Waitākere Ranges heritage area monitoring report. Volume 1: summary of findings. June 2013

Author:

Waitākere Ranges Local Board, Auckland Council

Source:

Auckland Council | Waitākere Ranges Local Board

Publication date:

2013

Topics:

Environment

Extract:

Background

The Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area (heritage area) is unique in New Zealand both for its natural and cultural features and the pressures for change that it faces. This is due to its location close to the metropolitan heart of New Zealand’s largest city. The Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008 (the Act) was put in place to recognise the area’s national, regional and local significance and to promote the protection and enhancement of its heritage features for present and future generations.

This is the first five-yearly monitoring report for the heritage area. It provides a summary of the current state of the area’s heritage features and progress towards achieving the objectives of the Act. It also assesses whether the information systems currently in place to monitor such changes are adequate for their purpose.

The monitoring report is in two volumes. This volume provides a concise overview of the findings, while Volume 2 provides more detailed background, results and discussion and a fuller explanation of the monitoring methods. Volume 2 is based on a series of specialist technical reports,
which are referenced at the end of that volume.

Based on these assessments, a series of key messages and matters for consideration are presented to Auckland Council as the primary agency responsible for implementing the Act and monitoring progress towards achieving its objectives.

Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008

In summary, the Act:

establishes the heritage area – covering 27,720 hectares of public and private land which includes the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park (regional park), urban areas of Titirangi and Laingholm, the foothills and coastal villages
identifies the heritage features of the area and promotes their protection, restoration and enhancement through a series of objectives
protects the heritage area from the adverse effects of urban sprawl
promotes this protection through the Resource Management Act (RMA) and Local Government Act, as well as influencing decision-making under a number of other relevant pieces of legislation
requires any council decisions, documents, policies and regulations or resource consent applications affecting the heritage area to be considered against the Act’s objectives
provides long term certainty and manages cumulative adverse effects recognises that people live and work in the area, and the need to enable them to provide for their wellbeing. ...