Firing up a war gun plan

West Auckland heritage enthusiasts are turning out to guard their war history. Valerie Schuler reports
Looking at the barren concrete holes in the ground of Te Atatu's Harbourview Estate you might never guess their worth in terms of World War II history.
Bob Wood, from the Te Atatu RSA, says: "It used to be more of a rumour than a fact. A lot of people have no idea what's up there."
But some are passionate about what's left of Orangihina's old gun emplacements.
Ben Copedo, 81, from the West Auckland Historic Society, says they deserve to be protected. "You can still see how they operated," he says.
"The big bolts that held the guns on are still there. So are the wooden racks for the shells. They could easily have been bulldozed or filled in by now, but I'm glad they haven't."
Earlier this year, Te Atatu's historic McCormick's Cottage was lost to arsonists and taggers have been having a ball inside the gun emplacements.
But at last there are plans to preserve what is left of the estate's war history. Waitakere City Council plans to spend $80,000 on fencing, lighting and signs. The idea is to commemorate the area's special history, and to fence in the bunkers to make the area safer for kids to play.
"It's great that the council is finally doing something," Mr Copedo says.
"At the moment it just looks like a big empty field surrounded by townhouses."
The Te Atatu Anti-Aircraft Battery forms part of a network of heritage sites throughout Harbourview Estate, also known as Orangihina.
It was built in 1943 to protect airfields, Hobsonville Airbase in particular, from aerial attack.
The emplacements were manned for only a year. But they are now the sole remnants of their kind in Auckland.
Similar sites at Alexandra Park, Auckland Domain, Northcote and Bayswater have all been destroyed.
The fortifications aren't the area's only claim to fame. It has a long history, first of Maori occupation, then as the site of brickworks and farming. Important sites include the Auckland Brick and Tile Company, the brick villa, McCormick's Cottage and pre- European middens.
"Unfortunately, many people, particularly our young residents and newmigrants, could walk past without knowing anything about them," says Henderson Community Board chairwoman Elizabeth Grimmer.
But the council promises this will change. Expressions of interest are sought from contractors. A report and design ideas will be presented to the board in December.