Congratulations and then...

An opinion piece

I am writing from Japan after an extended period offline (for field work in Papua New Guinea). It was wonderful to learn about the new ruling from the Environment Court. Congratulations to all who were directly involved in making the case.

Now all of us in the Society can perhaps begin thinking about possible roles for the Society, as the eventual extent of the Park becomes more and more clear.

While action is still needed on plans for the region, such action is of course the most important role of the Society, but eventually there will be a park - considerably larger than the present park - that has stable boundaries, and a need for ongoing community support.

Providing such support is one role the Society is well-positioned to undertake. It is something we can look forward to. Not all members are compaigners by temperament, and this will give a wider range of members opportunities to contribute in various ways.

Also needed will be a review of the progress and history of the campaign, so that the lessons learned can be passed on to other organisations around New Zealand and in other countries. This is something that a graduate research student or professional historian might like to consider undertaking.

There is also much unfinished business regarding the cultural and natural heritages that have at last been given recognition in the court ruling.

So long as the landscape is protected, the archaeological sites will be more-or-less safe. There is time for investigations to proceed with extensive community consultation and participation. Community-led archaeology on the periphery of New Zealand's largest city might be a major first for New Zealand, if it is possible.

Learning about the natural and cultural history of our region is a pleasure that can and should be made to last indefinitely. We should not expect or aim to unravel all mysteries instantaneously. But tackling mysteries is also a challenge that most people enjoy, in many ways, and providing opportunities for this is one of the reasons for the existence of a great park, and for preserving the scent of wilderness.

I miss the sea breeze. The air is hot, humid, and heavy here in Kyoto.

A final note - if any members would like to contribute to this blog, please enquire and join. It is possible now to post short videos on the blog, as well as photos.

News to report?

Hi folks.

Concerning the Great Park effort, any related news from the front lines, side lines, beachside or hilltops is welcome. Please give me (Peter) an message c/o pjm at gol dot com, or use tel. /fax +81 75 934-8834 (Japan), and I will see what I can do about putting something up on this site.

Thanks.

By the way, does North Shore City have any policy yet on reducing sea-level infrastructure -- as an insurance policy against sea level changes? One hundred years is not a short time for nature to take its course. Are we even beginning to get prepared?

Or may be we can respond adaptively - if the sea is going to rise, filling inlets along the Shore, perhaps there will be more space for yacht harbours and house-boats. New moorings for the owners of houses that fall into the sea?

Consider Balboa Park

Balboa Park is an urban park of 1200 acres in San Diego, southern California, USA.

In 1868, the City of San Diego set aside land for the park. Balboa Park is famous for its horticultural treasures – eight gardens set among lawns, trees, or nestled in within peaceful vistas.

The Park is also a large cultural complex, housing over 85 cultural and recreational institutions including 15 museums and various performing arts groups.

In 1985, the Balboa Park Endowment Fund was established by the Pratt Memorial Fund and California First Bank. An online campaign to support for this park forever can be found at Foreverpark.org

Supporters of the Great Park are encouraged to visit the website of Forever Park, a support site aimed at preserving Balboa Park forever. Maybe we can learn something from this example about (a) how to develop a great park,(b) how to develop a long term vision for that design, and (c) how to raise funds effectively.

It may be just as important to imagine what the Great Park can be as it is to fight for land on which to build the Park. Even if all the land we hope for is made available, the Great Park will require a long term vision to reach its full potential.

The Park will always be - and should always be - a work-in-progress, as the Auckland region itself changes over time.

Being a "work-in-progress' does not mean that the Park must be forever "incomplete" or not yet at its full potential. The continuous but gradual working and reworking of a Great Park could become a major and positive contributor to the ecological and social dynamics of our region.

News from Long Bay to Weiti Forest

Housing plan polished
Wayne Thompson (3rd Oct. 2006, NZ Herald): Landco has revised plans to build houses on the rural backdrop to Long Bay Regional Park, "in an attempt to improve views of the Hauraki Gulf and protect sacred Maori sites". Comment: the latter may include archaeological sites yet to be discovered, and archaeological sites do not have to be 'sacred' to deserve or require protection. With suitable study and presentation, even the most ordinary of archaeological sites can have economic and social value as historical destinations. At present, the pre-European history of the entire North Shore is almost entirely invisible, for most people.

Auckland green belt threatened
Wayne Thompson (19th Oct. 2006, NZ Herald: Weiti forest is the largest privately-owned piece of undeveloped land on Auckland's north-east coast. Williams Capital wants to develop a quarter of the 900ha property, which currently has pine trees on 80 per cent of it and a coastal walkway from Stillwater to the 1855 Dacre Cottage. The plans involve gifting a park of more than 300ha, including a large part of the Okura Catchment, which has featured in planning battles over the years with environmental groups anxious to protect the Okura Estuary and Okura-Long Bay Marine Reserve.

"Wading in waste"

This is the title of an excellent article by Michael Mallin in the June 2006 issue of Scientific American, a popular science magazine with international distribution. Mallin has been looking at how urban development affects coastal water quality. Here are some key statements, with my comments added:

"Thanks to unchecked development along America's coasts, disease-causing microbes are increasingly fouling beaches and shellfish beds" Note: although we have a marine reserve at Long Bay and Okura, some people will always be taking and eating some shellfish; all that can be achieved by prohibition is a degree of protection for the shellfish, and for the consumers of shellfish from polluted waters.

"Smart growth strategies can restore polluted coastlines and provide economic benefits as well... the adoption of reasonable controls on coastal development would safeguard the shoreline economy as much as it would protect the public's health" Unfortunately, the claimed benefits of the Great Park proposal for Long Bay and Okura have never been subject to serious economic analysis, so the competing plan of quick and easy profit from more housing development remains the default plan for economic development on the North Shore.

After development as usual, "the resulting landscape is dominated by impervious surfaces - parking lots, roads, and sidewalks. When it rains, storm water runoff from these surfaces can carry animal feces and their accompanying microbes into drainage ditches that lead directly to lakes, streams and beaches"..."Urban and suburban watersheds receive a steady influx of manure from domestic animals such as dogs and cats.."

The author makes many practical suggestions, many of which are already beginning to be practised in New Zealand. Whatever developments do proceed at Long Bay and Okura should follow the best possible procedures, and should be up for public debate before actions are taken. With suitable support, the East Coast Bays Coastal Protection Society could be more active in monitoring furture plans and developments at Long Bay and Okura.

Diggers in at Beach Road

An eyewitness report this morning: the diggers are in at the Beach Road where a new road has been laid out in the council map of "Proposed Variation 66, Appendix 10".

Although the Structure Plan is still to be discussed further in court, it seems like a pre-emptive attack is underway. The proposed route will cross one of the last wetlands on the coast of North Shore City, potentially intersecting with underground archaeological remains that have not been detected in surface surveys.

Some of the greatest treasures of Maori wood carving and architecture have been found in wetland sites, in other parts of New Zealand, so care should be taken during any excavation for a road across the Long Bay (Awaruku) wetland.

Council acts on climate change?!

The North Shore City Council (April 7. 2006) has reported its concern about climate change: "We’re taking seriously what a number of experts are saying. Its no understatement to say that the preservation of planet earth is at stake,” said Mr Wood, the North Shore City Mayor.

Co-op comment: It easy to talk about climate change as a global problem, but what is the reality going to be for a coastal city like the North Shore?

Sea-level rise appears to be inevitable, since green-house gas emissions are not being stopped, they are only being slowed down slightly. Communities located at close to sea level will face huge infrastructure costs to rebuild sea-walls and storm-water outlet systems. At some point people will have to relocate.

It could be argued that some part of the Great Park should serve as a land bank, so that people can relocate more easily within the same city. When the Browns Bay community is flooded, or becomes an estuary, it could be added to the coastal park, and receive land on the hills in exchange.