Mahurangi Action Plan planning
Planning that preceded the publication of the long-term Mahurangi Action Plan
Phase 3 of action plan to connect the dots
Billed as a district and regional council initiative—in reality, all the running had been made by the Auckland Regional Council—the goal of Mahurangi Action Plan, launched in 2004, was to kickstart the fencing and planting of riparian margins, and…
Old Masonic Hall to see new public forum
Local government reform always provokes vociferous reaction. The Royal Commission on Auckland Governance, regardless of how democratically or otherwise it proceeded, was always going to aggrieve a goodly percentage of the region. The semi-rural…
Scientist suggests grass up the beach
It is synonymous with summer at the beach. Swimming, interspersed with luxuriating in the warm, soft, dry sand of the beach. Increasingly though, the reality is hard-packed sand all the way to the seawall. The practice of building near the shoreline was always going...
Final approval calls for a little dedication
In the event, it took about two minutes. Thirty-five years ago, the then county council wasn’t interested, when single-term councillor John Male urged it. Nor was Rodney District Council, when, on innumerable subsequent occasions, Mahurangi Action…
It’s official, the action plan is half-official
A dozen years would have been an insufferable delay. Three dozen, for some, a lifetime. But as of Tuesday, Mahurangi Action founding chairman John Male’s vision for a Mahurangi plan is formally endorsed by the Auckland Regional Council, in…
Plan for Mahurangi a million miles away
For the first time in more than 150 years, the Mahurangi is about to have a plan. But it won’t much resemble the last one, which was essentially a subdivision to form ‘Mahurangi Township’. Charles Heaphy vc supervised the survey, and such was his enthusiasm for the plan…
Link Waiwera with coastal cycle trail
It’s just what the heart surgeon ordered. Infrastructure for a healthy citizenry and a healthy tourist industry: The New Zealand Cycle Trail—that refreshing, if belated, large-scale antidote to the arrant nonsense pedalled for decades that Aotearoa…
Plan only draft but lookout for action
The Mahurangi Action Plan is in action already. Despite being only in draft form, publication has boosted one of the projects proposed in the Mahurangi Action Plan. Mahurangi West farmer Mike Neil was catching up on some reading during a period of physical idleness enforced…
A launch a première and call that a celebration
The venue could not have been better. It had location. The Mahurangi Magazine e-mailed a last-minute heads up that the bar was opening at 5.30pm. (This was later amended further to 5pm but a second email might have sent a message of unseemly preoccupation with drink!)...
Draft plan partly there in black and white
It is partly symbolic. Copies of the draft Mahurangi Action Plan that are pawed over, on Monday night, will not have been printed in colour. While printing in black and white reduces cost and conserves non-renewable resources, the main motivation was to send a strong...
Last-minute changes cause to plan for celebration
Aucklanders are Mahurangi Harbour’s best friends… …and, potentially, its worst enemies. Individually, Aucklanders would turn Mahurangi into Mangawhai. Collectively, with regional governance, they will protect that value they and the locals hold dear: The sense of...
Invitation to the launch of the draft plan
Draft Mahurangi Action Plan Launch Monday 31 May 6–8pm Venue Mahurangi River Winery, 162 Hamilton Road (off Sandspit Road) After many workshops and much hard work together drafting the Mahurangi Action Plan (a strategic plan for the catchment 2010–2030), we are very...
Matrix can help save landscape and planet
Saving the planet was once a euphemism for environmental prissiness. Much better to look after numero uno, one’s family, the community or, at a pinch, the local environment. But that has changed dramatically due to the diminishing window of opportunity to mitigate,...
Mahurangi landscape and the matrix
The best is still left till last. But landscape was almost left off entirely, as a separate workshop topic—bumped by regional council enthusiasm to introduce a matrix method of determining which actions ticked, as it were, which boxes. The surprise move met determined...
Mahurangi Action Plan draft working paper: Landscape section
The following excerpt is the Landscape section of the draft working paper titled Integration. Editor 4.0 Landscape As has been done with environmental issues addressed in earlier working papers, this section provides a discussion on the topic of landscape, the one...
Mahurangi soon to see dawn of plan
The best has been left till last: Landscape. Landscape is the Mahurangi’s greatest asset. Not only is it a harbourscape of outstanding natural beauty, Mahurangi is unique in having an emphatically rural landscape, in spite of being the first natural harbour north of...
Avoid ‘dredging’ with access code
Dredging, by definition, is a dirty business. Which is why the draft working paper addressing the issue uses the code access. While many will see this as inexcusable political correctness, it is actually entirely sound to define the objective, rather than just one...
Copenhagen cue for catchment as climate action showcase
Climate action is set to become the only game in town. Which could leave the Mahurangi starved of funds for reducing its elevated sediment accumulation rate. But rather than compete with climate action projects, the Mahurangi is perfectly positioned to be a climate...
No room for global warming elephant in the harbour
Work is proceeding apace on the first-ever collaborative Mahurangi plan. The decision to embrace the production of a holistic plan did not come quickly or easy for the Auckland Regional Council. Having discovered, somewhat inadvertently, that the harbour was in dire...
Mahurangi Action Plan draft working paper: Issues and scoping
Introduction – executive summary This report follows the meeting of the Mahurangi Action Plan planning workshop on 10 August 2009. It scopes the issues, provides an outline for the vision statement and discusses the information that may be needed for the technical...
First workshop focuses on the how and the who
The first was always going to be the most fraught. This in spite of the objective of the workshops being very simple: To put the plan in the Mahurangi Action Plan, collaboratively. The plan itself is straightforward, if the premise is accepted that it should...
Putting the plan in the Mahurangi Action Plan: Planting and planning
Planting 17 and 18 July 1pm–3pm, food and arts activities 3pm–4pm Location 17 Edwards Road, via Hepburn Creek Road Planning 20 July 5.30pm for 6pm–8pm Venue Old Masonic Hall, Baxter Street, Warkworth When the Mahurangi Action Plan was initiated, in 2004, it wasn’t so...
Does ‘Mahurangi Network’, ‘Mahurangi Plan’ float your punt?
Mahurangi Breakfast Club Fridays 7.30–8.30am Ducks Crossing Café If Mahurangi Network, Mahurangi Plan, works for you, read no further. If it really floats your Mahurangi punt, e-mail your support, but you might want to hold off, at least until seeing the three options...
Naming rites
Letter Come on guys, let’s not get too carried away here. With respect, ‘initiative strategy’ sounds like Wellington-speak for ‘thinking ahead’. Try Mahurangi Protection Plan. Unequivocal, all embracing and durable. Editor’s note Mark allows that protection...
Brunel’s biggest groupie
Letter I believe I may be one of Mr I K Brunel’s biggest groupies. I’ve done them all, the railway, the ship, the office, the grave. He’s the greatest of the greats. I happen to travel Brunel’s line to Cardiff once a week for work and we’ve just had a holiday in...
No glaring acronyms here
Letter Firstly, you must be congratulated on the excellent online Mahurangi Magazine—it continues to be of interest and relevance. Thank you for allowing us to share it; we love it. You asked for comment on the title Mahurangi Initiative Strategy. Here is my small...
‘We’ name you: Mahurangi Initiative Strategy
Mahurangi Breakfast Club Fridays 7.30–8.30am Ducks Crossing Café The Auckland Regional Council has signalled its support for the collaborative development of a strategic planfor the Mahurangi. Although the regional council envisages that the plan will be entirely...
The strength of hope-based networks
Letter Thanks for the opportunity to attend the Mahurangi Initiative forum. It was a great gathering, very interesting and I echo Marcus Shipton’s comments—a great group of people all positively engaged in the important subjects at hand affecting our beautiful...
A long way in thirty-five years
A water right application in 1974 served as the rallying call. It precipitated the formation of Friends of the Mahurangi, on 17 December that year. And that its inaugural meeting was held barely a week before Christmas gives a fair indication as to how het up the...
A network for Mahurangi restoration and enjoyment
Four years to the day. When folk meet for the first time as the ‘Mahurangi Initiative Forum’, on 23 February 2009, it will be precisely four years since the Wenderholm meeting that was held to discuss the formation of a Mahurangi catchment trust. At first glance…
Likely look of a Mahurangi unplanned
Doing nothing is always an option. And while doing nothing has already been rejected in favour of collaboratively developing a long-term plan, it is important record where the Mahurangi is otherwise currently headed. Three conspicuous changes have occurred to the...
Mahurangi Action Plan discussion beyond 2009
As you may be aware, we recently held a community workshop on the future of the Mahurangi Action Plan. We had a great turnout, with lots of engaged, lively discussion. The focus of that evening was on what the next phase of Mahurangi Action Plan might look like,...
Action plan discussion back at the Old Masonic
It will be just one month shy of four years. The last public Mahurangi Action Plan discussion, with Auckland Regional Council involvement, took place on October 2004—and also at the Old Masonic Hall. There was an intervening gathering, in February 2005, but with no...
Draft action plan stocktake review preview
Friday’s breakfast will preview the Auckland Regional Council’s draft review of the Mahurangi Action Plan. This is set to be the best attended breakfast since the 11 July discussion of Settlements of the Future. Mahurangi Action Plan project leader Kim…
Sitting member to attend small beer breakfast
The convener thought it was only fair to say, when Lockwood Smith’s electorate agent phoned, that the forum was small beer indeed. And that it would be entirely understood if the member of parliament’s priorities precluded his attending the weekly…
Mahurangi action plan yes we can
”We’ve been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.” I’d been struggling with how to simply and succinctly explain what the Mahurangi Magazine and the…
Beyond the action plan rules of engagement
Updated 10 January 2008 The Mahurangi Action Plan has officially entered a new and crucial phase— one in which even the name may change. At a meeting of its environmental management committee, on 11 December, the Auckland Regional Council endorsed the engagement...