Aotea Conservation Park Advisory Committee Meeting 10 10am, 10 December 2018 Room 4.8N, 4th Floor, Bledisloe House, 24 Wellesley Street, Auckland AGENDA AND MEETING PAPERS MEMBERS: Mr Paul Downie Chairperson Ms Nicola MacDonald Member Ms Judy Gilbert Member Mr Rodney Ngawaka Member Mr Tony Christiansen Member Ms Catherine Munro Member Ms Kate Waterhouse Member Ms Liane Ngamane Member Vacant Member Vacant Member 1 ACPAC Agenda 10 December 2018 - DOC-5594179 ACPAC Agenda 10 December 2018 DOC-5594179 Needles Point Aotea Conservation Park Aiguilles Island ´ Miners Head Te Paparahi Ahuriri Point Motairehe Rd Mabeys Rd Waikaro Point Katherine Bay Motairehe Maunganui Point Kawa Rd Whangapoua Kawa Beach Rakitu Island Mabeys RdWhangapoua Estuary (Arid Island) Karaka Bay Rd Port Abercrombie Aotea Rd Okiwi Port Fitzroy Aotea Rd Motuhaku Kaikoura Island Harataonga (Selwyn Island) Beach Whakatautuna Point Harataonga Rd Port Fitzroy Kiwiriki Bay Great Barrier Stony Beach Forest Awana Bay Motutaiko Rangiahua Is. Gray Rd Broken Islands Palmers Beach Whangaparapara Mahuki Is. Road Whangaparapara Walter Blackwell Rd Kaitoke Beach Claris Blind Bay Rd Okupu Medlands Beach Hauraki WhangaparaparaHarbour Blind Gulf Bay Medlands Rd Tryphena Harbour Rd Tryphena Shoal Bay Rd Shag Point Rosalie Bay Rd Tryphena Legend Mulberry Schooner Bay Harbour Grove Aotea Conservation Park Road Cape Barrier Rd 0 1 2 4 Kilometres 1 Cape Barrier 2 Part Two—Places 14 Great Barrier Island (Aotea Island) Place Note: In 2013, the Minister of Conservation requested the Department to investigate the reclassification of conservation (stewardship) areas on Great Barrier Island (Aotea Island). The decision to reclassify all 16 stewardship areas (as well as incorporating the Hirakimatā – Kaitoke Swamp Ecological Area and Wairahi Forest Sanctuary Area) to create a 12,109 ha conservation park, and to establish an advisory committee for the park was announced on 20 July 2014. The Aotea Conservation Park will be formally declared in the New Zealand Gazette once required survey work has been completed (anticipated late 2014 – early 2015). The Department manages more than 16 000 ha on Great Barrier Island (Aotea Island) (Great Barrier), which represents approximately 60% of the total land area. The remainder of the island (including offshore islands) is made up of Māori land, private land, and land administered by Auckland Council and other organisations such as the Motu Kaikoura Trust (refer to Volume II, Map 7.10). For the purposes of this CMS, this Place is made up of all areas of public conservation lands and waters on Great Barrier and nearby Rakitu Island (Arid Island) (Rakitu) (Table 3). This Place also encompasses advocacy over Great Barrier, particularly with respect to coastal development, protection of biodiversity values, outstanding landscapes and natural character. Table 3: Public conservation lands and waters of Great Barrier Island (Aotea Island) Place ISLAND LOCATION SIZE (HA) LAND STATUS (NUMBER OF LAND UNITS) Great Barrier 100 km northeast of Auckland 28 500* Conservation Area (16) City and 17 km north of the Ecological Area (1) Coromandel Peninsula. Sanctuary Area (1) Marginal Strip (13) Government Purpose Reserve (2) Historic Reserve (2) Recreation Reserve (12) Scenic Reserve (6) Rakitu 5 km off the east coast of 253 Scenic Reserve Great Barrier. * Great Barrier is not wholly administered by the Department. This figure represents the total area of the island. Auckland Conservation Management Strategy 2014–2024 71 3 Part Two—Places 14.1 Description Great Barrier, which is situated to the northeast of Auckland at the entrance to the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana, is the largest island offthe coast of the North Island of New Zealand and home to 88518 residents. The island is one of the last great wild areas in Auckland and provides a unique visitor experience. Rakitu is situated approximately 5 km off the east coast of Great Barrier. The landscape of Great Barrier is characterised by forest-covered ranges, much of which is regenerating and of volcanic origin; farmland and settlements; and a maze of bays, islands and indented harbours. In the island’s centre, spectacular bluffs and ridges rise to the highest peak, Hirakimatā (Mount Hobson) (627 m). The coastline is relatively undeveloped. Coastal features of note include the tidal inlet, estuary and dune systems of Whangapoua, Awana and Kaitoke, the spectacular drowned valley system of Port Fitzroy, and the sea cliffs off the northwest and southeast coasts of the island. Along with Rakitu and other small islands and groups of rocks along its coast, Great Barrier forms a separate ecological district. The island is well known for its extensive indigenous habitats of outstanding significance, including kauri forests, shrubland associated with rhylotic rocks and areas of pōhutukawa-dominated forest. Threatened fauna found on Great Barrier include: thirteen species of lizard, including niho taniwha/chevron skink, which is found only on Great Barrier and Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island tāiko/black petrel, which nest principally on Hirakimatā and other high points tītī/Cook’s petrel stronghold populations of North Island kākā (Nestor meridionalis septentrionalis) and mohopereru/banded rail the only island population of pepeketua/Hochstetter’s frog. Te Paparahi is a forested area comprising most of the northern part of Great Barrier. While regenerating kānuka (Kunzea ericoides) covers large parts of Te Paparahi, there are also fine stands of taraire (Beilschmiedia tarairi), tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa), kauri (Agathis australis) and kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile). It has very high wildlife values, with tāiko/black petrel, niho taniwha/chevron skink and pepeketua/Hochstetter’s frog present. It is also highly significant to Ngāti Rehua. A remnant population of North Island kōkako (Callaeas cinerea) was removed from Te Paparahi in 1994, and Ngāti Rehua and the community aspire to have North Island kōkako returned to this area with the support of the Department. An important but challenging step towards achieving this would be establishing a sufficiently large area, incorporating Te Paparahi, in which introduced predators could be controlled to low numbers and North Island kōkako could thrive. Great Barrier is a stronghold for one of New Zealand’s rarest ducks, pāteke/brown teal, being home to over 60% of New Zealand’s population. Okiwi Recreation Reserve, a large farmed area with many wetlands, streams and small patches of remnant vegetation, supports large numbers of pāteke/brown teal. Intensive management and monitoring is undertaken in the reserve in an effort to protect this species. Adjacent to this reserve, Whangapoua estuary is one of the least modified wetlands in New Zealand, and one of the most valuable for wildlife for its size. The extensive sand dunes of Whangapoua Beach and estuary, which abut the Okiwi Recreation Reserve, are a haven for coastal birds such as tūturiwhatu/northern New Zealand dotterel, kuaka/bar-tailed godwit, ngutu-parore /wrybill, pūweto/spotless crake and mātātā/North Island fernbird. 18 Results of 2013 Census from Statistics New Zealand website: QuickStats about Great Barrier Island. www.stats.govt.nz (accessed 8 August 2014). 72 Auckland Conservation Management Strategy 2014–2024 4 Part Two—Places Hirakimatā in the centre of the island is of special significance to Ngāti Rehua. In addition to being one of the principal nesting sites for tāiko/black petrel and tītī/Cook’s petrel, it has a unique, unmodified upper montane forest of kauri, Lagarostrobos colensoi and manoao/ Kirk’s pine (Halocarpus kirkii), as well as endemic shrubs such as Great Barrier Island kānuka (Kunzea sinclairii). Kaitoke Swamp to the south is the largest wetland in Auckland, and contains orchids, mātātā/North Island fernbird, pūweto/spotless crake and matuku/ Australasian bittern. At least 75 species of regionally and nationally threatened vascular plants, including the endemic prostrate kānuka (Kunzea ericoides var. microflora) and Great Barrier tree daisy (Olearia allomii), are present on Great Barrier, making it one of the richest areas for plant biodiversity in Auckland. Great Barrier contains the largest area of forest in New Zealand that is known to be possum- free. Mustelids, Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), and hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) are also absent. However, a number of pest animals still exist, including ship rats (Rattus rattus), kiore, mice (Mus musculus), rabbits (Oryctolagus caniculus), feral cats (Felis catus) and feral pigs (Sus scrofa). Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) which have become established in the southern part of the island also pose a risk to biodiversity values. The community and Auckland Council are leading attempts to eradicate them from the island. Although the island is relatively free of plant pests that impact on vegetation communities, without ongoing control to prevent their establishment they would have the potential to significantly damage high value ecosystems. For example, pampas (Cortaderia selloana), mist flower (Ageratina riparia) and Mexican devil (Ageratina adenophora) are threats to wetlands, where they can change the ecology of the native sedge and rush communities. The eradication or control of pests in areas where significant flora or fauna are threatened is a key priority for conservation management, as is the prevention of entry of further plant and animal pest species. In many areas, this will require the control of pests in cooperation with adjoining landowners