Auckland Regional Council REGIONAL...

09 366 2000 www.arc.govt.nz

A u c k l a n d Re g i o n a l C o u n c i l

REGIONAL PARKLANDAcquistion Plan

July 1999

Table of Contents

09 366 2000 www.arc.govt.nz

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3

1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. ROLE OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL 8

2.1 Legal Context2.2 Planning Framework

i ARC Strategic Plan (1998/08)ii Regional Growth Strategyiii Regional Recreation Strategyiv Regional Parkland Acquisition Planv Regional Parks Network

Management Planvi Regional Park Services Plan (Draft)vii Regional Parks Asset Management Planvii Other Statutory Plansix Specifications for Parks Settings

and Services2.3 Relationship with Other Agencies

3. PURPOSE OF REGIONAL PARKS 15

3.1 Historic Vision for Regional Parks3.2 The Regional Park Niche3.3 Parks Outside the Region

4. FACTORS INFLUENCING DEMAND 17

4.1 Supply of Public Open Spacea) Current Supplyb) Adequacy of Supply

4.2 Natural and Cultural Heritage Protectiona) Regionally Significant Featuresb) Areas of Regional Significancec) Protection Mechanisms

i Voluntary mechanismsii Public Management mechanismsii Joint public/private management

mechanismsiv Existing Regional Parks Network

4.3 Regional Growth Factorsa) Population Growth Pressuresb) Demographic Changesc) Public Valuesd) Public Preferences

5. PARKLAND ACQUISITION POLICY 30

5.1 Principles5.2 Selection Criteria

6. COMPLETING THE PICTURE 31

6.1 The Existing Network6.2 Meeting Future Demand

i Accessibility to the urban population

ii Scenic coastal locations with beaches

iii Representative examples of regionally significant natural and cultural features

iv Providing a spectrum of recreational experiences

v Providing for special recreation activities

6.3 Consolidation and Expansioni Consolidating existing land

holdingsii New additions to the networkiii Special purpose parksiv Metropolitan regional parksv Hauraki Gulf Islandsvi A regional trail system

6.4 Phasingi Phase Oneii Phase Twoiii Phase Three

6.5 Costs of Acquisition6.6 Funding

i Loan Fundedii Direct Rate Fundediii Public Subscription (Local Authority Stock or Bonds) iv Other Agency Contributionv Donations or Vesting

6.7 Development and Operating Costs6.8 Total Costs

Option A - Acquire and developOption B

APPENDICES

A Extracts from Acts of Parliament 38B Sites of Natural Significance 41C Cultural Heritage Inventory 43D 'Land and Recreation Access Strategy’ 44 E Land Acquisition Selection Criteria 46

P2

1The Auckland Regional Council has the legalmandate to plan and provide for theprotection of high quality natural, cultural and

landscape features of the region, and to provide forregional outdoor recreation. This mandate existunder the Local Government Act, 1974.Traditionally, regional parks have focused onproviding access to countryside settings with highscenic and conservation values. Regional parksprovide the people of the region with access tonative bush, the coast and farmland, thereby linkingpeople to the land through leisure.

2Surveys of park users and the public indicatethat people value the regional parks most forthe opportunity they provide for informal

recreation such as walking, swimming andpicnicking in large, scenic, natural settings. Thepublic have indicated they would continue tosupport the purchase of land for these purposes.

3It is anticipated that the region's populationwill double to 2 million people in 50 years.The regional countryside regional parks

currently receive 7.9 million visits per year. Ifcurrent visitor patterns persist into the future, visitscould increase to 15.5 million per year over the next50 years. The current regional parks have anestimated capacity of less than 12 million visits peryear before the qualities of experience whichpeople seek on regional parks begin to bedegraded. There is therefore a continuing need toconsider further purchases of regional parkland toprovide for future demand.

4Overall, 15 percent of the land area of theAuckland region is publicly-owned openspace. 2.1 percent is local authority-zoned

public open space, 6.4 percent DOC conservationland ( which includes 60% of Great Barrier Island )

and 7.5 percent is regional parkland. This planidentifies a need for better co-ordination betweenthe agencies responsible for open spacemanagement in the region. It also suggests thatthe ARC continues to facilitate integrated openspace planning between the different agenciesacross the region.

5The plan;

a) defines the role of the Auckland RegionalCouncil and its relationship with other agencieswho also have responsibility for aspects of heritageand open space management in the region;

b) defines the factors which determine the level ofdemand for increased regional parkland, such aspopulation growth and public preferences, and thecapacity of the parks to cope; and

c) outlines the role the Auckland Regional Councilwill play in protecting regionally significant heritagefeatures and providing for regional recreationopportunities for the future.

6The plan outlines the principles, criteria andpriorities for future additions to the regionalpark network and suggests how this might be

supplemented by securing public recreation accessto privately owned land, co-ordinating the provisionof a regional trail system and managing theopportunities for high impact outdoor recreationwithin the region. The plan proposes theacquisition of at least 8 new parks and additions toat least 8 existing parks over the next 20 years.

Executive Summary

09 366 2000 www.arc.govt.nz P3

The purpose of this plan is to define the role of theAuckland Regional Council in relation to theprotection of natural and cultural heritage, and theprovision of regional outdoor recreationopportunities in the Auckland region, through itsmanagement of the regional parks network. Italso examines the respective roles of otheragencies, who have responsibility for heritage andopen space management in the region. The planconsiders the level of demand for additionalregional parkland in response to population growth,and outlines the role the Auckland Regional Councilwill play in securing regional outdoor recreationopportunities.

The people of the region enjoy and benefit from arich and diverse natural and cultural environment.They make use of these settings in threefundamental ways. Firstly, they enjoy and benefitfrom the qualities of the region's landscape as asetting for the city and as a context for their day-to-day activities. Secondly, they gain a sense ofidentity from the places, the natural qualities andthe cultural associations of the region. And thirdly,they enjoy and benefit from the recreationalopportunities these settings provide.

The Auckland Regional Council has, in a generalsense, the responsibility to sustainably manage thenatural and cultural resources of the region. Theseobligations are outlined in the ResourceManagement Act 1991. It also has the option topurchase land in order to protect special natural andcultural features of the region, and to provide forpublic recreational needs of Aucklanders at theregional level. This mandate is identified in Section619 of the Local Government Act 1974.

The Auckland Regional Council is one of a numberof public agencies with parallel responsibilities for

heritage management and meeting the recreationalneeds of Aucklanders. The Department ofConservation and the local authorities in the regionhave similar responsibilities. It has been recognisedby these agencies that there is a need to ensurethat their various responses are co-ordinated so asto avoid unnecessary duplication, and to ensurevital issues and opportunities are not overlooked.Furthermore, it is recognised that privatelandowners have an essential role to play in thesustainable management of the region's resourcesand, increasingly, are playing an important role inmeeting the recreational needs of Aucklanders.

This plan outlines the principles, policies andcriteria the ARC will use to determine the longterm direction and priorities for land purchase andfor securing recreation potential within the region.

The key issues for regional parks are whether theexisting parks network is adequate to cope with anexpected doubling in population over 50 years, andwhether there is sufficient protection of and accessto regional landscapes of value and regionaloutdoor recreation settings. These issues areillustrated in the figures below. Figure 1shows thelevel of visits to regional parks in 1996 (in blue) withthe estimated number of visits in 2050 (in yellow),and compares this with the capacity of the parks tocope (in red). Figure 2 compares the estimatedcapacity of the parks with the future demand, butalso shows the origin of the visitors by sector. Thisanalysis, which is examined in more detail insection 4.1 of this report, shows that there will bea shortfall in all sectors except the south by 2050.

1. Introduction



Figure 1: Regional Park Visits and Carrying Capacity


Figure 2: Regional Park Visits and Carrying Capacity of parks showing origin of parks visitors by sector


Map 1: Auckland Regional Council Parks

The role of regional parks, as defined by the LocalGovernment Act, incorporates two aspects; theconservation of regionally significant natural andcultural features, and provision of recreationalopportunities for the regional population.

This plan focuses on the role of the AucklandRegional Council in providing regional parks. Thisrole must however be seen in the context of theoverall planning responsibilities of the ARC, withrespect to the sustainable management of thenatural and cultural features of the region. Otherpublic agencies, such as the Department ofConservation and the local authorities, also havemandates to plan for and protect natural andcultural heritage features, and to provide forrecreation opportunities in the region. Many of thekey features exist on land in private ownership andcan be protected or managed by means other thanpublic purchase. There are a range of national,regional and local public policies which offer levelsof protection to these, or ensure that the featuresare managed in a sustainable way. Mechanismssuch as private covenants under the auspices ofthe QEII Trust also contribute to these levels ofprotection. Furthermore, recreational opportunitiesare increasingly being provided on private landand/or by commercial operators. These also havebeen taken into account. It is within this contextthat the selection of land considered suitable ordesirable for purchase as regional parkland musttake place.

Traditionally, the ARC has responded to theseexpectations by purchasing valued landscape areas,usually coastal, and making them available forpeoples' enjoyment. The ARC has not chosen topurchase land for purely recreational potential. ( MtSmart is the only park dedicated to recreation. Thiswas inherited from the Crown specifically for asports and entertainment centre.) There isevidence that there is a need to provide greateropportunities for some recreational activities at theregional level such as horse riding, trail bikes, off-road vehicles and similar high impact or noisyactivities. This demand is currently largely beingsatisfied by the commercial exotic forests in theregion and by some private landowners.

There is potential for satisfying some of the futurerecreational needs of Auckland's growingpopulation on private land using mechanisms suchas securing 'recreation access' by leasing or othermeans. This could be used to satisfy both highimpact activities and the need to gain access toand enjoy the region's landscape without the needfor public land acquisition. The implementation of aregional trail system would greatly enhance theseopportunities.

There will still be a need however, to consider thepurchase of land where the natural and culturalfeatures are under threat, and cannot be protectedby any other means, or when it is desirable toensure public access over the long-term and this isthe most cost-effective way of achieving it.Purchasing of land for the protection of natural andcultural features automatically provides recreationalopportunities.

While DOC owns an equivalent land area to theARC in the region, its primary role is in protectingconservation values. The ARC is the only agencyspecifically mandated to provide recreationalopportunities and protect conservation values atthe regional level. ( See Figure 4)

2.1 Legal Context

Section 619(2) of the Local Government Act, 1974(Refer Appendix A1) defines the circumstancesunder which the Regional Council can consider thepurchase of land for regional parks and reservespurposes. There are three primary reasons whyland can be purchased for regional park purposes.These are to protect and preserve;

i) Natural features including landscape, native bush,vegetation and biological features, and/or

ii) Cultural features including historic, scenic,archaeological, educational, community or otherspecial features or values, and/or

iii) Recreational significance or potential.

2. Role of the Regional Council


These may be selected for their intrinsic worthand/or for the benefit, enjoyment and use of thepublic, in particular, the public of the region.

The reasons for holding land for regional parkpurposes under the Local Government Act arealmost identical to the reasons for which land canbe held for reserves under the Reserves Act, 1977,( Refer Appendix A2). The Reserves Act provisionsapply to regional parks where there is a Crownresponsibility associated with the park. Forexample, where the management of the land wasvested by the Crown in the ARC or the Crowncontributed to the purchase of the land.

The Resource Management Act 1991 ( RM Act) isalso relevant in defining the responsibilities of theRegional Council with respect to the managementof public open space. Section 6 of the RM Act(Refer Appendix A.4) refers to a number of factorswhich are considered to be of national importance.These include preservation of the natural characterof the coast, wetlands and lakes and rivers andtheir margins, protection of outstanding naturalfeatures and landscapes from inappropriatesubdivision, use and development, protection ofsignificant indigenous vegetation and significanthabitats of indigenous fauna, and matters such asthe maintenance and enhancement of publicaccess to and along the coastal marine area, lakesand rivers, and the relationship of Maori toancestral lands, water, sites and other taonga.

Section 7 of the Resource Management Act (ReferAppendix A4) goes on to describe other matters ofimportance which include, amongst other things,"the maintenance and enhancement of amenityvalues". "Amenity values" are defined in the RMAct as meaning "… those natural or physicalqualities and characteristics of an area thatcontribute to people's appreciation of itspleasantness, aesthetic coherence, and cultural andrecreational attributes:"

The RM Act makes specific reference to a range ofmatters, which are also the purposes for whichreserve lands may be purchased and held in public

ownership. The issues include the protection andmanagement of natural and cultural features, aswell as matters such as the maintenance andenhancement of public access to and along thecoast, lakes and rivers, and, matters such as the'recreational attributes' of land. Furthermore, asmentioned earlier, given that the suitability of landfor consideration for public purchase requires ananalysis of the significance of the natural andcultural features of, and recreational opportunities inthe region, it is clear there is a close relationshipbetween the Regional Council's responsibilitiesunder the Local Government Act, the Reserves Actand the Resource Management Act. In terms ofSection 32 RM Act (Duties to consider alternatives,assess benefits and costs, etc.), public purchasecan be considered as one of the options availableto implement policies which give effect to theprovisions of the RM Act. The open spacequalities of the region should be managed in termsof the RM Act, and the purchase and managementof regional parkland be seen as one of the optionsfor implementing regional policy derived under theResource Management Act.

Regional parkland has largely been secured and isretained under the provisions of Section 619 of theLocal Government Act, which requires the land tobe held "in perpetuity". Furthermore, much of theWaitakere Ranges, which are held under theAuckland Centennial Memorial Parkland Act, 1941,cannot be sold.

The existing legislation offers a high degree of longterm protection to regional parkland. While theintention to hold land in perpetuity for the benefitof future generations is not questioned, the blanketprohibition on the disposal of all land held under theLocal Government Act and the Auckland CentennialMemorial Parkland Act, inhibits the prudentmanagement of regional parkland. It preventssimple rationalisation of boundaries, where this hasbecome necessary as a result of changes in theland use on adjoining land. It also restricts theARC's ability to purchase landholdings in order tosecure natural and cultural features, and then todispose of the remainder of the land, which mayhave little value as regional parkland.


The constraints in the way the legislation iscurrently framed, limit the Council's flexibility insecuring those elements of land under offer, whichbest suit its purposes for regional parkland. Theinability of the ARC to dispose of land acts againstconsideration of the initial purchase, some of whichmay not be needed for regional parks purposes.This can impose an unnecessary long term cost ofholding land of marginal value. Greater flexibility inthe way land can be purchased is highly desirable,but can also create the potential for land to bedisposed of without taking the long term benefitsto future generations into account. The ability todispose of land must be limited and should besubject to a rigorous and open public process.

POLICY 2.1

The ARC will advocate for amendments tolegislation to provide greater flexibility in thepurchase of regional parkland.

2.2 Planning Framework

The planning framework for securing regional

parkland and regional recreation opportunitiesidentified in this document, form part of a suite ofstrategic and operational plans, which give directionto the provision and management of the regionalpark network.

i) ARC Strategic Plan (1998/08) The overall strategic directions for the ARC areexpressed in the statutory 10 year ARC StrategicPlan and Long Term Financial Plan. These wereapproved with the annual planning process in July1998. The ARC Strategic Plan's visions for'leadership and relationships', 'sustaining ourheritage' and 'recreation' provide broad directionand the basis for actions, and funding requirementsfor Council with respect to recreation and parks. Insummary these include:

Service through leadership and trustingrelationships with people and organisations, whichenhance the effectiveness of the Council achievingoutcomes. A healthy sustainable environment that

enhances the quality of life of the people of theregion and provides for future generations. A rich and diverse natural and cultural heritage,

conserved and valued by the people of the region.


Figure 3. Planning Framework.

Recreational facilities available to meet theneeds of the people of the region. Natural park settings and stadia for recreation

to provide an escape for the people of the region.

ii) RRegional GGrowth SStrategyThe Draft Regional Growth Strategy was releasedfor public comment in July 1998 and sets out thedesired directions to accommodate a regionalpopulation of up to two million by 2050. Itidentifies the demographic impacts of regionalgrowth (including recreation and open spaceimpacts) and recommends that 70 percent of thefuture growth can be accommodated withinexisting metropolitan urban limits by way ofredevelopment and intensification.

The quality of the region's open space is beingassessed as part of the Regional Growth Strategy.This is an inter-agency strategy intended to providea co-ordinated and integrated approach to themanagement of the open space qualities of theregion, including publicly owned open space.

iii) RRegional RRecreation SStrategyThe strategy covers Council's role and direction inleading and facilitating integrated recreation andopen space planning for the Auckland Region, andin directly providing regional park and recreationoperations. The strategy draws upon marketresearch to align park benefits, settings andservices with user needs. An outcome of thestrategy will be direction to the Regional ParkNetwork Management Plan and the specification ofpark development and service levels.

iv) RRegional PParkland AAcquisition PPlanA Land and Recreation Access Strategy - Issuesand Options report was released for publiccomment in August 1998. The Regional ParklandAcquisition Plan was prepared on the basis of thepublic feedback on that document.

v) RRegional PParks NNetwork MManagement PPlanThe Regional Parks Network Management Planprovides the primary statutory policy framework forthe management of the regional parks network asa whole. The Plan applies the strategic policy tothe individual parks and provides the operational

policy framework for the day to day managementof the parks. It is also the primary statutorycontract between the ARC and the public ofAuckland. The individual park management plans, asrequired by the Local Government Act, sit withinthis framework.

vi) RRegional PPark SServices PPlan ((Draft)The Regional Park Services Plan defines thegeneral niche for regional parks and a frameworkfor positioning each park or parts of parks inrelation to the spectrum of benefits park visitorscan derive from the parks. The Services Plancontains promotional, product development,pricing and market research proposals.

vii) AARC AAsset MManagement PPlanThe Local Government Act requires all local andregional councils to prepare and maintain an assetmanagement plan for all capital assets. The vastmajority of the ARC's capital assets pertain toregional parks. All structural, natural and culturalassets are included. The Asset Management Plangroups assets in natural and recreation settings,which meet specific recreational and conservationneeds and expectations. In this way, assets can bemanaged in relation to the purpose they serve.

viii) OOther SStatutory PPlansRegional policy contained in the Proposed AucklandRegional Policy Statement and Proposed RegionalPlan (Coastal), will also have relevance to regionalparks and recreation settings and services.

There are two primary policy documents which arerelevant. These are;

a) Auckland Regional Policy Statementb) Auckland Regional Plan (Coastal)

The Auckland Regional Policy Statement (ARPS)contains sets of policies which relate to theevaluation and protection of the natural heritage(Policy 6.4.7), geological heritage (Policy 6.4.13),cultural heritage (Policy 6.4.16) and landscape(Policy 6.4.19) of the region. Scenic icons such asthe volcanic cones, forested ranges, peninsulas,harbour vistas and headlands are recognised asbeing of regional significance.


The policies of the Auckland Regional Plan (Coastal)reflect those contained in the ARPS, with theaddition of policies which relate to the protection ofthe coastal marine area

The policies contained in the ARPS and theRegional Plan (Coastal) must be consistent with theNew Zealand Coastal Policy Statement. The mostsignificant policies in the New Zealand CoastalPolicy Statement document are those which relateto ensuring the preservation and enhancement ofaccess for the public to and along the coastalmarine area. These are a direct reflection of thematters considered to be a national importanceidentified in Section 6 of the RM Act.

ix) SSpecifications ffor PParks SSettings aand SServices

This is an internal management document whichsets standards for park settings and services withinthe park positioning framework, and createsmeasurable performance specifications for the day-to-day management of each park zone. Keyperformance indicators have been selected forquarterly measurement and reporting on thesuccess of parks operations.

2.3 Relationship to other agencies

Other public agencies, such as the Department ofConservation and the local authorities, also havemandates to plan for and protect natural andcultural heritage features and to provide forrecreation opportunities in the region.

Local authorities play a major role in the provisionof public open space in the region. They havegenerally limited their role to the provision of localparks and sports fields, serving local residentialneighbourhoods, on land owned and operated bythe local authority in terms of the Reserves Act.Areas or features which are identified as havingconservation value are usually "protected" throughthe provisions of their respective district plans, andas the opportunity arises, through mechanismssuch as covenants imposed at the time ofsubdivision. That is, local authorities have not

traditionally seen it as their primary role to protectnatural or cultural features through publicownership, although a number of local parks docontain natural and cultural heritage features. Oftenthese are the results of subdivision contributionsand have largely been taken for their aestheticrather than conservation values.

National parks and reserves fall within the purviewof the Conservation Act 1987. The Act isadministered by the Department of Conservation.The general functions of the Department aredefined in Section 6 of the Conservation Act (ReferAppendix A3).

DOC's mission statement is "….to conserve thenatural and historic heritage of New Zealand for thebenefit of present and future generations." TheDepartment is primarily responsible for theprotection of open space areas, which containconservation values of national significance. As aconsequence it owns and manages large tracts ofland throughout New Zealand; most notable ofthese are the alpine and native forest nationalparks. These land holdings cover nearly 30% ofNew Zealand, with less than 1% of this beinglocated in the Auckland Region.

The Department has a general responsibility tooversee the conservation of natural and culturalresources where they occur on other publiclyowned or private land. The Department has astrong conservation advocacy role in this respect.DOC also has the responsibility to recognise andprovide for the recreation and tourism potential ofits landholdings, provided these do not detract fromthe conservation values of the land.

The relative balance of responsibilities of the ARCto the other public agencies in the provision andmanagement of parks and reserves is illustrated infigure 4

There are, however, numerous examples in theregion, where reserve lands held by the variouslevels of government do not sit logically on thiscontinuum. There will inevitably be some overlapbetween the different levels, and in some cases


there is unnecessary duplication, which can lead toconfusion of the relative roles of the various levelsof government. The confusion is compounded byoverlapping responsibilities. This is particularlynoticeable with respect to the recreational activityon DOC land within the Auckland region and therole of regional parks. While from the park userspoint of view it may not matter who controls whichpiece of land, provided it is well managed, there isnevertheless potential for inefficiencies and pooraccountability within the current framework.Some rationalisation has already taken place. Anumber of pieces of land owned by the Crown, e.g.Hunua Falls and Muriwai Regional Park, aremanaged by agreement by the ARC. However,there is a need to define better the relative roles ofeach agency, and, if necessary to rationalise themanagement of further land holdings within theregion. It will, however, be necessary to ensurethat any rationalisation does not impose a cost onregional ratepayers that is more appropriately bornby central government There is also a need toreview the legislation under which public agenciesprovide for, and manage open space within theregion, in particular the Reserves Act 1977.

There is a need to ensure that other publicagencies are making their contribution to theprovision of a full range of recreationalopportunities in the region. For example, the DraftOpen Space Strategy for the Auckland Region (ARC1992), promoted the idea that each local authorityshould acquire and develop a metropolitan park ofat least 40 hectares. Parks such as the AucklandDomain and One Tree Hill Domain fulfil a regionalfunction and bridge the responsibilities of the localand the regional levels of recreation.

As a minimum, it is important that these variouslevels of provision are co-ordinated across theregion, so that there is no undue duplication orgaps in the provision. This raises questions withrespect to the need for effective co-ordination andintegrated decision-making.

The public funding available for open spacemanagement is limited and comes from manysources. It is important that it is used prudently

and in the best interests of the region as a whole.The co-ordinated provision and management ofopen space is an important regional strategic issue.

As well as the local authorities and the Departmentof Conservation, other public and private agenciesalso play a role in the management of the openspace qualities of the region. Included amongstthese are the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust,Native Forest Heritage Trust, Royal Forest and BirdProtection Society, Carter Holt Harvey Ltd. andvarious agencies that provide open space as a spin-off of their core activities such as schools, racecourses, golf and country clubs, hospitals,motorway corridors and the like.

The Queen Elizabeth II National Trust (QEII Trust)has as its general function the protection of"landscape" features on private land, mainly throughvoluntary covenanting. The Royal Forest and BirdProtection Society owns a small number ofreserves around the region.

Carter-Holt Harvey Ltd., as commercial foresters,hold the cutting rights to the formerly crown-ownedexotic forests at Riverhead and Woodhill. Carter-Holt Harvey Ltd. is required to provide recreationalaccess to the these forests as part of anagreement with the Crown. The forests are usedextensively for high-impact recreation such as off-road vehicles, trail-bikes and horse riding and arethe major providers of this sort of recreation withinthe region. Public surveys (Refer Appendix D) haveshown that the public do not feel that existingregional parks are suited for motorised high impactactivities, but would be accepting of limitedmountain bike and horse trekking.

Other public agencies, such as schools, are alsorecreation providers. There is considerablepotential within the region for better utilisation ofthese resources through joint ventures. Schoolshave high levels of investment in playing fields,which could be utilised by the wider community fora charge, returning an income to the schools.Territorial local authorities have a role to play in co-ordinating and acting as a broker in setting up jointventures with school boards.


There has been significant growth in the provisionof recreation by the private sector and on privately-owned land in recent years within the Aucklandregion. Again, there is a need for better co-ordination between the people providing theseopportunities, and there is considerable potential toexpand these opportunities. Of particular interestin this area is the opportunity for private landowners, and particularly farmers on marginal land,to supplement their incomes by providing addedvalue recreational opportunities such as horse-riding, kayak hire, overnight accommodation orsimply public trails and walkways.

Where these opportunities are meeting a local orregional need that would otherwise be provided bya local authority or the regional council, there is thepotential for the public agencies to act as brokersand to purchase "recreation access" from privatelandowners on behalf of the public.. POLICY 2.2

The ARC will co-ordinate the provision andmanagement of public open space and recreational opportunities in the region through;

i) providing regional leadership and co-ordinationthrough the regional growth strategies and otherappropriate mechanisms,

ii) acting as an advocate for initiatives whichimprove the protection of regionally significantopen space qualities and provision of regionalrecreational opportunities within the region,

iii) facilitating the provision of opportunities for highimpact recreation, such as off-road vehicles,through the private sector.

POLICY 2.3

The ARC will continue to protect and preservenatural and cultural features, and to provide longterm public access to recreational

opportunities by purchasing land selected inaccordance with the policies, criteria and prioritiesoutlined in this report.

POLICY 2.4

Land purchase will be considered where:

i) statutory policy does not adequately protectregionally significant features, andii) long term public access is imperative and cannotbe guaranteed by other means.

POLICY 2.5

Long term public access to and along the coastalmarine area, lakes and rivers will be given priority inconsidering future purchase of land.

POLICY 2.6

Where private landowners are willing, considerationwill be given to securing public access orrecreation rights over private land to meet short to medium term recreation needs.

POLICY 2.7

In considering additions to existing regional parks,emphasis will be given to;

i) protecting the qualities and range of experiencesoffered at regional parks where these arethreatened.

ii) enhancing existing experiences by extending theexperiences onto adjoining land where appropriate,including the contribution that local authorityreserve contributions can make to existingparkland.

iii) establishing a regional network of walkways andtrails in conjunction with other public agencies andprivate land owners.


Figure 4: Role of National, Regional and Local Authority Parks Agencies

3.1 Historic Vision for Regional Parks

Regional parkland has been accumulated over thelast 50 years. Large amounts of it were inheritedas parts of other functions of the ARC (and itspredecessor the ARA), such as the watercatchment areas of the Hunua and the WaitakereRanges and the sewage buffer zone at Ambury.Other areas, such as the Centennial MemorialParkland in the Waitakere ranges and MuriwaiRegional Park, were transferred to the ARC fromother public agencies and the Crown.

In 1975/6 the Auckland Regional Authorityevaluated the parks network with a view todefining the role of regional parks and any need forfurther staged land acquisition. The Interim Reporton Regional Parks and Recreation adopted in March1975 stated:

The major role of the ARA should be theacquisition, development and management ofreasonably large areas for the purpose of publicrecreation. Preservation is important but secondaryto public use and enjoyment. The types ofrecreation activities for which the Authority shouldtake the major responsibility are those which: areextensive (space consuming); are resource oriented(require attractive natural resources); areunorganised (require no special fields or courts);favour participation (are inexpensive and encouragethe less proficient person): and are of longer termduration (take about half a day or most of it)."

Three main classifications were determined todifferentiate between ownership, administration,and access: "Regional Parks", acquired forrecreation use; "Protection Reserves", acquired forother purposes such as sewage protection or watersupply, but with recreation access a secondarypossibility; and "Regional Trails", which may or maynot be owned by the ARA, but which provideregional public access. The report concluded thatRegional Parks could have an emphasis on or mixof forest, pastoral, or recreation qualities.

As to whether there should be more Regional

Parks, the report considered that many existingparks were at capacity and with projected urbangrowth, concluded that a balance between parkacquisition and the development of existing parkswas required. Three planning objectives weredeveloped:

1. The park network should contain representativesamples of the best resources and any unusual orunique opportunities for public recreation andoutdoor education.

2. The network should have a balanced parkdistribution which reflects the future location ofresidential settlement in the region.

3. The park system should be diverse enough andflexible enough to adapt to changing patterns ofrecreation.

The interim report was included in a full evaluationof the regional park network produced in 1976 andset priorities for future parkland. Many of theseremain on the agenda for consideration for futurepurchase and have been re-evaluated in terms ofthe principles and criteria developed in this plan.(Refer to Section 5 )

3.2 The Regional Park Niche

The Local Government Act 1974 provides for theacquisition and management of regional parks inperpetuity for the public of the Auckland region, forthe purposes of protecting and preserving theirintrinsic worth and/or for the benefit, enjoymentand use of the public. This may be for a widerange of reasons including: natural or landscapefeatures, cultural, educational features or values;and/or for purely their recreational significance.

Primarily, regional parks have been purchased toprotect and make accessible countryside for theenjoyment of the public. They incorporate, a rangeof outstanding and large scenic natural areas, areasof farmland and significant beaches with a naturalor rural setting. Bush, beach, and farmland are theprimary themes of regional parks.

The Purpose of Regional Parks


The size of the parks and their levels of regionalvisitation requires regional funding andmanagement. They provide "accessible countryside"for the Aucklanders to escape to, and aredeliberately given lower levels of developmentcommensurate with ensuring the countrysideexperience is retained. Those experiences mayrange from higher density social beach experiencesin a rural setting, to a remote experience inforested ranges. Generally visitors make their ownrecreation within these settings, and services arelow key and focus on public safety, interpretation,and facilitating people's enjoyment of the naturalsettings.

Regional parks lie at an intermediate level betweenlocal and national parks. Local urban parks meet awider range of recreational and community needsfor sportsfields, playgrounds, community centres,local reserves and urban beaches. National parksand reserves, on the other hand, are managed witha conservation emphasis on habitat and culturalheritage protection first, and public enjoymentsecond. The national conservation estate containsoutstanding landscapes and outdoor recreationexperiences similar to those provided at theregional level, but is generally more than a day tripaway from urban areas.

In contrast, the regional parks are focused onengaging people with nature, of encouragingpeople to enjoy outdoor recreation in naturalsettings and on learning about the environment.The regional role is best captured by the concept"linking people and the land through leisure". Theseexperiences are generally within an easy day tripfor most people in the region.

The ARC has traditionally focused on protectingprime scenic locations, usually coastal peninsulas.Park visitor and public preferences indicate that it isthe ability of people to enjoy informal recreation innatural settings, which they value most aboutregional parks. Where there is a need to secureheritage features and/or regional recreationalopportunities in perpetuity, then public purchaseshould be considered. Where there are willingland-owners, or where public access needs only to

be secured for a limited period, then voluntarymanagement mechanisms and the purchase ofrecreation access might be the preferred option.

POLICY 3.1The selection of land for consideration for inclusionin the regional parks network will continue to bebased on the theme of 'accessible countryside'with a focus on bush, beach and farmland.

3.3 Parks Outside the Region

The dominance of Auckland as a major centre ofpopulation and economy means that its influencesextend well beyond the Auckland Region. This isvery evident with respect to Aucklander's leisurepatterns. These extend into the Waikato, inparticular the Coromandel area, and into Northland.The Local Government Act permits the ARC toacquire and manage land for regional parkspurposes outside the Auckland Region.

It has not been past practice to look beyond theregion, but the continued population growth of theregion and the limited extent of natural areas withinthe region, could mean that in order to satisfy thefuture needs of Aucklander's that there will be aneed to secure recreation opportunities in places,such as the Coromandel Peninsula. It is, however,felt that this is more properly the responsibility ofthe relevant regional council. At this stage onlyAuckland and Wellington Regional Councils arespecifically empowered to own and manageregional parks. The Local Government Act wouldneed to be amended to mandate other regionalcouncils to fulfil this function.

POLICY 3.2The ARC will advocate for an amendment tolegislation to permit all regional councils to providefor and manage regional parks.

POLICY 3.3The ARC will only consider the purchase of regionalparkland outside the Auckland region where itadjoins existing regional parks and has ademonstrable benefit to the regional park network.


4.1 Supply of Public Open Space

a) Current Supply

Regional parks sit within a spectrum of public openspace within the region. (Refer to Map 2) There is,as highlighted above, considerable overlap betweenthe various levels of public open space. Thedistribution of public open space by local authorityarea is described in the following Table 1.

The standard of 4 hectares per 1000 people isfrequently used as a basis for determining thefuture provision of neighbourhood parks and sportsfields in new developing suburban areas. There arehowever no recognised standards for larger districtparks, sub-regional or regional park systems, or foresplanade reserves, ecological corridors and thelike, which have a conservation role as well asprovide recreation opportunities.

The distribution of regional parkland and DOC landis a reflection of the geographic distribution of thespecific natural and cultural features the parks werepurchased to protect. As a consequence, west

and south Auckland benefit from the fact that thisis where the major bush-covered ranges occur inthe region, and Auckland City benefits from havingjurisdiction over the Hauraki Gulf Islands.

It is somewhat spurious to look at regionaldistribution in terms of an ideal distribution, giventhe above factors, and the fact that people living inone sector will travel to another sector in order toobtain the type of experience they seek. This isevidenced by the regional park visitor patterns.However, given these visitor patterns and theabove distribution of public open space, it is knownthat the northern sector of the Auckland region isslightly under-represented in the amount of openspace.

The need for additional regional parkland isdetermined by the consideration of two factors;

i) the need to protect regionally significant naturaland cultural features, and ii) the need to provide for the recreation needs of agrowing regional population.

4. Factors Influencing the Demand for Regional Parks


Table 1 - Hectares of Public Open Space Available in TLA Areas (August 1998)

b) Adequacy of Supply

For a regional population exceeding 1.1 millionpeople, the ARC offers 37,091 hectares of parklandspread over 22 parks. This amounts to 34.6hectares of countryside parkland per 1,000population. If DOC land is included, there is 63.9hectares of land per 1,000 population.

However, the regional parks (excluding the 22hectare Mt Smart complex) could generally bedivided into about 34,000 hectares of forestedWaitakere and Hunua Ranges (incorporating watercatchment areas) and about 3000 hectares ofprimarily coastal countryside parks.

On this basis there are about 31.8 hectares offorested regional parkland, and 2.8 hectares ofcoastal-countryside regional parkland per 1,000head of population. The coastal areas are the mostpopular.

Estimates of park visitation, in 1995/96 indicatesome 7.9 million visits are made to countryside andconservation parkland (excluding Mt. Smart).

The existing countryside regional parks aresubjected to 7.9 million visits per year. If theexisting visitor patterns persist into the future thenthis could result in the number of visitors toregional parks increasing to 15.5 million visits peryear within 50 years. A preliminary estimate ofthe capacity of the existing parks to absorb morevisitors without destroying the qualities ofexperience currently enjoyed by visitors, is about 12million visits per year. (Refer to Table 2)

Therefore, while there is some capacity to absorbsome growth in visitor numbers through targetedpromotion of under-used parts of the network, the

increase in population will necessitate expansion ofthe network over the next 50 years.

A 1994 ARC study of remaining unique landscapesand coastal beaches of sufficient quality to becomeregional park land identified about 15-20 areas inthe Auckland Region amounting to a total of 3,000to 5,000 hectares. These areas were viewed fromthe air by a group of specialist staff and councillorsand scored against criteria for resource quality,cultural, ecological and scenic/landscape/geology,accessibility, recreation demand, and whether theland would add to an existing regional park. If allsuch areas were acquired, the regional parksnetwork would increase 8-13 percent.

There is no simple formula for determining theamount of regional parkland necessary to continueto satisfy the regional public's needs or wishes.The need to protect regionally significant heritagefeatures is determined by the value placed on themby the regional community, and, the level of threatto them.

The need for further land for regional recreationpurposes is a function of people's perception of thedegree to which existing settings continue tosatisfy the range and quality of experience theyexpect from regional parkland. This is particularlycritical with respect to the quality of experienceoffered by remote or wilderness areas. Here,increased use will ultimately detract from ordestroy the quality of experience people areseeking. This makes it difficult to argue thatfurther land should not be purchased until theexisting holdings are fully utilised.

The need to protect regionally significant heritagefeatures is determined by the level of protectionalready or potentially offered by other mechanisms,


Table 2

and, by the level of threat to the features. Thisplan outlines a means of determining andevaluating the need for and priority for protectionusing a set of principles and criteria. ( See Section5 of this plan.) It is not however, possible topredetermine accurately which of these regionalsignificant features or areas are likely to comeunder threat, and when this is likely to happen.The need to respond will therefore necessarily bedetermined to some degree by circumstances asthey emerge and the level of threat becomesobvious. The ARC may need to respond quickly topotential threats at any time.

The Auckland region is not over-endowed withregional parkland, even when DOC land is included,by comparison with other regions in New Zealandor overseas. There is a need to ensure that theland is being used to its best potential, and there isa need again to consider the contribution DOC landmakes here. The key to ensuring the cost-effectiveprovision of regional parkland lies in systematicmonitoring of use and people's level of satisfactionwith the parks, thoughtful promotion to ensure thebest utilisation, and, systematic assessment ofwhat heritage features the public values andmonitoring of the level of threat to these.

POLICY 4.1

The ARC will monitor regional growth patterns,including changing land values, and use these as abasis for determining the need for and timing offuture regional park purchases.

POLICY 4.2

The ARC will monitor the regional park use and,where appropriate, facilitate the effective use ofunder-used parts of the regional park networkconsistent with the protecting the intrinsic qualitiesof the parks.

4.2 Natural and Cultural Heritage Protection

a) Regionally Significant Features

The natural and cultural heritage features of theregion provide the raw resource for future parkpurchases.

The significance of land and its features within theregion can be defined by reference to criteria andinventories in public policy documents such as theRegional Policy Statement, and to other inventoriesof significant natural and cultural features such asthe Department of Conservation Sites of SpecialWildlife Interest, ARC Cultural Heritage Inventory,the Assessment of Regional Landscapes, and theGeopreservation Inventory for the Auckland region(Kenny and Hayward, 1996).

These inventories form the basis of the policiescontained in the Regional Policy Statement,Regional Plan (Coastal) and the Department ofConservation's Conservation Management Strategy(CMS). The regional coverages of theseinventories are shown on Map 3. The Sites ofNatural Significance is comprised of a number ofprimary inventories. (Refer Appendix B).

The Cultural Heritage Inventory (CHI) is a record ofknown archaeological sites and features and areasof historic significance. The CHI is continuallybeing added to as new sites and new information isdiscovered (Refer Appendix C).

The Regional Landscape Assessment (ARC, 1984)is based on professional evaluations of the qualityof the region's landscape and its sensitivity tomodification, and on a sample survey of thepublic's response to the different landscapes of theregion. The Regional Landscape Assessment(RLA) has been used widely by landscapearchitects and is recognised as the best basiswhich is currently available for landscape evaluationin the region. The RLA is continually being re-assessed, as more detailed evaluations areundertaken in relation to specific projects anddevelopment proposals. A common methodology


has been devised, which enables the RLA to bekept up to date.

POLICY 4.3

The Sites of Natural Significance, Cultural HeritageInventory and Regional Landscape Assessmentwill be used as part of the basis for determiningpriority areas and locations suitable forconsideration for purchase as regional parkland.

b) Areas of Regional Significance

An assessment of the region's natural, landscapeand cultural features has been undertaken usingthe above inventories and a set of indicators todetermine the relative value of different parts of theregion. The assessment has been based on watercatchment areas. The analysis identified particularareas of the region where there are significantgroupings of features with these values. The areasof regional significance are:

i) The north-eastern coast of the Rodney District around the Mahurangi and Whangateau harbours.

ii) The eastern coastal margin of the Kaipara Harbour.

iii) The western coastal margin and northern portion of the Kaipara Peninsula.

iv) The south-eastern coast on the Firth of Thames.

v) The western coastal margin of the Awhitu Peninsula

vi) The Waitakere and Hunua Ranges (most of these areas are already in public ownership).

vii) Hauraki Gulf Islands, particularly Waiheke

viii) Puhinui and Pukaki areas of Mangere including Puketutu Island.

POLICY 4.4

Land contained within Regionally Significant Areaswill be given particular consideration for thepurchase of regional parkland

c) Protection Mechanisms

There are a number of ways in which features andareas of regional significance can be offered levelsof protection and preservation. These fall within thefollowing broad categories;

* Voluntary management mechanisms* Public policy and management mechanisms* Joint public/private management mechanisms

i) Voluntary mechanisms

Many of the features and areas of regionalsignificance are located on private land. In manycases the features are not under threat and can,with encouragement, continue to be sustainablymanaged under private ownership.Encouragement might simply take the form ofmaking landowners aware of the existence andsignificance of a feature on their land. This is oneof the mechanisms which forms part of theProtected Natural Areas programme beingundertaken by the ARC and DOC. Educatinglandowners in the effective management of thenatural and cultural features of their land is a lowcost minimum-intervention option.

In other cases, it may require a level of incentive toinduce landowners to protect features, which thepublic consider worthy of protection. Mechanismssuch as rate relief, tradable development rights orsimilar land zoning techniques might beappropriate. The covenanting and fencingprovisions available under the QEII National Trustprogrammes is an example of this sort ofmechanism.

POLICY 4.5

Voluntary and local government mechanisms andinitiatives will be promoted by the ARC for the


protection of regionally significant natural andcultural features on privately-owned land.ii) Public Management mechanisms

Public mechanisms range from resourcemanagement policies contained in statutorydocuments such as national and regional policystatements, regional plans and district plans tooutright public ownership and management. Publicownership must be seen as one of optionsavailable to public agencies to implement thepolicies contained in statutory policy documentssuch as Regional Policy Statements, Regional Plansand District Plans. In terms of Section 32 of theRM Act, it is an alternative to regulation.

Public ownership should be considered where thefeature or quality of open space is under threatfrom destruction or neglect, or where long termpublic access to the feature or open space isdesirable.

Public access to and along the coastal marine area,lakes and rivers should be maintained andenhanced. This is stated as one of the Matters ofNational Importance, in Section of the RM Act andreflected in policies in the New Zealand CoastalPolicy Statement, the Proposed Auckland RegionalPolicy Statement and the Proposed Regional Plan(Coastal)

iii) Joint public/private management mechanisms

The private provision of regional opportunities andservices is rapidly increasing within the region.This is in part a reflection of the growth in smallholding country living blocks within the region andas a result of traditional farmers, especially inmarginal coastal areas, seeking to supplement theirfarming incomes.

It is customary in many overseas countries,especially Europe, for the wider public to beguaranteed access to the open countryside. Inmany cases this is enabled and controlled throughlegislation. It is not a tradition in New Zealand.The New Zealand Walkways network administered

by DOC is perhaps the only example. In this casewalkway routes are secured by way of publicownership and covenants over private land. ( Referto Policy 2.6 )

In many situations, the public's appreciation of thefeatures and qualities of an area can be satisfiedsimply by allowing them to traverse through anarea. The quality of experience on land already inpublic ownership can be greatly enhanced bylinking existing public open space by walkways.This enables the public to experience the areas inthe context of the surrounding landscape as awhole. This is particularly significant in areaswhere an understanding of the cultural significanceof an area is best appreciated by seeing it within itslandscape setting.

The private landowners can benefit from having thepublic use their land especially where the privateowner wishes to provide added value, such asrecreation programmes or facilities,accommodation and other activities on a costrecovery basis.

This is a relatively low-cost option for the publicagency who may secure public access bypurchasing the recreation or access rights to theproperty, without the need to purchase and holdthe land in public ownership. ( Refer to Policy 2.6 )

iv) Existing Regional Park Network

The existing regional park network contains manyof the features identified above as being of regionalsignificance, particularly those found in theWaitakere and Hunua ranges. However, evenwithin the regional park network some of thequalities which make these special places can bethreatened by activities or development proposalson adjoining privately-owned land. There is a needin some circumstances to ensure that existingqualities of regional parks are not undermined.

Furthermore, the quality and range of experiencesoffered on the parks could be enhanced byextending the experiences offered onto adjoiningprivate land, or by linking with other public land in


the vicinity. Walking and tramping are two of themost favoured active outdoor recreational pursuitsof New Zealanders and tourists. They are also themost favoured pastimes on regional parks. Thereis considerable scope within the Auckland region toprovide a regional network of walkways and trailsfor walkers, trampers, mountain bikers and horseriders. ( Refer to Policy 2.7)

4.3 Regional Growth Factors

a) Population Growth Pressures

The amount and distribution of population growthwill influence the pattern of future parklandpurchases. The Draft Regional Growth Strategyanticipates that the region's population will doubleto 2 million people in 50 years time ( Figure 5 ).Furthermore, the composition of the population willchange and the ways people live, work andparticipate in recreation are likely to change. Thepopulation will also become ethnically morediverse.

There will also be a greater proportion of thepopulation living in intensive housing with lesspersonal open space. Leisure patterns are likely tochange significantly as a result of these changes.

It will be difficult to continue to provide for outdoorrecreation within intensifying metropolitan urbanareas, with the consequence that people are likelyto increasingly seek recreation opportunitiesoutside the metropolitan area. These trends willneed to be continuously monitored, and responsesto them carefully considered, in terms of the role ofregional parks.

The Draft Regional Growth Strategy is based uponan assessment of regional attributes of projectionsof population growth over 50 years and modellingthree alternative growth scenarios over the fourquadrants of the region (north, central, west, andsouth).

The Draft Regional Growth Strategy suggests that;

i) 70 percent of new houses will be located withinthe existing metropolitan area, particularly aroundkey suburban centres and along major publictransport routes.

ii) 30 percent of growth would be accommodatedin new greenfields, primarily at Takanini, EastTamaki, Westgate/Redhills, Albany/Greenhithe, andOrewa/Silverdale. Rural towns, particularlyHelensville, Kumeu, and Pukekohe would providefor 130,000 people. Sensitive natural areas, such as

P22Whakatepea te ko, kia kotahi We’re in it together 09 366 2000 www.arc.govt.nz

Figure 5: Population & Household Projections: Auckland Region

Waitakere, Hunua, Okura, Waiwera and Puhoi;would be protected.

The planned growth will result in an increase in thenorth from 239,000 to 450,000 people in 2050(88% increase), the west from 156,000 to 360,000(130%), the central sub-region from 352,000 to570,000 (65%), and the south from 325,000 to630,000 (94%).

The 1996 distribution of the Auckland regionalpopulation visiting the regional parks is illustrated inTable 3. The table shows the parks grouped intosectors and the residential origin of each sector'svisitors. (Note that two popular central parks, LongBay and Muriwai, are located in the northen part ofthe region.)

If these visitor patterns persist into the future, thenthe population scenarios outlined above could havethe following results in terms of future usage ofregional parks:

The population growth planned for the northernsub-region will primarily impact on northern andcentral parks (exacerbated by the northern

motorway extension).

The population growth planned for the centralsub-region will impact all parks, the BotanicGardens and Mt. Smart.

The population growth planned for the westernsub-region will primarily impact on WaitakereParkland, with some impact on central and northernparks.

The population growth planned for thesouthern sub-region will impact heavily on thesouthern parks, Botanic Gardens, and Mt. Smart,with a lesser impact on the central parks

Overall, the population growth patterns planned forin the Regional Growth Strategy will have the greatest impact on the northern and centralregional parks.

For regional parks the key issues are whether theexisting regional parks network is adequate to copewith an expected doubling in population over 50years, and is there sufficient protection and access

Table 3: Origin of Visitors

Figure 6: Potential Regional Park Visits 1996 - 2050

Figure 7: Park Carrying Capacity vs Potential Visits in 2050


to regional landscapes and outdoor recreationsettings? These issues are illustrated in the figuresbelow. Figure 6 compares the level of visits to regionalparks in 1996 with the estimated visits in 2050 andillustrates the potential increase in visits to regionalparks. Figure 7 compares the estimated capacityof the parks with the future demand. This showsthat there will be a shortfall in all sectors exceptthe south by the year 2050.

b) Demographic Changes

It is difficult to project population demographics.Population growth is dependant on a number offactors such as changing immigration policy,improved health impacting on fertility and survivalrates, changes in lifestyle impacting on family size,and the economic success and quality of life in theregion.

The Auckland population is already culturallydiverse. In 1996 the population contained 12.5percent Maori, and 11.6 percent Pacific Islanders,both groups with substantially higher birth ratesthan for Europeans. The 9.5 percent Asianpopulation has grown significantly from immigrationin recent years. Since 1986, 80 percent of newmigrants to NZ have settled in Auckland. Overallthe population is ageing and single parent familiesare trending upwards. In the 10 years between 1986 and 1996 theEuropean population remained static, while theMaori population increased 29 percent (though thismay be affected by the way Maori werecategorised), the Pacific Island Population increased50 percent, the Asian population increased 400percent, and other ethnic groups increased 440percent. There is little doubt that Auckland will bestrongly multicultural in 2050. If existing citypreferences continue, the southern sub-regionwould have a significant Polynesian population,while the central sub-region would have the highestAsian population. A high population projectionwould see the median age in go from 32 in 1996 to40 in 2050, with those over 64 years of age nearlydoubling in number.

By attaching the attitudes and activities of currentdemographic groups to their projected proportionsin 2050, it is possible to make some inferencesabout regional parks, settings and services. Wemight expect that regional parks, particularlysouthern parks, would have significant multiculturalpopulations with a strong affinity for coast andbeaches; large extended family groupspicnicking/BBQ, relaxing, swimming, or playinginformal sport.

This might see higher tourist numbers atArataki/Waitakere Ranges, Botanic Gardens, andWhakanewha and more active in bushwalking,sightseeing, picnicking/BBQ,reading/relaxing/sunbathing. Also family numbersmay increase at most parks and becoming moreactive in picnicking/BBQ,reading/relaxing/sunbathing, fishing, and informalsport. And higher group numbers at accessibleparks with flat areas behind beaches, and thosewith shade, such as Long Bay, Shakespear andWenderholm.

We might also expect a higher percentage oftourists, possibly eco-tourists, going for bushwalks, visiting information centres or cultural areasand events. Northern beaches may be atmaximum carrying capacity, with pressure tofurther develop. Southern coastal parks will also beat capacity having been developed to a greaterextent. Areas of the Waitakere and Hunua Rangeswill continue to be managed for remoteexperiences. Auckland schools may have fullyintegrated their classroom experiences withregional parks becoming an environmentalclassroom. As a result of an increase in thenumber of senior citizens, increases in Polynesian,Maori and ethnic minority groups who value largerand extended families, increases in the Asianpopulation, and a significant eco-tourism economy,key market segmentation profiles of regional parkvisitors will change rapidly.


POLICY 4.6

The ARC will monitor demographic changes in thepopulation, and use this as a basis for determiningthe need for recreation opportunities in the region,and the range and type of experience provided onregional parks

c) Public Values

i) Leisure Trends

The "Life in New Zealand" (LINZ) study undertakenby the Hillary Commission in 1991 highlightedsome of the major leisure patterns of NewZealanders. ( Figure 8 ) Not surprisingly, sedentaryhome based activities were the most likely leisurepursuits, which respondents had participated inover the previous 4 weeks: 96 percent hadwatched TV, 82 percent had read for pleasure, and41 percent had gardened for pleasure. In the areaof outdoor recreation, 9 percent of respondentshad been picnicking or barbecuing, 5 percentfishing, and 2 percent tramping (Laidler andCushman, 1991). An outdoor leisure activities studyby MRL Research Group in 1994 found the mostcommon outdoor activity to be walking (15%coastal, 12% bush, and 3% farm) and swimming(10%).

Primary leisure settings for New Zealanders in theLINZ study were ranked in descending order asshopping centres(56%), restaurants (52%),beaches/rivers/lakes (38%),and 22 % ofrespondents had used walking tracks in the 4weeks prior to the survey. Activities mostfrequently undertaken in New Zealand's parksinclude sightseeing, viewing scenery, relaxing andshort walks (Heylen Research Centre, 1992)

A 1995 review of outdoor recreation in NewZealand by the Department of Conservation andLincoln University noted that the main activities ofwalks, picnics, and driving for pleasure haveremained stable over time. Emerging activitiesincluded activities such as mountain biking, windsurfing, and parapenting. People were attemptingmore activities of shorter durations, as a variety ofexperiences were sought from single locations.This has made it harder to label recreationists whomay be a tramper one day and mountain biker thenext. As recreationists diversified their activitiesand settings, increasing specialisation was alsoapparent, such as sea, white water, or flat waterkayaking. These activities were becoming lessstructured and more individual.

The same review also drew conclusions of thedemographic background of outdoor recreationpeople. Active pursuits attracted younger people,while more passive activity had appeal across all


Figure 8: Leisure Pursuits , 3 NZ Surveys

age groups. Generally outdoor recreationists havehigher levels of education than average, somestudies indicating as many as 50 percent having fullor part tertiary qualifications. Closely correlated toeducation is occupation and income level, althoughthese were not found to effect setting choice.Gender varies with outdoor pursuits, with malesbeing more frequent in active pursuits (for example,hunting, fishing, and kayaking) and females in morepassive pursuits (such as picnicking). Participants'stage in the life cycle was alsoseen to be helpful inunderstanding park use. Studies of non-users foundhigher proportions of non-European, disabled, aged,and low socio-economic groups.

A number of surveys carried out by the ARC on thepublic's recreation preferences have illustrated thefollowing patterns.

When asked of the activities they most liked to do(Figure 9 ), the most popular were: walking andhiking 81% (53% walk, 12% bush walk, 7%beachcombing, 4% walk dog, 5% hiking), wateractivity 44% (29% swimming, 9% fishing, 3%surfing, and 3% boating), and picnicking, relaxing,lying on the beach 29%. Walking and swimminghad universal appeal across most groups. Notably,fishing particularly appealed to Maori (27% of Maorivisitors).

Figure 9: Aucklanders Most Popular Activities

Figure 10: Reasons People Value Outdoors


Aucklanders most valued the natural unspoiltenvironment 29%, peace and quiet/tranquillity 29%(particularly older, European, and female), scenery28%, unpolluted and clean environment 27%, bushsetting 15%, beaches/sea/water 14%, and openspace/amount of area 12%

The longest time Aucklanders would be preparedto travel from home to get to large coastal, bush,or countryside areas for a day visit was: up to 30minutes 12% (40% of Pacific Islanders), over 30minutes and up to 1 hour 37%, over 1 hour and upto 1.5 hours 21%, over 1.5 hours 28% (44% ofMaori).

A recent study undertaken by Manukau CityCouncil in conjunction with Creative New Zealandand the Hillary Commission, called "Valuing theBenefits of Recreation, Arts and Parks" (March1997) identified similar general patterns, with a fewminor differences such as a stronger preference formore active participation amongst Manukau Cityresidents. The overall finding of this study was thatthere was an increasing desire for unstructured,non-competitive, non-gender specific recreationalopportunities.

Tourism is a billion dollar industry in Auckland as

the gateway to the majority of New Zealand'stourists. In 1996 international tourists visiting NewZealand numbered 1.3 million, generating 7.1 millionvisitor nights in Auckland (NZTB, 1996). To this canbe added 5.4 million visitor nights by domestictourists (Tourism Auckland, 1995). 55 percent oftourists arrive for a holiday, 30 percent to visitfriends and relatives, and 15 percent for business.An estimated 50 percent of overseas tourists and80 percent of domestic tourists use a vehicle

One survey of New Zealand tourists ( Figure 13 ),

determined the 15 most popular activities: Firstwas shopping (84%), second was visitingmuseums and Art Galleries (54%), third wasvisiting gardens/botanic gardens (53%), eighth was½ to 1 day bush walks (39%), eleventh was shortbush walks less than 1/2 hour (34%), andthirteenth was seeing wildlife in a natural setting(33%). Tourism Auckland promote the city gulf andadventure activities.

Within regional parks, overseas tourists make uponly 5 percent of visitors, the most popular venuesbeing the Arataki Visitor Centre and the Muriwaigannet colony. Tourists are generally treated similarto other visitors, although tour buses are managedby permit. As the economy places greater


Figure 11: Aucklanders - travel time fromhome to large coastal, bush or countrysidearea for a day visit

Figure 12: Tourism Statistics for Auckland- Visitor and Visitor nights

emphasis on tourism, and markets New Zealandunder a clean green image, the regional parks willform an important part of that image in Auckland.

d) Public Preferences

There are no models or international benchmarkswhich determine how much regional open spaceshould be available to any given population. Whilethere is currently approximately 37,000 hectares ofregional parkland and a similar area within the DOCconservation estate, the question might be askedwhether Auckland has sufficient conservation andcountryside open space in public ownership tosustain a population of twice the existing size.

There are certain realities related to existing publicpark land. Most of it serves largely ecological andlandscape purposes, is relatively inaccessible andwould not sustain high levels of use. Suchparkland provides scenic landscape and remoterecreational experiences. Most of this type ofland existing in the region is already protected. Itis primarily the popular coastal areas which are inquestion. The ability to intensify use at existingcountryside parks will be limited by the ultimatepsychological and ecological carrying capacity ofcountryside experience and resource.

The existing countryside regional parks aresubjected to 7.9 million visits per year. If the

existing visitor patterns persist into the future, thenthis could result in the number of visitors toregional parks increasing to 15.5 million visits peryear. A preliminary estimate of the capacity of theexisting parks to absorb more visitors withoutdestroying the qualities of experience enjoyed byvisitors, is about 12 million visits per year.Therefore, while there is some capacity to absorbsome growth in visitor numbers through targetedpromotion of under-used parts of the network, theincrease in population will necessitate expansion ofthe network over the next 50 years.

Most pressure will be placed on the northern andcentral regional parks because of their accessibilityand the quality of their coastal settings andbeaches. Furthermore, if people's preferencesremain similar to those currently expressed byregional park visitors, the future demand foradditional regional parkland is likely to be fornorthern coastal locations.

Ultimately it comes down to what Aucklandersvalue, what they want to protect, what they wantaccess to, and what they want to leave for futuregenerations. There is little other way to do thisthan to go out and ask them. The difficult part is toillicit an informed and considered opinion, cognisantof urban growth, carrying capacity of existing parks,cost of purchasing open space, and opportunitycosts.


Figure 13: NZ Tourists - 15 Most Popular Activites (selected)

In August 1998 the ARC published the "Land &Recreation Access Strategy - Issue and Options"document for public comment. It included aquestionnaire to assist the public in making theirresponses to the issues raised in the document.This has proved to be a very useful way of gettingpublic input. As a result 1239 responses to thequestionnaire have been received together with 87written submissions. An analysis of the publicresponses is included in Appendix D

The ARC also carries out annual park visitor surveysand a telephone survey of the general population.Regional park visitors have consistently expressedpreferences for regional parks to continue toprovide for access to scenery and nature,unstructured informal recreation and for informationon the historic and cultural aspects of the parks.People value most the ability to go for walks, swim,relax and picnic in natural settings on regionalparks. There is some wish for the ability to expandthe range of recreation on regional parks, such ashigh impact recreation e.g. trail bikes, but not on

existing parks. The suggestion is that thisopportunity may be more appropriately purchasedfrom private land owners.

There is a strong and persistent preference thatdevelopment should be kept to a low level withbasic services, especially in natural countrysidepark settings. Accessibility is valued i.e.countryside close to the city. Overall 75% ofrespondents prefer coastal/beach locations, 50%bush and 20% access to farmland.

POLICY 4.7

The ARC will survey the general population andregional park users annually to monitor publicexpectations, park visitation, levels of satisfaction, changing values, and opinion onissues. These will be validated against reservationand other databases, such as vehicle counts.


5.1 Principles

The selection of land for consideration for additionto the regional park network will be based on thefollowing parameters, which have been developedfrom an analysis of the Regional Council's role, therole of regional parks, the demand for regionalparkland and the current supply of public openspace in the region.

POLICY 5.1Land for addition to the regional park network willonly be considered;

i) where it has regional significance and willdemonstrably serve the regional community ofinterest,

ii) where it fits within the regional park niche ofaccessible countryside,

POLICY 5.2

The ARC will as a preference purchase land fromwilling sellers, but in the case of threatened highlyvalued land of regional significance, considerdesignation in terms of Part VIII of the ResourceManagement Act.

POLICY 5.3

The consideration of land for addition to theregional park network will be based on thefollowing matters;

i) Prime coastal locations, which have highrecreational potential associated with the beaches;

ii) Regionally significant areas which would provideremote natural experiences for the public of theregion;

iii) Regionally significant features which are under-represented in the regional park network;

iv) Land adjoining existing regional parklandthreatened with modification, which would enhancethe values on the park or would, by its modification,adversely affect the prime experiences offered bythe park.

5.2 Selection Criteria

The selection of land for consideration will bebased on the following matters;

i) the degree to which the land fits the regional parkniche;

ii) the natural and cultural heritage features on theland;

iii) the recreational potential of the land.

These factors have been incorporated into two setsof criteria, heritage values and recreation values, asoutlined in Appendix E.

The criteria were developed by an expert panelconsisting of ARC staff with expertise in regionalrecreation, regional development, coastal planning,natural heritage, cultural heritage and overallknowledge of the region. A representative fromDOC, Auckland University (Geology) and AucklandMuseum (Botany) were also involved, because oftheir specialist knowledge and general knowledgeof the region.

Future land purchases will be evaluated using theabove criteria, together with the existing regionalparks and selected Department of Conservationlandholdings and selected large local authorityparks as a comparison. Prospective parkextensions can also be evaluated using the samecriteria. ( Note some criteria were slightly modifiedto take account of additions to existing parkland.)

The parks and future potential purchases can beranked in terms of their suitability as a regional parkin terms of their heritage and their recreationattributes.

POLICY 5.4

Prospective land purchases will be identified andranked in broad bands of priority using the criteriaoutlined in Appendix E.

5. Parkland Acquisitions Policy


6.1 The Existing Network

The planning for the regional parks network beganas early as 1948, when the Auckland RegionalPlanning Authority (ARPA) discussed the potentialacquisition of Wenderholm and Long Bay as publicreserves. In 1962 the ARPA formally proposed theestablishment of a network of regional parks,although it was not possible to implement this untilthe passage of the Auckland Regional Authority Actin 1963.

The Centennial Memorial Parkland, formerly ownedand managed by Auckland City Council, wastransferred to the Auckland Regional Authority in1963 and the development of a regional parknetwork began with the acquisition of Wenderholmin 1965. While the majority of the land has beenaccumulated as a result of transferrals of landinitially acquired for metropolitan water supplypurposes in the Waitakere and Hunua Ranges, thenetwork has been progressively added to over theintervening years through further transferrals,bequests, gifts, and acquisition. The early regionalpark acquisitions were largely made in response todevelopment proposals, in order to protect primeareas of coastline for public use and enjoyment.

The existing regional park network now contains37,091 hectares of land. Approximately 34,000hectares of this is forested parkland in the Hunuaand Waitakere Ranges and about 3000 hectares iscoastal countryside parks. The analysis of futurepotential park purchases carried out as part ofpreparing this plan, identified that there is a need toconsider the purchase of a further 3000 to 5000hectares of land to complete the picture. In otherwords, the need to acquire further land is notunlimited and can be carefully targeted to ensurethat the ultimate regional park network containsthose elements which will ensure it will serve theneeds of the regional community well into the nextmillennium.

It is known that the natural open space aroundAuckland is finite, while Auckland's ultimatepopulation is almost infinite. As Auckland's

population increases in size, the pressure on ruralareas for lifestyle subdivision and the demands onthe most accessible remaining open spaceincrease, the cost of future acquisitions willincrease. There is a continuing need to considerpurchase for the future. There is therefore a needto act ahead of the market in order to minimise thecosts to the public.

6.2 Meeting Future Demand

The analysis of population and recreation trendshas shown that there is a need to consider a rangeof potential parkland in order to continue to meetthe changing needs of the growing regionalpopulation. These can be summarised as;

i) Accessibility to the urban population The most highly desirable potential acquisitions arethose which contain high resource and recreationalvalues and are readily accessible to Auckland'spopulation. Central sector locations will serve thegreatest number of people as the urban populationgrows and consolidates. Ambury, Long Bay and theWaitakere Ranges regional parkland are examplesof highly accessible and popular regional parkscurrently drawing most of their use from themetropolitan urban area. With future demandexpected to outstrip supply, areas in closeproximity to the metropolitan area should have thehighest priority for acquisition while they remainavailable and are affordable.

Given that funds are likely to be limited at everystage , the focus should be on investing in thefuture while it is economic to do so. Properties inprime locations, and especially those close to themetropolitan area, will increase in value. In thissituation it is important to act, as far as possible,ahead of these price pressures and to avoid saleand purchase processes, such as tenders, thatdrive the price up. In these circumstances theproactive designation of future parkland may bethe most prudent option. The cost of waiting willinevitably out weigh the costs of early purchase inthese circumstances.

6. Completing the Picture


ii) Scenic coastal locations with beachesThe preference for coastal locations, and especiallythose with usable flat areas associated with them,consistently rank high in public preference surveyscarried out by the ARC. These meet a wide rangeof recreation needs which are readily accessible toa wide range of people. As the urban populationincreases the need to escape to this sort oflocation becomes increasingly important.Wenderholm, Shakespear, Whakanewha and LongBay Regional Parks are classic examples of this sortof location. The analysis contained in this reportshows that locations on the eastern coastline ofthe region are most likely to be able to meet thisdemand.

iii) Representative examples of regionally significant natural and cultural features.

The ARC has inherited and purchased some primeexamples of Auckland's natural and culturalheritage. The Waitakere and Hunua Ranges,Muriwai, Omana Regional Parks and coastalpeninsulas such as Duder and Tawharanui forexample, all contain regionally significant flora,fauna, and, Maori and European cultural features.This report has identified a number of features,such as lakes, rivers and wetlands, which are notadequately represented in the public park estate.The lake systems on the Pakiri coast and theKaipara and Awhitu peninsulas currently have littleor no protection and offer a range of uniquerecreation opportunities. These locations alsoprovide the opportunity to restore and interpretsome of the region's natural and cultural history.

iv) Providing a spectrum of recreational experiences.

The regional parks not only contain a range ofspecial natural settings but, in doing so alsoprovides for a wide range of recreationalopportunities. These range from remote wildernessexperiences through to moderately intensivenature-based activities such as tramping, camping,picnicking, informal games and swimming. As thepopulation increases so will the pressure on theselocations and the quality and range of experiencesthey offer. There is very little land left in the regionwhich can make up for any future shortfall in this

sort of opportunity, especially land offering theexperience of remoteness. Land currentlyundeveloped at Huia, Piha and Anawhata offerthese opportunities. These are also important fromthe perspective of protecting the quality ofexperience offered by the existing parkland in thelocality.

v) Providing for special recreation activities.

A number of recreational activities have emergedwhich do not fit comfortably in the regional parkniche but nevertheless require the same sort oflarge natural settings. These include activities suchas mountain biking and horse riding, and motorisedactivities such as trail bikes, micro-light aircraft andoff-road vehicles. While the existing regional parkshave been able to provide, in a limited way, formountain biking and horse riding, it has not beenpossible to provide for the noisy, high impactactivities, such as off-road vehicles.

Public surveys show that the public would prefernot to have these sort of activities accommodatedwithin the existing regional parks. They do,however, feel the ARC should have a role to play inthis area. There is an opportunity for the ARC towork with the private sector and privatelandowners, who are already offering limitedopportunities for some of these activities. The ARCwill therefore look to facilitate the provision of highimpact recreation through private providers,and willalso look for opportunities to purchase appropriateland suitable for this purpose if the opportunityarises.

6.3 Consolidation and Expansion

Taking the above factors into consideration, theneeds for future parkland purchase fall into thefollowing six categories.

i) Consolidating existing land holdings: There are a number of current parks upon whichthe quality of visitor experience is potentiallythreatened by the prospect of development onadjoining land. These exist at locations such asHuia, Anawhata, Piha, Long Bay and Wenderholm.


There are other parks where the addition of land tothe existing park would greatly enhance the rangeand/or quality of the existing experiences at thepark, such as Tawharanui, Scandrett, Mahurangi,Muriwai and Tawhitokino regional parks. Shouldany of these lands come onto the market theyshould be considered for purchase.

ii) New additions to the network:New additions to the network fall into twocategories,

a) those that are in close proximity to themetropolitan population, and therefore undergreatest threat of development and the highestland cost pressures;

b) those which fit the traditional regional park nicheof accessible countryside and will contribute to thecompletion of the regional park network.

iii) Special purpose parks;There will be a need from time to time, to considerspecial purpose purchases which could meet aregional demand for medium to high impactactivities such as mountain bikes, equestrianactivities or off-road vehicles.

iv) Metropolitan regional parksThe ARC has not traditionally seen itself in themetropolitan park business. The need to considerthe provision of parkland close to the growingurban population was discussed in section 6.2Meeting Future Demand above. As well as MtSmart, there are regional parks such as Ambury,Long Bay and Mutukaroa ( Hamlin's Hill) which,because of their proximity to the metropolitan area,fall within this category. In considering this level ofpark it is important not to lose sight of the regionalpark niche. That is, the need to serve a regionalrather than local community of interest, and theneed to be of a scale and have characteristicswhich allow people to get the feeling of being inthe countryside and being involved in casual,unstructured recreation.

v) Hauraki Gulf Islands:While a great number of the Hauraki Gulf Islands

are already in the ownership of the Department ofConservation, the degree of public use of them islimited. As the metropolitan population increasesthere is a need to increase progressively the use ofthe islands. This may require a rationalisation ofthe respective roles of the ARC and DOC withrespect to the islands. There will also be a need toconsider how regular ferry services could beimproved to the islands. However, in addition,there is a need to secure other islands, or parts ofislands, not already in public ownership which couldcome under pressure for development.

vi) A regional trail system The public response to the "Land and RecreationAccess Strategy - Issues and Options" report gaveendorsement to the ARC being involved in thecreation of a regional trails system. While this mayinvolve some minor land purchase by the ARC, it isfelt that the primary role of the ARC will be toprovide the regional conceptual framework and co-ordination to facilitate the various public agencies,working in partnership with private landowners, tocreate the network.

6.4 Phasing

While the phasing proposed here gives a guide topriority, land acquisition, particularly were it isreliant on a willing seller, is necessarilyopportunistic and it is always important to takeadvantage of opportunities when they arise. Thesestages represent the guide to achieving the lowest-cost programme for the land acquisition, but mustnecessarily be flexible for the reasons outlinedabove.

i) Phase OneThe central sector is identified as the first priorityas this will provide regional parkland in closeproximity to the growing urban population. It willalso improve equity of regional access to AucklandCity and Manukau City ,which are likely toexperience the highest level of population growthand are under-represented in regional parks. Newcentral parks will, however, require basic levels ofdevelopment in the short term due to the high levelof public expectation and the land's accessibility.


Given the proximity of the Waitakere Ranges to themetropolitan area, some extension to regionalparkland in the west may also be necessary inorder to protect for the future the uniqueremoteness and wilderness qualities of the westcoast.

The use of the regional parks on the south-easterncoast of the region, including the Hunua Ranges,will need to be promoted in order to improve therelative under-utilisation of these parks during thisstage.

ii) Phase TwoThe second phase of acquisition should be for thepurchase and land-banking of new parks in thenorthern and southern sectors, in order to keepahead of future demand. This will ensure land isavailable for future demand and the protection ofland with high resource values while it is stillaffordable.

iii) Phase ThreeThe third phase will involve developing the land-banked parks and the rationalisation of existingpublic open space in the region, such as theHauraki Gulf islands. These are largely alreadysecured in public ownership and therefore do notrequire expenditure on purchase, but it is felt couldbe better managed to meet future recreationneeds. This could include facilitating better accessthrough the provision of infrastructure andimproved public transport.

6.5 Costs of Acquisition

The implications of this analysis are that it will benecessary to pursue the following acquisitionprogramme in order to meet the above desiredoutcomes.

New Parks 2 central parks 2 southern parks 2 northern parks 1 western park

Extension to Existing Parks1 central park 3 western parks 3 northern parks 1 southern park

Special Purpose Park1 park

The current cost of this programme, based on theabove analysis, is estimated as approximately $70million. (These costs are rough estimates based onrecent land purchases and should be taken asindicative only.) On the basis of these estimates,the cost of completing the land purchaseprogramme over, say, 20 years would amount toapproximately $3.5 million per year.

6.6 Funding

In considering funding of future parklandacquisitions, a number of options are available. Theanalysis outlined below will assist in developingestimates for future annual and strategic plans. Itmust be stressed however, that these are broadestimates based on assumptions about theavailability of land, current financial policy andprevailing economic conditions and can only betaken as indicative costs. The options for funding aland purchase programme are:

i) Loan FundedThis option could involve either a programme ofcapital plus interest payments, or alternatively apayment of interest alone with the capital beingrolled over, spreading the cost of acquisition tofuture generations. This latter option recognisesthe principle of intergenerational equity, byspreading purchase costs out to future populations.

The cost impacts of these two options per milliondollars borrowed is estimated using current interestrates of 7.0% (based on a 5 year NZGS + 75 pointmargin), but would be open to the vagaries of themarket in the future. Estimated cost per $million, interest & capital over30 years = $105,000 paEstimated cost of interest only = $70,000 pa


ii) Direct Rate fundedThis could result in large capital amounts being paidfrom time to time when acquisition was required.The inability to predict accurately both costs andtiming makes this ad hoc provision difficult from anannual plan point of view. Alternatively, acquisitioncould be funded by regularly setting aside a fixedamount annually and building up a fund. An annualcost of at least $500,000, but more realistically$2m to $4m, would be required to meet currentpredictable demands, depending whether theacquisition was programmed over 20 or 30 years.

iii) Public Subscription (Local Authority Stockor Bonds)

A method used particularly in the United States,that we have never tested seriously in NewZealand, is one that capitalises on the propositionthat some land purchases develop strong publicsupport and often, willingness to pay. There havebeen purchases in the past in the regional parksnetwork, where public support has seen significantcontributions made to park purchase; e.g. earlyacquisition of Centennial Memorial Park forexample in the Waitakere Ranges, but morerecently contributions to Whakanewha and someparcels in the Waitakere Ranges, have beensupported by public subscription.

Where these subscriptions come from specificbodies, there is a need to be aware of ongoingobligations and costs that could be a consequenceof such contributions. The donors become directstakeholders, sometimes with ambitions orobjectives at variance to Council's, e.g. there couldbe conflict between conservation and recreationimperatives. These would have to be clarified atthe outset.

The use of foundations or park associations in theUnited States has provided a valuable method ofachieving park purchase funding. This use ofclosely aligned groups has been employed by manyof the park districts and regional park entitiessimilar to our own, for more than twenty years.The foundations provide an arm's lengthfundraising opportunity that removes the reluctancetoward funding a rate collecting agency, while at

the same time mobilising the energy of dedicatedpeople directly to the fundraising cause. TheRegional Council attempted in the early 1990s toinitiate a group such as this; The Parks &Wilderness Trust. The group was disbanded in1995 due to a variety of reasons, but primarily alack of clear understanding of their purpose fromboth sides.

The new millennium could well be the time toinitiate another such group, with a clear missionand direct relationship to the Council. The GoldenGate National Recreation Area, USA, operates sucha scheme to great effect.

iv) Other Agency ContributionSeveral park purchases between 1992 and 1995were made by gaining contributions from centralgovernment (through the Forest Heritage Fund) andterritorial local authorities. In this manner,Cashmore Block, Paturoa (Big Muddy Creek), Pae ote Rangi and Whakanewha were all acquired, atsignificantly lower price to Council than the cost offull funding. Our recent contribution to OtuatauaStonefields was an example of the samecollaborative purchase arrangement.

The ability to gain contributions from otheragencies always needs to be a consideration. Thisshould include the rationalisation of the ownershipand/or management of adjoining lands to maximiseefficiencies and the desired regional outcomes.

v) Donations or VestingThe ability to gain contributions towards funding isone that is also always available. The generalsupport for the professional management of theRegional Council park estate over the years has,from time to time, seen land vested in ourmanagement. This is particularly true in theWaitakere Ranges. While specific land vesting byprivate individuals does not always provide targetedland acquisition, it frequently adds to the size andvalue of the existing estate.

With any new land purchase, there are costs thatfollow and ultimately have implications for annualbudgets from year to year. These can involve


operating costs and debt servicing fees. In thecase of debt servicing costs, impact on the annualoperating budget can be significant. As anexample, the estimated impact of spending by loanof $2.5m at Scandrett is an annual debt servicingfee of :

Interest $125,000 paCapital $125,000 pa (20 year term)Total Cost $250,000 pa

In the short term, the Council has the ability todraw on the $7.5m of the ARST sourced funds. IfCouncil were to supplement that fund with anequal amount made up from loan funds, theimplication would be an annual interest cost of$525,000 if interest only was met, or $778,500 ifprincipal and interest were met.

This calculation has not taken into consideration areducing loan balance, which would reduce theannual interest cost in the event of both interestand principal being repaid.

By combining this latter scenario with fundraisingby a viable foundation, closely aligned to theAuckland Regional Council, a robust fundingmechanism could emerge, at least in the shortterm. Longer term, Council does need to consideroptions for regular capital provisioning of parkpurchases, as opposed to ad hoc provision.

POLICY 6.1

A regional parkland acquisition funding plan will bedeveloped based upon the strategies outlined inthis document.

6.7 Development and Operating Costs

As mentioned above, there is also the need tounderstand the implications of land acquisition interms of ongoing operating costs of new parkland.In some cases it may not be necessary to developthe park immediately after purchase. Land can beland-banked until there is a need to open it up forpublic use. However, even the option of landbanking carries with it certain fixed costs in terms

of rates, debt servicing, basic land managementand the implications of such aspects as basic publicand occupational health and safety, as has arisen atScandrett Regional Park.

Initially, it is essential that a thorough process ofdue diligence is undertaken to clearly identifylatentobligations and costs that could arise out of theResource Management Act, tenant obligations,heritage protection imperatives and other issues sothat these costs are fully identified prior topurchase,

Once a park is acquired, it will ultimately requiredevelopment. Traditionally, regional parks havebeen developed at three different levels, dependingprimarily on the intensity of use. Remote parks andparks offering a wilderness experience need onlybe developed with a relatively low level of facilities,such as gravel car parks, some tracks,pit toilets andminimal signage. At the intermediate or basic levela slightly higher level of development may berequired. And at the more intensively used parksfully sealed car parks, flushing toilets and fullvisitor services may be required. In any event, theyrequire as basic facilities such as; Roads and carparking Toilet facilities Potable water Signage, notice boards and basic safety

structures Tracks and trails

At advanced levels of development in higher useparks, the provision of the following can also berequired: Shelters Viewing platforms Interpretive facilities More resilient roading and carparking surfaces Concessionaire facilities (alternatively funded)

A set price for development cannot be determinedfor each park, since the cost of roading alone canvary significantly. However, as an example, thecost of developing our most recently openedregional park, Tapapakanga, was at 1994 prices:


Roads and parking = $225,000Toilet facilities = $ 55,000Water, BBQs, etc. = $ 16,000Signs and notice boards = $ 5,000

$ 301,000

As well as these costs, there are costs involved inproviding for the following:

Staffing Repairs and Maintenance Conservation management Signage and basic park furniture Cultural heritage management Public information (brochures etc) Programmes and event management Emergency management

On average, the current operating cost of a regionalpark such as Mahurangi or Tawharanui is $250,000per annum. It should be noted in consideringthese figures, that operating methods andefficiencies in the future could cause these costs tovary.

On this basis, the proposed acquisition programmeof 8 new regional parks over 20 years would resultin the addition of approximately one park per yearand about $250,000 per year to operating costs tothe regional parks network. It is assumed for thisexercise, that the operating costs of additions toexisting parks would be taken up by improvedefficiencies in the operation of those parks.

6.8 Total Costs

Option A - Acquire and developOn the basis of the purchase of a new park costingin the order of $5 million by way of loan, andassuming the highest debt servicing costs involvingboth interest and principal, and immediatedevelopment of the park, the total costs are;

Year One Debt servicing = $ 525,000 ( interest andprincipal based on a loan of $5million)

Year Two ( if developed immediately)

Debt servicing = $ 525,000 Development costs = $ 300,000Operating costs = $ 250,000

$1,075,000

Subsequent years

Debt servicing = $ 525,000Operating costs = $ 250,000

$ 775,000

Option BOn the basis of the purchase of a new park costingin the order of $5 million, assuming repayment ofinterest only and development of the park isdeferred until needed, the total costs are;

Year one

Debt servicing = $ 350,000 ( interest onlybased on a loan of $5 million)

Year two ( and subsequent years till parkdeveloped)

Debt costs = $ 350,000Maintenance = $ 20,000

$ 370,000

These two options illustrate the range of costswhich can be incurred in the purchase of newparks. Once the land has been purchased and thepark developed, the operating and debt servicingcosts could range from $ 370,000 to $775,000 perannum. There are, as indicated above, severalother options which can be developed which couldvary these cost scenarios depending on the type ofpark, the level and type of development and themeans of funding.

POLICY 6.2The ARC Strategic Plan be amended to incorporatethe first ten years of a regional parkland acquisitionprogramme based on the assumptions and optionsoutlined in this report.


EXTRACTS FROM RELEVANT ACTS OF PARLIAMENT

A.1 Local Government Act 1974SECT. 601. POWERS OF COUNCIL IN RELATIONTO RECREATION AND COMMUNITYDEVELOPMENT--

(1) The council may, either singly or jointly with anyother local authority or any other organisation orgroup or body of persons (whether incorporated ornot), undertake, promote, and encourage thedevelopment of such services, facilities, amenities,and programmes as it considers necessary toprovide for the recreation, amusement, andinstruction of the public, and the provision orimprovement or development or maintenance ofamenities for the [[public]].

(2) Without limiting the generality of subsection (1)of this section or any other powers of the council,whether under this Act or any other enactment, thecouncil may under that subsection--

(a) Take, purchase, or otherwise acquire or provideland and buildings within or outside the district, andfurnish and equip any such buildings and maintain,improve, or develop any such land or building:

(b) Meet the cost of any such expenses as may benecessary for the establishment, management, andmaintenance of recreational and educationalservices and activities and entertainment:

(c) Undertake or facilitate the undertaking by otherlocal authorities or other organisations or groups orbodies of persons (whether incorporated or not) ofappropriate programmes, activities, research, orsurveys:

(d) Facilitate in any way the improvement ordevelopment or maintenance by a controllingauthority of any walkway within the meaning of theNew Zealand Walkways Act 1975:

(e) Prepare a recreation plan to give effect tothis section.

SECT. 619. POWERS OF AUCKLAND ANDWELLINGTON REGIONAL COUNCILS IN

RELATION TO REGIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES-

(1) In this section, unless the context otherwiserequires, "council" means the Auckland RegionalCouncil or the Wellington Regional Council.

(2) If a council is of the opinion that any piece ofland (which is within, or reasonably close to, itsregion and which is not vested in any public body)should, in the interests of the region and by reasonof--(a) Its particular features, being--(i) Natural features, landscape, native bush, orvegetation; or(ii) Historic, scenic, archaeological, biological,educational, community, or cultural features orother special features or values; or(b) Its recreational significance or potential; or(c) Both,--be held in perpetuity for the purpose of protectingand preserving its intrinsic worth or for the benefit,enjoyment, and use of the public (and, in particular,the public of the region), the council may purchaseor otherwise acquire the piece of land or take thepiece of land for a public work under the PublicWorks Act 1981 as a regional park or regionalreserve.

A.2 Reserves Act 1977

SECT. 3. GENERAL PURPOSE OF THIS ACT--

(1) It is hereby declared that, subject to the controlof the Minister, this Act shall be administered in theDepartment of [Conservation] for the purpose of--

(a) Providing, for the preservation and managementfor the benefit and enjoyment of the public, areasof New Zealand possessing--(i) Recreational use or potential, whether active orpassive; or(ii) Wildlife; or(iii) Indigenous flora or fauna; or(iv) Environmental and landscape amenity orinterest; or(v) Natural, scenic, historic, cultural, archaeological,biological, geological, scientific, educational,community, or other special features or value:

(b) Ensuring, as far as possible, the survival of all

Appendix A


indigenous species of flora and fauna, both rareand commonplace, in their natural communities andhabitats, and the preservation of representativesamples of all classes of natural ecosystems andlandscape which in the aggregate originally gaveNew Zealand its own recognisable character:

(c) Ensuring, as far as possible, the preservation ofaccess for the public to and along the sea coast, itsbays and inlets and offshore islands, lakeshores,and riverbanks, and fostering and promoting thepreservation of the natural character of the coastalenvironment and of the margins of lakes and riversand the protection of them from unnecessarysubdivision and development.

(2) In the exercise of its administration of thisAct, the Department may take any action approvedor directed from time to time by the Minister so faras it is consistent with this Act or is provided for inany other Act and is not inconsistent with this Act.

SECT. 14. LOCAL AUTHORITY MAY DECLARELAND VESTED IN IT TO BE A RESERVE--

(1) Subject to this section, any local authority mayby resolution declare any land vested in it to be areserve within the meaning of this Act subject toany conditions specified in the resolution, to beheld for any of the purposes specified in sections17 to 23 of this Act.

(2) No such resolution shall be passed before theexpiration of one month after notice of intention topass the same and calling for objections thereto inwriting has been published in one or morenewspapers circulating in its district, and until it hasconsidered all such objections received within thatperiod:[Provided that such a notice of intention shall notbe necessary where a district plan makes provisionfor the use of the land as a reserve or the land isdesignated as a proposed reserve under anoperative district plan under the ResourceManagement Act 1991.]

(3) A copy of the resolution shall be forwarded to

the Commissioner for transmission to the Minister,together with all objections (if any) received asaforesaid and the comments of the local authoritythereon.

(4) The Minister shall consider the resolution andsuch objections (if any) as have been received bythe local authority and the comments of the localauthority thereon, and shall then in his discretioneither cause the resolution to be gazetted or refuseto do so.

(5) No resolution under this section shall haveany force or effect until it is gazetted as aforesaidCf. 1953, No. 69, s.13

A.3 Conservation Act 1987

SECT. 6. FUNCTIONS OF DEPARTMENT--The functions of the Department are to administerthis Act and the enactments specified in the FirstSchedule to this Act, and, subject to this Act andthose enactments and to the directions (if any) ofthe Minister,--

(a) To manage for conservation purposes, all land,and all other natural and historic resources, for thetime being held under this Act, and all other landand natural and historic resources whose owneragrees with the Minister that they should bemanaged by the Department:

[(ab) To preserve so far as is practicable allindigenous freshwater fisheries, and protectrecreational freshwater fisheries and freshwaterfish habitats:]

(b) To advocate the conservation of natural andhistoric resources generally:

(c) To promote the benefits to present and futuregenerations of--

(i) The conservation of natural and historicresources generally and the natural and historicresources of New Zealand in particular; and

(ii) The conservation of the natural and historic


resources of New Zealand's sub-antarctic islandsand, consistently with all relevant internationalagreements, of the Ross Dependency andAntarctica generally; and(iii) International co-operation on matters relating toconservation:(d) To prepare, provide, disseminate, promote, andpublicise educational and promotional materialrelating to conservation:(e) To the extent that the use of any natural orhistoric resource for recreation or tourism is notinconsistent with its conservation, to foster the useof natural and historic resources for recreation, andto allow their use for tourism:(f) To advise the Minister on matters relating to anyof those functions or to conservation generally:(g) Every other function conferred on it by any otherenactment. A.4 Resource Management Act 1991

SECT. 6. MATTERS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE--In achieving the purpose of this Act, all personsexercising functions and powers under it, in relationto managing the use, development, and protectionof natural and physical resources, shall recogniseand provide for the following matters of nationalimportance:

(a) The preservation of the natural character of thecoastal environment (including the coastal marinearea), wetlands, and lakes and rivers and theirmargins, and the protection of them frominappropriate subdivision, use, and development:

(b) The protection of outstanding natural featuresand landscapes from inappropriate subdivision, use,and development:

(c) The protection of areas of significant indigenousvegetation and significant habitats of indigenousfauna:

(d) The maintenance and enhancement of publicaccess to and along the coastal marine area, lakes,and rivers:

(e) The relationship of Maori and their cultureand traditions with their ancestral lands, water,sites, waahi tapu, and other taonga

SECT. 7. OTHER MATTERS--In achieving the purpose of this Act, all personsexercising functions and powers under it, in relationto managing the use, development, and protectionof natural and physical resources, shall haveparticular regard to--

(a) Kaitiakitanga:[(aa) The ethic of stewardship:]

(b) The efficient use and development of natural andphysical resources:

(c) The maintenance and enhancement of amenityvalues:

(d) Intrinsic values of ecosystems:

(e) Recognition and protection of the heritagevalues of sites, buildings, places, or areas:

(f) Maintenance and enhancement of the quality ofthe environment:

(g) Any finite characteristics of natural and physicalresources:

(h)The protection of the habitat of trout and salmon


IDENTIFICATION OF SITES OF NATURALSIGNIFICANCE

Summary

Sites of Natural Significance are areas on private orprotected land in the Auckland Region, which havebeen identified as being of regional or highersignificance for their natural or physical values. Theymay contain important indigenous vegetation,wetlands, habitats for wildlife, landforms orgeological sites. In many cases, these sites aresignificant because they are representative of theoriginal character of the region while other sites areimportant because they contain rare and unusualfeatures. Degradation or loss of these significantareas would result in the reduction of indigenousbiological diversity of the region.

The primary source of data has been the maps ofSites of Natural Significance contained in theDepartment of Conservation's ConservationManagement Plan (CMS) (1995). These maps weredeveloped by the Auckland Regional Council andthe Department of Conservation, AucklandConservancy in 1993, using a range of databasesand ecological survey information.

The databases and information used to identifythese Sites of Natural Significance include:Protected Natural Areas Programme survey reports,(PNAP) Sites of Special Wildlife Interest (SSWI),Geopreservation Inventory ( Kenny andHayward,1996), NZ Wetlands Inventory, and localdatabases including Waiheke Island and GreatBarrier Island inventories, the Auckland RegionalPlanning Scheme(1998) and Appendix B of theAuckland Regional Policy Statement (1999). Moredetailed descriptions of these databases areincluded.

The CMS maps of Sites of Natural Significancehave also been used by Stage I of the RegionalGrowth Forum to identify Terrestrial Sites of NaturalSignificance. Some amendments were made bythe Growth Forum to the maps to add anyterrestrial sites of regional significance which hadbeen identified by more recent surveys (e.g. ARCPossum Control database).

Information Gaps

While the Sites of Natural Significance are sourcedfrom a number of databases, there are some majorgaps in the coverage of biological informationacross the region. Major gaps include:

1. the Kaipara and Inner Gulf IslandsEcological Districts where full PNAP surveys havenot been completed. ARC is planning to carry out aPNAP survey of Kaipara Ecological District in1998/99.

2. The databases used to identify Sites ofNatural Significance concentrate primarily on sitesof regional significance and higher. Areas of districtand local significance are, therefore, not included inthe maps. Such resources still need to be identifiedand taken into account in terms of protection,development and open space options for theregion.

3. Sites of natural significance identified in theCMS map series which lie in the coastal marinearea, have been taken into account in preparationof the Coastal Protection Areas in the Regional Plan(Coastal) and one included in this compilation.

4. The existing databases do not specificallycover freshwater stream values, although many ofthe most significant freshwater ecosystems willhave been identified by surveys such as SSWI andPNAP.

Ecological Surveys Currently Underway

The following surveys which are currentlyunderway have not been included in the maps ofSites of Natural Significance.

Vegetation Survey of Awhitu and ManukauEcological DistrictsThis was carried out by Landcare Research,Hamilton for ARC, using elements of PNAP surveymethodology to identify areas of indigenousvegetation of significance in these districts. Thereport is currently being finalised and the GISinformation is in the process of being transferred toARC.

Appendix B



PNAP survey of Tamaki Ecological DistrictManukau, Waitakere and Auckland City Councilshave carried out full PNAP surveys of their sectionsof this ecological district. Surveys are also plannedfor the sections within Rodney District and NorthShore City. The survey reports have not beenfinalised and the information has not beenincorporated into the Sites of Natural Significance.

Databases Used in Identifying Sites of NaturalSignificance

Protected Natural Areas ProgrammeThe Protected Natural Areas Programme (PNAP)was established in the early 1980s. It was designedto identify and protect representative examples ofthe full range of indigenous biological diversity inNew Zealand.

Three PNAP surveys have been carried out in theAuckland Region, in the Rodney, Waitakere andHunua Ecological Districts. Recommended Areasfor Protection (RAPs) identified in the PNAPsurveys are the best examples of the ecologicaldiversity within each ecological district. All RAPshave been included in the Sites of NaturalSignificance.

Sites of Special Wildlife Interest (SSWI)This survey method was developed in the early1980s by the Wildlife Service to identify areas ofsignificance for wildlife and as habitat for wildlife.The SSWI method ranks sites as being ofoutstanding, high, moderate-high, moderate andpotential significance. Those sites of moderatesignificance and above have been included as Sitesof Natural Significance.

Geopreservation Inventory (Kenny and Hayward,1996 )This inventory identifies all internationally,nationally, and many of the regionally significantearth science sites throughout New Zealand. Allthe sites identified in the Auckland Region havebeen included as Sites of Natural Significance.

Wetlands of Ecological and RepresentativeImportance (WERI)WERI is an inventory of the existing information onthe important remaining wetlands in New Zealandcompiled in the 1980s. WERI sites of regional

significance and above, were included as Sites ofNatural Significance.

Waiheke Island Sites of Ecological SignificanceThis report used PNAP survey methodology toidentify key vegetation sites and SSWImethodology to survey wildlife habitats. Sites ofsignificance were prioritised within four categories.Sites in the priority classes 1 to 3 were included asSites of Natural Significance.

Appendix B, Auckland Regional Policy Statement(1999) and the Auckland Regional Planning Scheme(1988)The Auckland Regional Policy Statement (ARPS) is astatutory document which was prepared infulfilment of the requirements of the ResourceManagement Act 1991. Appendix B of the PARPSidentifies natural heritage areas of regionalsignificance in the Auckland Region. These werefirst published in the Auckland Regional PlanningScheme (1981). This appendix is not considered tobe a complete record of all significant natural andphysical heritage resources in the Auckland Region.Sites of regional significance and above wereincluded in the Sites of Natural Significance.

Auckland Regional Council Possum ControlDatabasePriority sites for possum control have beenidentified in the Auckland Region from existinginformation and field work. Any sites of regionalsignificance which were not already on the maps inthe CMS have been included in the Sites of NaturalSignificance (NB: this information was not originallyused in the CMS maps).

Statutory Basis of the CMS

The Conservation Management Strategy wasprepared in accordance with Part IIIA of theConservation Act 1987. It is a statutory documentwhich implements general policies and establishesobjectives for the integrated management ofnatural (including land and species) and historicresources within the Auckland Conservancy. Localauthorities preparing regional and district plansmust have regard to any relevant ConservationManagement Strategy. In the case of the AucklandConservancy CMS, this includes the significantnatural areas identified in Volume II of the CMS.

CULTURAL HERITAGE INVENTORY

An information base for cultural heritagemanagement

The Cultural Heritage Inventory (CHI) is a computertext-based system that contains cultural heritageinformation. It is being developed by the AucklandRegional Council (ARC) and is supported by:

Local authorities (city and district councils) New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT) Department of Conservation (DOC)

New Zealand Archaeological Association (NZAA)

Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland

Historical Societies Iwi Authorities

The CHI information is stored within 7 keytextbases:

1. Agencies, Specialists and ConsultantsCurrent addresses and telephone numbers ofmuseums, heritage agencies and consultants

2. Archaeological SitesSite descriptions and location information

3. Heritage BibliographyPublished and unpublished reports, manuscriptsand tapes

4. Historic Areas, Buildings, Places, Objects andStructures Site descriptions and locationinformation

5. Maritime Places and Areas Coastal environmentsite descriptions and location information

6. Reported Historic Places and AreasHistoric places which are not yet formally recorded,but recognised in publications and manuscripts

7. Historic Flora and Botanical SitesPlant types and historical associations

The CHI is still under development and isprogressively being updated. Work is currentlyfocused on:

assessing the historic places and areas recorded in the text-bases

developing a schedule of significant coastal cultural heritage resources as proposed in the Regional Plan Coastal

developing draft schedules of historic archaeological sites, historic areas, buildings,

objects and structures, and historic botanical resources

producing current contact names and addresses for heritage agencies and specialists

providing more comprehensive lists of published and unpublished reports

revising all historic place and area textbase structures

In the future, parts of the CHI may become available through internet access

Appendix C


LAND & RECREATION ACCESS STRATEGY

Analysis of Public Responses

In August 1998 the ARC published the "Land &Recreation Access Strategy - Issue and Options"document for public comment. It included aquestionnaire to assist the public in making theirresponses to the issues raised in the document.This has proved to be a very useful way of gettingpublic input. As a result 1239 responses to thequestionnaire have been received together with 87written submissions.

The following is an analysis of the public responsesto the questions.

"Should the ARC "acquire more beaches, bush orfarm areas to increase countryside access forpresent and future generations?"

94% answered 'yes' to this issue, with 4%answering 'no' and 2% not responding to thequestion.

The question also asked 'what kind' of park shouldbe acquired. 57% of respondents wanted the sortof natural/cultural settings (bush - beach - farmland)traditionally provided by the ARC; 42% of thesefavouring beach & coastal locations. 9% ofrespondents made reference to the need to providefor specific recreation activities with passiverecreation (picnics, swimming, walking)representing the majority of these.

This represents strong endorsement for theregional parks to continue to be based on providingaccess to high quality natural and scenic settingswith a strong bias for coastal locations.

"The existing 22 regional parks cost regionalratepayers about $35 in rates per year. If moreparks were bought please circle how much morewould you be prepared to pay annually?"

79% of respondents indicated that they areprepared to pay $10 or more (inclusive of $20,$20+), with 48% prepared to pay $20 or more.

"Should new parks be:i) developed immediately for public use; orii) made accessible as they are with delayed

development; oriii) set aside or leased out until required; oriv) a mix of the above?"

The majority (52%) chose iv), followed by ii) (22%)with the rest indicating i), iii), or specificcombinations.

"Should the ARC make greater use of user chargesto help pay for parks?"

58% answered 'no' to this question, with 33%answering 'yes' (with qualifying statements, seebelow for examples), 6% did not answer and 3%responded to both 'yes' and 'no'.

The most frequently mentioned comments are asfollows:

31% No - should be free to all regardless ofincome/free access to nature is birthright/chargeswill deter, restrict use.

12% No - pay in rates/already pay/one thirdabout right/current charges adequate.

13% Yes - charge for specialised/optionalservices, activities or facilities only.

5% Yes - charge commercial users/large groups(bookings)/tourists/non ratepayers.

"Should the ARC cater for a wider range of outdoorrecreation opportunities?"

59% answered 'yes' to this question, 32%answered 'no', while 7 % did not answer and 2%indicated both 'yes' and 'no'.

Yes - what activities?

Of those who responded to what kind of activity.

20% Mountain biking/cycling/horse riding.15% Other non motorised land based. 12% More of the same/current activities good/as

Appendix D


above (in question)/specific activity(ies) mentioned appear in question (except horse riding/mountain biking).

11% Other.11% Provided activities do not interfere/conflict

with existing passive use, other users.10% Motorised land based.

Yes - where?

Of those who responded to where activities couldtake place.

41% Not on existing parks.25% Long Bay/Okura. *25% In specialised areas/well defined

areas/selected parks/suitable appropriate areas/away from people, ecologically sensitive areas (on wasteland)/limited use.

8% Park(s)/area(s) specified (other than Long Bay/Okura).

1% Other.

* This response could be influenced by North Shoreresponses who were strongly in favour of the LongBay/ Okura area.

No - why not?

Of those who responded to no - why not?

45% Current activities sufficient/keep it simple/unstructured/keep as they are for majority users/others already cater for/not role of ARC.

22% Damage to environment/maintain natural setting.

17% Conflict with existing passive use/peace/quiet.

9% Cost/supervision/should be user pays.7% Other.

"Should the ARC protect any remaining importantnatural, scenic and culturally significant areas forpeople to enjoy by including them as regionalparks?"

93% Yes4% No3% Did not answer

"Should the ARC purchase land specifically suitedto activities such as high impact recreation?"

62% No27% Yes11% No answer

"Should the ARC rent or purchase recreation accessto private land where there is a willing owner?"

75% Yes15% No9% No answer1% Answered both

"Should the ARC create a regional trails systemutilising public and private land?"

71% Yes17% No answer12% No

"Should the ARC and DoC work closer together inmanaging public open space in the region?"

87% Yes7% No answer6% No

"Should the ARC contribute funds to ensureprotection of and access to outstanding beach,coastal, bush or farm areas outside of the AucklandRegional boundary?"

61% Yes30% No8% No answer1% Answered both


PARK ACQUISITION SELECTION CRITERIASELECTION CRITERIA - NEW PARKS

A. RESOURCE VALUE

Does the land contain regionally significant naturaland/or cultural features and attributes?

1. Does it contain features and/or attributesspecifically identified in the Regional PolicyStatement, any relevant regional plan, SignificantNatural Areas Inventory, Cultural Heritage Inventory,and/or Geo-preservation Inventory?

2. Does it contain features and/or attributes that areexamples of unique and/or representative featuresand/or attributes not already represented, or poorlyrepresented, in the public park estate ( e.g. lakes,rivers, wetlands)?

3. Does the land have the potential for therestoration of sustainable representativeecosystems involving native vegetation and wildlife(e.g. a peninsula suitable as a mainland island)?

4. Does the land have the potential to contribute tothe protection of a wider natural setting or to asustainable ecological area and/or corridor?

5. Does the land contain high scenic qualities (e.g.contains a headland, contains regionally significantlandscape features, or offers panoramic views)?

6. Does the land contain aspects and/orassociations of a special cultural and/or spiritualnature?

SELECTION CRITERIA - NEW PARKS

B. RECREATION VALUE

Does the land contain settings for outdoorrecreation for which there is a significant regionaldemand which cannot be satisfied in other ways,and which are consistent with a countryside beach,bush or rural experience?

1. Does the land serve a demonstrable regionalrecreation need and serve a regional community ofinterest?

2. Is the land suitable for a range of popular naturalresource-based outdoor recreation uses?

3. Does the land offer settings which meet keystrategic regional park needs, such as coastal landwith sandy beaches backed by usable flat areas,wilderness experiences or medium impactrecreation?

4. Is the land of sufficient scale and/or has features(e.g. ridges) which ensures the visual integrity ofthe natural setting, i.e. ensures the visual exclusionof existing or potential urban development?

5. Is the land within 90 minutes by car (or ferry)from central metropolitan Auckland and is or islikely to gain a reasonable level of use by theregional community?

90min = 1, 90-60 min = 2, <60-30 min = 3, <30-20min = 4, <20 min = 5 ]

6. What is the level of use or potential use by theregional community

ADDITIONS TO EXISTING PARKS

Use same criteria as above but substituterecreation criteria 4 and 6 with the following

1. Does the land assist in avoiding developmentwhich would significantly undermine the quality ofvisitors' experiences on the park (e.g. the visualintrusion of development)?

2. Does the land significantly add to or furtherprotect accessibility to the park and/or increase theuse of the park?

LEVEL OF THREAT

The level of threat to the land being considered forpurchase as regional parkland is a matter whichdetermines the timing of purchase. Factors such asthe threat of development, the degradation ofexisting values as a result of neglect, andincreasing land values, will be regularly monitoredfor key identified potential purchases.

Appendix E


Draft Open Space Strategy for the Auckland Region(ARC 1992)

Department of Conservation (1998) Restoring theDawn Chorus, Strategic Business Plan 1998-2002,January 1998

Landcare. "Indigenous Vegetation of the Awhitu andManukau Ecological Districts". Base data fromWaitakere PNA updated by the inclusion of Pae ote Rangi (315ha), Big Muddy Creek (135ha), andWaitakere water supply catchment land (6164haexcl. Watercare buffer A and exclusive use areas).Research survey report.

"Life in New Zealand" (LINZ) study undertaken bythe Hillary Commission in 1991

Kenny J.A. and B.W. Hayward (1996) Inventory andmaps of important geological sites and landforms inthe Auckland Region and Kermadec Islands.Geological Society of New Zealand, MiscellaneousPublication 84.

Fitzgibbon T.D. and D.C. Slaven (1988) Sites ofecological significance Waiheke Island. NorthernRegion Technical Report Series No. 2. Departmentof Conservation, August 1988.

References


Auckland Regional Council REGIONAL...

Documents

Transcript of Auckland Regional Council REGIONAL...