Auckland Council adds 8.9ha to public reserve near Ihumātao as part of rezoned 233ha

Auckland Council has voted to rezone 233 hectares of land across the city as public open space, including a parcel adjoining the Ōtuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve. Photo / File

Auckland Council is extending the public reserve bordering Ihumātao which the mayor says is an "important contribution" to resolving the ongoing land dispute.

The Planning Committee voted this week to rezone 233ha of council-owned land across the city to public open space.

That land included a parcel of 8.9ha to add to the heritage 92ha Ōtuataua Stonefields Reserve, a block that adjoins the land at Ihumātao, at the centre of a current dispute over a planned housing development.

Mayor Phil Goff said as the city grew there needed to be more and better public open space and recreational areas for Aucklanders to enjoy.

"The decision adds considerably to our parks, conservation areas and public open space."

The rezoning also included converting some open space to development, but Goff said that added up to less than 1ha.

"This makes a nonsense of the claim that Auckland Council is selling off its land rather than making the city a greener, better place to live in and enjoy," Goff said.

The council-owned land near Ihumātao at 619 Ōruarangi Rd would be rezoned from future urban development to public open space.

Days after protests against the Fletcher Residential development planned at Ihumātao escalated, Auckland Council voted at a governing body meeting for all parties involved with the disputed lands to come together to avoid "another Bastion Point".

During that meeting some councillors expressed regret at signing off the land for a Special Housing Area back in 2014.

Goff said during this week's meeting the rezoned land was an "important contribution we can make towards the resolution of the issues at Ihumātao".

The land being added to the council reserve also contained the historic Rennie homestead.

Planning committee chairman councillor Chris Darby said the open space extensions meant "the green lungs of Auckland are growing".

"They provide the much-needed breathing space for future Aucklanders and place nature at the centre of our thinking as our city grows."

The land at Ihumātao is regarded as sacred to Māori, and about a dozen people have occupied it over the past three years in protest against the planned housing development.

One of the groups claiming mana whenua to the area supports the development, which would see 8ha of the originally-confiscated land returned to Māori and houses set aside. But mana whenua fall on both sides of the dispute.

On July 23 the group occupying the site was served an eviction notice, leading to thousands of people from across the country joining a peaceful occupation at the site that has now entered its third week.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a halt to the construction while all parties worked together to find a solution.