Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area

A place of great significance to residents, tangata whenua, Aucklanders and visitors alike.

The Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area comprises an area of some 27,700 ha of public and private land located between metropolitan Auckland and the coast of the Tasman Sea to the west, between the Manukau Harbour coastline to the south and the Waitakere Valley to the north.

The area is characterised by its:

• exceptional landscape and beauty,
• unique native forests, wetland, streams, lakes and dunes,
• ecological diversity and wildlife,
• inspirational, artistic and spiritual values,
• associations and sites of significance to tangata whenua,
• European heritage sites,
• excellent recreational opportunities,
• clean water and significance as a source of public water supply,
• importance to the tourism and recreation industries and a regular film location,
• attractive living environment.

View and print a high resolution map of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area (Size 7300K).

For detailed information on the location of the heritage area boundary please refer to the online District Plan Human Environment Maps. The boundary is illustrated as an information annotation on maps D0, D2, D4, E6, E7, F7, F8, G8, G9, G10, & G11.

An Act to recognise, promote, protect and enhance the heritage features of the Waitakere Ranges and their foothills and coasts.

The Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008 (the Act) (Size 719K) aims to preserve the unique character and natural and cultural heritage of the local areas and communities that make up the Waitakere Ranges - from Whatipu, along the coast of the Manukau Harbour to Titirangi, from Oratia and Waiatarua over the eastern foothills to Swanson and Anzac Valley, from Bethells Beach/Te Henga south along the West Coast to Piha and Karekare.

The Act recognises the importance of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park (Size 72K), which covers some 17,000ha, or around 60 per cent of the heritage area, as an accessible public place with significant natural, historical, cultural and recreational resources. It also requires the adoption of a management plan (See Section 19). The 2010 Regional Parks Management Plan fulfils this requirement.

The Act responds to concerns about the effects that development is having, or could have, on the landscapes and heritage of the Waitakere Ranges. It recognises the national, regional and local significance of the Waitakere Ranges and promotes its long-term protection and enhancement for present and future generations.

The Act also recognises that people live and work within this area (over 21,000 residents in 2005), and that many have contributed to shaping the landscapes that we see today and have helped protect its natural environment and human heritage. It seeks to set a benchmark for Waitakere Ranges’ residents goals and hopes for their communities and environment in 10, 50 and 100 years time. It aims to protect and enhance the area’s significant heritage features and the special character of each community in the ranges, and to provide a rural transition from the city's urban areas to bush and coastal areas further west in the ranges.

Local Area Plans - imagining, planning and influencing the future

A Local Area Plan (LAP) is a planning mechanism provided for under Section 25 of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008 (Size 719K) and must be developed together with local communities. The Act acknowledges that within the ranges and foothills there are diverse places and communities, each with a distinctive character and future. LAPs must identify the boundary of the local area and will set goals for retaining and enhancing the heritage features and character of each of these distinctive areas and providing for the wellbeing of the community.

LAPs and associated background reports have been completed for Waiatarua, Oratia, and Henderson Valley/Opanuku. A Foothills Background Report covering the whole of the eastern foothills area and providing context for the Foothills LAPs, has also been prepared. In addition, a background report has been prepared for the Bethells/Te Henga/Waitakere Valley area, in anticipation of a Local Area Plan for that area. In the future, LAPs will also be developed for the remaining foothills settlements (Anzac Valley and Swanson), and coastal settlements along the Tasman Sea and Manukau Harbour coasts.

A LAP is developed by the council and the community working together to imagine the desired future for the area, create a clear long-term vision (over generations rather than years), and identify ways to implement that vision. The LAP approach recognises that there are different heritage features, opportunities and constraints in each community within the heritage area, and quite different elements that contribute to the distinctive character and amenity of each local area.

An LAP specifies policies and actions to promote the long term vision for the area. These can be actions by the community itself and/or the council. Changes to the District (or new Unitary) Plan may result from a LAP, either to enable activities identified as being desirable or to restrict those activities that would work against the achievement of those long-term goals. Other mechanisms to implement a LAP may include support for the initiatives of local community groups or the inclusion of new works or projects in the Council’s Long Term Plan.

Generally, a combination of council and community-led actions will result in the enhancement of the area. For example, the protection of ecosystems (a heritage feature) might be achieved through a combination of council/community restoration projects, conservation covenants, and monitoring. A LAP itself has no power to compel either the council or any landowner, but it will inform decisions made by the council and others about the local area, and will give more certainty that the valued qualities of local areas will be maintained or improved.

Other council and community initiatives within the Heritage Area

Sustainable Neighbourhoods programme: This programme supports community-led initiatives by groups of neighbours that aim to protect and enhance heritage features.

Waitakere Ranges Foothills Design Guide (Size 2800K): A design guide to assist landowners in the design and layout of subdivision and building projects in the rural foothills of the Waitakere Ranges. A free printed copy of this guide is available at the council’s Western Area office in Henderson.

Te Henga Marae: A long-term project of the former Waitakere City Council and Te Kawerau A Maki to establish a marae at Bethells Beach/Te Henga, which will be continued by the Auckland Council.

Foothills Walkway: A long-term project to establish a walkway over the rural lands of the eastern foothills. The proposed foothill stretches from Titirangi/Woodlands Park in the south (with its public transport availability) through the Oratia, Forest Hill Road, Henderson Valley and Coulter/Candia Road areas to the railway station at Swanson in the north. The proposed walkway route links to the urban walkways of Project Twin Streams in the east and the forested trails of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park to the west.

Ranges Community Information: Information on the history and ecology of the area; forest and stream restoration guides; advice and information on site layout, landscaping, planting and weed management for those living in the bush, on the coasts and in the foothills; and community resources.

Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area covenants: Owners of land in the heritage area may enter into a covenant with the council to protect natural features as well as heritage features on their properties, for example historic buildings and structures, historic farming practices or dramatic landforms. These covenants are provided for under Section 23 of the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008, The council will cover all costs of preparing the covenants, including surveying the land and preparing management plans with landowners. Landowners are entitled to rate relief from the Auckland Council. For more information, please contact ranges@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.

Proposed Plan Changes 35, 36 and 37: These plan changes were publicly notified by the former Waitakere City Council on 10 February 2010. They are considered necessary to achieve the purpose of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008.

• Proposed Plan Change 35 proposes to establish a new Policy Section 5B, entitled Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area. It also incorporates those elements of the Oratia and Waiatarua Local Area Plans that relate to the RMA into the District Plan.
• Proposed Plan Change 36 proposes to improve regulatory provisions within the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area associated with rural activities, the enabling of future uses of rural land to retain a rural character, and to provide for the social, cultural and economic wellbeing of the people and communities in the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area. It amends rules for the Foothills, Coastal Village, Bush Living and Waitakere Ranges Environments.
• Proposed Plan Change 37 removes inappropriate District Plan provisions relating to Titirangi Village, and proposes new policy guidance and matters of assessment that seeks to provide long-term certainty for the desired future character and amenity of Titirangi Village.

Related documents

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Further information

If you have any further questions or would like to be on our regular mailing list,  please contact us or email ranges@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.