To be held at the Epsom Community Centre, 202 Gillies Ave, Epsom from 12:30pm on Saturday 15th February.

 

There is less than one month left until submissions on the Auckland Unitary Plan close on 28th February. If you have not already done so, it is important that you make a submission as soon as possible. The proposed Auckland Unitary Plan (AUP) is an extraordinary document, not only because of its sphere of influence - combining 12 existing district and regional plans - but also for the power it bestows upon the 19 Auckland iwi authorities.

 

The AUP is intended to be the resource management plan for the new Auckland city. It is the rulebook that shapes the way Auckland grows. However, certain passages make it clear that it is being used as a vehicle to facilitate major change - change which will constitute a radical departure from our current democratic system of governance. Adopting certain passages relating to issues of significance to Mana Whenua (meaning: lords of the land) would not only have a considerable impact on the democratic and property rights of Aucklanders who are not members of local iwi, but also on the council’s ability to implement policies in the best interests of all citizens.

 

No longer will council be fully in control, having given away some decision making capacity to Mana Whenua (iwi). And with no mandate or public discussion, a number of onerous provisions have already been adopted. If you need to obtain a resource consent, you may well be asked to provide a cultural impact assessment report. A case has come to light of a resident who has had to apply to 7 separate iwi before gaining approval for a renewal of an air discharge consent. And maybe you’ve heard about the impact the Sites of Significance/Value to Mana Whenua provisions are already having? If your property is within 50 meters of one of the sites so far identified, you will be affected.

 

1law4all has arranged a meeting to discuss these issues, and to offer help with the submission making process. The guest speaker is Michael Coote, who is a freelance journalist, and writes a regular column for the NBR. Michael has written a number of articles on these issues. At this meeting we will be presenting information on what the new plan proposes and how we believe it will have an adverse impact on our constitutional rights, the resource consent process, and our property rights.

 

It is important that as many citizens as possible makes submissions on the proposed AUP. The system of adopting this plan is such that if any part of the plan is not objected to, it will be adopted as written. For more detailed information on concerns regarding the plan see the attachment to this e-mail. Remember submissions close on 28th February.