakere parkland is 17000 ha and there are 278 kms of track
so there is room for events to be spread through the park, rather than
clustered at particular locations.
Filming, education groups and community gatherings will not be subjected
to these limits but the ARC will work with groups such as filming to set
protocols and work towards accreditation.
In 2002 the status of Whatipu sand accretion was changed to that of a
Scientific Reserve. The purpose of the scientific reserve is for study
and education about this unique area, which is home to threatened and
endangered plants and birds. The Plan discourages activities that would
be inconsistent with this purpose, but the ARC will work with providers
to find alternative routes for their activities.
The Plan puts emphasis on the need to educate all visitors to the park
and those with licences or permits, on the ecological and heritage aspects
of the park to encourage .an ethic of stewardship. The Arataki Visitor
Centre will play a primary function in this, as the gateway to the park,
but the ARC also intends to hold workshops for groups holding regular
activities in the park, to increase their understanding of the environment
they are in. There will also be an annual parks forum which will provide
opportunities for stakeholders to meet and discuss issues on the park.
Download report here
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Baches
on parks opened up for public use
Sandra has led a project to open baches on parks for the public to use
for family holidays. There are over 60 baches, houses, homesteads and
lodges on the parks, but only a handful have been able to be used by the
public.
By this Christmas, 13 will be available at Scandretts, Mahurangi, Wenderholm,
Awhitu, Scotts Landing, Little Huia, and Anawhata.
The project came about when Sandra discovered that all the baches on the
newly purchased Scandretts Park in the Mahurangi were scheduled for demolition
or removal. These simple baches were located right on the beachfront,
with the waves literally lapping the front door!
Sandra saw the opportunity to offer kiwi families a fast disappearing
commodity, the simple kiwi bach holiday at an affordable price. A new
generation of kids could grow up experiencing something previous generations
took for granted.
Three baches were saved and renovated and together with 10 others, provide
a unique experience for holiday makers. With the many camping grounds
available on parks, the ARC is a prime provider of holiday locations.
The baches are being decorated in simple bach style, and more will be
added in future years
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New
head for ARC parks in the west
The new ARC Prinipal
Ranger for the Western Sector (Waitakere ranges Regional Park and Muriwai
regional Park) is Bruce Andrell, who will be welcomed by the local communitities
on 19 February. Bruce has had 7 years experience at Wellington Regional
Council Parks, the last five years as Operations Manager. He has also
had several years in the adventure tourism industry and with a local authority
parks department. Bruce replaces Dave Hayes who took up a new position
further south
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New
opportunities for pest management in the West
29 November 2002
The ARC's newly adopted
Auckland Regional Pest Management Strategy provides new opportunities
for local Waitakere communities to tackle pest issues.
The Strategy, which became operative on 21 October 2002, forms the framework
for the Council's management of pests throughout the region.
"Waitakere, Manukau and west coast communities have already played a leading
role in tackling pest issues," says Sandra Coney, ARC Councillor for Waitakere
and Deputy-Chair of Parks. 'These groups made valuable contributions during
the submissions stage of Strategy development.'
"The new five-year strategy supports these efforts and provides opportunities
for ARC support for community-led projects,' she said.
Plant pests are categorised in the Strategy as Total Control, Containment,
Surveillance, Community Initiatives Programmes or Research Organisms.The
ARC takes responsibility for Total Control plants, whereas landowners
are required to remove Containment plants from their properties when they
appear on their land. Containment plants in the Waitakere Ranges Weed
Control Zone include mignonette vine, moth plant, smilax, wild ginger,
and woolly nightshade.
The Community Inititiatives Programmes category contains 27 pest plants,
many found in the Waitakere area.
"The Community Initiatives category allows landowners and occupiers to
work collaboratively to control these pests," says Cr Coney. "Community
groups can nominate any pest plant in this category on which to carry
out control work and the ARC will provide regulatory back-up."
Site-led projects may also be undertaken. Programmes must have support
from 75% of the land owners and 50% of occupants in the control area (or
75% of occupants) to gain ARC backing. Community Initiatives Programmes
can also be undertaken with animal pests such as possums and mustelids
or they can be site-led.
For the first time, agapanthus is included in the Pest Strategy as a research
organism. Agapanthus is widespread in many coastal communities where it
is seen as useful for holding banks. But it is invading coastal cliffs
at Piha and other west coast locations.
The Strategy proposes research on its impacts on ecosystems and methods
of control. Following research over the next two years, an amendment may
be made to the Strategy making agapanthus a pest and banning it from sale.
"The ARC is able to provide advice and information to the groups, as they
set their goals and canvas support in their chosen area. Community groups
can also apply for financial help through the ARC's Environmental Initiatives
Fund," Cr. Coney said.
Copies of the Auckland Regional Pest Management Strategy can be purchased
through ARC's Enviroline 3662070, or 0800 80 60 40 (if outside the Auckland
free-calling area).
For more information
please call:
Cr. Sandra Coney 366 2000 x7111 / 021 446 370 or
Clyde Edmiston, Acting ARC Biosecurity Manager (09) 292 4819
History
of ARC Waitakere Parkland
In 1894 Sir Algernon
Thomas, the first professor of geology and botany at Auckland University
and a great advocate of preserving the Waitakeres as a bush reserve, led
a deputation to the Auckland City Council, asking it to persuade the Government
to set aside 3,500 acres in the Nihotupu area. The Government heeded the
request and in 1895 vested the 3500 acres, and several smaller areas of
Waitakere Ranges land, in the City Council as "reserves for the conservation
of native flora and flora".
Early in the 20th century, the City Council began to progressively acquire
land within the Waitakere Ranges catchments for use as water supply catchments.
By 1992 there were 8600 hectares of Waitakere Ranges land held as water
catchment land.
In 1910, J.M. McLachlan gave the city the 770 hectare Cornwallis property
as a public reserve. In 1913 Henry Atkinson gave the city several pieces
of land at Titirangi and in 1919 Wesley Spragg gave the city 308 hectares
at Kaitarakihi. In 1923, Wesley Spragg gave the 20 hectare 'Spragg's Bush'
on the Scenic Drive.
The cause of conservation of Waitakere Ranges land was advanced significantly
in 1925, when the Crown and the City Council co-operated to purchase the
land which became the 600 hectare Cascade/Kauri Park near Swanson.
But all the gifts, purchases and vestings which had been made up to that
time for conservation purposes, though of large blocks, were scattered
around the perimeter of the Ranges. There was no unified vision. In 1941,
metropolitan local bodies set up the Auckland Centennial Memorial Park
Board, which was empowered to create a great "scenic park" in the Waitakere
Ranges. It acquired land by gift, by purchase, and by the transfer of
some small Crown reserves. Notable among the gifts were those made by
Mr Earle Vaile (270 hectares), Sir William Goodfellow (71 hectares with
a house) and the estate of Sir Algernon Thomas (42 hectares). By 1964,
there was over 5200 hectares of Centennial Memorial Park land in addition
to the Waitakere Ranges parkland administered by the Auckland City Council.
In 1964 administration of the Auckland Centennial Memorial Park and of
the Waitakere Ranges water catchment land was taken over by the newly
created Auckland Regional Authority, which continued to enlarge the Centennial
Memorial Park. In 1983, the City Council transferred the responsibility
for its Waitakere Ranges parks to the Regional Authority. The Regional
Authority became the Regional Council in 1989, with responsibility for
both the Waitakere Ranges Parkland and the Waitakere Ranges water catchment
land. By a statute passed in 1992, the water catchment land was declared
to be regional parkland, subject to the operations of Watercare Services
Ltd, which provides the regions bulk water supply.
Recent additions to the Waitakere Ranges Parkland include: (a) An additional
230 hectares at Anawhata purchased in 1988 and 1989; (b) In 1994 the ARC,
jointly with the Waitakere City Council and the Crown, purchased the 314
Pae O Te Rangi block (on the northern reaches of the Ranges) from the
Wadham family; (c) In 1995 an additional 124 hectare block overlooking
Big Muddy Creek at Parau was purchased - the Waitakere Ranges Protection
Society also acquired 17 hectares in the vicinity and leases it to the
ARC for regional parks purposes.
The Waitakere Ranges
Regional Parkland now contains over 17,000 hectares.
ARC parkland at
Piha
The Lion Rock passed
from Maori ownership to Norman Russell Withiel Thomas and Acland Withiel
Thomas in 1941. At the same time the Thomas family gave to the Auckland
City Council 100 acres of bush on the northern side of the Piha Valley
running up to the ridge, as well as three acres of flat land on the north
side of the Piha Stream This all later became part of the Auckland Centennial
Memorial Park and hence was transferred to the ARC. The land had belonged
to Sir Algernon Thomas.
In 1963 the Thomas family gifted the Lion Rock land to the ARC.
ARC
Pest Management Strategy
On April 11 the ARC
released its proposed new strategy for the control of weed and animal
pests in the Auckland region. The 5-year strategy will replace the previous
strategy. Plant pests are categorised as
- 'total control'
- the the ARC takes responsibility for removal
- containment -
land occupiers are responsible for removal
- surveillance -
no legal requirement for pests to be removed, but encouraged by council
- community initiatives
- a new category which encourages communities and land owners to attack
woolly nightshade and wild ginger
- research - which
means more work is required to establish their impact on the environment.
Most plants fall
into the surveillance category. Some plants but be in a category in a
particular part of Auckland. The strategy creates particular regions and
zones, including the Waitakere Ranges Weed Control Zone.
Copies of the strategy can be viewed at the ARC and all libraries in the
region. It can also be downloaded from the ARC's website www.arc.govt.nz.
Or you can ring Enviroline 09 366 2070 for a copy.
Public meetings are being held across the Auckland region. In West Auckland
the meeting is Tuesday 23 April at Arataki Visitors Centre at 6.30 pm.
Submissions close on 29 May 2002. Hearings will be held between 15-20
July.
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