Brian Rudman: Pro-cone is not anti-Auckland

Before you read any further, check over your shoulder to see there are no men in black shirts lurking about taking notes.

My old mate Judith Tizard, the Minister for Auckland, has declared me an enemy of the people for opposing the rape of Mt Roskill, and I wouldn't want you to get into trouble by being caught reading my subversive utterances.

I await the summons to appear before her committee on Un-Auckland activities.

Her silly claim that those of us fighting against any further destruction of our unique volcanic heritage "are really acting against the interests of Auckland in this case" sounds like something out of a road lobby press release.

How can fighting against the continuing destruction of a volcanic cone field, which Environment Court judge John Treadwell says is "unique in the world" and the Conservation Department wants declared a World Heritage site, be anti-Auckland?

Ms Tizard makes it out to be a contest between a motorway and the mountain and declares "everyone in Auckland knows State Highway 20 needs to be finished and it's always a trade-off".

But if she'd followed the Volcanic Cone Society's case, she would know it has never opposed completion of this section of motorway. Nor have I.

All we ask is the motorway be rerouted 40m north at this point and go round the mountain. Then we can have the motorway and an unmolested mountain.

The cone society has until next Monday to appeal the High Court decision giving Transit New Zealand's bulldozers the green light. That judgment upheld the Environment Court ruling that under the Resource Management Act the preservation of something of national importance such as Mt Roskill was subordinate to the primary purpose of the act, which was the promotion of sustainable management of resources. A motorway, it seems, helped do the latter.

If a further appeal is not pursued, the problem goes back to the politicians and, in particular, Minister of Conservation Chris Carter. As guardian of the nation's reserve land, he must give permission for the Mt Roskill reserve land to be hacked away.

He's refusing to comment publicly, claiming he doesn't want to declare sides before Transit New Zealand formally asks for the land.

But there was a ray of hope last week when he rejected a proposal to flood 500ha of West Coast reserve land for a proposed micro-hydro electricity scheme.

"My job as Minister of Conservation is to be an advocate for the environment. I've got a statutory obligation to do so. Do we have the conservation estate carved up by death by a thousand cuts? If I change the act to approve this one, where will it end?"

In this case, he was defending a small valley of trees in a conservation estate of similar trees which stretches across 90 per cent of the west coast of the South Island. Auckland's volcanic cones are so much rarer, and irreplaceable.

A letter from Mr Carter to John Street, chairman of the Volcanic Cones Society, is also encouraging. Mr Carter noted "there is a stated intention in the Auckland Conservation Management Strategy that my department will seek national reserve status and world heritage status over the Auckland volcanic field reserves".

While noting other issues had greater priority at present, he said "increased protection for the volcanic cones is, nonetheless, an important and worthy objective".


A different tune, thank goodness, from that of his colleague, Ms Tizard.

The question is, will he have the courage to play it to the road builders of Transit NZ when they rumble up to his office in their bulldozers in a week or two seeking his signature on Mt Roskill's death warrant?

He also has Prime Minister Helen Clark to contend with. She claimed a fortnight ago "it is not an issue I have paid any attention to".

She told Herald political editor Audrey Young, "it's not in my electorate ... I'm not going to express an opinion because I've not looked at the issue."

These comments amazed the cone society. On March 13, 2001, it received a letter from Joan Caulfield, executive secretary to Helen Clark, thanking them for a letter about Mt Roskill.

"I have discussed the matter with Helen Clark and she indicated her concern at the proposed damage with the extension of State Highway 20. At Helen Clark's suggestion, I am taking the matter up with Mike Williams [Labour Party president], a new Government appointment on Transit New Zealand."

On November 16, 2001, Helen Clark's private secretary Dinah Okeby wrote thanking the society for further correspondence. "Helen Clark appreciated being kept informed."

In April last year, Ms Caulfield had two meetings with society officials in Helen Clark's Auckland office.

At one was Grant Kirby, the Government's specially appointed transport fix-it man.

Last December, Ms Caulfield and Mr Carter hosted another meeting with the society.

From all the above, it's difficult to believe Helen Clark has paid no attention to the issue.

And if she hasn't noticed the row, it's time she did.

Auckland's cones might not exactly rate up there with Baghdad's looted archeological treasures. But they are unique, they need saving and a word from her would do it.