May 2020 – Working to save Auckland's trees

The TMA creeps

Tupuna Maunga Authority extends its area of influence over consents etc.

Time for anyone and everyone living or working within or even near any of these pink zones of Tūpuna Maunga Authority (TMA) control. TMA have given themselves oversight of subdivision, stormwater and wastewater, earthworks, height and other matters that may require resource consent.

For full details, download the details and maps compiled from official Auckland Unitary Plan geomaps overlays.

Here are a few examples:

ŌWAIRAKA-MOUNT-ALBERT — Ōwairaka – Mount Albert

This is the overall map for Auckland. Check the full document compiled by Tree Advocates (the maps provided by TMA are unhelpfully low in resolution) here.

Tupuna Maunga Authority extends its area of influence over consents etc. — Pink areas show extent of land claimed by Tūpuna Maunga Authority under their doctrine of ‘Tūpuna Maunga Areas’.

Save our kauri – expert evidence

We’re grateful for permission to publish this important Expert Evidence from Dr Cate Macinnis-Ng regarding kauri.

The text follows. You may download the PDF here.

EVIDENCE OF DR CATE MACINNIS-NG
ON BEHALF OF SAVE OUR KAURI TRUST
13th February 2020

Qualifications and experience

I am a plant eco-physiologist and eco-hydrologist and am an Associate
Professor at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of
Auckland. I measure and model carbon and water cycling in forests and
am particularly interested in the effects of global change processes (like
climate change and land use change) on forests and other vegetation.
I received my PhD in 2003 from the University of Technology Sydney
(UTS). I worked at UTS for seven years as a research fellow
researching water use of vegetation in several research groups
including the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training. I
have published 46 peer-reviewed journal articles and I have written nine
technical reports.
Since moving to New Zealand in 2010, I have been working on the
physiology of kauri. In 2012, I received a Marsden Fund Fast-Start grant
from the Royal Society of New Zealand to study the water use patterns
of these iconic trees. In 2014, I was awarded the Early Career
Research Excellence Award at the University of Auckland and in 2015, I
was awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship by the Royal Society
of New Zealand.
I have been asked by Save Our Kauri Trust to provide an assessment
of the impact of the proposed water treatment plant on protected land
bordered by Woodlands Park Rd, Manuka Rd Titirangi.
I advise that I have read the Code of Conduct for Expert Witnesses
contained in the Environment Court Practice Note 2014 and have
complied with it in preparing this evidence. I confirm that the issues
addressed in this evidence are within my area of expertise and I have
not omitted material facts known to me that might alter or detract from
my evidence.
In this document, I outline the value of the established ecosystems as
an essential part of the landscape and a valuable carbon store.
VALUE OF ESTABLISHED FOREST ECOSYSTEMS
Generally, forests provide us with many goods and services that
support human life. Forest products include wood and gum (these are
often referred to as ecosystem goods). The value of these goods can
be easily determined based on market prices.
Ecosystem services are more difficult to value because they are less
tangible. Carbon uptake and storage is a good example of a forest
ecosystem service. Forests absorb CO2 as they grow and trees store
this carbon in their stems, branches, leaves and roots. Forests also play
an important role in the water cycle as transpiration is one of the major
pathways through which water returns to the atmosphere after rain.
Trees are important for flood mitigation because they collect rainfall on
their leaves and buffer water flow through the landscape. Tree roots are
also important for binding the soil and preventing erosion.
Kauri forests are particularly valuable because they are amongst the
most carbon dense forests in the world. A single tree can store vast
amounts of carbon and will also use large volumes of water each year.
The trees within the proposed area to be felled are not particularly large
but as there are hundreds of trees to be removed, collectively their
carbon storage is considerable. Under a climate emergency, all effort
should be made to protect established forests for the rich carbon
reserves they store both above and below ground.
There are several kauri trees of a relatively young age at the site but as
kauridieback is killing hundreds of trees, all individuals should be
protected because we don’t know which tree will be the future Tāne
Mahuta centuries from now. Ongoing work by one of my PhD students
is just beginning to unravel the physiological responses of kauri to kauri
dieback disease. Disturbance of the site will likely spread the pathogen
due to soil movement by euqipment and hydrological changes due to
removal of trees. Established canopy and root systems provide
protection of the soil by reducing water reaching the understorey and
binding the soil as described below.
During a rainfall event, a large canopy of leaves will capture water until
the leaf surfaces have been saturated. This process is known as
‘wetting up’ and it reduces the amount of water reaching the ground
because the water stays on the leaves until it evaporates once the rain
has cleared. A closed canopy is likely to have a leaf area of 3-4 m of
leaves per unit of ground so this surface area has a significant effect on
the water cycle.
Detailed measurements of rainfall redistribution in kauri forest by
Sangster (1986, unpublished MSc thesis, University of Auckland)
showed interception loss was 44% of incoming rainfall. This is
consistent with other similar forest types around the world and indicates
that only 56% of rainfall reaches the forest floor. Removal of trees
therefore increases water input onto the land surface and increases
water logging and runoff. More runoff can mean more erosion and more
frequent and severe floods in addition to movement of soil, potentially
spreading kauri dieback.
Tree roots are also important for binding soil. Where there is
complicated topography, established trees are important for stabilisation
of any slopes. As a rule of thumb, a tree stores half its biomass above
ground and the other half below ground so the root systems of the
vegetation proposed to be removed would be very large.
There are several notable larger kauri in the vicinity of the area
proposed to be cleared. We are just learning how trees interact below
ground through the rhizosphere. In addition to my concerns about soil
movement due to earth work equipment and water flow, I am also
concerned that the root systems of these trees will be adversely
impacted by the vegetation removal. Significant trees need substantial
buffers for best protection.
Any proposed biodiversity offset will not be a meaningful replacement in
a changing climate. Established forests are better placed to survive
drought because they have deep root systems to access deep water
stores. Seedlings and saplings do not have adequate root structures to
allow them to survive dry periods. Under the current drought conditions,
we are seeing restorations plantings completely fail across the city
because the deveoping soil moisture deficit is killing sensitive seedlings.
As droughts are predicted to become more frequent and severe, we
cannot predict if on offset planting will survive to a mature age.
Established forest has never been more valuable for the carbon it
stores, the water it regulates and it’s ability to survive drought.

Adopt a tree

Adopt a Tree: an open-air festival in praise of trees, Western Park, Auckland.

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around Your Adopted Tree 18 November 2017

On 18 November 2017, the Urban Tree Alliance (Wendy Gray, Aprilanne Bonar) ran the Adopt-a-Tree community event kicking off the public awareness campaign at Western Park, Auckland.

Supported by Waitematā Local Board and local businesses, the event offered live music, face painting, forest bathing, taiji and yoga classes, tree meditation.

The campaign invites Auckland residents to adopt their favourite tree locally, get to know it, give it a drink particularly in the hot summer months and remind construction workers to be careful around trees.

Free yellow ribbons were handed out on the day for members of the public to tie around their chosen tree.

In the last 4 years (in 2017) one third of Auckland’s urban canopy has been cut down and by 2030, if the status quo exists, there will be no urban tree canopy left in Auckland.

Here are some memories of the festival. We hope to be organising soon. Let us know if you're interested in being involved, or running one events.

The flyer advertising the event.

Tree consciousness

Tree consciousness expands life with joy.

Consciousness of trees is to living – as fresh air is to breathing

You can go through your entire life without ever thinking about your breathing. You could be hardly conscious of it even though you breathe every minute of your life. You won’t die on the spot if you stop thinking about your breathing. That’s because your body has amazingly precise and automatic systems for making sure you keep breathing and stay alive.

You can also go through your entire life without ever thinking about trees. You could be hardly conscious of them, even when you walk past them. And you certainly won’t die on the spot if you never ever think about trees! But that’s only because trees are working every daylight minute to give you the stuff that keeps you breathing.

Life in breath

Think what wonderful things become possible once you become fully conscious of breathing. Life is enriched as whole worlds open up. Conscious breathing powers all theatre from singing to acting to dancing to performing music. Without great breathing, sports and martial arts are closed to you. Breathing is also the key to all kinds of mind-body practices like yoga, meditation.
You may not think you’re conscious of trees. But on very hot, sunny days do you instinctively enjoy leafy shade when you get under it? Do you duck under a tree’s cover then you’re caught out in a rain bomb? Have you ever noticed that if you’re in a bad mood, a walk under some trees always makes you feel better?

Tree conscious

When you become fully tree conscious, something wonderful happens. It’s like suddenly appreciating someone who has always been there for you. They’re there in the background and you don’t see them. Yet you can always rely them. Trees have been in the background – yours, mine, everyone’s – from the first day any of us were born. We kicked the leaves when we were little, We had picnics in their shade. We watched birds flying in and out.

When you become tree conscious, you appreciate how they soften the harsh lines of the city. How they give colour through their leaves and flowers. How the movement of the leaves refreshes your eyes, their rustling provides a soft music that always soothes.

As you become more aware of trees, you remember what you learnt at school. Trees produce a truly vital thing we need to stay alive. Oxygen. Without it, you can’t breathe. Actually, you’d die in seconds. The leaves of trees churn out oxygen every daylight minute of every day – without pause or let up – all year round. A fair-sized mature tree produces roughly enough oxygen to keep a family alive.

Awhi-awhi, a female kauri (Agathis australis) in Waitakeres, on death row operated by a developer.

Air of life

Yes; that means for every tree that is cut down, there is several fewer people the planet can keep alive. At present, the air is on average about 20% oxygen and we can live comfortably with that. But in cities the proportion of oxygen in the air drops to as low as 17% and in crowded indoor space, even less. At around this level, people get irritable, cross, uncomfortable and feel more stressed as levels drop.

Globally, oxygen levels are dropping. But in localities like a forest, oxygen levels can rise to 21% and greater. Little wonder we all feel more chilled out in a forest than in a high street.

But not only do trees produce the oxygen you need to live. Just like appreciating all the quiet things a supportive person does for you, tree consciousness opens up all the invisible services trees render. We enjoy their shade and shelter from the rain. But that shelter also protects the ground: trees soften the eroding effects of rain by retaining vast amounts in the leaves before letting it drip steadily to the ground. Trees control storm water by soaking up thousands of gallons. They break up strong winds and also dissipate noise. Tree leaves also filter the air, collecting dust particles to be washed later by rain.

Unseen life

Then there are the other creatures that share trees with us. We see the most obvious – the birds – but few of us take notice of the insects and small plants that depend on a tree. And we’d do well to pay attention to the massive life underground. Literally massive. As much, if not more, of the biomass of a tree lies underground. And with it all the soil myccorhiza and fungi and bacteria that enable a tree to extract minerals from the soil. An armful of healthy soil could contain 3 kilometres of fungal hyphae or threads that move water and minerals between plans, between trees.

Less than 1mm long, millions of springtails like this Onychiurus keep the soil healthy.

It offers shelter and home to dozens of species of insects which are food for birds, pollinate our flowers, and clean up our environment by eating up our waste. And there will be lichen, fungi and plants growing on the trees. Some you can see, some you won’t spot. But one thing you can guarantee: there’s no such thing as a tree that’s empty of life.

Tree consciousness unwraps a world that you knew only by its superficial coverings.

Tree consciousness deepens your appreciation of the intricate web of all living things, their inter-connectedness, their inter-dependence. Above all, tree consciousness deepens your appreciation of how you – and everything you hold dear – all depend, and depend totally, on trees. Tree consciousness brings you to feel a deep gratitude for all that trees give to us. And that can only enrich your living.

Tom Ang : April 2018

What if TMA get their way

What Mt Roskill would look like if TMA get their way.

What Mt Albert/Ōwairaka may look like if TMA remove the splendid Holm Oaks they insist must go.

What the football field on Mt Albert/Ōwairaka may look like if TMA remove the 345 trees they insist must go.

The kind of view-shaft TMA want to open up.

Maunga and The Reserves Act

TMA has failed in its duty under The Reserves Act.

A brief note on the relation of Tūpuna Maunga Authority (TMA) activities to The Reserves Act. And its failures.

1. The Reserves Act 1977 is administered by Department of Conservation.
2. Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Act 2014 (Redress Act) refers repeatedly to Reserves Act in Part 2: essentially, it revokes the Act for each maunga, then transfers fee simple to TMA.

3. Redress Act Part 2: Cultural redress: § 17 Statement of Association says: (1) The Crown acknowledges the statements of association of iwi and hapū.(2) However, the statements—(a) must not affect, or be taken into account by, a person exercising a power or performing a function or duty under an enactment or a bylaw made by a local authority under an enactment; and (b) do not affect the lawful rights or legal obligations of any person; and (c) do not grant, create, or affect any interests or rights relating to the lands referred to in the statements.(My emphasis: that’s why we can protest on ‘their’ land.)

4. Subpart 1 goes through the vesting of maunga (other than Maungauika and Rarotonga) for each maunga.
5. In each §, after the fee simple of each is vested in the trustee (TMA), each maunga is “then declared a reserve and classified as a XXX reserve subject to section YY of the Reserves Act 1977.” XXX refers to the reserve being either a a local purpose reserve, historic reserve, or recreation reserve. According type of reserve, different sections apply: respectively 17, 18, 23. Some maunga have more than one type of reserve.(There’s also a clause for easement for Watercare.)

6. The germane bits are: § 17 ‘Recreation reserves’ stipulates: (2) (b) that “every recreation reserve shall be so administered under the appropriate provisions of this Act that … where scenic, historic, archaeological, biological, geological, or other scientific features or indigenous flora or fauna or wildlife are present on the reserve, those features or that flora or fauna or wildlife shall be managed and protected to the extent compatible with the principal or primary purpose of the reserve… and (c) those qualities of the reserve which contribute to the pleasantness, harmony, and cohesion of the natural environment and to the better use and enjoyment of the reserve shall be conserved (d) to the extent compatible with the principal or primary purpose of the reserve, its value as a soil, water, and forest conservation area shall be maintained.”(My emphases.) (Ōwairaka is a recreation reserve)
7. § 18 ‘Historic reserves’ uses essentially the same wordings, adding protections of historical sites. It adds (e) except where the Minister otherwise determines, the indigenous flora and fauna and natural environment shall as far as possible be preserved … (My emphasis.)

8. § 23 ‘Local purpose reserves’ makes similar requirements regarding managing and protecting biological or natural features, conserving forest etc.
9. Note that Maungakiekie northern land and Māngere Mountain are administered lands meaning the Crown owns them, but TMA administers them for purposes of Reserves Act.

10. Whole point is: TMA has failed in its duty and obligations pursuant to § 17, 18, 23 of Reserves Act 1977 in respect of Ōhiuarangi, Mangere Maunga and Maungarei in that TMA has (a) destroyed the pleasantness, harmony and cohesion of the natural environment of these maunga by their indiscriminate and insensitive felling operations, (b) harmed irrevocably the use and enjoyment of the reserves (c) damaged their value as soil, water and forest conservation areas through felling and failure to revegetate(d) destroyed flora, fauna and wildlife through indiscriminate felling of trees and insensitive, polluting planting practices(e) destroyed flora, fauna and wildlife through mismangement allowing unacceptable fire risks to lead to wild fires (f) caused environmental harm by decreasing slope stability, increasing soil erosion and depleting tree cover.

Image by Eric Von Dutch: place-holder pending approval.

Tiwaiwaka

Ka ora te Whenua, ka ora te tangata.

“Tiwaiwaka is a collective of people committed to healing the mauri of the whenua.

We bring together our gifts and abilities, matauranga, skills and experience, and networks throughout Aotearoa, many groups and individuals, all committed to realising this vision, each in our own way, regardless of culture, religion, beliefs, history, etc.

It works by sharing this vision and empowering more and people to give it effect. We share a common voice that in time will embrace the whole of Aotearoa.

By following the Principles of Tiwaiwaka we have a way forwards that gives us hope for the future.”

Download, at no cost, Robert (Pa) McGowan’s short but inspiring guide to the way forward: Tiwaiwaka.

NB: If sound doesn’t work, try another browser (works on Chrome, Safari)

Tūpuna Maunga Authority Submission August 2019

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority (TMA) is seeking public input about its future plans for Auckland’s Tūpuna Maunga, ancestral mountains/volcanic cones.
You have 12 days in which to give ‘public input’ if you happen to see the request.There are to be no in-person hearings. All written feedback will be considered by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority.

Paul Majurey, chairman of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, says “We try as hard as we can to keep people informed, we want to bring people with us.”
Exactly what is being asked here? What is the envisaged outcome? Is this supposed to be some sort of box ticking consultation? 12 days is hardly consultation. Why ask for ‘public input’ now? What will TMA do with it, change their plans and vision?

The Integrated Management Plan setting out the TMA future plans for Auckland’s Maunga is dated 2016. The TMA has already set about implementing its ‘vision’ for Auckland’s Maunga by the clearances of Auckland’s valuable healthy mature exotic trees.

Already 180 valuable mature healthy public trees on Mt Wellington/Maungarei, a Significant Ecological Area, have been destroyed by Treescape on a non-notified resource consent. Did they also remove the Scheduled Notable Macrocarpa within the Memorial Grove which was part of the plan?
152 mature healthy trees have been destroyed by Treescape on Mangere Maunga
112 mature healthy trees destroyed by Treescape on Ohuiarangi /Pigeon Mountain. Seven of the trees were over 1000 mm in diameter, one was 11000 mm.

Many of these trees were ‘protected’ trees (over 3 or 4 metres high and 300- 400mm diameter) because they are located in an Open Space Zone or Historic Heritage Overlay.

The Auckland Senior Arborist said of the Mt Wellington Resource Consent application

“I do not support the proposal to remove these trees from Maungarei for the reasons stated in the Application. There is no arboricultural reason to do so and I do not believe that the visual effects of the proposal can be dismissed as minor. I do not consider that the tree removals are in the interest of “all of Auckland’s communities and generations to come. The proposal places no value on the European historical and cultural links with the site, which is documented as predominantly the planting of the existing trees (both exotic and indigenous). The application amounts to the removal of a recognised significant urban forest feature, which further reinforces the need to assess this proposal in the wider context of eco-system services provided by trees, with particular reference to the objectives and policies at E15.2, E154.3, E16.1, E16.2, E16.3 and assessment criteria at E16.8.2.”

This assessment of the Senior Arborist of Auckland Council can be applied to the non notified resource consents obtained by TMA on Ohuiarangi and Mangere Maunga and Owairaka as well.

A further 345 healthy mature trees on Owairaka/Mt Albert another Significant Ecological Area are to be destroyed on another non notified resource consent, dated 20 February 2019.

There are plans to destroy significant numbers of valuable mature exotic trees on Mt Richmond, Mt Smart Mt Roskill, Big King, One Tree Hill, Mt St John, Mt Eden Mt Hobson, Mt Victoria and North Head.

Or as the Senior Auckland Council Arborist puts it destruction of “recognised significant urban forest” features on each of these Maunga.

But it’s the scale of the destruction of ecosystem services, biodiversity habitat and carbon release that is not being factored into this deeply misguided plan.
How can these resource consents on Significant Ecological Areas proceed as non notified when SEA overlay under the Unitary plan is supposed to be our highest level of protection?

These Resource Consents demonstrate that a SEA designation means nothing when a Commissioner can determine that “there are no special circumstances to warrant the application being notified…because there is nothing exceptional or unusual about the application” . Yet this is public amenity, financed by ratepayers, that is being destroyed and Auckland’s public have a right to be notified, according to the caselaw.

What about the Environment Aotearoa 2019 Government Stocktake report that told us that New Zealand’s environment and biodiversity were in serious trouble?

These clearances involve habitat destruction and the ecology reports are inadequate in failing to assess the effect of these clearances, let alone the cumulative effect, on loss of habitat for Auckland’s fast disappearing biodiversity that live on these Maunga trees.

New Zealand’s endemic species, including epiphytes, live on our exotic trees as well as native species and none of the reports consider what is to happen to the biodiversity in the 30 -50 years it will take for this overstorey to regrow. A forest structure is an overstorey, understorey and forest floor. In destroying these valuable overstorey trees we are destroying protection for the native understorey trees and habitat for overstorey biodiversity not to mention the hugely important carbon sequestration and habitat opportunities of senescing trees.

Most of the ecology reports I have seen are desktop assessments which means that no actual surveys are being done. Furthermore the bat studies that are being done are not best practice and are known to be ineffectual. Once again we have experts going through the motions to obtain the desired resource consent result. Development once again trumps the environmental protections of the RMA.

Let’s be clear here what the TMA is trying to do is somebody’s view of what something used to look like at some point in history and which we know is inaccurate if we think about it. What point in history do you start from ? Someone has to make the decision. So it really is HIS STORY.

To my mind the TMA non notified resource consents are challengeable and Auckland Council’s undemocratic, self-serving and unfair Resource Consent process is once again being shown up for the sham that it is.

What about the climate change declaration that Auckland Council made surely Council is factoring that into its decision-making ? No it is not. No carbon studies are being done.

Council is totally failing to take into consideration its own Urban Forest Strategy by enabling and allowing the destruction of vast numbers of Auckland’s valuable mature urban forest trees without proper oversight of the overall affect of the clearances on Auckland’s climate. Take out 100s of the most valuable mature trees and you negatively affect Auckland’s climate and the stormwater sequestration that these trees are providing.

How is this consistent with the TMA belief systems? These clearances are taking place without proper ceremony. They are destroying the web of life and the spirit of Tane’s children.

Members of the TMA speak a lot about the ‘living’ Maunga. What do they mean? Is it life on the Maunga, some forseeable life they wish to create? What is the life of this Maunga?

Papatūānuku is always changing she is never still. She nurtures all life. The trees and all who live on them, under them and over them were brought to us by Tane. All create the web of life that sustains life. The tikanga is that we must not harm, we must uplift and be protective of plants, trees and biodiversity. The whakapapa of plants and trees is senior to humans they were created before people. There is therefore a duty of care to protect trees, they are our ancestors.
The way forward is Tiwaiwaka.*

It is a collective of people committed to healing the mauri of the whenua. Caring for the whenua is the first priority. Everything else must be measured against this.

The greatest gift we can give to coming generations is a world that is worth living in!

Note your ‘public input’ has to be in by 5pm 16 August 2019 to:
MaungaStrategies@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Wendy Gray : 6 August 2019

*Note: With thanks to Rob McGowan (Pa Ropata) for his principles of Tiwaiwaka for more details