Dr. Jessica Beever spoke at the AGM about the diverse and unusual range of plants of Spragg Bush, and of the Society’s project to purchase two bush-covered private sections adjacent to that reserve so that they may be added to the Regional Parkland. Her talk proved so popular that we asked her for more! Here, in her own words, are examples of the botanical features that make this area so fascinating:

The 21 hectare Spragg Bush Reserve lies on the summit of the Waitakere Ranges, and is a fine remnant of the high altitude kauri/podocarp forest of the region. Because of the high rainfall (approximately twice that of down-town Auckland), and the frequent periods in swirling mist, when the clouds sit on the Ranges summits, evapotranspiration is low. As a result bryophytes, (the mosses and liverworts) thrive here. These plants have no roots, and can absorb moisture all over their leaves directly from the atmosphere. They are thus able to grow on the trunks and branches of trees, and even on the leaves of other plants. Such epiphyllous (‘on leaves’) plants found in Spragg Bush include the unusual liverworts Leptolejeunea elliptica and Echinolejeunea papillata.

Not only does this small reserve have high numbers of bryophyte species (113 have been recorded to date), but they reproduce well. The full life cycle of bryophytes, like that of ferns, depends on moisture, as all these plants have motile sperm which swim in a film of moisture to fertilise the female eggs. Schistochila appendiculata is the largest liverwort in New Zealand, but it rarely develops sporophytes, the spore producing part of the life cycle which follows on from fertilisation of an egg. Yet in Spragg Bush they are produced regularly. Also particularly well developed in Spragg Bush are the umbrella mosses – large, spectacular mosses in the genus Hypnodendron. Four species are common along the edges of the tracks, and all produce sporophytes in abundance, including Hypnodendron menziesii, shown here. This moss was one of the first documented in New Zealand, being collected by Archibald Menzies, surgeon on the Vancouver expedition when it called at Dusky Sound in Fiordland in 1791.

Because of its small size the Spr

agg Bush Reserve is particularly vulnerable to ‘edge effects’ – desiccation occurs far more at the edges of forest than deep within it, and at times of high winds even forest giants are vulnerable to toppling. Close to the forest margin the wind can more easily get in below the canopy. Three giant kauri trees stand in Spragg Bush – a fourth fell in a storm on 19^th April 1978. Extending the buffer zone of this forest, by saving adjacent bush from development, is thus a very practical way to help protect its treasures for the future.

Donations towards the land purchase can be sent to the Treasurer, Waitakere Ranges Protection Society, PO Box 15668, New Lynn, Auckland 7. Cheques should be payable to the “Waitakeres Reserves Fund”.

Cards featuring close-up photographs of ‘Spore plants of Spragg Bush’, by renowned plant photographers Bill and Nancy Malcolm, with no message, can be purchased in sets of 5 for $10 from the Secretary, at the above address, with profits also going to this project.

President’s report

The past year has been most eventful for the Society, and one for which our members should be proud. In the face of continual and serious threats to the Ranges, the Society worked hard to hold our ground and to negotiate a clear way forward towards our long-term goals. We have never lost sight of our vision to see the whole of the Ranges given permanent protection from the many and varied threats, and I believe that we are in an excellent position to make this vision a reality in the near future.

The Society was greatly saddened last year with the death of our esteemed patron Dr Lucy Cranwell-Smith. As one of our foundation patrons, Lucy was a constant supporter of the Society, and although she had lived in the USA for many years, she always contacted us on her return visits. Lucy's lifetime of achievements was recently remembered in a memorial service in USA, and I was proud to make a tribute in writing on behalf of the Society.

In May last year, the Society had another great sadness when Kevin Lynch passed away after a short illness. Kevin gave many years of service to Waitakere City, and over my time as president I came to respect Kevin’s clear and uncompromising standards, his wealth of practical knowledge of conservation, and his integrity. Kevin's great contribution to our city was commemorated by the opening of the Kevin Lynch Walkway in Green Bay.

The Society moved forward into its 28th year with an enthusiastic committee. In keeping with our perennial agenda, we made submissions to local and regional council on Annual Plans, West Coast Plan, various management and strategic plans including Fisheries and Coastal, Regional Growth Strategy, Regional Shellfish Bag Limits, Tourism Management Plans, Electoral boundaries and ward representation, and community management plans.

In spite of this often daunting work load, we made significant conservation gains. We worked on shoreline protection issues, weed and pest control programs, our bird survey, wasp control studies, exotic bird proliferation, mainland island proposals for the Ranges, and more. It has been exciting to network with the community groups in the Ranges, upon whom we rely as our early warning systems so that we can anticipate problems before they become critical.

As part of our new look for the 21st century, the Society now has a web site. Webmaster Garry Law has given us a presence in cyberspace which will be a valuable asset in our advocacy for the Ranges. The URL is: www.waitakereranges.org.nz and we are committed to build this into the definitive information site for the Ranges. We are considering whether the web might be the place to publish our Waitakere Book. The book, compiled in the 1980s has never gone to print, yet the 60-odd chapters contain a wealth of information written by experts in many different fields.

We continued our work on the WCC District Plan Appeals, working successfully with council and other appellants to reach out-of-court settlements where possible. Some appeals were complicated by the council’s change of position to accommodate various appellants who sought increased development rights. The Society found itself time and again defending the original council decision against their more permissive approach.

A plethora of non-complying resource consent applications coming before local and regional councils presented a serious burden to the Society, which was often the sole defender of the environment against wealthy developers. The council had clearly signalled that they would deal with consents on an ad hoc basis, which resulted in a flood of greedy and often ridiculous proposals. All of them needed to be contested and won. An outstanding example was the proposed development of 15 house sites on a 6.5 ha block of forested land off Rimutaka Place in Titirangi. The Society enlisted a team of seven expert witnesses ably led by our counsel, Douglas Allan from Ellis Gould Ltd., who proved to the court's satisfaction that the puriri composite forest was significant and that development would cause considerable adverse environment effects. The decision upheld the provisions of Proposed District Plan, and identified the Ranges as having significant ecology and outstanding landscape. This is a landmark decision for the Ranges, and one which will be well-cited in the future.

Another major development which the Society successfully opposed was the proposal to build 17 coastal chalets on 5.4 ha at 36 Piha Road. We were well-supported by the Piha Residents and Ratepayers Trust on this. The council commissioners declined the consent on the grounds that it would create significant adverse environmental effects. The developer has since appealed, and this matter is currently before the environment court.

There were many other smaller resource consent matters during the year, some solved simply by the applicant accepting the Society's consent conditions. Others required more effort, and we made numerous submissions to the council's hearing committee. I am pleased to report that we haven't lost a case yet; we feel strong and concerted in our opposition to all non-complying applications. This is where your support has been invaluable. We are as always a cash-poor Society, but we make up for the lack of funds with a tremendous and vital energy, spurred on by all our members who have passionately supported us over the years.

None of this, however, would have been possible without our dedicated consultants. Whether they represent us in resource management, ecology, planning or legal matters, these professionals all found time in their busy schedules to take on our cases and, often on a pro bono basis, prepare and give expert evidence in their submissions on our behalf. I would especially like to thank: Douglas Allan, our principle legal counsel; Gary Taylor and Denis Nugent, who steered us through countless RM and planning issues; Willy Shaw and Conway Stewart, who contributed greatly to the Rimutaka Place appeal; and Andrea Julian, our chief ecologist.

We continued to work with the office of the Commissioner for the Environment towards a clearer picture of the issues relating to the protection of areas of high scenic value. You will be aware of the pressures that are evident in some parts of New Zealand, where values that we cherish are threatened. Gary Taylor recently visited Snowdonia National Park in Wales to study the way that this park, which includes wilderness, farms and privately-owned land, manages the pressures of people with their Protected Landscapes Initiative. Gary's report was most informative, and Snowdonia provides guidelines for the future Waitakere Ranges.

The Society welcomes the government's initiative to provide funding to environmental and community groups to allow them better representation in legal proceedings. We have made application to the new fund for our outstanding District Plan appeals.

We now have two new patrons, both foundation members of the Society: the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Right Honourable Jonathan Hunt; and Auckland University Professor of Biological Science, Dick Bellamy. They join our current patron, Professor John Morton, and the Society is greatly honoured.

The Society is currently fund-raising to purchase two sections containing virgin forest in Turanga Road. Both are currently in private ownership, and the forest cover is contiguous with Spragg Bush. Our intention is to gift them to the ARC as part of the CMP. We are indebted to Dr Jessica Beever, a member of the Spragg family, who initiated this project and who has undertaken to raise the funds and to lobby regional council on our behalf.

During the year our committee met once a month to work through our huge agenda. I would like to thank them personally for the countless hours that they have given to the Society. I would also like to congratulate our very own Denise Yates, committee member and chair of the WCC Community Board, who successfully contested the recent by-election in Waitakere Ward.

I hope that all members will support the Society by buying and proudly wearing one of our new T-shirts with the new logo. This is a fundraiser; every T-shirt purchased contributes to our programmes for the coming year.

This is local government election year. I urge you to get involved with your communities, all of which are making strong cases for a change of direction in council. The best way to save the Ranges is be to strong in opposition to the pro-development forces in council, and to support your Society as it strives for permanent protection of this unique place.

John Edgar

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE
	2000-01	1999-00
Income	9806	14865
Expenditure	18991	3745
Income over expenditure	(9185)	11120

BALANCE SHEET AS OF 31 JANUARY 2001
	2000-01	1999-00
Current assets	32265	19274
Current liabilities	29441	7265
Net assets	2824	12009

WAITORU RESERVE - working bee.

WAITAKERE RIVERCARE GROUP

They are on the second Sunday of every month from June to September. Start at 10 am. The

planting sites will be sign posted at the intersection of Bethells Rd & Te Henga Rd. Bring your favourite spade (narrow ones are best), plus gardening gloves & lunch.