Halcyon days recalled at submissions hearing
The vast majority of individuals submitting to an ongoing hearing into the potential urbanisation of Kākā Valley have been against the proposal, recalling golden days in the Maitai and wanting to preserve it for the future.
The hearing is a process in which independent commissioners hear evidence and submissions both for and against a proposed private plan change to rezone land in Kākā Valley from rural to urban, to allow for a higher-density housing development of about 350 houses on what is currently mostly privately-owned farmland.
It began on Wednesday last week, with the first two days dedicated largely to the applicants – representatives from Ngāti Koata’s commercial arm and the developers and their expert witnesses.
Monday was largely dedicated to the one major organised opposition group, Save the Maitai, to deliver its opposing experts’ evidence.
The applicants’ lawyer John Maassen and Save the Maitai lawyer Sally Gepp had a volley over the latter group’s inclusion of a statement from a former active supporter of Save the Maitai, Olympian Rod Dixon, who had since stepped back from actively supporting the group and who had not given final sign-off to the statement.
Maassen said Dixon had stepped back after finding out he had been given ‘‘misinformation’’, however Gepp said his statement was accidentally included after the person putting together the final piece came down with Covid, and as the statement had been rescinded before the hearing started it was a ‘‘side-show’’.
The rest of the hearing so far has been an opportunity for individual submitters, members of the community who felt compelled to share their views on the proposed plan change not necessarily based on any particular expertise, but because of their personal connection to the area, their concerns over the environmental impact, and the flow-on effect onto mental health and wellbeing.
Submitters on the fifth day highlighted the importance of protecting the last rural valley close to the city.
Libby Newton said she was ‘‘definitely speaking now to support [her] own backyard’’ and said she was proud to do so.
‘‘I don’t think there’s much I can do for the felling of the Amazon rainforest, but I can speak up for my own back yard which is the Maitai Valley.’’
She said she personally wouldn’t have so much concern for a smaller number of houses, but the idea of 350 was ‘‘definitely urban sprawl and that’s not OK’’.
‘‘Another question that’s come up is would I use the Kākā Valley if it was planted, and my thought ... is probably not. Why would I want to walk among houses even if around there is planted if I’ve got the whole Maitai Valley? Of course the Maitai Valley will not be the same with all those houses in it [Kākā Valley], but I don’t see that I would want to go up there.’’
Another submitter, David Ayer, emphasised the need to live sustainably and avoid urban sprawl. ‘‘We can easily grow much more slowly in existing housing areas with intensification while we learn how to live sustainability,’’ he said.
‘‘[People] feel deeply the loss of the natural world and the continuous expansion of our towns and cities, and they want to live more in balance. With very good environmental standards … some small greenfield developments may be worth doing; not in this case.’’
The individual submitters who were in favour of the development were notable in their minority – though they included Koata Trust, representing the non-commercial branch of Ngāti Koata iwi, on day three of the submissions.
Former city councillor Mike Ward spoke positively about the development’s potential if done right, with suggestions of including allotments for community connection and vegetable gardens.
‘‘I don’t think there’s much I can do for the felling of the Amazon rainforest but I can speak up for my own back yard...’’
Libby Newton