Media Release
City Vision-Labour Councillors - Auckland City Council
For Immediate Release
Friday 13 March 2009

C&R Chop Down Tree Protection Activists

Two Tree Council activists who are deeply concerned about the need to protect Auckland trees were cruelly chopped down by Citizens and Ratepayers (C&R) councillors at yesterday’s City Development Committee meeting.

Sigrid Shayer, Chair of the Tree Council, and Field Officer Hueline Massey gave a presentation to the committee on their concerns about General Tree Protection rules, which protect significant trees in Auckland City from being cut down without a resource consent.  They fear these protections could go if the Resource Management Act Amendment Bill is passed into law but C&R councillors are completely disregarding these concerns.

City Vision Councillor Glenda Fryer moved an amendment which requested that those drafting the Auckland City Council’s submission to the Bill take into account the Tree Council’s concerns, but it was defeated with C&R Councillors Bhatnagar, Armstrong, Mulholland and Raffills all voting against it.

Councillor Fryer said, “I was saddened this amendment was defeated by C&R block voting against it and, to add insult to injury, no reason at all was given by C&R for not wanting to listen to the advice of the Tree Council!”

“Councillors Bhatnagar, Mulholland and Armstrong will be drafting the submission on the RMA Amendment Bill for the Council but sadly, it appears that they have closed minds when it comes to protecting our urban trees.

“I would be very concerned if Auckland local body politicians with allegiance to the National and Act parties had a hand in getting their Government to take decisions on tree protections out of the hands of communities and into the hands of a ‘nanny state’ Government.

“If the requirement to obtain a resource consent is taken away, my prediction is that our cities and suburbs will become ‘brown zones’ rather than having the ecological corridors we currently see for birds and insects that are part of the diversity and beauty of our suburbs.  Trees are the lungs of our cities and city dwellers are very passionate about their trees.

“The issue of tree protection is best left for communities and their local body politicians to decide in their District Plans.  To have government dictating to communities and local politicians on tree protections, and taking the voices away from the community is very disturbing,” concluded Councillor Fryer.

ENDS

© Scoop Media