2 May 2019
LGOIMA No. 8140004409
(Please quote this in any correspondence)
Tom Austen
Sent by email
:[email address]
Dear Tom
Local Government Official Information And Meetings Act 1987
Closure considerations, Waitākere Ranges Regional Park
I refer to your email received on 3 April 2019, requesting information on the advice provided
to council when it was considering temporarily closing the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park
We have briefly outlined the background to the closure of the forested areas of the
Waitākere Ranges Regional Park below, prior to referring to the advice provided to the
council on this matter.
In early December 2017, Te Kawerau ā Maki placed a rāhui over the ‘Waitākere forest itself
(the ‘ecological catchment’) to quarantine or prevent human access. The rāhui is a closure
by mana whenua based on tikanga. This conservation measure was taken in response to
the presence of kauri dieback, and the obligation of kaitiakitanga, which is provided for under
the Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Act (2015), the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area
Act (2008), and the Resource Management Act (1991).
In December 2017, in response to calls for Auckland Council to take more action to protect
the kauri in the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park, the Environment and Community
Commit ee resolved to increase the kauri dieback management approach in the Waitākere
Ranges, including closing high and medium risk tracks, to support the principles of the rāhui,
placed by Te Kawerau ā Maki on the ranges.
In February 2018, the commit ee also proposed to close the forested areas of the Waitākere
Ranges Regional Park (with exceptions) by 1 May 2018, subject to working with Te Kawerau
a Maki, the Waitākere Ranges Local Board and targeted engagement with the local
community and groups who use and benefit from the regional park.
In April 2018, the commit ee resolved to close the forested areas of the Waitakere Ranges
Regional Park (with exceptions) on 1 May 2018, and directed staff to work with mana
whenua on a prioritised list of tracks to be reopened once they has been upgraded.
In its consideration of the kauri dieback challenges in the Waitākere Ranges, council staff
undertook to give effect to council’s legal responsibilities, under the Local Government Act
and others, including those with tangata whenua, communities and parks users.
The advice provided to council, including the options considered, are detailed in the three
political reports considered by the Environment and Community Committee in December
2017, February 2018 and April 2018.
We have collated these agenda reports and minutes for you and they are available in the
OneDrive folder at the link below –
https:/ 1drv.ms/f/s!Ar3AEgw1mNLnulPjmVsDzZNpJDbm
If you feel that we have not responded adequately to your request, you have the right to
seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision. Information about how
to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802
602.
If you have any further queries, please contact me on (09) 301 0101 quoting LGOIMA No.
8140004409
Yours sincerely
Joanne Kearney
Privacy & LGOIMA Business Partner
Democracy Services
8140004409
