Waitakere audit shows Auckland Council needs to do more
WAITĀKERE
CLOSURE AUDIT
The Waitākere Rāhui team has
recently conducted an in depth audit of the Council’s
closure of the Waitākere Ranges in anticipation that
pressure on the park will increase during the summer months.
Volunteers visited every track entrance in the Ranges
and noted the status of signage, fencing, cleaning stations,
use and (where open) the condition of the track
surface.
The results are shocking. During the
month-long audit volunteers found 14 tracks that were not
clearly either open or closed, had no signage and/or
fencing. In addition they found 20 of the 30 officially open
tracks that did not comply with the standards of the
Controlled Area Notice. The majority of open tracks had no
signage, no cleaning station at all or a very old one, and
in many cases the track surfaces had exposed soil and roots.
The Controlled Area Notice states that no soil must
be moved along, into or out of the open tracks. Where the
surface is unsatisfactory and/or there is no cleaning
station then achieving this standard is impossible. This
means that everyone using these tracks is breaching the
Biosecurity Act and risks prosecution. These tracks must all
be closed until they reach the required standard to be used
without the risk of moving soil.
In addition there was
evidence that fences were poorly placed so that they were
easy to bypass and that informal tracks had been made to
avoid them, so people are breaching the closure. Auckland
Council has yet to take any enforcement action with regard
to the closure.
The Waitākere Rāhui Team is
extremely disappointed with the results of this audit since
the closure has now been in place for 6 months and demands
that Auckland Council closes the gaps and tightens
enforcement urgently before the summer holiday season
commences.
“The people of Auckland have committed
$100m of our money towards protecting kauri and this audit
shows that Auckland Council is not taking its
responsibilities to deliver that protection seriously”
said The Tree Council’s Secretary Dr Mels
Barton.
“The majority of law abiding citizens are
giving up their beloved Waitākere Ranges tramping
experiences in order to protect our forest. We expect
Auckland Council to do their bit to ensure that the closure
is complete and effectively enforced.”
The summary
report is available on the Waitākere Rāhui website at http://waitakererahui.org.nz/the-latest.
A detailed spreadsheet of findings for every track visited
by our volunteers in the last month is available on
request.
Recommendations
1. All
closed track entrances which are currently open should be
closed and properly secured with permanent fencing and
signage.
2. All out of date signage should be removed and
replaced with current signage.
3. All open tracks that do
not meet required standard for track surface condition
should be closed until they have been upgraded.
4. All
open tracks that do not have new unavoidable cleaning
stations on both ends should be closed until they have been
upgraded.
5. All open tracks that do not have appropriate
signage relating to compliance with the Controlled Area
Notice should be closed until they have been
upgraded.
6. Kakamatua Beach Walk track should be
upgraded past the kauri trees with fenced boardwalk to
prevent off track use.
7. Signage should clearly state
that dogs must be on leads on open tracks.
8. All closure
fences should be checked for ability to be bypassed and gaps
secured.
9. All informal tracks should be closed and
secured.
10. Covert security cameras should be installed
where there is evidence of bypass and/or informal tracks are
present.
11. Ambassadors should be permanently located on
all open track entrances.
12. Carparks should be closed
where tracks are closed.
13. Large signs should be placed
on roads clearly stating that forest tracks are
closed.
14. The Controlled Area Notice should be amended
to cover the entire Waitakere Ranges Regional Park so that
risk goods (soil) being moved on closed tracks or informal
tracks can be enforced.
15. A monthly audit of all tracks
(security of closure of closed tracks plus condition of open
tracks) should be completed and reported publicly along with
a monthly report on enforcement.
** Ref: Auckland
Council Waitakere Ranges Track List (attached) https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/environment/plants-animals/pests-weeds/Documents/waitakere-ranges-track-list.pdf