Hamilton to open Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park to the public

Friday, 15 December 2017

Waiwhakareke would get a loop track, viewing platforms, toilets and basic signage, fencing and bridges under the $760,000 plan.

Mayor Andrew King had a 'born free' moment in council chambers this week, but it wasn't lions he was defending. It was slugs and bugs.

As a result, Hamilton residents may have another lake to stroll around.

The decision would prompt about $2m in upkeep and operating costs at Waiwhakareke over the next decade.

It was nearing midnight on Tuesday when city councillors voted 10-2 to open Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park to the public.

The topic came up while councillors hammered out their draft long-term plan, which will go out for consultation in March and April 2018.

Professor Bruce Clarkson asked why the environment kept getting shunted down the list at Hamilton City Council (file photo).

Volunteers have put in an extraordinary number of hours over the years, Cr Paula Southgate said (file photo).

* Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park expanded

* Council land once set for Waiwhakareke reserve up for sale again**

Debate started with praising of the Waiwhakareke project. The lake on the edge of Nawton would get a loop track, viewing platforms, toilets and basic signage, fencing and bridges under the $760,000 plan.

But there would be about $2 million in upkeep and operating costs over the next decade.

Councillors had earlier been asked 'why the environment keeps getting shunted down your list'.

The question came from University of Waikato Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research Bruce Clarkson, who spoke in a public forum before councillors started on the draft long-term plan.

'The environmental projects have only modest funding requirements compared to many of the big-ticket items in the draft long-term plan,' said Clarkson, who also spoke on behalf of the Waiwhakareke Advisory Group.

'In particular, we do not see the logic in stalling valued, existing flagship projects based on established partnerships, while embarking on new, overly costly projects such as a $20 million river plan extension and central city park.'

The project got an international urban restoration award, Councillor Paula Southgate told her tired colleagues in debate, days after Clarkson's speech.

'There's no point having done something so magnificent if we don't do the little bit more we need to do to allow the public to access it.'

Community groups and volunteers have racked up an extraordinary number of hours over about a decade of planting, she said.

Cr Angela O'Leary had wanted to connect the park with the Hamilton Zoo entrance, but said Southgate's plan was a reasonable solution councillors could support.

But it wouldn't stop if council didn't agree to open it to the public, Cr Mark Bunting said.

He would have been happier to support it if it were linked with the zoo, he said.

'I was just going to point out to Cr Bunting,' Cr Dave Macpherson said, 'that the bugs and slugs down in Waiwhakareke have far more public support than do the cheetahs and lions and so forth up in the zoo.'

If too many people voted against opening the park, Bunting would no doubt find that out.

Cr Siggi Henry made a request for composting toilets and keeping the park 'clean, green, no 1080, no nothing like that'.

Then Mayor King put the hard word on Bunting.

'This is a natural heritage park. This has got a beautiful lake in it … This is a natural part of our country. It's not large exotic animals kept in small cages who pace up and down,' he said.

'Animals that are on this side … in Waiwhakareke, are free. They're natural, they're native. So, Mark, you still have an opportunity to vote for this.'

It worked - amid cries of 'no pressure', Bunting changed his mind.

Councillors voted 10-2 to open the park to the public, with Crs Garry Mallett and Geoff Taylor opposed.