KEY POINTS:
A move to limit activities such as commercial filming in parts of the Waitakere Ranges has upset Mayor Bob Harvey.
The Auckland Regional Council wants to limit discretionary activities involving 50 or more participants to protect sensitive environments and the qualities of the ranges for visitors.
The proposal is outlined in a variation on its regional parks management plan and would affect five sites in the Waitakeres.
At North Piha, Glen Esk and Karekare activities involving more than 50 people would be limited to just five times a year. At Pararaha Valley, Whatipu and Anawhata they would be restricted to three times ayear.
Jane Aickin, group manager visitor services and assets, said the idea was to avoid any cumulative effects on the environment from repeated activities like filming commercials, running races or multisport events.
They were already listed as discretionary activities, requiring permission, but there were no limits on how many should be approved each year.
The proposal was "hot off the press", she said, with feedback due by the end of June.
Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey said that, while perhaps something needed to be done to control large-scale activities in the Waitakeres, the regional council seemed to be "taking the fun out of the outdoors a little".
Mr Harvey, who regularly runs the bush tracks, said he had not noticed any overcrowding problems. He was concerned that the council was ratcheting up its controls and noted that it had already lodged objections to activities such as canyoning and some youth events.
"It's a pretty dictatorial agenda which I'm noticing ... they have got to stand back and say that these ranges are for enjoyment or are not to be entered."
Mr Harvey, a former deputy chairman of the Film Commission, thought the use of the ranges for making films and commercials was an unobtrusive activity. He was proud that the Waitakeres was a popular location.
"It's been a fantastic success of filming ... a landscape that needs to be lovedand enjoyed and filmed in."
He said he planned to "robustly discuss" the proposal with the regional council.
Peter Hewitt, executive producer Film Production, said he had shot at all the locations where the restrictions were proposed.
"We take a lot of care and leave them in better shape than when we arrive."
Mr Hewitt was concerned at the "increasing imposition of local bureaucracy in our lives", including by the Department of Conservation in other parts of New Zealand.
"We are slowly and surely being shut out."
Mark Foster, producer for Robber's Dog, said some Karekare locals might have felt a bit bruised by their experiences during the filming of The Piano, which had been a huge production.
Matt Noonan, of Curious Films, said he often worked with more than 50 people on site but would be open to working closely with the council to limit impacts by using fewer people.
He said his international clients loved filming in the Waitakeres. "I would be sad if they were unable to consider those locations."
John Edgar, of the Waitakere Ranges Protection Society, said there was a need to cap large-scale activities to create certainty about appropriate use.
Large groups of runners could create wear and tear on the tracks and there was increasing pressure from those who wanted to use the Waitakeres for adventure tourism.
But Mr Edgar thought filming was not that bad because it was mostly undertaken by responsible people. "They always clean up afterwards and restore any damage."
