Waitangi at Waititi
One of the highlights of the local board’s calendar is the Waitangi at Waititi event.
For a number of years now Hoani Waititi Marae and Te Whānau o Waipareira have hosted this event on Parrs Park on Waitangi Day.
The event starts with a pōwhiri where guests are welcomed onto the marae. This year it was the privilege of local board members to be invited to sit with tangata whenua. I estimate that I personally have been welcomed onto the marae with a pōwhiri over a hundred times, so it felt really good to be sitting with the hosts.
There were speeches and waiata and guests were then invited to hongi and harirū.
Then everyone was welcomed to share kai.
The main event then started nearby in Parrs Park. It opens formally with a karakia. Then the performances start.
These performances are diverse ranging from Rarotongan dancers to Hoani Waititi’s kapa haka to newer musical artists I must admit I have not heard of before.
Some really famous artists took the stage. Annie Crummer and Che Fu both sang as well as they did decades ago.
The vibe of the ceremony is one of celebration and unity. Respect for the treaty and for te ao Māori are strong features. The event is alcohol, drug and patch free and also free of any sort of antagonism or dissent. It is a really good way to celebrate our national day.
I must congratulate Hoani Waititi Marae and Te Whānau o Waipareira for organising and resourcing these events. The local board makes some contribution but given the extraordinary size and quality of the event this would only cover a relatively small part of the event.
If you have not attended this event before, I recommend that you do. Bring plenty of sunscreen and water. Be prepared to have a really chilled and happy time. And celebrate the treaty and our national day the way they should be.
Summer fires and drownings
I hope everyone has had a happy and safe start to the new year.
Out west we have had a challenging time.
There have been a few recent fires.
One was at Te Henga, one at Anawhata and a third at the Titirangi Golf Course. Causes are being investigated. Thankfully the fire service has dealt with each fire efficiently and they were stopped from spreading.
But this raises the question, could California type fires happen here?
A recent study suggests that climate change will in the future cause parts of New Zealand to resemble Australia with the attendant increased risk of fire.
Auckland is thought to be at lesser risk because of predicted increased rainfall. But an extended dry period could see this change.
What can we do? Forest health is important. Manuka scrub and gorse burn easily, healthy kauri do not. And clearing forest does not help. We have already seen what happens to hills that do not have healthy forests holding them together and preventing slips.
The most important thing we can do is reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. The cause and the solutions are clear. We just need to act.
And the West Coast has been living up to its reputation of being magnificent but dangerous.
This summer two swimmers and a rock fishermen have drowned out west.
The latest victim was part of a group of seven who were swimming between the flags at Piha, but were caught in a rip at a time when the seas were particularly rough. Lifeguards managed to save the other six but this person unfortunately was not able to be rescued.
Sandra Coney, who is a proud part time Piha resident, has described the current state of the beach as being as dangerous as she has ever seen it.
The Local Board has discussed this issue and we are keen to see what further resources are needed to make the West Coast safer and then find these resources.
So be careful out there. Look after the forest and do not do anything that may cause fire. And if you are swimming out west keep to the flags and to your personal ability.
Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area – Deed of Acknowledgement
The Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act is now 17 years old and progress on the deed has been a long time coming.
The local board for some time has advocated for the completion of a deed between Te Kawarau ā Maki and Council allowing for the contribution by tangata whenua to the management of the land concerned by the Crown or the Council
As shown by successive five yearly reports and by recent staff advice the Act performs its protective job reasonably well. Subdivisions are limited and the area is not currently suffering death by a thousand cuts.
But it is important to continue to rethink the application of the Act. New threats such as kauri dieback and weeds and slips are emerging. We need to be ever vigilant for new threats.
In its 2020 review of the Heritage Area Act the Environmental Defence Society considered the effectiveness of the Act and concluded that it was effective in countering existing threats but that it was time for the operation of the Act to be reviewed. The report stated:
“Consideration … needs to be given to ways in which the Heritage Act could be kept alive. This could be achieved through the establishment of an independent body, with dedicated funding, to manage the Heritage Area on behalf of the public. It could either be a separate entity – such as a Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area implementation and oversight body – or the Waitākere Ranges Local Board could be tasked, and resourced, to provide this specific function. The entity would be charged with managing the area in line with the objectives of the Heritage Act, while creating a stronger pathway to implementation. The entity would be responsible for overseeing the implementation of local area plans and continuing the State of the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area monitoring.
This localised reporting provides a sharp and bespoke focus on issues in the Waitākere Ranges and ensures that they are continually highlighted. The entity could also be tasked with providing educational material to incoming residents and visitors who may not know about the Heritage Area, its uniqueness and the restrictions in place as a result of the Heritage Act.”
In our advocacy for the deed we have emphasised the importance for local communities to be included in discussions.
It is important to be clear about what the proposal is and is not.
It is about council and crown land, not private land.
Private land is not included by definition
Although nature does not care about private property boundaries and what is good for the park is also good for the environmental health of private properties.
My view is that there is no need for us to be afraid with the proposal for the deed.
We live in a new world where te ao Māori values are really important for both understanding and for environmental enhancement.
And we can trust Te Kawerau ā Maki and their protective instincts towards Te Wao Nui ā Tiriwa.
The deed is in development and it is intended that there be public engagement with Waitākere Ranges stakeholder groups on the key elements of the deed.
Heart of the Ngahere Sanctuary proposal
Related to the deed is Te Kawerau ā Maki’s “Heart of the Ngahere Sanctuary” proposal.
Te Kawerau ā Maki has expressed concern that the legislation that established the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area remains poorly understood and implemented.
Most Crown agencies don’t even know it exists. Investment in the area by central government over the past decade has been essentially $0, while historically (pre-rāhui) Council’s investment has fallen so low even basic track maintenance cannot be done.
Roughly 1,000,000 people visit the area each year, including over 200,000 visitors to the most popular tracks such as Kitekite Falls – 20 times the number that walk the Milford Track.
At its core, the Ngahere proposal aims to establish a pest-free sanctuary within the heart of the Waitākere Ranges. The intent is to create a thriving haven where the rare and unique ecology can flourish. The main objectives are:
- Protect and Enhance Native Biodiversity:
- Safeguarding Old Growth Forests: The proposal focuses on preserving existing old-growth kauri trees and co-dependent species. This will allow young kauri to become old kauri.
- Reintroducing Native Wildlife: There’s a vision to bring back species like tuatara and kiwi to the area.
- Establish a Defensible Pest-Free Sanctuary:
- Landscape-Level Protection: The sanctuary would cover a 6,145-hectare area in the uninhabited center of the Waitākere Ranges— about 35 per cent of the total Regional Park.
- Intensive Pest Control: By creating a defensible zone, the plan is to implement effective pest management to combat threats like invasive species and diseases and especially weeds and the need to eradicate them. We need sufficient resources to successfully combat weeds and turn back their invasion.
- Holistic and Integrated Management:
- Long-Term Vision: The initiative emphasizes planning that aligns with the lifecycles of the forest’s oldest inhabitants. The time frame is centuries, not years.
- Empowering Local Stewardship: The proposal advocates for management by those who love the forest most—the local communities. It’s about collective responsibility rather than exclusive privilege.
- Minimise Human Impact:
- Avoiding High-Activity Areas: The sanctuary is designed to steer clear of significant human settlements and popular recreational spots, minimizing disruption to people’s lives and hobbies.
- Preserving Recreational Access: There’s an effort to ensure the proposal has minimal impact on existing tracks and outdoor activities, so locals can continue to enjoy the forest responsibly.
- Enhance Intergenerational Well-being:
- Moral Obligation: Beyond legal requirements, there’s a commitment to ensuring the forest’s health for future generations.
- Climate Resilience and Water Security: A healthy forest contributes to a stable climate and reliable water sources, benefiting everyone.
- Create a Spill-Over Effect:
- Revitalising Surrounding Ecosystems: By strengthening the heart of the forest, biodiversity can naturally extend to the more compromised edges, and this will improve the overall health of the region.
The proposal recognises that climate change, population pressure, and the threat of new pests and diseases are real challenges. The intent of proactively establishing the sanctuary is to enhance local biodiversity rather than just hold it where it is.
Council is considering the proposal. No doubt as part of the work on the deed the concept of the strategy can be advanced.
Te Atatū Library safety issues
Locals will be aware that on February 15, 2025 there was an incident at Te Atatū Library.
A group of Destiny Church followers, some of which were wearing “Man up” t-shirts decided to protest a children’s science show hosted by drag artist Hugo Grrrl. Their concern was that there was a sexualised nature to the show. I have seen videos of it and the show is anything but.
I have seen video footage of what happened. At one stage a group of brave librarians and staff tried to prevent the protestors from entering the Library.
The protestors however used force and pushed and shoved their way inside the library.
About 30 toddlers, young children and adults were barricaded inside a room. Some of them were terrified by the protest.
I appreciate that there are those who supported the goals of the protesters but the key issue is the nature of the protest and that it put children their whanau and staff at risk.
The community has rallied around the library and taken a stand against what has happened. I believe that we need to consider what has happened and the threat it posed to staff, and visitors. I am also concerned that the actions of one group is affecting the ability of another group from using the library. Libraries should be available for all of us, no matter what our gender or sexual identity is.
Fireworks
The Local Board for some time has advocated for greater restrictions on the use and availability of fireworks. Other local boards have also taken the same view. Recently Whau and Waiheke local boards have passed resolutions seeking to advance this issue and I thought we should take the opportunity to do the same.
The reasons are clear and especially important to the west. During the summer of months the area can dry out dramatically. This increases the prospects of forest fire and the coastal area in particular is potentially threatened by fire.
This is a message that we have received many times by locals, particularly those who live on the west coast who are aware of the fragility of the area’s environment.
And like other areas pets are terrorised and very young children disturbed by the excessive use of fireworks.
So I would like to propose that we join Whau and Waiheke and express our opposition to the continued rampant availability of fireworks.
Moved:
- That the Waitākere Ranges Local Board: whiwhi /receives my report.
Te Atatū Library safety concerns
- tono / requests that the Chief Executive of Auckland Council advises on how the local board can ensure that staff and facility users respect Council’s values and that all persons within the library are safe.
Fireworks
- tuhi ā-taipitopito / note widespread community concern around the sale and letting off of fireworks
- tuhi ā-taipitopito / notethe negative impact that fireworks have on farm animals, wildlife and pets
- tuhi ā-taipitopito / note the issue of ongoing disturbance to the community from fireworks being set off throughout the months following early November
- tuhi ā-taipitopito / note the ongoing risk to the environment of fire and that this risk is likely to be exacerbated if climate change results in Auckland developing a drier climate
- tautoko / support Auckland Council advocacy to Central Government for legislation to ban the sale of fireworks
- tautoko / support Auckland council banning the sale of fireworks from council land, such as parks, reserves and road berms
- Support organised public firework displays in safe, controlled environments
- tono / request that Auckland Council considering the requirement of a permit for any fireworks display, including where fireworks are used as part of cultural celebrations.
Greg Presland
February 20, 2025
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