Waitakere Ranges protection workshops begin next week

Seven weeks of community workshops on protecting the Waitakere Ranges begin next Monday.

Held throughout the City from 29 September to 13 November, the workshops will enable residents to have their say on a range of topics relating to the Ranges, including development, human impacts, weeds and pests.

The workshops will discuss the Snapshot of the Ranges report (and summary document), which provides a detailed ‘stocktake’ of key pressures facing the Ranges and offers some possible ideas on what more could be done to ensure their long-term protection.

The project was sparked by some community group suggestions that the current protection for the Ranges may not be sufficient in the long term, despite a large part of the bush area having been made a regional park, District Plan rules, funding to combat pests, weeds and other threats, and public involvement.

In response, Waitakere City Council, together with the Auckland Regional Council, iwi, and local MPs David Cunliffe and Lynne Pillay, developed a process to talk these issues through with the community.

Research was conducted on the state of the Ranges and foothills, looking at what values people place on them and how current management roles are working. Possible responses and actions will form the basis of discussion at the public workshops.

Councillor Penny Hulse, chair of the Council’s Environmental Management Committee, strongly urges people to attend the workshops, which will focus on sharing information and providing an opportunity for feedback.

“It is vital to hear from as many people as possible, as the future of the Ranges needs to be planned together with the wider community,” she says.

“We want to hear the ideas of landowners who live in the Ranges, the coastal villages and the foothills. We also want to talk to people who simply use and enjoy the Ranges.”

For further information or to register for one of the community workshops, phone Arlene Fredericks at Waitakere City Council on 836 8000 ext. 8401 or email: arlene.fredericks@waitakere.govt.nz

© Scoop Media