AUCKLAND PROTECTION STRATEGY A report to the Nature Heritage Fund Committee Helen Lindsay, Chris Wild and Stacey Byers Published by the Nature Heritage Fund PO Box 10-420 Wellington June 2009 ISBN 978-0-478-14626-4 1 The Nature Heritage Fund Team Committee Di Lucas, Chair Dr Gerry McSweeney Mike Lee Jan Riddell Dr Les Molloy Manager Allan McKenzie Executive Officer John Morton 2 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………………….... 8 1.2 Scope of the report ………………………………………………………………… 9 2 CONTEXT …………………………………………………………………………... 10 2.1 National context …………………………………………………………………... 10 2.2 Regional context …………………………………………………………………... 10 2.3 DoC Auckland Conservancy context ……………………………………………… 10 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE AUCKLAND CONSERVANCY ………………………. 12 4. VEGETATION CLASSES IN THE AUCKLAND CONSERVANCY AND THEIR PROTECTION STATUS ………………………………………………...…. 15 5. PRIORITY CRITERIA FOR THE AUCKLAND CONSERVANCY ………..…… 18 6. PRIORITIES FOR PROTECTION IN THE AUCKLAND CONSERVANCY …. 22 6.1 Summary of priorities for protection by ED ………………………………………… 23 7. ECOLOGICAL DISTRICTS IN THE AUCKLAND REGION – EXISTING VALUES AND PROTECTION STATUS AND PRIORITIES FOR PROTECTION ……………………………………………………………………….. 25 7.1 Eastern Northland Ecological Region ………………………………………………. 25 7.1.1 Taranga ED (part) …………………………………………………………….. 25 7.2 Kaipara Ecological Region ………………………………………………………..… 27 7.2.1 Kaipara – Otamatea ED (part) ………………………………………………… 27 7.3 Auckland Ecological Region …………………………………………………………. 31 7.3.1 Rodney ED ………………………………………………………………….… 31 7.3.2 Tamaki ED ………………………………………………………………….… 35 7.3.3 Waitakere ED …………………………………………………………………. 37 7.3.4 Rangitoto ED …………………………………………………………………. 41 7.3.5 Inner Gulf Islands ED ……………………………………………………….... 43 7.3.6 Hunua ED …………………………………………………………………….. 47 7.3.7 Awhitu ED ……………………………………………………………………. 51 7.3.8 Manukau ED ………………………………………………………………….. 53 7.4 Coromandel Ecological Region ……………………………………………………... 57 7.4.1 Little Barrier ED ……………………………………………………………… 57 7.4.2 Great Barrier ED ……………………………………………………………... 59 7.5 Waikato Ecological Region …………………………………………………………. 63 7.5.1 Meremere ED (part) ………………………………………………………….. 63 7.5.2 Hapuakohe ED (part) ……………………………………………………….... 65 7.5.3 Hauraki ED (part) ……………………………………………………………. 67 8. REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………………69 3 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 Methodology – Describing the indigenous ecosystems of Auckland …………………………….… 72 APPENDIX 2 Methodology – Identifying the originally rare ecosystems in the Auckland region …………………. 80 APPENDIX 3 Methodology – Identifying the threatened species in the Auckland region …………………………. 85 FIGURES Ecological District Boundaries ………………………………………………………………..…. 13 Local Authority Boundaries ……………………………………………………………………… 14 Pre People Vegetation Map ……………………………………………………………………… 16 Current Vegetation Map …………………………………………………………............................. 17 Taranga ED map …………………………………………………………………………………. 24 Kaipara ED map ……………………………………………………………………........................ 26 Rodney ED map ……………………………………………………………………......................... 30 Tamaki ED map ………………………………………………………………………………….. 34 Waitakere ED map ………………………………………………………………………………. 38 Rangitoto ED map ……………………………………………………………………………….. 42 Inner Gulf Islands ED map ……………………………………………………………………… 44 Hunua ED map …………………………………………………………………………………... 46 Awhitu ED map ………………………………………………………………………………..…. 50 Manukau ED map …………………………………………………………………………….….. 54 Little Barrier ED map ……………………………………………………………………………. 56 Great Barrier ED map ……………………………………………………………………………. 60 Meremere ED map ……………………………………………………………………………….. 62 Hapuakohe ED map ……………………………………………………………………………... 64 Hauraki ED map …………………………………………………………………………………. 66 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have contributed to the preparation of this report. The project was financially supported by the Department of Conservation Auckland Conservancy and the Auckland Regional Council. It was directed by John Galilee (DOC) in consultation with Shona Myers (ARC). The Auckland Regional Council also assisted with initial direction and with the development of the data layers from which the vegetation classifications were derived. Alison Davis provided the initial technical direction and assisted with the collection of the data which supports the report. Further work on the consolidation of the vegetation types was completed by Jonathan Boow. Other major contributors to the project were GIS staff and others from the following organisations, who assisted with the development of GIS layers for their districts and who willingly shared information: North Shore City Council, Auckland City Council, Waitakere City Council, Manukau City Council, Rodney District Council, Franklin District Council, Papakura District Council, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Queen Elizabeth II National Trust, Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd and the Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Individuals who provided information, advice and comment were: Chris Green, David Havell, Jonathan Miles, Peter de Lange, Halema Jamieson, Thelma Wilson, Rosalie Stamp, Bec Stanley, Marie Bradley, Phil Reid, Peter Anderson, Craig Bishop, Karen Denyer, Carol Bergquist, James Corbett, Ewen Cameron, Mark Bellingham, Maureen Young, Anne Grace, Arthur Dunne and Tricia Aspin. 5 Definitions Indigenous ecosystems - are defined as those that were present prior to human settlement, including the natural changes that have subsequently occurred to those ecosystems. It is not possible from the broad scope of the available information to be certain that any given location is indeed intact indigenous vegetation. Field surveys would be required to verify this. Auckland Conservancy - is defined as the area from the Kaipara Harbour entrance and Mangawhai in the north to the Waikato River and Miranda in the south. It includes islands in the Hauraki Gulf from the Mokohinau Islands to The Firth of Thames, including Little Barrier Island and Great Barrier Island, and extends a further 1000 kilometres northeast to include the Kermadec Islands. The Kermadec Islands are not included in this report because of their remoteness and because they are already fully protected as the Kermadec Islands Nature Reserve. Priorities – are evaluated for the protection of ecological and biodiversity values currently on private land. Threatened species - are as determined by de Lange et al. (2008) four highest threat classifications for vascular plants, Miskelly et al. (2008) for birds and the five highest threat classifications from Hitchmough et al (2005) for all other species listed. Mosses, liverworts, fungi and microalgae are not included. The data on threatened species has been assembled using information that is currently available. The presence or absence of data does not mean that there definitely are or are not species present at a particular site as an area may or may not have been recently surveyed. Lists of threatened species are regularly revised and threat classifications changed. The ‘acutely’ and ‘chronically’ threatened categories referred to in Priority 4 of the national priorities (DOC and MfE 2007) have been replaced by the ‘threatened’ and ‘declining’ categories following the revision in 2008. The most recent list should always be used in applying this report. Recently recorded - The data is based on threatened species that have been recorded in the catchment post 1970 for plants, lizards and invertebrates, and between 1999 and 2004 for birds. Originally rare ecosystems – are as determined by Williams et al. (2006). The data only indicates that these ecosystems may be present in an area as no surveys for these have been carried out. (See Appendix II for more details on how potential sites of these ecosystems were identified). Protected Areas (dated 2004) - are defined as follows: 1. Land under DOC, ARC, district or city council management 2. Land covenanted by the QEII Trust 3. Land protected under District Plan provisions There are many protection mechanisms in place for the preservation of natural values including crown land, public conservation land, land under local government management, covenants, and provisions in district plans. The reserve definition is comprised of digital land information for land in public ownership whose status affords it some vegetation clearance protection and also private land protected by covenant or District Plan restrictions. The GIS layer from which the information on the level of protection was compiled includes some Crown land, public conservation land administered by DOC, ARC parks, district council parks and reserves and QEII covenants. However for some EDs it also includes areas protected under local government district plans. Further judgement is required to assess the effective level of protection afforded to any ecosystem with protected status in this definition as changes to district plan provisions can affect the level of protection. The layer also excludes local government, Resource Management Act (RMA) covenants and bush bonds, as most are not available in digital form. 6 Abbreviations used in this report ACC Auckland City Council ARC Auckland Regional Council ASCV Area of Significant Conservation Value CMS Conservation Management Strategy DOC Department of Conservation ED Ecological District ER Ecological region EW Environment Waikato FDC Franklin District Council GIS Geographical Information System LENZ Land Environments of New Zealand MCC Manukau City Council MfE Ministry for the Environment NHF Nature Heritage Fund NIWA National Institute of Water & Atmospheric