Orchardists want subdivisions, not grapes

Their grandfathers came to the Waitakere foothills to dig kauri gum and stayed to hack orchards from the rugged bush.


Now, after years of struggle to make their land pay, they are being urged by Mayor Bob Harvey to "lift your life" and think boutique vineyards.


Their response: Get real, Mr Mayor.


Residents scoffed when Mr Harvey made the suggestion at a meeting held in the Golden West Orchard packing shed in Henderson.


Earlier, about 70 residents heard city council representatives explain how they would be affected by possible legislation to protect the Waitakere Ranges, foothills and coast.


Orchardist Louis Dean, who was host and chairman of the meeting, said landowners were upset at the prospect of not being able to subdivide below a 4ha lot size.


Legislation would also reduce their chances of the Opanuku catchment being given a structure plan to allow development, yet from their kitchen windows they saw a sea of rooftops.


A show of hands by landowners indicated any legislation would be opposed and they would settle for nothing less than a structure plan.


Mr Harvey, who supports legislation, said he had "watched with despair the heritage and the Garden of Eden of the old settlers - just lying there." It did not make sense to have 40 houses where two mansions with swimming pools would do.


Mr Harvey said boutique vineyards, like those of California, could "make a fortune for Oratia landowners".


Mr Dean said: "It sounds good but it's a non-starter."


As the third generation of his family on the property, he knew it was unsuitable.


Wineries in West Auckland had only small areas in grape vines. They relied on grapes grown in Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Marlborough.


Mr Dean said Opanuku properties were right on the doorstep of housing areas handy to rail transport and surely should be allowed to split into lots of about 0.5ha to 1.5ha, getting bigger as they neared the Waitakere Ranges.


Kathleen Vitasovich said a structure plan was needed as soon as possible because properties were too large to maintain and uneconomic for growing.


The catchment of 2452ha was mostly in 2ha to 4ha blocks, with the ranges on one side and the metropolitan urban boundary on the other.


A structure plan would allow rural-residential development that would enhance the foothills.


She said her grandfather had grape vines but there was none there now.


The high clay soils would not produce grapes in the quantity that free-draining soil did.


However, Rex Sunde said he and his cousin Roy had vineyards in Oratia that produced medal-winning wine.


The Waitakere City Council has had 2200 responses to a questionnaire on the proposed Waitakere Ranges legislation and the last day for submissions is this Friday.