Mayor says school hijacked

A protest meeting against legislation eroding "property rights" in the Waitakere Ranges has got Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey hopping mad and seeking a ministerial directive to shut it down.

Mr Harvey yesterday asked Education Minister Trevor Mallard to stop the meeting at Bruce McLaren Intermediate School in Henderson tomorrow evening on the grounds that the principal, David Crickmer, was "a developer in his own right" and the school was "being hijacked for this purpose".

Mr Mallard told Mr Harvey to approach the school board.

On Friday, Mr Harvey wrote to one of those scheduled to speak at the meeting, retired Planning Tribunal judge Arnold Turner, and accused him of being "on the side of those who would chop it [the ranges] up like salami".

Furthermore, Mr Harvey was unimpressed that National MP and former Conservation Minister Nick Smith would be speaking at the meeting, organised by a group of about 130 landowners opposed to the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Bill.

The legislation aims to control any further development of the foothills of the ranges from what Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Morgan Williams famously described in a 2000 report as "death by a thousand cuts".

Mr Crickmer said that by trying to stop the meeting, Mr Harvey was trying to "hit democracy very hard with a sledgehammer".

There was nothing unusual about the Structure Plan Advocate Network (Span) hiring the school hall.

"People should be allowed the right to voice their views and opinions," the principal said.

Responding to Mr Harvey's claims about using the school to pursue his own property rights, Mr Crickmer said he had owned 2ha in Candia Rd, Ranui, since 1985 but had no plans "at the moment" to subdivide.

He opposed the legislation "as it stands", was not a member of Span and would not be attending the meeting.

Mr Harvey said he was in no doubt the school was being used to whip up a storm against the legislation but he did not plan to take the matter further.

"Let them have their meeting. It seems to me to be a meeting of fear."

Dr Smith, National's environment spokesman, said there needed to be a public debate about the Waitakere legislation, which proposed taking private land by stealth to create reserves.

"The Waitakere Ranges are spectacular and need to be managed carefully but this piece of legislation goes way beyond the pail. These proposals are an attack on the rights of private property owners," Dr Smith said.

Mr Turner said he would respond to Mr Harvey's letter privately. The retired judge has criticised the bill for being fundamentally flawed and not achieving the results the public wanted, including setting clear rules about the future subdivision and development of private land.