Ask Phoebe: Treaty claims stall planting on hill

The council is pressing on with growing seedlings. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

We were driving past One Tree Hill, and wondered how things were going with replacing the tree on the top? Dianne and Don Smith, Auckland.

No tree any time soon, it seems. According to Auckland City Council's website, resource consent was granted in 2001 for a small grove of trees to replace the Monterey pine that died in 2000. The planting was planned for June 2002 as a joint venture with local iwi. However, the iwi advised council they were not ready to go ahead because of negotiations with the Crown over Treaty claims that involve One Tree Hill. When the iwi have things arranged to their satisfaction, the planting will proceed.

Meanwhile, the council is raising totara and pohutukawa seedlings in the hope they will eventually get a chance to plant them.

The council replaced street lights on the landward side of Tamaki Drive between Long Drive and Mission Bay. They planned to replace them on the seaward side as well, but nothing has happened. Is it planned to replace them between Cliff Rd to Long Drive and further west? Andrew Parsons, Kohimarama.

The lights on the seaward side are being replaced. All the lights between Long Drive and Mission Bay should be in by the end of this month. There is no plan to replace the lights from Cliff Rd to Long Drive, but a section of lights in Mission Bay village will be upgraded. The delay in replacing lights on the seaward side is because special foundations are needed. The lights sit in rock fill which is part of the seawall. Some lights have been removed to allow for foundation preparation.

Are you able to find out for me when the footpaths on Sandringham Rd, between the village and Mt Albert Rd, will be reinstated to a level safe surface? It is incredible that footpaths can be left in such a state. Does anyone at the council check the performance of the contractors? Rhys Brown, Sandringham.

Yes they do. It's all scheduled to be done by the end of this month. The footpaths in this section of Sandringham Rd, and the strip along Mt Albert Rd between Sandringham and Dominion Rds will be upgraded. A temporary fix was made by Vector and Metrowater after they finished underground power lines and upgraded the water mains. The council will do the permanent repairs.