SOUL TIMES ONLINE

www. soulstopsha.org SOUL Times November 2015 8
HOW CAN I HELP?
Why the urgency?
How the SHA Act works:
Before Fletchers can begin work on the planned
subdivision at 545 Ōruarangi Road it needs the
Council to agree to change the Proposed Unitary
Plan. It also needs resource consent for the subdivision.
The SHA Act allows applications for Plan
changes and subdivision consents to be fasttracked
without the usual notification and submission
processes required under the Resource
Management Act 1991.
The land is currently zoned for future development.
In June, Fletchers applied to Auckland
Council for a Plan change to rezone the block
to a combination of Mixed Housing Suburban,
Public Open Space – Conservation, and Green
Infrastructure Corridor. The Auckland Housing
Project Office accepted that application on 25
September 2015.
The Project Office must make a final decision
on the application within 130 working days (or 6
months). First it must give notice of the accepted
plan change to adjacent land owners and infrastructure
provider. This was done on 6 October.
Those notified have until 5 November to make
submissions to the Project Office. Therefore,
SOUL encourages you to make a submission.
This Act was developed under budget secrecy
rules with no consultation with affected parties
outside of Government. There is no process for
challenging the creation of a special housing
area. Rights of submission are limited and there
is no appeal to the Environment Court in most
cases (strangely there is only a right of appeal
against a decision of the Project Office if the
development is 4 storeys or higher). Most of the
Resource Management Act does not apply to
SHAs. The whole process is an erosion of democracy.
Let’s make sure the feelings of our community
about this are heard by the decision makers
in the Project Office.
You can also...
1. Send a letter to Fletcher Residential
Fletcher Residential Limited
C/- Harrison Grierson
P.O. Box 276121
Manukau City
Auckland 2022
Attn: Andrew McCarthy a.mccarthy@
harrisongrierson.com
Objections must be in before November 5.
2. Send a letter or e-mail to Hon Dr Nick
Smith, Minister of Building and Housing,
and a copy to your local MP
3. Come to a SOUL meeting, held every
Wednesday from 6-7.30pm
4. Sign up to the SOUL mailing list: send
your e-mail address to soulvssha@gmail.
com
5. Visit the SOUL website and spread the
word! www.soulstopsha.org
6. Like us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/SOUL.noSHA;
or subscribe to our YouTube Channel –
search Save our Unique Landscape at
youtube.com;
or follow us on Twitter: @saveIhumatao
Please sign, cut out the below letter and post to Neil
Birrell at Auckland Council before November 5.
Neil Birrell
Resource Consent Administrator Auckland Council
Private Bag 92300 Victoria Street West Auckland 1142
SpecialHousingArea@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Dear Mr Birrell,
I am an Auckland resident and ratepayer writing to you regarding the plans to
build housing at Ihumātao. I feel as the Ōtuataua Stonefields are council owned I
as a ratepayer should be seen as an adjacent landowner. I am not only objecting
to the building of housing on this site but also objecting to the biased, nondemocratic
and massively flawed Special Housing Area legislation. This letter is
to highlight my issues and to ask for SHA62 plans to be scrapped and for the
Special Housing Area legislation to be halted and reviewed.
Below are the reasons I am against Special Housing Area 62:
- I believe that SHA62 will not contribute to making Auckland a liveable city.
- This area is the birth place of Auckland and should be celebrated, not sold off to
the highest bidders.
- Ihumātao is one of the last remaining original and liveable papakainga in
Aotearoa.
- This land was changed from future rural to future urban. This change by
council only benefits offshore businesses and totally disregards the Heritage
Gateway Project.
- SHA62 is too close to waahi tāpu sites and I feel that it is disrespectful to build
here.
- The full archaeological significance of this heritage site is unknown.
- SHA62 will have a negative impact on Ōtuataua Stonefields.
- SHA62 will have a negative impact on the habitat of the rare shorebirds of the
area.
- Natural restoration of the coastal line is finally to the point where local Māori
can collect food again. Increased water runoff and waste water will put this at
risk.
Although I am not against additional housing initiatives in Auckland I do have
concerns about the Special Housing Area process:
- No public consultation is permitted.
- Land once promised to Auckland residents can be changed without public
consultation.
- Auckland residents have no way to object.
- Residents of Ihumātao, many with an ancestral connection to the first settlers,
have no way to object.
- Auckland councillors have highlighted issues with the system. That there is not
enough time dedicated to give proper thought to each individual SHA application
is just one of them.
- Auckland councillors have admitted to mistakes and misinterpretation of the
facts regarding SHA62.
- Auckland Council can be totally vetoed by current government.
- Research by a group called Save Our Unique Landscape has highlighted many
issues with the process.
I understand that this letter does not exactly fit into your SHA process. However,
I am demanding the right, as a concerned Auckland resident, to have my
objections to SHA62 considered. If I am shut out of this formal process, how will
my voice be heard?
I look forward to your respectful reply to all of the points listed above.
Yours faithfully
Name:
Address:
To donate to the SOUL campaign go to: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/soulstopsha62/