Maungatautari Scenic Reserve Management Plan (2005)
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MAUNGATAUTARI SCENIC RESERVE RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN Prepared for: Waipa District Council Private Bag 2402 TE AWAMUTU Prepared by: Environmental Management Services Ltd PO Box 1307 HAMILTON SEPTEMBER 2005 Waipa District Council 2 Maungatautari Scenic Reserve – Reserve Management Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 MAUNGATAUTARI MOUNTAIN....................................................................................... 4 1.2 MAUNGATAUTARI ECOLOGICAL ISLAND .................................................................... 4 1.3 PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT ................................................................................... 4 2 LEGAL CONTEXT..................................................................................................................... 6 2.1 LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SCENIC RESERVE...................................................... 6 2.2 EXISTING AUTHORISATIONS ........................................................................................ 6 2.3 THE RESERVES ACT 1977 ............................................................................................. 7 2.4 THE RESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN ......................................................................... 10 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE MAUNGATAUTARI SCENIC RESERVE........................................ 12 3.1 HISTORICAL CONTEXT ................................................................................................ 12 3.2 TOPOGRAPHY AND PHYSICAL FEATURES............................................................... 12 3.3 FLORA ............................................................................................................................ 13 3.4 FAUNA ............................................................................................................................ 14 3.5 LANDSCAPE AND SCENIC INTEREST VALUES......................................................... 14 3.6 ACCESS AND INFRASTRUCTURE............................................................................... 15 3.7 CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL VALUES....................................................................... 15 3.8 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES ........................................................................................... 16 3.9 SCIENTIFIC VALUES..................................................................................................... 16 3.10 ADJACENT LAND USES................................................................................................ 16 3.11 RECREATION VALUES AND ACTIVITIES.................................................................... 16 3.12 MAUNGATAUTARI ECOLOGICAL ISLAND .................................................................. 16 4 LINKAGES WITH SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT............................................................ 17 4.1 URBAN SETTLEMENTS AND LAKES........................................................................... 17 4.2 WAITOMO – ROTORUA TOUR BUS ROUTE ............................................................... 17 4.3 PROPOSED WAIKATO RIVER WALKWAY .................................................................. 17 5 LINKAGES WITH OTHER DOCUMENTATION ..................................................................... 18 5.1 THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ACT 1991 ............................................................... 18 5.2 WAIPA DISTRICT PLAN ................................................................................................ 18 5.3 LONG TERM COUNCIL COMMUNITY PLAN (LTCCP) ................................................ 20 5.4 WAIPA DISTRICT COUNCIL COMMUNITY LEISURE PLAN ....................................... 21 5.5 WAIKATO REGIONAL POLICY STATEMENT............................................................... 22 5.6 WAIKATO PROPOSED REGIONAL PLAN.................................................................... 23 6 OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES ............................................................................................... 23 6.1 PROTECTION OF SCENIC AND LANDSCAPE VALUES............................................. 24 6.2 PUBLIC ACCESS TO MAUNGATAUTARI SCENIC RESERVE.................................... 24 6.3 MANAGEMENT OF FLORA ........................................................................................... 25 6.4 MANAGEMENT OF FAUNA ........................................................................................... 27 6.5 MANAGEMENT OF MAMMALIAN PESTS..................................................................... 28 6.6 PROTECTION OF HISTORIC AND CULTURAL VALUES ............................................ 29 6.7 RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ..................................................................................... 30 6.8 INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRACKS............................................................................... 31 6.9 BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES (EXCLUDING ACCOMMODATION)........................ 32 6.10 SHELTERS ..................................................................................................................... 33 6.11 OPEN FIRES .................................................................................................................. 34 6.12 COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES ........................................................................................... 35 September 2005 TRIM 07819379 Waipa District Council 3 Maungatautari Scenic Reserve – Reserve Management Plan 6.13 FEES AND CHARGES ................................................................................................... 37 6.14 SIGNAGE AND INFORMATION..................................................................................... 39 6.15 DOMESTIC AND FARM ANIMALS ................................................................................ 40 6.16 MOTORISED VEHICLES ............................................................................................... 40 6.17 MOUNTAIN BIKES ......................................................................................................... 40 6.18 ENFORCEMENT OF MANAGEMENT PLAN 41 7 ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES SUMMARY........................................................................ 41 BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDICES A CADASTRAL PLAN OF THE MAUNGATAUTARI SCENIC RESERVE B GAZETTE NOTICES C RELEVANT SECTIONS OF THE RESERVES ACT 1977 D KEY RESULTS OF CONSULTATION © Environmental Management Services Limited 2005. This document and its contents is the property of Environmental Management Services Limited. Any unauthorised employment or reproduction, in full or in part, is forbidden. WPREF : MBC393/Maungatautari Draft 6 Reserve Management Plan – February 2005 September 2005 TRIM 07819379 Waipa District Council 4 Maungatautari Scenic Reserve – Reserve Management Plan INTRODUCTION 1.1 MAUNGATAUTARI MOUNTAIN Maungatautari Mountain is a native forest-covered andesitic volcano located in the Waipa District (see Figure 1.1 – Location Map). The mountain and its forested slopes are a visually dominant feature within the landscape of the central Waikato basin. The mountain is bounded to the east and north by Lake Karapiro on the Waikato River. The city of Hamilton and the townships of Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Putaruru, Morrinsville, Matamata, Tokoroa and Otorohanga lie within easy driving distance. Approximately 3363 hectares of the mountain is currently lying under either native forest or regenerating native bush. A very large area of this land (approximately 2530 hectares) is set aside under the Reserves Act 1977 as a Scenic Reserve. The Scenic Reserve is administered by the Waipa District Council. 1.2 MAUNGATAUTARI ECOLOGICAL ISLAND Maungatautari Scenic Reserve is in the process of being transformed into an ecological island sanctuary, free of mammalian pests. The project is the brainchild of the Maungatutari Ecological Island Trust (MEIT). MEIT is a private, non-profit making registered charitable Trust seeking to re-establish a healthy diversity of indigenous plants and animals on Maungatautari Mountain. The stated vision of MEIT is: “To remove, for ever, introduced mammalian pests and predators from Maungatautari, and restore to the forest a healthy diversity of indigenous plants and animals not seen in our lifetime.” The key to achieving this vision is MEIT’s proposal to construct a 47 kilometre fence around the perimeter of the forested area of Maungatautari Mountain. Although this ‘ring- fence’ is predominantly located beyond the boundary of Maungatautari Scenic Reserve, it effectively transforms the Reserve into an ecological island. In addition, MEIT has constructed two smaller enclosures within the Reserve proper. It is proposed that visitor and educational facilities will be located within these enclosures. There is a significant level of support within the community and from regulatory agencies for MEIT and its goals. The alignment of the ‘ring fence’ relative to the reserve boundary is illustrated in figure 1.2 Figure 1.3 (see Appendix A) illustrates the approximate alignment of the ‘ring fence’, relative to the northern and southern enclosures. 1.3 PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT The Reserves Act 1977 (hereafter referred to as the Reserves Act) requires that, for gazetted Reserves such as Maungatautari, the administering body must prepare a Reserve Management Plan. This document is a Draft Reserve Management Plan prepared primarily to fulfil the requirements of the Reserves Act but also to assist the