Collaborative Approach To Protect Waitakere Ranges Nothing To Fear
Adopted in 2008, the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act recognises the national, regional, and local significance of the Waitakere Ranges heritage area and promotes the protection and enhancement of its heritage features for present and future generations.
Section 29 of the Act also sets out that a Deed of acknowledgement must identify any specific opportunities for contribution by tangata whenua to the management of the land by the Crown or the Council, and Te Kawerau ā Maki CEO Edward Ashby says progress on this has been a long time coming.
'Every year for 17 years we have asked for our Deed to progress and every year we have been left waiting,' says Te Kawerau ā Maki CEO Edward Ashby.
'Our aim is not to lock the public out of having any sort of say but to enact what is provided for in law. That is, the collaboration of mandated parties to come up with a plan together and coordinate efforts to protect and enhance all the heritage features of the Ranges including natural and community outcomes,'
Mr Ashby says the legislation is largely forgotten and unimplemented with management happening in uncoordinated silos and fear mongering comments that Te Kawerau ā Maki is trying to take control over the whenua is a distraction from the real issue of protecting this taonga.
'This must be one of the only nationally significant places on earth without a plan,' says Mr Ashby.
'We want the area to thrive – to protect threatened species and increase their numbers, to protect our dark skies and landscape qualities, to have better quality recreation for Aucklanders who run, tramp and walk through the Ranges, and for the people that live there – all of us – to have strong communities. We can only do this if we work together.'
Mr Ashby says Te Kawerau ā Maki Deed of Settlement promised a new relationship with the Crown based on mutual respect and cooperation but a generation of Te Kawerau ā Maki people are growing up on the broken promise of the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act.
'The Crown is at risk of repeating history. It was the Crown that purchased land without consultation or investigation of customary rights. It was the Crown that failed to apply the regulations it had established to protect Mâori and it was the Crown's actions that led to Te Kawerau ā Maki being virtually landless with no marae of urupā of our own'.
Mr Ashby says the Auckland Council had voted unanimously to support the Deed progressing in principle, which included four identified opportunities for it to work together—but now several councillors are backtracking on that decision.
'Our culture, our indigeneity, and our legal rights have been framed as a threat but we must emphasise that decision making powers about the Waitākere Ranges remain with their respective entities: the Council and the Department of Conservation will continue to make final decisions over land where it is custodian as will Te Kawerau ā Maki. This is simply about us working together.'
Te Kawerau ā Maki are a West Auckland-based iwi, with the tribal heartland of the iwi being Hikurangi and Ngā Rau Pou ā Maki (Waitākere Ranges).
Te Kawerau ā Maki are represented by Te Kawerau Iwi Settlement Trust, which is the post-settlement governance entity established and mandated through the Te Kawerau ā Maki Claims Settlement Act to represent the iwi and to administer Treaty settlement assets.
Today our iwi is in the process of rebuilding our political, social, cultural, environmental, and economic well being. This includes our visible presence at the Arataki Centre, the Henderson Civic Building, and our planned marae at Te Henga and Te Onekiritea (Hobsonville).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
11 hours ago
- Scoop
Can My Father's Partner Take His House?
Got questions? RNZ is launching a new podcast, No Stupid Questions with Susan Edmunds, next month. We'd love to hear more of your questions about money and the economy. You can send through written questions, like these ones, but - even better - you can drop us a voice memo to our email questions@ What happens if my father owns a house, but now has a partner for several years who moved in to the house and has put the power in her name to prove she's lived there for a certain time. If my father dies before her with no will, will she get the house or us kids? Justine Wood is a specialist trustee at Public Trust and helped me answer your question. Basically, when someone dies without a will, it's referred to as "dying intestate". That means specific legislation comes into play that determines who will get which bits of the person's estate. That means the partner may well be entitled to a share of the house. "Based on the family circumstances you've outlined, the partner may be entitled to receive the personal chattels, such as vehicles, furniture and jewellery, the first $155,000 of the estate and a third share of the remainder of the estate," she said. "This will depend on the couple meeting the legal criteria of having a de facto relationship at the time. The remaining two thirds of anything left would be distributed equally between his children. "Administering an estate when there is no will can be costly and take longer to sort out. Having a will helps your family understand what you'd like done with your estate after your gone - and it makes the process of managing your passing less stressful on loved ones." The Administration Act defines de facto relationship in line with the Property (Relationships) Act. This said a de facto relationship is a couple who are at least 18, living together as a couple and not married or in a civil union. Things that might be taken into account are the duration of the relationship, the nature and extent of common residence, whether there is a sexual relationship, the degree of financial interdependence and dependence, ownership of property, the degree of mutual commitment to a shared life, the care and support of children, performance of household duties and the reputation and public aspects of the relationship. It would make sense for your father to draw up a will. Even with a will, his partner may have rights under the Property (Relationships) Act - they may need to sign a contracting out agreement if he wants to ensure that the property is left to you. Are there any disadvantages in keeping KiwiSaver funds there in KiwiSaver after retirement age? Is it best to fill the forms now and take some, if not all? There really is no disadvantage to leaving your money in KiwiSaver once you're retired, if that's what makes the most sense for you at the moment. It would be a good idea to get some advice on the funds your money is invested in, though. Depending on how much you've got in your KiwiSaver, it might make sense to divide it up and invest it in a few different funds. You might have some in a conservative or even cash fund that you can tap into if you need it in the near term, for unexpected bills or things like that, some in a balanced fund for the medium term and then some money in a growth fund for the longer term. The growth fund will probably bump around a bit but should deliver better returns overall, which might help make your money last longer through your retirement.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
New cycleway opens up Auckland central city before rail link opens
The new cycleway will eventually connect Victoria Park with Albert Park. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Aucklanders can now cycle through more of the city centre. Auckland Council have opened a section of the cycleway along Victoria Street from Federal Street, through to Queen Street, from midday Friday. Described as a vital link in the city centre's cycle network, the new two-way cycleway will connect Victoria Park and the Nelson Street cycleway to Queen Street. Auckland Council city centre priority location director Simon Oddie said the upgrade was funded largely by the city centre targeted rate (CCTR) - a rate paid by city centre commercial and residential property owners to fund initiatives that enhanced and re-energised Auckland's city centre. "Anyone coming into midtown now will see, construction fences around these midtown works are diminishing, and the quality of design and careful staging of many layers of renewal are becoming visible," he said. "Four years ago, the council group started implementing plans to make moving around the city centre easier and safer for all users. This included dedicated streets for buses, cycleways and walking. "This opening marks another key step forward, as Victoria Street becomes a purpose-designed, tree-lined street with one lane of vehicles in each direction, connected laneways, wide footpaths with places to sit and spend time, and now a cycleway. "By promoting active modes of transport, we're giving people real choices in how they move around, while making the city centre more vibrant, sustainable and easier to navigate, ahead of the opening of the City Rail Link next year," Oddie said. The cycleway has been designed to keep riders physically separate from traffic, offering a protected route. Auckland Council said this new dedicated bike lane, with the section outside the station delivered by City Rail Link Limited, is a key element of the vision for Te Hā Noa, which is the central city's emerging green link. Native planting, mature trees, wide footpaths and new seating is already in place in two sections - Elliott Street to Queen Street and High Street to Albert Park - according to the council. Auckland Transport active modes head Tania Loveridge said cycling in Auckland had grown five percent on average per annum over the last three years. "Creating new infrastructure like Te Hā Noa, with this new section of safe and protected cycleway now complete, will help encourage more people to get on bikes," she said. "This is an exciting new link, which extends our city centre cycling network and will provide a seamless connection with the northern entrance into Te Waihorotiu Station. "It's all part of creating a safe and connected city centre that is easy to get around, regardless of how people choose to travel," she said. "Bring your bike on the ferry, train or the Northern Express, or ride in along the many cycle paths linking the region and re-discover a city centre that's ready to be explored." Auckland Council said the plan was for the Victoria Street cycleway, including the newly opened section between Federal Street and Queen Street, to connect Victoria Park with Albert Park. Construction of the last section between Queen Street and High Street is expected to be operational at the end of 2026.
1News
3 days ago
- 1News
Plan to block road access to Cape Palliser 'gem' due to vandalism
Plans to block road access to a remote stretch of the South Wairarapa coastline will deny surfers access to one country's most pristine surf breaks. South Wairarapa District Council wants to close access to a paper, or unfinished, road that leads to the Cape Palliser coast line due to continued vandalism and destruction. The road passes through private and Crown land before ending at the rugged beach. The council said native flora and fauna in the area has been damaged by four wheel drives, quad bikes and campers, who are also a fire risk. The area included wāhi tapu sites — ancestral burial grounds and historic pā settlements. "Council has engaged with local hapū, Ngāti Hinewaka and have agreed the continued vandalism, disrespect to the land and its owners and the poor social behaviours displayed are not acceptable," South Wairarapa District Council said. ADVERTISEMENT If the proposal to block road access goes ahead, there will be no overland route to reach that part of the beach. Michael Gunson first surfed White Rock along that part of the coast in 1976. Gunson told RNZ it was a popular surf spot but really hard to get to, even with the paper road open. He said if the road wass shut, there would be no access for the general public. "It's a gem, it really is a gem. It's on par with Castle Point, as far as I'm concerned, as far as dramatic landscapes go," he said. While Gunson understood where the council and landowners were coming from, he wanted to work to find a solution. "I am not going to defend clowns in any way, shape or form. What I think that needs to be done is some good consultation, some good kaupapa shared with the landowners, DOC and the council, and we need to work this out," Gunson said. He said they needed to find out how to maintain public access in a way that minimised damage to the coastline. ADVERTISEMENT Gunson said said there could be signage and education around how to respect the landscape, and encourage others to report bad behaviour when they saw it. He said there had been a lot of opposition to the council's proposal as it sparked a lot of attention among surfers online. "Not everybody that goes there is a vandal. They go there out of deep respect for the beautiful, wonderful coastline," he said. The South Wairarapa District Council, in a statement to RNZ, said there were 2139 online submissions about the proposal so far. The council said the proposed bylaw was being developed using powers under the Local Government and Land Transport Acts but acknowledged that restricting walking access to the paper road would not be legally enforceable. However, that right of access didn't extend to the adjoining private land, and council was responding to issues raised by the hapu around ongoing damage to land bordering the paper road. It said the consultation provided an understanding of what level of access the community felt was appropriate – balancing the need for safe public access with respect for adjoining landowners. South Wairarapa District Council was accepting feedback on the proposal until August 19. It said all feedback would be reviewed before a final decision would be made.
