How will the SHA at Ihumatao affect you and our community? Why does SOUL oppose the SHA at Ihumatao? (continued) ▪
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Mangere​
­Otahuhu Local Board has been working to conserve the area and establish the Mangere Gateway Heritage Project. This project respects the historical, cultural and environmental aspects of this unique landscape and is only achievable by retaining the current state of the Otuataua Stonefields, Ihumatao and its community This development would bring approximately 2,500 more people and 1,000 more vehicles to a small semi​
­rural community that does not have the amenities or services to cope with an added population and volume of traffic of this scale There is no infrastructure (water or wastewater connections) to service a housing development such as this
Urban Sprawls are characterised by issues such as high density traffic, overcrowding, poor air quality, lack of access to parks, sports facilities and low connectivity ▪
Desecration of waahi tapu ▪
Reduced green and public space for you and your children to enjoy ▪
Further pressure on our roads ▪
Increased air pollution and traffic ▪
Potentially 2,500 more people in our community with no added infrastructure or amenities to support ▪
Increased land rates ▪
The average price of these homes is well above the average income for our community opening up this foreign­owned development to foreign investment, adding to Auckland’s housing crisis .​
“If the SHA goes ahead we lose a space and a story and a community that is unique to Aotearoa” What can you do? You can email, like, share, follow and join us on : ▪ Website ­ www,soulstopsha.org ▪ Facebook ­ Soul.noSHA ▪ Twitter @saveihumatao ▪ #iamSOUL ▪ Email: ​
[email protected] You can also sign the petition at: https://www.change.org/p/nz­minister­of­housing­nick
­smith­auckland­mayor­len­brown­stop­the­special­ho
using­accord­sha­in­ihumatao­mangere and write a letter to the Minister of Housing Nick Smith at [email protected]​
, copy it to the Housing Project Office [email protected]​
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and express your concerns to your Local Board, Councillor and MP SAVE IHUMATAO Save Our Unique Landscape As per the Housing Accords and Special Housing Area Acord Act there is no formal submission process. One month into our campaign SOUL is gaining immense support from whanau of Ihumatao, the wider Mangere Community, local leaders and politicians. We want to halt this development and empower our community to create inclusive, respectful and environmentally conscious initiatives in Ihumatao. Together we can achieve this change. We need your support! About SOUL What is the situation? The area of land located on Oruarangi Road and Ihumatao Quarry Road has been established as an SHA; land that was once Maori land confiscated by the Crown, then transferred to private ownership and occupied by a settler farming family for generations. However the land is still significant to the Ihumatao community. Adjacent to this area of land is the Otuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve, a protected and open public space, a conservation area, and, a unique space meant to be preserved for future generations. Once a Rural zone, this area of land was re­zoned to Future Urban in 2012 through Environment Court proceedings. ​
Fletcher Residential Ltd plans to develop the land and build 350­480 new homes over an 8 year period with a mix of standalone, terraced and duplex dwellings. ​
To develop the SHA the area will need to be re­zoned once more to Residential. The Housing Projects Office is currently in pre­application discussions with Fletchers. No applications have yet been lodged however Fletchers have indicated their intention to do so in the next 6­8 weeks with construction to start at the end of 2015. "On this small piece of land it is possible to trace the history of human settlement in Auckland over the whole millennium, from the earliest Maori agricultural settlement, to the arrival of Europeans with their pastoral farming. Manukau has secured it's birthplace." Nick Smith​
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­ Housing Minister, (and former Conservation Minister) speech at the opening of the Otuataua Historic Stonefield Reserve 2001 Save Our Unique Landscapes (SOUL) campaign is led by a group of whanau residents in Ihumatao and is inclusive of residents, ratepayers, community members and interested parties. As whanau members we are also mana whenua whose families have lived here for many generations. SOUL opposes the Oruarangi SHA on the following grounds: ▪
The historical and cultural significance of this area is recognised as being unique to Auckland City. A development of this magnitude would diminish the historical and cultural significance of this area and remove its uniqueness ▪ Ihumatao is one of the last remaining original and We believe that having an SHA in Ihumatao will not liveable papakainga in Aotearoa. This contribute to making Auckland a liveable city but destroy development will mean that Ihumatao will no one of the few significant and unique longer be recognised as a papakainga but an historical, cultural, spiritual, social and environmental spaces urban space we have left. ▪ Development will put the Otuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve at major risk of further Ihumatao is an inappropriate location for such a damage, desecration and pollution. development and SOUL requests that Auckland Council ▪ Puketapapa/Pukeiti is a waahi tapu and is of and the New Zealand Government revoke its support of the spiritual significance particularly to whanau of development proposal and decline the land re­zoning Ihumatao. Establishing a housing development in application. Ihumatao was the last community to be such close proximity will desecrate the sanctity of connected to power, water and wastewater (as the nearest this waahi tapu neighbours to the Wastewater Treatment Plant) and still ▪ Establishing a dense development in a community lacks adequate public transport and infrastructure. that has already faced decades of continuous injustices will further impact on the mentality and Why does SOUL oppose the SHA at stability of its residents, where a strong connection Ihumatao? ​
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SOUL to place and space is important to their overall recognises the need for more housing in Auckland however health and well­being the location of this SHA is ill­thought out and does not comply with the SHA criteria of ensuring available infrastructure and proper consideration of Local Boards and the community. Furthermore, the SHA in Ihumatao will be detrimental to the whanau of Ihumatao and its residents. This is not the solution to Auckland’s housing problem! \