Red Alert There's consternation in those hills

Hackles have been raised out West by provisions in the third super city bill that could undermine the Waitakere Ranges.  Mining, undermining and our special natural areas seem to go together at the moment.

Now you can do something about it. You can print off this petition from the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society, distribute copies at work or through your networks, and gather as many signatures as you can.

There are two provisions in the Local Government (Auckland Law Reform) Bill causing concern. The first repeals s 18 of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act which requires changes to Auckland’s growth and development strategy to be consistent with the Act. The Bill replaces the strategy with a spatial plan not subject to the Ranges Heritage Area Act. As Greg Presland explains in the Herald yesterday the city’s boundaries could be shifted into the ranges. And as Sandra Coney says, it’s critical that the boundary is protected when a lot of housing developers are hungrily looking at greenfields.

The Bill also repeals law concerning the 8500 ha Auckland Centennial Park prompting the Auckland Regional Council to ask whether the Government was trying to nationalise the ranges and that the park, acquired with donations and public money, could be sold.

Waitakere MP Paula Bennett (along with other National MPs) opposed the passing of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act, which was shepherded through by Labour MP Lynne Pillay.  Bennett has blamed the repeal of s 18 on sloppy drafting and says it will get fixed at the select committee. Let’s make damn sure it does.