Green light for Ark in the Park

The Auckland Regional Council today officially gave the green light to the Ark in the Park Project in Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges Regional Parkland.

The project, an initiative of the Waitakere branch of the Royal Forest and Bird Society, aims to carry out very intensive pest control in a 250-hectare area of the ranges to encourage the return of a greater number of native species.

The ARC’s Parks and Heritage Committee today approved a Memorandum of Agreement between the Council and Ark in the Park which clears the way for the project to proceed.

Committee Chairman Bill Burrill says the project is very much a partnership between the two parties.

“The ARC has always been supportive of the Ark in the Park. It is a wonderful community initiative and we are pleased that the minor matters which initially delayed its approval have now been worked through,” Cr Burrill says.

“The ARC’s Operation Forest Save pest control programme has already had tremendous success in the Waitakere Ranges with the populations of some native bird species almost tripling in the last five years. This project has the potential to build on that.”

The Memorandum of Agreement confirms that the ARC and the Waitakere Branch of the Royal Forest and Birds Society will be working closely together on the management of the project.

“Key decisions regarding the project, such as funding, sponsorship and operational matters will be made jointly and we will be working together to keep the public informed and up to date on the project as it progresses,” Cr Burrill says.

“We wish the Ark in the Park team all the best for this project and we look forward to working in partnership with them for the benefit of the Waitakere Ranges and all its many visitors.”

Ark in the Park is a trial project and the Memorandum of Agreement is renewable after one year.

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