Archive for May, 2009

Meola Creek Map - 1842

Liz May 25th, 2009

NZ Historic Places Trust have recently located an 1842 survey map of Meola Creek source on the slopes of Owairaka/ Mt Albert.  Our thanks to Steve Burgess, Craig Humberstone,   Rendell McIntosh and Alberton, NZHPT.

1842 Alberton Map (2.9MB, PDF)

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Award for Roy Clements Treeway Project

Liz May 18th, 2009

Morphum Environmental Ltd has been awarded this years IPENZ Arthur Mead award for the Environment and Sustainability (small projects) for their work on the Roy Clements Treeway Boardwalk Project. This award is for the application of environmental awareness to the solution of an engineering problem. The award was presented at the IPENZ (Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand) presidents dinner this Wednesday.

Caleb Clarke told STEPS that “The success of this project lies in no small part to your passion and energy in collaborating and contributing along the way. On behalf of Morphum, many thanks to STEPS and Waicare for your work and congratulations for the success.”

Congratulations to Morpheum on the award!

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A wetland is restored

Nick May 14th, 2009

On Saturday May 9, approximately 35 volunteers turned up on a relatively fine day to help put 2000 native plants into the ground. The plantings will transform what was once a neglected piece of school land into an aesthetically pleasing, functional wetland right in the heart of Mt Albert. As the plants mature, they will provide habitat and an important food source for native and exotic bird species. Meola Creek and its environs already attract birds such as tui, fantail, grey warbler, mallard ducks and pukeko, and we’re hoping the wetland will entice many other species to the area.

We would like to say a big thank you to Melissa Marler (Waicare), Phillip Johansen (Metrowater), Dave Bowden (Auckland City Council), Aaron and the crew from All Drains, and all the volunteers who gave up time to do their bit for the local biodiversity. We’d also like to thank Roy Clements (the patron of STEPS) for coming along. Roy got the ball rolling many years ago by planting native species such as kahikatea, cabbage tree and swamp maire along the creek, back when he was a teacher at Mt Albert Grammar. All of those plants have grown to be large trees, some of proudly reside in the wetland. It must have been special for Roy to be involved with the next generation of plantings. Of course, the hard work isn’t over yet - the wetland will need care and attention over the next couple of years to ensure that weeds do not have the chance to smother the native plants. So keep an eye out next time you’re in the area, and feel free to pull out a few weeds on your way.

Photo: Melissa Marler

AGM 2009 - June 18, 7pm

Freddie May 13th, 2009

STEPS will be holding its AGM for 2009 on 18 June, and everyone is more than welcome to attend.

Date -> June 18, 2009

Time -> 7pm

Venue -> Alberton

Address -> 100 Mt Albert Road, Mt Albert

It has been a busy and successful year for the Society, and we are involved in several projects that will be reported upon and discussed at the AGM

**In addition, we are delighted that our Patron Roy Clements has agreed to give a presentation after the AGM**

Other details will be finalized in the next couple of weeks, and will be updated on this blog

Protecting Creeks and Springs in the District Plan

Liz May 11th, 2009

STEPS and Friends of Oakley Creek recently provided this input to Auckland City District Plan revision.  If you would like to support protection of creeks and springs in Auckland - then please have your say on this website  http://www.itsmybackyard.co.nz/

auckland-city-district-plan-revise-apr-09 (MS Word doc, 715k)

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Westfield seeks Private Plan Change for St Lukes Mall expansion

meolacreek May 5th, 2009

St Lukes Mall is less than 200 metres from Meola Creek, Lyon Ave.
Here is a typical flood occurring several times a year - where the Watercare Services Edendale branch sewer overflows at Lyon Ave, and pours a torrent of stormwater (including pollutants and sewage from combined sewers) into Meola Creek, and over the grounds of adjacent schools.
a torrent of stormwater (including pollutants and sewage from combined sewers) into Meola Creek

a torrent of stormwater (including pollutants and sewage from combined sewers) into Meola Creek

This week, Westfield notified a private plan change.
From initial reading of the documents we conclude that :
  • Westfield wants to change the zoning of many residential 6a and 7b properties to business 8
  • they plan an expansion of an extra 23000 sq meters beyond their shopping mall of 35800 sq meters + carpark of 26000 sq m
  • the mall development will occur over an additional 49000 sq m (carpark plus existing residential properties)
  • they are planning for a FIVE (5) fold increase in consumption of water; and emission of  waste water and a TEN (10) fold increase in storm water - both peak and average flows
  • the existing northern carpark constructed in 2003 …appears to have inadequate stormwater disposal capacity as of now
  • Watercare Services advised that the existing Edendale Branch sewer has adequate capacity to receive the additional waste water
  • no additional stormwater would be permitted to discharge into the sewer
  • excess stormwater from the site would be directed on to adjacent road reserves…to continue along the natural course downstream of the shopping centre [ie into Meola Creek at Lyon Ave as above]
(Reference Report prepared for Westfield NZ Ltd by Tonkin and Taylor Ltd 18 November 2008)
STEPS believes:
  1. Auckland City Council should not issue approvals for extremely large scale developments such as this, in an area where their own reports frequently point out the lack of capacity of the stormwater and waste water infrastructure
  2. We challenge Watercare Services statements about adequate capacity - when we all know that waste water and stormwater overflow here many times a year
  3. Most New Zealanders will find it hard to understand that NZ’s largest city accepts this situation where raw sewage frequently flows through public parks and school grounds, and heavy metal pollutants pour into Waitemata Harbour beside [heritage protected] Te Tokaroa/ Meola Reef.
  4. It is even hard to understand how Westfield and the planners of Auckland City Council have worked for several years to develop a proposal which once again ignores the unacceptable reality of these overflows through the heart of the Mt Albert electorate.
  5. ARC, Auckland City and Watercare services need to make it a priority to upgrade the Watercare Interceptor to stop these overflows
NOTE: We understand that approval of this Private Plan change would mean that they need not seek resource consents in future, providing they comply with Business 8. We also understand that there are proposed RMA changes which would prevent private plan changes. This probably increases the urgency of the approval of the plan change for Westfield - as without it they would have to seek resource consents in future.
Any comments on or updates to the above are welcome.

Auckland’s Cones, Creeks and Springs

meolacreek May 4th, 2009

There are early paintings of the original landscape of Owairaka/ Mt Albert and Maungawhau/ Mt Eden - and the “cabbage tree swamps” in between :

1) ” Cabbage Tree Swamp ” by John Backhouse in the 1880s

http://find.natlib.govt.nz/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=TF&docId=nlnz_tapuhi134515

held at the Turnbull library and used on the cover of the recent reprint of Dick Scott’s “Old Mt ALbert“.

2) And at Auckland Art gallery: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/wetlands/1/1

(Note that Alfred Sharpe painted this in 1889 - after he moved to Australia. John Webster of NZHPT referred to Roger Blackley’s biography, and says since Sharpe did it in NSW for an exhibition, he was obviously doing it as a piece of remembrance, or memories of his NZ life, and cites no specific location. See also http://www.art-newzealand.com/Issues1to40/sharpe.htm )

These paintings illustrate the relationships in the natural landscape between the volcanic cones, and the springs and aquifers surrounding and underlying them. Today some remaining ecological sites of special significance include:- volcanic peaks such as Maungawhau and Owairaka ; lava features such as Meola Reef on Waitemata Harbour - reaching nearly to the North Shore; botanical sites like Withiell Thomas Reserve;  and wetland features such as Gribblehurst Park,  Meola Creek, Western Springs and Motions Creek.