October 17, 2022
Rogue tree planting damages maunga sites
Auckland’s Tupuna Maunga Authority is trying to find out who illegally planted 27 trees in a sacred archaeological area of Ōwairaka/Mt Albert.
Chair Paul Majurey says the disturbed area was previously unmodified, meaning it was in the original form of the maunga dating back near 1000 years to a preserved historic pā settlement.
A pa terrace and a shell midden were disturbed, and a large area around the planted trees was treated with herbicide.
Because of the historic significance of Ōwairaka, any illegal modification is prosecutable under the Reserves Act 1977 and the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.
Mr Majurey says the authority’s own restoration programme takes into account the spiritual, ancestral, cultural, customary, and historical significance of the maunga to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau, so any planting is done to ensure the least damage to the archaeology.
Similar damage occurred on Ōtāhuhu/Mt Richmond in October 2018 and Takarunga/Mt Victoria in September 2019.