Talented local artist Annette Isbey was considered to be a ‘cultural icon’. Sadly, she passed away on 16 May.
I met Annette in 2015 after incessant phone calls asking for help. She was deeply distressed by the actions of those wanting to destroy her much loved Western Springs Forest. She owned two mill cottages and an art studio adjoining the walking track entry on West View Road and she spent hours weeding and planting many natives to add to the existing ngahere.
Annette had contacted Waitematā Local Board a number of times about the poor condition of the Western Springs walking track and offroad bikes damaging the native forest.
Western Springs Forest was saved from destruction as a result of her meeting in 2015 with David Stejskal (Auckland Council arborist), Rob Thomas (WLB) and local artist from Edge City, cafe owner Lisa Prager, and Gael Baldock.
I carried on the fight for Annette when she was on longer able to do so. Dementia meant Annette was spared witnessing the ecological disaster that included the unnecessary destruction of her mature trees, along with 15,000 natives last year. She would have been horrified. Nor did she see the upgraded walking track, six years after she had asked for it to be made safe. She would have enjoyed the picturesque view of the lake it exposed, but not at the cost of this once ‘Significant Ecological Area’.
During Covid lockdown restrictions, ‘consultation’ was held for a $83,000 ‘loop track’, at the point where the cleared area adjoins the current walking track. Whilst the majority of feedback supported it, without a public meeting to properly explain the primary intention to create a native forest. Nature is best left alone!
The Waitematā Local Board voted for a ‘loop track’ now costing $121,000. Is this going to be another budget blow out like the $2 million destruction? The track will include a turning platform for wheelchairs yet the slope of the hillside is too steep for wheelchair accessibility and access from West View Road includes three sets of stairs!
I suggested taking the track to the magnificent view of the lake to a seating area, a fifth of the length and therefore one fifth the cost. That money would be better spent on trees for a future canopy by planting with the existing native forest, as per the plan before one third of the forest was annihilated, once the track is ‘disestablished’ as per the Resource Consent -
“The access track, culverts and landing/chipping areas shall be disestablished and returned to the same general topographical formation that existed prior to the works being undertaken.”
I tried reasoning with both Auckland Council and Waitematā Local Board to make these works safe, but to no avail. The overland watercourses are blocked by the platform shelf formed by the working track.
There is a dangerous jerry-rigged retaining ‘wall’ that has been formed by a felled log propped between two stumps to hold up chipped logs several meters deep that is starting to wash down the hillside. There’s evidence that glyphosate is being used, instead of pulling weeds.
I have been left with no choice than to take this Health and Safety issue to the Environment Court for an order to complete the Resource Consent. The point of this development was to create an urban native forest.
My thoughts are with Annette's family at this sad time. (Gael Baldock)
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