JULY 2001

SAVED FROM DEVELOPMENT

We are pleased to announce that the Society has been able to purchase #71 Turanga Road, the privately owned land that is adjacent to Spragg Bush.

We have been collecting donations towards the purchase for over a year, and the fund contained $25000 when we heard at the end of May that the owners had received an offer to purchase.  In order to save the land from development the Society had no alternative but to put in a counter offer of $72,000, which was accepted. On 10^th July, we became the proud owners of 2440 m² of prime Waitakere Ranges rain forest. 

To achieve this, we obtained bridging finance for the balance of $47,000.  So, although the land is saved, the Society has incurred this debt in the form of a low-interest loan, and we must work hard to see that it is repaid as soon as possible.  We were not successful in our funding applications to Sky City and Lotteries, but we have appealed their decisions and hold hope for their change of heart. We will also ask WCC and ARC to reconsider contributing from their Land Acquisition Funds.  The loan must be repaid before we can gift this land to the people of Auckland for inclusion by the ARC into the Centennial Memorial Park.

Thank you to all the members and friends who have already donated to the purchase fund so generously. You can be pleased to know that your contributions have made this purchase possible. We know that there are still people out there who would like to contribute to this wonderful initiative to save these privately-owned sections from development. We are still collecting funds towards the purchase of a second section adjacent to Spragg Bush, #14 Turanga Road.  This land is virgin forest – it has never been cut over or burnt – and it is just as important to save as #71.

Celebrate the Saving of 71 Turanga Road

Members and friends of the Society are invited to join us to celebrate the

saving of #71 Turanga Road.

Meet in the Spragg Bush carpark on Scenic Drive at 10.30 am Saturday 25 August.

We will walk through Spragg Bush with  Dr Jessica Beever and view some of

the botanical wonders and see the new acquisition.

We will return to the carpark around midday for a shared lunch.  The

Society will provide a sausage BBQ.

TEAM WEST

The forthcoming elections are of crucial importance for the future of the Waitakere Ranges. In accordance with our long-standing tradition, we will be presenting our detailed assessment of the individual candidates on offer closer to the date that the postal ballot is conducted.  However, we are so concerned at the potential for another 3 years of a council hostile to the environment that we are prepared now to signal our clear support for the new Team West ticket.

WRPS has managed to hold the line pretty well over the past three years in the face of aggressive attempts to roll back the protection the area has enjoyed for more than 20 years. While Go Waitakere has made it clear that it supports no minimum site size for subdivision throughout the Ranges, they have not been able to implement that yet - partly because of the time that it takes to effect such changes. But if they had another 3 years, time would have run out.

It is crucial for the future of the Ranges that Go Waitakare are consigned to political oblivion. We must have an alternative. Team West are a group of positive, talented, independent people who are already active in our community. They have teamed up to campaign in the Waitakere City elections in October. They are standing candidates for all positions on council and community boards in all wards.  They will also have candidates for Area Health Boards, Licensing Trusts and the Auckland Regional Council.  While there may yet be good independent candidates on offer, at this stage we support Team West and wish them and Mayor Bob Harvey well.

Team West are active in your area.  Check out their website:  www.teamwest.org.nz

SUBMISSION ON WCC DRAFT ANNUAL BUDGET

WRPS made a comprehensive submission to the Waitakere City Draft Annual Budget (DAB) in May. We consider that this cost-cutting DAB is politically motivated, designed to deliver a zero rate increase in local government election year. In stark contrast to the principles of the eco city, the DAB is a non-sustainable, static and unfair document. It will have a long-term negative effect on the environment and the wellbeing of the citizens of Waitakere City.

We submitted that council should be budgeting for an effective visitor management strategy to avoid adverse environmental effects  Council seems determined to maximise economic returns to the city from tourism without considering the impacts that this will have on the environment.

The environment failed to rate a mention in the list of twelve highlighted expenditure areas. We assumed that less than 0.8 cents in the rate dollar is to be spent on protection and conservation of the environment.  Total expenditure reductions from environmental-related areas amount to $5.4 million. The Society wants to see funding for stormwater, wastewater, solid waste, Green Network access and amenity, and the maintenance and development of healthy ecosystems.

"To offset cost increases in other objectives there will be less planning, liaison and bush maintenance. There will be reduced rubbish removal, and reduced maintenance of beach reserves and wilderness areas."  WRPS submitted that this is a very cynical approach to cost cutting. The cuts make a mockery of the council's expressed view that "a strong local economy and more local jobs depend heavily on Waitakere’s clean green image". WRPS submitted that these budget expenditure reductions are incompatible with the eco-city principles.

Council's 10 Year plan states that it will continue to "look after the natural environment, which is one of our greatest advantages".  WRPS submitted that this commendable objective is in no way borne out in the DAB. This document pays no more than lip-service to the real issues of conservation and protection. We were appalled to find only one reference to the Waitakere Ranges in the entire document. Council has a statutory obligation under the RMA to monitor the environmental health of the WR. WRPS submitted that council undertake a biodiversity monitoring program so that ecosystems can be protected before they are threatened.            

Zero capital expenditure on the environment means that there will be no requirement for new infrastructure,  land purchase,  revegetation, or weed and pest control.  WRPS submitted that funding should be made available for the protection of land in highly sensitive areas by purchase. WRPS submitted that weed control be continued to complete the work carried out over the past 5 years to eradicate noxious plants from the Te Henga wetlands.

The DAB expressly states that there will be less rubbish removal and reduced maintenance of beach reserves and wilderness areas.  This will put the onus on community groups to clean up  litter and illegal dumping.

WRPS supported the provision of funds for the democratic process. We specifically requested that funding be made available for community consultation on the proposed changes to subdivision rules arising out of the Little Muddy Creek Study.

WRPS submitted that funding be made available for the implementation of the West Coast Plan.  This plan was developed with considerable community involvement, and an excellent partnership has been developed between the west coast communities and council.

WRPS calculated that over $3.6 million has been cut from water-related expenditure. Council has abrogated its responsibilities to water management, with planned expenditure reductions in monitoring, forward planning, maintenance, upgrades, and  renewals.

Finally, the most important consideration for the Waitakere Ranges is an acknowledgment that the region is taonga  and thus requires special protection.  The Society has long seen a need for a fresh approach to the administration of the Ranges to ensure an integrated, unified, and long-term approach.  We advocate the creation of a dedicated Waitakere Ranges Unit with specialist staff, regulatory powers, and the ability to coordinate the management functions of the different agencies involved in the administration of the Waitakere Ranges, foothills, and West Coast.

Rat Control  Project at Karekare

By Mike Nixon

This is a short piece on my “life as a rat-trapper” and as a new committee member. It’s a very hands-on activity for the protection of the Waitakere Ranges. I do have a full time job as well, in an area totally unrelated to this.

My partner and I moved out to Karekare late last year. Soon afterwards, I joined the growing number of people attempting to address the problem of possum control in the wake of the very successful ARC Forest Save campaign. This in itself has been a big success, evidenced by the regeneration of the bush which has followed.

I started out by refilling the numerous baitstations left over from that operation with ARC supplied bait.  Local land owners have undertaken to monitor these  on the boundaries of their properties. My  neighbour and I have placed 10 stations  along  Zion Ridge and the northern spurs.

I was alerted to the high numbers of rats in the bush by the speed at which the bait disappeared from bait stations. Although we were targeting  possums, we suspected that the bait was being taken by rats.

There is a theory that the mild winters, in combination with the regenerating bush in the Waitakere Ranges, have lead to an explosion in rat numbers.  This has been confirmed by local builders telling me of vacant houses being overrun with rats, and people who have been here for a while observing them in the trees at night.

To confirm that the bait was being taken by rats, I obtained a Fenn Trap and cover which I set up.  Morning after morning, there was a rat in the trap.

Because I was working at the School of Environment and Marine Science at the University of Auckland, I discussed the problem with  Phd student, Ji Weihong.  Ji has just completed a doctorate which included pest control. She put in me in contact with Lindsay Wilson of the Otamatuna mainland island project, who gave me basic info on what they were trying to achieve and had achieved. For a DOC report on the project, refer http://www.doc.govt.nz/local/te_urewera_report.pdf

Ji arranged to supply me with rat traps and covers, which we set up in a line of 30 traps at 25m intervals in early March.  Since then, that line has caught 80 rats.

Ji put me in contact  with Tim Lovegrove of ARC ,who has been working on the Kokako breeding program in the Hunuas. He was very interested in the fact we were catching rats, and arranged to supply me with more traps.  His had observed that freeze-dried rats are the best bait for catching stoats and ferrets, as they are a natural food item and they last very well under bush conditions.  Apparently a place in Auckland will do the freeze-drying, but only in batches of 400 !.

At Karekare, we now have an additional goal. Peter King from  La Trobe Road  has secured funding from the Environmental Initiative Fund for a program of forest restoration in the La Trobe area which includes pest destruction. So I would like to be able to supply freeze-dried rats for his traps too.

I manage to check, reset and re-bait, between 20 and 30 traps myself, although this is getting more difficult as the days get shorter. I am usually out at dawn or as soon as it is light enough, quite literally running around a loop of traps set in the bush. I have personally caught about 110, and people in the community have contributed another 20. At present the traps are set mainly down the bottom of La Trobe track as there seems to be high numbers of rats there. I have also set a tracking tunnel to monitor the species on the forest floor in that area.

You may wonder how we keep the rats fresh for their impending freeze-drying. I store them in my freezer (well-wrapped up !).  Batches of 25 are then taken to a freezer at Arataki  until we reach our target.

We have refined our techniques over the last few months. Peanut butter is still the preferred bait, mixed with rolled oats and, in a special culinary touch, Thai fish sauce, which adds a bit of extra scent!

The peanut butter needs to be tied on with, and surrounded by string to ensure the rodents can’t easily lick  the bait off ,without triggering the trap. They have to gnaw  the bait, which is usually enough to trigger the trap.  If the traps are persistently triggered without catching a rat, I’ll set up a mouse trap along side it, because field  mice are usually the culprits.

Trap covers are very important to stop ground-foraging birds getting caught.  They also channel the rat into the most lethal front position to trigger the traps.  The best and lightest covers are chicken wire cut into rectangles twice as long as the trap, and squeezed shut at the blind end of the trap. The trap itself is tied to a peg to stop an ensnared rodent from running off with the trap.

Beyond the immediate goal of 400 or more rats, there is another purpose behind using traps rather than poison —to minimise accumulations of poison in the environment. Although I often place traps around baitstations as rats tend to keep returning there, we would like to use less poison.

Unfortunately, it is labour-intensive to use traps, so I   hope to recruit more community groups and locals to help out.  I would prefer to use  Feracol poison once I have my target figure to eliminate the remaining rats. Ferecol  kills much quicker (2 days) than Talon (2 weeks) and has less residual effect. It is expensive, but in combination with trapping I  have high hopes of seeing a result.

My goal is to restore the health of this area of bush to its pre-predator condition. If we succeed, we hope the ecosystem will start to regenerate. I have high hopes of hearing the bush come alive with bird song; that would be an ultimate reward of this work for me.

If you have any unwanted jars of peanut butter, please ring me and I will collect them; we go through a lot of the stuff.  If you are interested in being involved with this project, contact  Mike on  8128420 or Carolyn Groves 8128760.  Email m.nixon@auckland.ac.nz

DISTRICT PLAN UPDATE: the hard graft of saving the Ranges

Much of the Society's efforts to save the Ranges are focused on our regular involvement in statutory planning - presenting submissions to the Council and participating in Environment Court appeals.

Over the past couple of years there has been a tremendous increase in that workload. This has been because the Go Waitakere faction on the Waitakere City Council (WCC) has sought to weaken district plan provisions that protect the environment. Our team of professional advisers has therefore been very busy, acting really as a de facto council in the sense that sometimes we are the only entity advocating the sustainable management of the Ranges. We are regularly in the position of contesting the decisions of the development-biased WCC whenever the Ranges are threatened.

Our hope is that with the forthcoming council elections, things will return to normal with the election of a new council that takes its custodial responsibilities for the Ranges seriously.

Meantime, the Society has been involved in many hearings and with some considerable success, which has served to strengthen the moral authority of WRPS and underline the good judgement of our advisers!

We have a small number of district plan appeals alive that were filed in our own name. We are also parties to appeals filed by others. The numbers of matters we are involved with are too numerous to list individually but key issues or themes alive in these appeals include:

·              Coastal Village Rules

·              Sensitive Ridgeline policies and rules

·              Vegetation clearance and fauna habitats

·              Large properties at Bethells Beach

·              Subdivision standards throughout the Ranges

·              Minor household units

District Plan appeals that have been settled, either through a completed hearing in the Environment Court or through mediation include:

·              Oratia Structure Plan

·              Colour and reflectivity rules

In addition to these district plan matters, the Society has also submitted on a number of resource consent applications. Many of these are resolved in the first hearing before the council. Those that have gone on appeal to the Environment Court include:

·            Brand Housing Ltd (Rimutaka Place) (an interim decision found in our favour and the applicant is now coming forward with a revised proposal that we are assessing)

·            Coastal development Ltd (subdivision at Piha)

·            Spencer (subdivision of  4ha block at Karekare)

We will keep members informed of developments.

Commissioner for the Environment: Managing Change in Paradise

Dr Morgan Williams, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, has released a study report on the challenges surrounding the environmental management of peri-urban areas with significant natural values.

The report had its genesis in the investigation he undertook into subdivision of the Waitakere Ranges - an investigation promoted by our Society's complaint about the approach of the Go Waitakere faction. The report is based on six case studies, including the Waitakere Ranges, Banks Peninsula, Wakatipu Basin, Long Bay, Waiheke Island, and Pauatahanui Inlet.

Findings by the Commissioner, many of which are relevant for our area, include:

Ø         There is a limited capacity in the system to manage conflicts inherent in the communities living in these areas

Ø         There has been poor national leadership on how to manage these nationally important areas

Ø         Local vision and leadership have been inconsistent

Ø         Accountability in the system is weak and it is often left to inadequately resourced environmental groups to take action

Ø         Baseline information is often inadequate

Ø         Capacity to manage cumulative effects is critical but variable

Ø         Monitoring of environmental outcomes is inadequate.

The report throws up a number of issues, but is short on tangible recommendations. We feel the Commissioner could and should have gone further.

Instead, he has limited his advice to suggesting that the Minister for the Environment undertake a substantial review of experience to date in preparing the first generation of plans prepared under the RMA.

Nonetheless, his report validates the concerns expressed over many years about the absence of a long-term vision and appropriate institutional framework for the future of the Waitakere Ranges.

Forest Ecosystem Restoration Project at Karekare

By Peter King

This project began in early 2000 when a group of landowners at La Trobe Track established a bait station grid on thirteen 11- acre forest blocks and began to eliminate possums and rats.  Bait (talon)  and baits stations were supplied by the ARC through Steve Hix (chief bio-security officer).

After the Forest Save Programme we noticed a group of ratas in bush adjacent to Lone Kauri Road flowering (we had not noticed these trees in previous years) and we established a line of bait stations to protect them.  In 2001 the flowering was spectacular.

As the project progressed we started to read research papers to find out more about forest ecosystem restoration and decided we would like to extend the project by increasing its area and setting up monitoring systems.  We now have up to 20 landowners interested in joining our project.  Recently Steve Hix organized a gang of bushmen to lay a bait station grid in an adjacent area of parkland.  A total of about 200 hectares is now under development.

Recently using wax blocks infused with orange oil we have begun to monitor rat and possum numbers.  We hope to reduce rat and possum numbers to less than 5/100 trap nights , a figure thought to be necessary for bird population recovery.

We have also begun to monitor bird populations using 5 minute counts (and hope to learn more about a Distance Sampling Technique that gives better data.)  We plan to start monitoring fruiting of key species like taraire and nikau.  We have anecdotal evidence of increased bird populations (we are hearing more moreporks and have seen a mother pigeon feeding her young).

This year our group won funding from the ARC Environmental Initiative Fund.  We plan to use this funding to buy stoat traps and buy more monitoring equipment.  We are helping Mike Nixon trap rats for freeze-drying and hope to be able to use some for stoat trapping.

Our future plans are to intensively clear mammal pests from the 200 hectares, write a long-term management plan and establish more avenues of funding.

WEST COAST PLAN

After three years of public consultation and many hours of discussion and planning Waitakere City's West Coast Plan is completed.  The user-friendly document is not short of content, and will serve the Ranges and coast well for the next ten years.

The Vision: As guardians of the West Coast and Waitakere Ranges, we acknowledge the interdependence of the people with this dramatic and inspiring place.  The sea, the coast, and the ranges, are envisioned as supporting a superb quality of life for the people and locally appropriate plants and wildlife, which is sustained for all generations.

The Guiding Principles:

Ø             Protect the wild and remote qualities of the West Coast and Waitakere Ranges.

Ø             Ensure that everyone is able to experience and enjoy the West Coast and Waitakere Ranges.

Ø             Promote public and community consultation, involvement and action.

Ø             Provide opportunities for people to increase their knowledge of the Waitakere Ranges, West Coast and its communities.

Ø             Recognise and support the unique and diverse characters of the West Coast communities.

Ø             Work co-operatively to protect the sea, the coast and the ranges.

The Strategic Actions

Ø             Investigate ways to improve the co-ordinated management and protection of the Waitakere Ranges.

Ø             Continue to provide opportunities for debate on the different aspirations of stakeholders for both private and public land in the Waitakere Ranges and West Coast.

Ø             Encourage the further identification of the Waitakere Ranges as an area of national significance.

Ø             Encourage all relevant local and national agencies and authorities to investigate strategies to limit local and regional growth pressures on the West Coast.     

The plan is then divided into Four Goals relating to the natural environment, the built environment, communities and recreation, and within these goals are over 100 prioritised targets which must be met to achieve the goals. Implementation of the WCP will be overseen by the Liaison Group of twelve representatives from community, environmental and service groups.  John Edgar will represent the Society.

Thanks go to staff at WCC and to our Waitakere Ward councillors Penny Hulse and Carolynne Stone and Denise Yates for their encouragement and support over the last few years.  We also acknowledge the early work of ex-councillors Helen Haslam and Paul Lowe.  Our representatives on the working party have been John Edgar and Sue Turner.

Copies of the West Coast Plan are available from Jenny MacDonald, Waitakere City Council, Phone 8368000 extn 8414