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Tamaki Makaurau Maunga Authority chair Paul Majurey is rejecting criticism by Epsom MP David Seymour over the decision to close the summit of Maungawhau Mt Eden to all vehicles except transport for the disabled.
The ACT leader says there were no studies done to prove the volcanic cone was at risk of erosion because of cars, and no consultation.
But Mr Majurey says the traffic ban was canvassed in 2007 process to develop a management plan for Maungawhau, and it has wide public support.
He says the authority, which is a co-governance arrangement between mana whenua and Auckland Council, is also required to take into account the connections iwi and local communities have with the mountains.
"We know with these important ancestral places that there is a spiritual and cultural connection, a metaphysical if you like. And thats an equally important and valid part of the world view that go with these ancestral taonga" he says.
Paul Majurey says with more than a million visitors a year, Maungawhau is the most visited attraction in the country, and it’s hard to deny the physical impact of that many visitors.
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