Rodney council 'not protective enough'

Rodney District Council is accused of being timid in setting the boundary for its part of the Waitakere Ranges protection zone.

The council decided the national heritage area should include Te Henga Wetlands, near Bethells Beach, and popular public reserves, with a linking riparian strip.

But a Rodney ecologist, Kevin Corbett, said the council was including already protected land.

He said it should go further and involve private land, which also had significant landscape values.

Rodney Deputy Mayor David Steele agreed that the council had chosen areas which could not be touched.

As for other desirable areas, he said, the landowners resisted any more controls over their land.

He believed the council had strong controls over development already and that was what the bill was trying to achieve.

Forest and Bird chairman Ken Catt said the council's decision was a logical one as the selected areas touched the ranges.

He was pleased the council had heeded the society's request to include its Matuku Reserve, which has five threatened bird species.

Te Henga is the region's largest freshwater wetland at 80ha and has five private owners.

Also included is Goldie's Bush, a stand of regenerating kauri and part of the Te Henga-Goldies Walkway, and the Motutara scenic reserve.

Rodney will vote on May 26 on whether it will be a party to the draft ranges protection bill.