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It's not Area D - but wow - it's the HPA

Dear Long Bay-Okura Great Park Society members and supporters, past and present,

Last year the North Shore City Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding to acquire the Heritage Protection Area (HPA) for public ownership. This is a very beautiful 18.7 hectares of land adjacent to the southern part of the Long Bay Regional Park on the headland of the Awaruku Ridge. It contains many Maori and European archeological and historic sites of significance, and also affords spectacular views over the Hauraki Gulf.

We wish to warmly congratulate the North Shore City Council in this achievement. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the dedication of the Mayor, Andrew Williams, and the Deputy Mayor, Julia Parfitt, who worked hard to acquire this land which will further buffer the Long Bay Regional Park from the imminent residential development.

The Memorandum also secures into public ownership another 13 reserves in the Long Bay Structure Plan area totaling a further 4.6 hectares, the largest of which is a 1.8 hectare corridor running up the ridge from the HPA towards Long Bay College and includes the northern quarter of Area D.

In addition, a further 14.8 hectares or stormwater and esplanade area has been secured in the Awaruku Stream and Vaughan Flats catchment areas, which essentially become public land and open recreation space.

The Council is continuing to negotiate for the two farm houses within the HPA and is hopeful that, in conjunction with the ARC, will be able to include these properties in the overall agreement. The Memorandum was approved by the Auckland Transition Agency last Thursday.

So well done, North Shore City Council. This is very good news indeed.

In the Environment Court the Society was successful in preventing any development on the HPA in perpetuity, but the land still remained in private ownership. The Council's Memorandum takes the next step in transferring the HPA into public ownership. It will be open to the public once a heritage plan is prepared and the land is readied for public access.

 The Society wishes to thank the Council for what it has achieved in further protecting Long Bay Regional Park and the adjacent Long Bay Marine Reserve. It is a wonderful legacy for a Council soon to be dissolved to make way for the new Auckland Council. We also wish to acknowledge the support of the Auckland Regional Council, in particular, the Parks and Heritage committee Chairperson, Sandra Coney, and the Deputy Chair, Christine Rose. We also are thankful for the support of the East Coast Bays Community Board, chaired by David Cooper.

The Mayor of North Shore City has paid tribute to the Society's role in securing this land. In a recent media release, he expressed 'sincere and considerable thanks to the Long Bay-Okura Great Park Society, the executive and members, who have been staunchly in support of the protection of Long Bay for so many many years. It has been a huge effort on the part of so many in our community, and the outcomes from the Environment Court and, indeed, from the various councils, property developers etc would not have been achieved without all the hard work of the Society. It has been that constant public pressure and awareness of this important issue that has kept Long Bay in the spotlight and which has resulted in what I believe is a significant result for the environment of the whole Long Bay area, for this current and future generations.'

In concluding, I too would like to acknowledge the many members and supporters of the Society who have contributed in so many ways to this awesome result.

In closing, I would like to remind members that the Society has played an important role over the past ten years in influencing the North Shore City and Auckland Regional Councils to acquire significant areas of land which have effectively extended the area of the Long Bay Regional Park. The acquisition of the Heritage Protection Area is testimony to this. We urge that you choose your vote for our new Supercity structure carefully to be sure of best protecting the aims of the Long Bay Okura Great Park Society