The co-leader of a Wellington conservation group has invited those behind an attempt to create an illegal bike track to meet him and learn why they’re restoring a patch of native bush in Te Aro.
“I couldn’t believe it really, there were a few tears within the group when it happened,” Wild Aro co-leader Anthony Hawkins told 1News about the destruction of native trees at Ngā Kumikumi/Devon Street Gully.
“We’re trying to create a forest for everybody — it’s really something that has to be respected or it’s not going to work.”
Hawkins was alerted to the incident on the weekend by a woman who lives nearby.
“We had one of our people discover them at night time and she came down and shone a torch on them, they told her to go away.”
Hawkins said a mountain biking “jump” was found where trees had been cleared. He said it was reported the offenders were teenagers who used a chainsaw and other tools to clear the area and worked over multiple nights.
Anyone with information about the incident should contact Wild Aro on Facebook or Wellington City Council, he said.
Tawa, kahikatea and miro were the slow-growing trees caught up in the destruction, along with nikau, māhoe and other natives.
Wild Aro have been planting trees in the area, as well as trapping and clearing weeds, for six years.
Te Aro School have also participated in tree plantings over the years, with principal Sue Clement telling 1News the school enjoys the increasing wildlife that’s returned to the area because of the reserve. Clement said students that don’t have a garden get the opportunity to see native birds and walk through the bush reserve.
Wellington Mountain Bike Club president John Baddiley said the organisation is disappointed about any incident of unauthorised trail building on public and private land.
“We encourage everybody to be working with landowners to get authorisation.
“Our natural environment is important to all of us — there’s a right way and a wrong way to go ahead and build trails,” Baddiley said.
He said the mountain biking community feels like they are “tarred with the same brush” as those behind the incident.
“It’s just disappointing because it detracts from amazing volunteer work that mountain bikers do every year.”
Baddiley said this included 6500 hours of trail, trapping and planting in the bush from his club alone last year.
He said Wellington Mountain Bike Club has had a “productive relationship” with landowners across Wellington for the past 20 years.
A spokesperson for Wellington City Council said temporary fencing will be erected at the site, along with signage, and the council will help with replacement planting. Native trees planted by Wild Aro have been provided by Wellington City Council.
“The volunteer groups that we support undertake some incredible mahi for Poneke to help nature and people thrive so it is incredibly disappointing to hear of incidents like this,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
A park ranger has visited the scene to understand the damage that’s been caused.
“We will also reach out to our MTB (mountain bike) groups and ask them to get the message out there on their social channels that this recent senseless unauthorised work is not supported by the MTB community,” the council spokesperson said.
The council urged people to contact the organisation before creating a trail, with a process in place for new developments. The public’s being directed to participate in existing trail building groups on approved projects.
Both the council and Wild Aro will continue to monitor Ngā Kumikumi reserve, with the conservation group ramping up surveillance and putting signage up in the area in the wake of the incident.
“If you do come across people undertaking covert works in our Parks and Reserves please call the Council in the first instance so that we can follow-up promptly,” the council said.
