Greater Wellington are intending to grant a grazing licence in Queen Elizabeth Park. The area covers approximately 208 ha, as shown on the map on the right and the licence will run for three years.
The licence is to be granted pursuant to Section 74 (2) of the Reserves Act 1977.
We acknowledge that this appears to be out of step with our intentions in the Toitū Te Whenua Parks Network Plan 2020-30 (click link to view) to move away from grazing.
The granting of this licence is an interim land management solution to control weeds and the fire riskContinue reading
Greater Wellington are intending to grant a grazing licence in Queen Elizabeth Park. The area covers approximately 208 ha, as shown on the map on the right and the licence will run for three years.
The licence is to be granted pursuant to Section 74 (2) of the Reserves Act 1977.
We acknowledge that this appears to be out of step with our intentions in the Toitū Te Whenua Parks Network Plan 2020-30 (click link to view) to move away from grazing.
The granting of this licence is an interim land management solution to control weeds and the fire risk until the longer term planning process is completed. Part of this planning will provide an analysis of wildfire risk to the park and provide treatment recommendations aimed at managing this.
The photographs on this page are of a small fire in Queen Elizabeth Park that was brought under control by Greater Wellington and Emergency services in February 2021. They highlight the risks in warm, dry summer months.
The intention of the licence is for grazing only (no pasture renewal), additional public access will be made available on new trails (with health and safety exclusions), and only young animals would be grazed to protect the dunes.
A significant area of 128.5 hectares has been retired from the previous grazing licence and a major restoration project is underway with delivery planned from late 2021 and implemented over the next 5 years. The goal is to restore 75.8 hectares to native peatland ecosystems and 52.7 hectares to native dune ridge ecosystems.
Please fill out the online submission form below to make your submission. You can also email feedback about the proposal directly to parksplanning@gw.gov.nz
You may also provide your submission in writing to:
The Manager Parks, Greater Wellington, PO Box 11646, Manners St, Wellington 6142.
Submissions must be received no later than 5pm on Friday 1 October and must contain:
- Your name, address and contact phone number.
- Confirmation that you either support or do not support the licence application.
- Your submission statement including the reasons for your submission.
- A statement as to whether you wish to appear in person to support your submission.
Your submission may become publicly available if a request for it is made under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987.
For guidance on writing a submission and the submission process, you can refer to the Ministry for the Environment's guidance document (click link to view).
If you have any question about the submission process, please contact us on 0800 496 734 or email info@gw.govt.nz.
