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Te Arai is under threat from $$$$$$$
Located close to Auckland and still rugged beautiful and undeveloped. But for how long ?
Urgent, Its Time to Save Te Arai!
Te Arai Beach is endanger of becoming the next huge development site if a private developer gets their way, plans for 850+ houses, a hotel, conference centre and golf course have been submitted to the Rodney District Council. Submissions against this development will be heard this month starting on 21st July 2008. Please attend, there is strength in numbers!
Opposition to this development is huge, if you oppose yet another piece of untouched New Zealand coastline being developed for housing now is the time for your voice to be heard. Details of what you can do are at the bottom of this article.
Reasons against the proposed development are numerous. The area is home to 8 native birds, four of which are endangered, one is New Zealand’s rarest bird (the Fairy Tern) Te Arai is the last untouched large ocean beach in the region. Current zoning states it must remain this way, however the developers have requested the zoning be changed. Nearly every bit of coastline from Auckland to Whangarei has been developed, Te Arai remains untouched.
The developers, the Renaissance Group and Darby and Associates are in this for profit, they claim that “…The current beach environment will be improved” and public access will be upgraded to this “..unique East Coast Beach”. As surfers we know that human intervention cannot improve on nature and that the only thing that makes Te Arai unique is that it remains totally untouched by greedy developers.
As I sat on my surfboard last Monday at Te Arai I recalled all the places I have surfed over the years and how much these places have changed. I remember how surfing at Langs Beach, Ding Bay, Waipu River Mouth and numerous other places along the coast was as pure as surfing could get, you were totally surrounded by nature, no cars, no buildings, bright lights, or hotels. And how, in a short 10-15 years areas like this have diminished and been turned into suburbs to be occupied for a few weeks every year. The experience of being submersed in natural surroundings cannot be reproduced or enhanced by manmade structures, nor can it be replaced as a vital part of human growth and development. I wondered at the time, where will my children go for inspiration? To surf at a wild New Zealand beach. Where will they go to enjoy the Kiwi upbringing I experienced?
If you are against this development now is the time to speak up, here are a few ways you can help.
Join www.tearai.org
Contact
councillors from the Rodney District council, email them, phone them, write
letters, make your voice heard. Their details are below.
http://www.rodney.govt.nz/aspcommon/ListPersonnel.aspx?sel=2
Contact the
Minister of Conservation Hon Steve Chadwick.
schadwick@ministers.govt.nz
Phone (04) 817 6565 or Fax (04) 473 4317
Contact the
Minister of Environment Hon Trevor Mallard
tmallard@ministers.govt.nz
Phone (04) 470 6557 or Fax (04) 495 8448
Contact Sue
Healy from the Rodney District council to make a submission
Phone 0800426 5169 ext 3222
Email
susan.healy@rodney.govt.nz
Voice your
disapproval straight to the developers!
www.darbypartners.co.nz/contacts.htm
http://www.uriohau.com/contact.htm