Improve park, spread load
Two large blocks of land purchased by council for millions of dollars to improve South Head’s regional park are yet to be developed.
The 247 hectare Te Rau Puriri Regional Park on South Head Rd was purchased by the former Auckland Regional Council in 2005.
A 15.2ha property along the same road was purchased in March 2013 and another 78ha property was purchased in 2014. Auckland Council regional parks manager Richard Hollier said this land would eventually form the total area of the regional park.
Rodney Local Board deputy chairman Phelan Pirrie said cuts to the regional parks team’s budget meant this land sat, untouched.
‘‘There’s no money to do it, that’s the problem. I think it’s crazy. We have spent millions of dollars buying these parks.’’
Te Rau Puriri had no facilities, and no signs to show how to access the beach. It had an Auckland Council regional park sign. Regional parks were allocated $9,729,760 for the financial year of 2016/2017. This total excluded capital funding for asset renewals and new development works. It also excluded building maintenance budgets.
With large visitor numbers putting pressure on regional parks at Piha and Muriwai, Pirrie said other parks in the area needed to be developed to spread the load.
Waitakere Ranges Local Board member Sandra Coney said Kitekite Falls was one of the places most under pressure by people at Piha. Muriwai residents had also complained about dogs roaming at the gannet colony and tourists’ littering, straying from walkways and trampling across the sand dunes.
Pirrie said planning needed to begin now for Te Rau Puriri as the area had the potential to become a ‘‘wonderful’’ park.
The park would need to go through a planning process which would include development of a concept plan, Hollier said.
That would be followed by a variation to the Regional Parks Management Plan.
From there, council would provide an opportunity for public input to state local issues they would like considered through the plan change. Once a draft plan had been prepared the public would give feedback. However, Hollier said no time frames had been set and it would not be completed for several years.