Public give a resounding ‘No’ to maunga tree-felling

Statistics supplied under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) show the public overwhelmingly rejects Tūpuna Maunga Authority’s plans to fell around 2000 exotic trees from the Auckland maunga under its control.

Earlier this year public feedback was sought on Auckland Council’s 2020/21 Budget and Tūpuna Maunga Authority’s 2020/21 Draft Operational Plan (which Auckland Council funds).

Submissions on the Authority’s Draft Operational Plan could be made to the Authority and/or to the Council. Tree-related submission statistics were therefore sought from both organisations.

Auckland Council advised it received 154 submissions on the Tūpuna Maunga Authority’s Draft Operational Plan 2020/21 (within the Auckland Council’s Annual Budget).  Of those, 120 did not support single-stage tree felling on the volcanic cones (maunga), 5 supported it and the remainder of submissions were about other matters.

The Council said no tree-related submissions were amongst those that were rejected.

Tūpuna Maunga Authority advised it received 176 submissions on the Tūpuna Maunga Authority’s Draft Operational Plan 2020/21 (within the Auckland Council’s Annual Budget).  Of those, 139 did not support single-stage tree felling on the maunga, 4 supported it and the remainder of submissions were about other matters.

The Authority refused to answer the question: Of the rejected Draft Operational Plan submissions, what was the ratio of pro-tree saving / pro-tree felling submissions? It advised: “This information will be provided when the Tūpuna Maunga Authority has made its decisions on the submissions.”

A supplementary information request has been lodged under LGOIMA asking on what grounds has the Authority declined to provide this information.

Honour the Maunga spokesperson Anna Radford says the submissions paint a graphic picture of concern about the Authority’s plans to destroy thousands of mature, healthy trees on Auckland’s maunga.

Honour the Maunga is a tree protection community group that formed in November 2019 to prevent the Authority needlessly felling 345 trees on Ōwairaka / Mt Albert – something it has so far succeeded in achieving. The group accepts the Authority’s long-term vision of native vegetation regeneration but is against the environmentally destructive nature of the proposed process.

Ms Radford says: “The vast majority of submissions mention the tree situation, showing how much this has become an issue in Auckland.  Even more tellingly, 96% of tree-related submissions to Auckland Council and 97% of those to Tūpuna Maunga Authority were against single-stage tree felling on Auckland’s maunga.”

She notes the results come as no surprise to the tree protection group.

“That we, as ordinary every-day people, have been able to maintain an ongoing tree protection presence on the Ōwairaka / Mt Albert for nearly seven months (Covid lockdown aside) speaks for itself.

“We have engaged with thousands of visitors to the maunga over that time, the vast majority of whom have expressed shock and sadness at what the Authority intends to do.”

Around 9500 have signed the groups online / hard copy petition to save Ōwairaka’s trees.  Members of Auckland’s other maunga communities have advised Honour the Maunga that they are planning their own occupations and protests should moves be made to fell trees there.

Ms Radford notes that Honour the Maunga has come under escalating and increasingly inflammatory attack from the Authority in recent months and says the submission results show it is time for the Authority to stop sniping and start listening.

Auckland’s maunga are owned by 13 iwi/hapu groups (Ngā Mana Whenua) but held in trust for the benefit of Ngā Mana Whenua and the other people of Auckland. The ‘other people’ includes Māori who are not part of that Treaty settlement. This is why ratepayers fund the Authority and why half of the Authority’s voting members are Auckland Council representatives.

“Mud-flinging and making untruthful racially-based statements about us achieves nothing and is undignified and irresponsible behaviour for a statutory authority that has a Treaty partnership mandate.

The Authority can call Honour the Maunga all the names it wants, and the Mayor can keep ducking for cover on the issue, but there’s no hiding from the what the submission numbers are saying loudly and clearly,” says Ms Radford.

“There is almost unanimous support for the trees staying. It is therefore time for Auckland Council and Tūpuna Maunga Authority to stop wasting ratepayers’ money on destructive and deeply divisive processes and instead act with openness, respectfulness and integrity to develop an environmentally-sound solution that is for the common benefit of all.”