1 November 2001

One Tree Hill Planting Will Go Ahead - Time To Concentrate On Auckland's Real Issues

"The planned planting of saplings on One Tree Hill has gone through an exhaustive consultation and resource consent process, and the funds have been budgeted for," says Judith Tizard, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister with Auckland Issues.

"The only way to stop it now would be for a councillor to take a motion to the Auckland City Council with enough support. I think that Auckland has more pressing issues than the reversal of a decision that has been made with the blessing of the Ngati Whatua and the wider Auckland community.

"Like my colleagues Mark Gosche and Sandra Lee, I want to see a tree replace the Monterey pine, which Auckland City had resource consent to remove. For the sake of tourism, conservation and regional identity, I'm looking forward to next year's planting season.

"But in the meantime, Auckland is facing huge issues and achieving some good results, and it's time to focus on those.

"For example, I'm delighted that Auckland City's new waste management plan has reduced the amount of waste taken to the city's landfills by 34.5 per cent in the first two months since the smaller 120 litre wheelie bins were introduced.

"As an Auckland City resident, I'm also pleased to hear that any faulty wheelie bins will be replaced or repaired by Sulo Simalplas Ltd at no cost to ratepayers. I consider this a show of confidence in the good work Auckland residents have done to reduce waste and recycle more.

"But that's only one concern. Once Auckland City Council has decided on its new committees tonight, all of Auckland's councils and the Government can continue to work together on major issues such as public transport and roading, and capitalising on the growth potential forecast by the Regional Growth Strategy, identified by Competitive Auckland and highlighted most recently in the latest Metro magazine article on Auckland's economy."

Ends

© Scoop Media