6 Mahurangi Matters July 1, 2015 Environmentfeature

Enduring Powers of Attorney | Wills | Trusts | Estate Planning

What does the future hold?

Phone Webster Malcolm09 425 8037For a free 20 minutePersonal Affairs AssessmentFor Senior Citizens

www.webstermalcolm.co.nz

A 20-hectare property, near Martins Bay, has been added to Auckland’s regional parks network, but it’s unlikely anyone will be visiting the park any time soon.Auckland Council paid $1.025 million for the land in November, $100,000 less than the property’s 2014 capital value.The former farm and bush block borders an existing 71.5ha regional park at the Mahurangi Harbour entrance, which can only be accessed by boat.Principal ranger parks north Matt Vujcich says Council had a first right of refusal agreement with the landowner and purchased the property to maintain the landscape of the area and protect it from development. The land has high ecological values, with native coastal forest.He says there are no plans to enable public access from Martins Bay, which would mean crossing privately owned land.Meanwhile, Council is creating a development plan for Te Muri Regional Park in Mahurangi West.The plan will create a 50-year vision for the park and a 10-year implementation plan.Mr Vujcich says the report will address improving public access to the park, future facilities and tracks.The plan will also enable the Mahurangi Action group to progress plans for a walkway through Te Muri, linking

$1 million expansion to Mahurangi East parkland

The new 20-hectare addition to parkland in Mahurangi East is the forested peninsula in the top right of the photo.

Wenderholm and Mahurangi West.“We will be contacting stakeholders in the coming months to develop a draft plan.”The draft plan will go out for public consultation in November/December with hearings to be held in February.The 382-hectare park sits between Mahurangi Regional Park and

Wenderholm and includes kauri forest, native bush, cultural heritage sites, beach access and views across the Hauraki Gulf. It was purchased by Council for $15 million in 2010, but has not been formally opened to the public and has been used as farmland.The main vehicle access to the park is via Hungry Creek Road, a narrow and

unsealed road. It is estimated to cost millions to improve the road and the intersection with State Highway 1.There is no specific budget tagged to the development of Te Muri Regional Park in the Long-term Plan 2015-2025, however there is a $1 million annual fund for the development of new regional parkland.

7 July 1, 2015 Mahurangi Matters Environmentfeature

christine.rose25@gmail.com

EnvironmentChristine Rose

Nature will have her way

The lack of funding for kauri dieback cleaning stations has prompted Auckland Council to recommend that people wash their shoes in their sink at home before and after walking at Rodney parks where there are kauri trees.There is currently no cure for kauri dieback disease and the most effective way of preventing its spread is through people cleaning their footwear before entering areas with kauri.However, many parks and walkways in Rodney with significant numbers of kauri do not have cleaning equipment, despite kauri dieback being identified at 12 sites in Rodney.Senior regional biosecurity adviser Stacey Hill says Council’s kauri dieback management has been focused on regional parks with the largest stands of kauri and there has been no funding to maintain cleaning stations in smaller parks and walkways.“Council works to maintain cleaning stations at prioritised tracks with significant areas of kauri,” she says. “There are currently over a hundred cleaning stations across the region and to maintain these is a challenge.“In some cases, the responsibility lies with park visitors to ensure they clean their footwear and equipment before and after visiting kauri, in a sink or bucket at home when there are no stations at the park.”Council’s biosecurity team is currently working with Council’s parks team to improve kauri dieback management measures.

Kauri measures fall short

Kauri dieback has infected this tree near the track entrance of Logues Bush Scenic Reserve, near Wellsford.

Kauri dieback cleaning stations have still not been installed at McElroy Scenic Reserve, Mahurangi West, which was identified as the largest forest-clad park in Rodney in an ecological survey of Rodney parks last year. Of the 160 parks surveyed, McElroy was rated the fifth highest priority for biodiversity management with urgent kauri dieback prevention measures needed.Ms Hill says the biosecurity team has taken the first step of identifying where kauri are in the reserve and will be working on a plan for kauri dieback hygiene measures in the next two months.Last year the government committed $26.5 million over four years to research, monitor and prevent the spread of kauri dieback.See cartoon page 4

These days, every storm seems to bear down with unprecedented ferocity. Extreme weather events are a regular occurrence. High seas now wash boulders onto roads and coastal erosion bites huge chunks off our favourite beaches. Infrastructure can’t cope, causing floods and property damage. Inundation makes areas impassable. Weather measurements reach new levels – the driest summer ever, the coldest night, the most rain or snow, the strongest wind … welcome to the new reality. Climate change, and the more extreme and frequent storms and droughts that it brings, is upon us. The climate change future is now. But as yet there seems to be little attenuation of those risks or reduction of coastal development in response to the increased vulnerability of communities to climate change. We’re getting more coastal development, not less. Suggestions of ‘managed retreat’ of public and private infrastructure from coastal margins are sometimes met with outrage. Responses often take the form of a clamour for yet more hard structures, coastal armaments, rock walls, and barriers, which are expensive to make, often ugly, and ultimately doomed to fail. The future looks pretty precarious, too. Scientists are warning that even if we stopped emitting CO2 at unsustainable rates immediately, we’d still have seas a metre or two higher than current levels, by the end of the century. Some forecasters warn that some current coastal real estate will have to be abandoned altogether, uninhabitable because of climate change-induced storm risks. We’ve built houses and roads, and sealed over low lying dune and swampland, meaning many of our towns and villages are vulnerable already within the range of ‘normal’ storm events, and this can only get worse. But despite obvious current risks, all indications are that we will continue to fail to change our own actions in response to the climate, putting expensive public and private development, infrastructure and assets in the path of the force of the sea. In natural coastal environments, dune ecosystems create a natural defence against storm surges, but now they’re severely modified. Planning processes take a long time and much of our development sits on the coast, meaning current land use patterns are hard to change. People are worried about property rights and property values, but nature won’t care whether we take heed of scientists’ current warnings, she will continue to have her way, and we will pay.

DIAGNOSTIC SCAN $65

WOF INSPECTION $49

EXTENDED HOURS: Mon-Fri 8AM ~ 5.30PM SATURDAYS: 9AM ~ 1PMCourtesy Cars Available with advance booking.

SERVICE LITE $165Under bonnet inspection that checks power steering, transmission and brake fluid, coolant, drive belts and your air filter.

SERVICE PLUS $250A thorough 20-point inspection of your vehicle designed to save you time and money in the long run.

SERVICE TOTAL $32040-point inspection. Our most comprehensive service designed to maximise the lifespan and value of your vehicle.

FREE Diagnostic Scan with All SERVICE PACKAGES*

We have extended our specials to the end of august!free wiper blades with every wof

Additional charge will apply for any extra oil, some filters and additional parts or specialised equipment.

250 Mahurangi East Road, Snells Beach 09 425 540014 Hudson Road, Warkworth 09 425 7725

Open 6 Days – 7.15am to 5.15pm (closed public holidays) www.hireworks.co.nz

• Heaters

• Dehumidifiers

• Cold Air Blowers

• Ventilating Fans

• Wet/ Dry Vacs

All the equipment to keep your job moving

Stay dry inside this winter