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Please support the legal challenge to save hundreds of trees at Ōtāhuhu Mt Richmond.

  • Regarding the Appeal Tupuna Maunga Authority has initiated.

      11 February 2025
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    Regarding the Appeal Tupuna Maunga Authority has initiated, contesting the decision by the High Court which has set aside / quashed the resource consent to clear fell 278 trees on Mount Richmond Ōtāhuhu.

    This matter has been allocated a 1 day hearing before the Permanent Court by his Honour Justice Cooke.

    Currently, there is no time available for this matter in 2025. Further, the 2026 roster has not yet been finalised. The court will be in touch regarding a hearing date once the 2026 roster has been finalised.

    In our case a delay is not a terrible thing of course!

    Our fundraising campaign will resume immediately.

    The estimated cost given by our barrister for the appeal is $25,000 + gst, so we have another mountain to climb to raise this money.

    I am very confident we will win, as we have the precedent from the first Judicial Review Appeal for Owairaka / Mount Albert, thanks to Averil and Warwick Norman’s successful appeal.

    Thank you all for your support!

    Thank you all for your continued support and contribution to cover the costs of the appeal.

    Please join us on our private Facebook group respect Mount Richmond Ōtāhuhu community, anyone can join, or follow us on the respect Mount Richmond Ōtāhuhu community page where current news is shared. Our website is respectmtrichmond.org.nz

    There is news on our Facebook group at present regarding walking track upgrade which is due to commence very soon, and news of some trees being felled in these works that we are unable to stop.

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  • Court of Appeal hearing date

      11 December 2024
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    The Court of Appeal will notify us a hearing date in due course, once Tupuna Maunga Authority completes their application payment next week to appeal our Judicial Review win which quashed the resource consent to fell 278 trees at Otahuhu Mount Richmond. Sixty of those trees were felled last year.

    We are in limbo until a hearing date is scheduled. Currently the Auckland Court of Appeal is very clogged, which means the hearing may not be until 2026.

    The mountain is in its full glory at present with the Pohutukawa trees in blossom with abundant native birds. Sadly the heron did not nest this year on the maunga, the first time in the 30 years I have walked there. Many of the 60 trees felled last year including the 100 year old Pine trees were nesting trees the heron returned to every year. The same birds returned to the same trees, 1 nest per tree is preferred by these high canopy dwellers. Very sad to say the least.

    I will do another update before Christmas with hopefully some positive news.

    Thank you for your amazing support to our low socioeconomic community, helping us to fund our legal battle so the trees may continue standing, and we as a community can continue enjoying the shade of the trees and the abundance of nature in this beautiful environment.

    Please follow us on our website respectmtrichmond.org.nz

    or our Facebook group

    respectmountrichmondotahuhucommunity

    Ngaa mihi aroha ki a koutou

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  • Award payment for our legal challenge

      5 July 2024
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    Good morning all, we have received this week the award granted by the High Court for our Judicial Review legal challenge, $32,236 has been deposited into our solicitors trust account. That money has been paid to our barrister and solicitor to clear the outstanding invoices for the JR. There was a shortfall, which our barrister has kindly waived bringing the account back to zero! We couldn’t have done this without the generosity of our barrister and those who kindly donated to our crowdfund campaign.

    Unfortunately it’s not over yet. A couple of things have happened in the past month which I will share as soon as I’m able to.

    Please keep in touch with us through our private facebook group Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu community. Anyone can join.

    Many thanks to all of you for continuing to support us.

    Kind regards Shirley Waru and the Respect Mount Richmond Otahuhu community.

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  • Our judicial review hearing is next week - come along and support us if you can.

      28 November 2023
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    The countdown is on to our judicial review hearing at the Auckland High Court, starting at 10 am on Tuesday the 5th of December.

    The half-day hearing will focus on our request for the High Court to “quash” (cancel) the resource consent Auckland Council granted Tupuna Maunga Authority in 2021 permitting it to fell 278 of Ōtāhuhu Mt Richmond’s exotic trees. Without that resource consent, the Authority cannot cut them down. The Judicial Review claim alleges Auckland Council acted unlawfully in granting that resource consent without first giving the public an opportunity to object or comment.

    Members of the public are welcome to attend and we would love to have supporters come along and watch (but please, no placards or protest action).

    Thanks to everyone who has donated to support our judicial action.

    Unfortunately we are short of our goal so please encourage friends and family to donate - every bit counts!

    Respect Mt Richmond Ōtāhuhu community.

    Shirley Waru.

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  • Judicial Review hearing.

      1 October 2023
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    A Tuesday 5th of December hearing date has been set in the Auckland High Court for a judicial review against the Tupuna Maunga Authority and Auckland Council concerning the destruction of non native trees on Ōtāhuhu Mt Richmond.

    The Authority is opposing the judicial review. Auckland Council has decided to not to oppose the judicial review but instead to “abide” the Court’s decision.

    It is the second judicial review initiated against the Authority and Council in relation to the Authority’s intention to rid Tamaki Makaurau Auckland’s maunga of non native trees. The first judicial review, undertaken by Auckland couple Warwick and Averil Norman, found the Authority had acted unlawfully by not consulting with the public on its decision to fell 354 non-native trees on Owairaka Mt Albert, and that the Council had acted unlawfully when it then issued a resource consent to fell those trees.

    Official information requests reveal ratepayers funded more than $1 million in legal and court costs relating to that judicial review.

    Thank you to all who have donated, please continue to share this give a little page link for Mount Richmond Ōtāhuhu, so I can reach the goal of $30k, to help pay for this legal challenge.

    For more information contact:

    Shirley Waru

    Respect Mt Richmond Ōtāhuhu.

    Email: respectmtrichmond@gmail.com

    Web: respectmtrichmond.org.nz

    Facebook: Respect Mt Ōtāhuhu.

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