Landowner's gift languishing as landfill 80 years after bequest

Doug Morton, Greenmount Landfill campaigner. Photo / Richard Robinson

At the turn of last century, the Lushington's farm at East Tamaki was where the Pakuranga Hounds started their hunt in full cry, chasing hares over Green Mount and neighbouring properties.

Mrs Sarah Jane Lushington wanted more than horse lovers to share the property with its small volcanic dome.

She thought it a pleasant enough setting to leave 40ha of it in her will for a public park and recreation ground.

It was to be called the Styak (her maiden name) Lushington Park.

She died in 1932.

The property passed to the local council and all revenues from leases from grazing or scoria deposits were to be used for the park.

But where Sir John Logan Campbell's gift of 172ha of land became the tree-lined avenues and fields of Cornwall Park, backed by the scoria cone of One Tree Hill-Maungakiekie, the Lushington's gift became first a quarry then a landfill for the city's rubbish, which burps methane gas to this day.

East Tamaki resident Doug Morton is wondering when - after 80 years of procrastination and exploitation - Mrs Lushington's wishes will be honoured by civic leaders. Information he has gleaned from the former Manukau City Council and now Auckland Council, suggests to him that the Greenmount Landfill won't be covered and landscaped and ready for safe public use until at least 2040.

"That's around 108 years after the death of Mrs Lushington," he said.

A manager for Auckland Council infrastructure & environmental services, Marcus Hermann, said earthworks were under way to contour and cap the old dump by mid 2015.

This was in accordance with the terms of a land use consent issued by the former Manukau City Council. There was no set time for development.

Mr Morton said the former Botany Community Board was told by experts in 2010 that gas extraction and ground settlement were likely to limit public use, tree planting and building of facilities for 30 years.

FARM TO PARK

1932: gifted for public park.
1964: leased as a quarry.
1979: becomes regional landfill.
2005: rubbish dump closed.
2015: proposed landfill "cap"completion.
2040: possible developed park.