Fenton Darien: Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Bill — Second Reading 
Fenton Darien: Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:642;Page:12038] 
DARIEN FENTON (Labour) 
: 
 It is a great pleasure to take a call on the second reading of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Bill. I want to talk about where I live because I live at the end of the suburban railway line in west Auckland in a small village called Waitakere. The people in my street look out over farmland the foothills and the magnificent ranges in the background. They are not rich landowners. They are ordinary New Zealanders who like me have chosen to live in an area that is special and that has cultural historical and ecological importance to all New Zealanders. So I can confirm to the House as a Waitakere resident that the bill we are debating tonight reflects the desire of the local people in my community to ensure that the magnificent Waitakere Ranges foothills and coastal areas are kept for the enjoyment of future generations. 
A short drive up the road from my place is the wonderful Bethells Beach/Te Henga Beach. People have lived there for a thousand years. Te Kawerau-a-Maki cultivated the lowlands and lived in fortified pa sites along the cliffs above the shoreline. In the middle of last century European settlers came to fell the giant kauri trees and ship them out along the coastal rail line the remains of which are still visible today. They also dug for kauri gum they established farms vineyards and orchards and they made bricks and pottery. By the 1920s the lumberjacks had exhausted much of the kauri and the regeneration process of Auckland’s fantastic back garden began. 
The nearby village of Swanson used to be Auckland’s dumping-ground but the community has built on its settler history and along with the local council has revitalised it with new parks tree plantings and an iconic railway station. The Waitakere Ranges Regional Park is close by and is one part of the Waitakere ranges heritage area established under this bill. The parkland covers 17000 hectares and is an important natural area not only because of its nationally significant landforms landscapes and biodiversity but also because of its close proximity to urban Auckland. 
This is the heart of the heritage area and it had its origins as a protected area way back in 1895 when the Crown vested 1900 hectares of forested land in the Auckland City Council as reserves for the purpose of recreation and the conservation of native flora and fauna. The parkland was rapidly extended by purchases and by substantial private gifts. There has been intensive community activity—and we have heard a lot about that in this debate—and advocacy for the area ever since then and the recognition of the national significance of this heritage area which is the purpose of this bill and is outlined in the preamble has been with us all for a long time. 
This bill not only recognises the national significance of the park but also restates its purpose. It re-establishes a planning regime that is certain and is tied to delivering on long-term objectives. The Waitakere Ranges area where my family neighbours and friends live is also a vital asset for Auckland citizens who with a short drive to the west can walk in ancient forests experience new birdlife learn about our early history or escape to the wild west coast beaches; 2.5 million people visit the magnificent parkland and beaches every year. So this bill is of importance to all citizens not just those of us who live in the foothills of the Waitakere Ranges. 
Even National members recognise that the Waitakere Ranges are an Auckland and a New Zealand icon and they have called for them to be given national park status as provided for under existing law. But I think National has completely misread this bill and the reaction of local people. As a local person I can account for that. What those members do not seem to understand is that it is simply not possible to protect the ranges without protecting the foothills and the coastal areas. If we do not the whole area is at risk. Quite frankly as a Waitakere resident I have been appalled at the misinformation and deliberate scare tactics of some of the opponents of this bill including some in the National Party. We need to learn fast that interventions like this bill are essential if we are serious about our planet. Economics cannot always be the overriding concern; that is old thinking. Economics have to be weighed up alongside the environment and sometimes the environment needs to win. 
There are other concerns for Aucklanders. The Waitakere Ranges supply about a quarter of Auckland’s water supply. There are three concrete and two earth dams in the ranges and the story of how they were built in the early 1900s is worth a good study for anyone who does not know about it. If members have not been for a ride on the tramline that was originally built to haul in the materials to construct the Waitakere Dam I recommend it to anyone. 
Darren Hughes 
: How much does it cost? 
DARIEN FENTON 
: It is cheap very cheap so the National Party could afford it. Tram riders experience a bush-brushed ride through tunnels and over bridges and viaducts in a fantastic introduction to the remarkable rainforest growing right on Auckland’s doorstep. Watercare Services leases the 6600 hectares of catchment land from Auckland regional parks and today these areas serve a dual purpose as protected catchment supply areas and as recreational and biological assets managed within the regional park. 
 The bill acknowledges the historical importance of this supply in the development of Auckland and it identifies its operation as a heritage feature to be protected through its water supply and recreation functions. The ranges deliver services that underpin the Auckland economy and its emergence as a city region of international importance. The closeness of the Waitakere Ranges to New Zealand’s largest urban area contributes both to their unique value and to the risks proposed to them. They are under the intense development pressures of a rapidly growing metropolitan area. For example in the foothills 40 years ago the minimum lot size was 20.2 hectares at the beginning of the 1980s it was 5 hectares then more recently it was 4 hectares and now it is proposed that lots are to be sold at 1 hectare and less. 
One of the particular reasons why I support this bill is that in my area we have seen some disastrous attempts at development nearby in Swanson resulting in blocked streams and slips and a large scar on the hillside that is just starting to heal. The council has had to work very very hard to rectify the problems that this development has caused. Another reason I support this bill is that our back garden is now a bird sanctuary. Believe me we did not start out intending to make it that way; it was a matter of our not cutting down trees for a few years. But it has become so because of the restoration of the forest and the planting of trees in the foothills which has brought more birdlife into the area. Rare birds not seen on the mainland for decades have been introduced into the regional park. Hihi whitehead and native robins can now be spotted regularly. There are plans to introduce other species that until now have survived only in specific conservation protected areas offshore islands or forests. What a wonderful thing that has been for our local people—to have birds like that which we thought were almost extinct on the mainland. 
The Waitakere Ranges provide a beautiful backdrop to urban Auckland. This bill helps ensure that the ranges—including the foothills and coastal villages which are also covered by the heritage area created by the bill—are protected for future generations to enjoy. I commend the councils involved in promoting this bill the Auckland Regional Council the Rodney District Council and the Waitakere City Council for their foresight and their determination. I also commend all the citizens of Waitakere who have been so passionate about this and who for many years have worked hard to get us to the point where we are debating this bill. 
I also congratulate the able member in charge of the bill my fellow westie Lynne Pillay and I congratulate the Local Government and Environment Committee led by the very wonderful Steve Chadwick on its intelligent consideration of the bill. I know that my family and my neighbours will be celebrating along with many others as this bill moves through its remaining stages in the House. Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker.