St Lukes Environmental Protection Society

STEPS presented to the Albert Eden local Board on 7 December 2012 as attached.

We outlined the progress made over the past 3 years on Meola Creek projects, and also the major challenges which face the creek as it still carries large loads of runoff and sewage. Meola Catchment is the largest catchment on the Auckland isthmus and is owned by Auckland Council and the people of Auckland.

Our plantings look beautiful and have improved the ecological processes by the stream banks. Trapping of pests and monitoring is also now under way. We look forward to Auckland Council including the Roy Clements Treeway in its budget for maintenance of ecological areas. Only then can we reach equilibrium in the battle against weeds such as tradescantia, kikuyu, moth plant, woolly nightshade and others.

The most fundamental issue is gaining protection for Auckland’s creeks in the Auckland plan. Over the last 50+ years without protection in the District plan Meola creek has been piped for several kilometers, overloaded with runoff, sewage, silt and frequent flooding to the point where it is the single largest carrier of pollutants into Waitemata Harbour. At the same time its catchment has been infilled and covered by large areas of roads, concrete and other impermeable surfaces – leading to low base flows which reduce its capacity, increase the concentration of pollutants and severely limit the chance of fauna to survive in the creek. The Albert Eden Local Board has written a submission to the Auckland plan stating the need

for this protection.

In 2012 Mayor Len Brown and Albert Eden Local Board have committed to meet with the business community to help raise awareness on creek impacts. We will undertake more planting during winter, and STEPS will pursue with the Council the reclaiming of around 1 million cubic meters of water per year which is pumped by Winstones Quarry and Auckland Council out of Meola Catchment and straight into Manukau Harbour.