Pillay Lynne: Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Bill — Procedure First Reading 
Pillay Lynne: Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Bill — Procedure First Reading 
[Volume:629;Page:1389] 
LYNNE PILLAY (Labour—Waitakere) 
: 
 I move  
That the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Bill be now read a first time 
. At the appropriate time I intend to move that the bill be considered by the Local Government and Environment Committee. I stand here today as a proud activist for protection of the Waitakere Ranges the foothills and the wild west coast beaches. These are not just features of the land; together they represent a crucial part of our natural heritage and our national culture. This land is a beacon of enjoyment worthy of celebration and deserving of protection for generations to come. 
I want to pay tribute to many who have come before who have protected this land and who have campaigned to recognise its importance. I acknowledge the Rt Hon Jonathan Hunt who decades ago had a vision for protecting the ranges. I acknowledge the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society and many others who have worked tirelessly for so long to promote protection to challenge inappropriate development and to nurture a dream that so many of us hold dear. I acknowledge tangata whenua whose comprehension of the splendour of this land and whose commitment to it was never in question and the families who have been there for generations and who have contributed so much to the history and culture of the special place we know today. Now to the present I acknowledge the landowners in Swanson Oratia Henderson Valley Titirangi Piha Karekare and the wider community who recognise the uniqueness of the ranges and who willingly take on a responsibility to ensure that that uniqueness is protected. 
The Waitakere Ranges form the western backdrop to metropolitan Auckland. They are a range of high bush-covered volcanic hills with steep slopes and high rainfall. They fall on the west to the rugged coast of the Tasman Sea and on the south to Manukau Harbour. On the city side they grade more gently through rural foothills. In places like Titirangi the ranges are urbanised but in a form that leaves the natural character dominant over the built environment. In other places they remain a wilderness on Auckland’s doorstep. The heart of the ranges is the 17000-hectare Waitakere Ranges Regional Park which was founded on reserves set aside from the late 1890s and incorporates the Auckland Centennial Memorial Park which was established in 1941. The heritage area to be established by the local bill embraces this public land and a further 10000 hectares of private land in the ranges and foothills. The heritage area is mainly in Waitakere City but extends naturally into the southern Rodney District. 
Three councils—the Auckland Regional Council Waitakere City Council and Rodney District Council—have come together to promote the bill. They have worked closely with iwi and local MPs. I acknowledge my colleagues David Cunliffe Chris Carter and Dover Samuels. They have engaged in a huge programme of public consultation on the drafts of the bill and have received outstanding endorsement both locally and throughout the region. 
It is appropriate that this measure is a local bill. The Waitakere Ranges and foothills are a discrete and distinctive area. Their natural beauty and landscape are outstanding in all of New Zealand but they are under pressure of urban sprawl. Their heritage value—both natural and rural—is at risk from metropolitan pressures. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has advised the House of the need to take action to protect this area before it is too late. It was recognised that ad hoc development was having a detrimental effect on the Waitakere Ranges—death by a thousand cuts. It is not just a matter of protection; it is not about drawing a line around the land locking the door and throwing the key away; it is a matter of promoting a compatible style of development and economic activity that is appropriate. The bill does that. 
However the bill does not erode private property rights and it does not take any private land; rather it enhances the rights of the vast majority of residents who do not want to see ad hoc development. It also strengthens the existing parkland but it does not turn private land into parkland. It identifies and protects heritage features including current activities such as farming. The Waitakere foothills have microclimates that are very favourable to horticultural crops. The area has been famous for its apples pears tamarillos and grapes but that is changing. The bill focuses on managing the transition from now obsolete rural uses to new vibrant uses that are also rural in character. The local area management plan provisions will allow communities to express their own character and to assess developmental proposals against long-term goals. The bill builds on the Resource Management Act and provides guidance to councils in decision making to consider the long-term and cumulative effects. 
The key to this bill is that it has a goal which is a vision of what the area might be like in 50 or 100 years. It works towards that goal. It does not freeze development but it does ensure that this precious area does not just become another example of urban sprawl. The ranges and foothills will continue to provide a quality choice for residential living but residential growth is nearing capacity. The ranges will continue to supply more than a third of Auckland’s metropolitan water supply. The ranges and beaches will be a Mecca for the relaxation and recreation of Aucklanders a respite from urban life and a showcase to visitors. They will be a celebration of our unique and wonderful landscape. 
The bill recognises the tangata whenua of the area and imports from the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000 and claim settlement legislation statutory devices to better recognise those important associations. It also builds on the heritage richness of pioneer families for which the west is famous. 
The bill secures the heritage of the Waitakere Ranges and foothills. It creates a new place the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area and it provides for the nurturing of what makes the place special. But more than that the bill reinforces the containment of urban Auckland. It points towards an urban future away from the ranges where urban development is intensified around transport nodes and activity centres. The bill preserves the Waitakere Ranges and foothills and coastline as a very special area that people live in work in and enjoy. It is an area that is valued and will be protected for our children our children’s children and way beyond. 
As the member of Parliament for Waitakere I am proud to take charge of the bill in the House. I warmly congratulate the three councils on their foresight in drafting and promoting the bill. It is my strong recommendation to the House that the parties support the legislation. I commend the bill to the House.