Council should abide by the rules it makes.

In 2008 the Waitakere Ranges rang with the singing and partying of many West Auckland politicians and environmental pressure groups as they heralded in the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act. Glowing with pride that they had finally protected our area and its communities from excessive development. Why now, when Auckland Council/Watercare is proposing huge industrial development totally contradictory to the spirit of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act, is there a deafening silence from these politicians and environmental pressure groups. Hopefully, it’s because they’re saving their energy for the next round, after Watercare announces its decision on placement of a Water Treatment Plant and surely we can expect, enters into a publicly notified resource consent process. I’m going to be interested in how Auckland City Planners justify away the Objectives of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act to accommodate this huge industrial complex within its boundaries? It will also be interesting to see what sort of public relations spin is used to justify the duplicity of Council making us all live by a set of rules that they, now want to break.
No matter where Watercare locates its new or improved Water Treatment complex, if it’s in the Waitakere’s they faced this dilemma. Although catchment land is still within the Heritage Area and locating the new water treatment infrastructure there does not technically remove Watercare’s responsibilities to abide by the Objectives of the Act, it would show the people that Auckland Council/Watercare understands the duplicity of what they’re proposing. You have 170 square kilometres of catchment in your backyard Watercare, keep your problems there and you might find your fight a lot easier.