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Waitakere Ranges Property Gifted To ARC
Auckland Regional Council
Media Release
Waitakere Ranges property gifted to ARC
15 November 2004
The Waitakere Ranges Protection Society will today formally gift a Waiatarua property to the Auckland Regional Council.
The formal handover of the land will take place during the first public forum at the ARC's monthly council meeting. This forum was introduced following the October local government elections and will be a regular feature of ARC full council meetings from today onwards.
The 0.244 hectare property at 71 Turanga Rd, Waiatarua, adjoins the Spragg Bush area of Waitakere Ranges Regional Park.
ARC Chairman Michael Lee says the Council is extremely grateful for the gift, which brings the total area of the regional parks network to 38,231.84 hectares.
"This land is a welcome addition to the park not only because it contains a stand of mature native forest," Cr Lee says.
"It will also make a major contribution towards protecting the landscape and scenic values of the area which could have been harmed by development.
"The fact that the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society was determined to purchase the land and see it added to the park to protect it from development speaks volumes about their practical commitment to the Waitakere Ranges."
The Society raised funds from more than 100 donors, including $25,000 from Waitakere City Council, to purchase the land for $72,000 in 2001.
"I thank the members of the Society, for their generous gift and I commend them for their ongoing contribution to the conservation and protection of the Waitakere Ranges." Cr Lee says the property will be managed as part of Waitakere Ranges Regional Park and will be protected in perpetuity.
ARC Parks and Heritage Committee Chair and Waitakere representative Sandra Coney says the gift of the Turanga Rd property highlights a significant ongoing issue for regional parks.
"We need to work throughout the regional parks network to protect park landscapes from the intrusion of nearby development," Cr Coney says.
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