Site’s future in doubt
Cliff collapse takes out path near proposed Erebus memorial
A cliff-top path close to the proposed site for the contentious National Erebus Memorial is likely to be permanently closed after the cliff collapsed following recent severe weather.
The impact of the unprecedented rainfall on the nearby memorial site is up unknown.
An Auckland Council assessment of the 17-metre-high cliff says there has previously been land instability along the entire cliff face and there is potential for further instability from future storm or earthquake events.
There is a ‘‘very high risk of further regression in a park highly valued by residents’’, the report said.
The report said a 15-metre long section of the cliff on the northeast side of Dove-Myer
Robinson Park in Parnell has been affected with about seven metres of a narrow path washed away.
The slip was most likely caused by an accumulation of overland stormwater run-off during Cyclone Gabrielle or possibly the Auckland Anniversary flood event, the report said.
It recommends removing the damaged path, building a fence back from the cliff edge and planting vegetation to discourage the public from approaching the cliff edge.
It does not mention the impact of the landslide on the nearby site for the National Erebus Memorial which was granted resource consent on 18 March 2020.
Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage has led the development of the memorial in the park to acknowledge the 257 passengers and crew killed when a sightseeing flight crashed in Antarctica in 1979.
The ministry has commissioned its own geotechnical advice following the landslide to ‘‘ensure informed decisions can be made about what is appropriate for the memorial now, and into the future’’, the ministry’s deputy chief executive delivery, Glenis Philip-Barbara said.
‘‘Until this advice has been received and duly considered, it would be inappropriate to comment further,’’ Philip-Barbara said.
Auckland Council head of specialist operations Martin Van Jaarsveld said a geotechnical assessment was provided as part of the initial resource consent application and further engineering information was requested during the processing of the application.
Van Jaarsveld said the information was reviewed by council’s development engineering team and ‘‘it was determined that at the time of processing the site could be safely developed from a geotechnical/stability perspective, subject to conditions’’.
Progress on building the memorial stalled due to Covid-19 and in November 2022 the ministry sought an extension of the landowner approval time period from the Waitematā Local Board which was initially listed as December 7, 2022.
The board deferred its decision.
Last week, chief ombudsman Peter Boshier released his decision from an investigation into complaints over the council’s decision not to notify the resource consent application for building the memorial. That decision meant the public did not get the chance to contest the proposal before independent commissioners.
Boshier determined that in some respects council staff acted ‘‘unreasonably’’.