This new road will damage the "physically, spiritually and socially significant" Mimitangiatua River and Mangapēpeke Stream of Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama and Poutama. It will destroy 44.4 hectares of indigenous forest and wetlands that are home to dozens of threatened native species such as the North Island Brown Kiwi, Archey's frog, Long-tail Bats, Fernbirds, North Island Robins, Giant Kōkopu and Shining Cuckoo. This proposal is opposed by the Department of Conservation, Forest & Bird and landowners who are being forced from their homes. Some iwi are yet to be fully consulted and other iwi are still deciding, being so far unsatisfied with mitigation offers. Mangapēpeke means 'frog stream' and frogs are a well known environmental health indicator species. No amount of proposed tree planting and pest control can mitigate the damage actual forest removal and pest introduction this road will cause. The 'bypass' should not go ahead. It makes no sense to destroy ancient forest communities just so cars and trucks can get from A to B a few minutes quicker. The touted safety improvements do not stack up when well-known fog and black ice in the proposed area is taken into account. Nor when increased speeds will also increase accident rates. The age of large truck transportation is coming to an end as fossil fuels become ethically unaffordable. So let's be practical, do we really need a brand new $200million road? It is time to move on from fossil road projects and create a vibrant, sustainable Taranaki economy. An upgrade of the existing road makes far more sense.

Hidden in the Akatarawa Forest is one of Wellington’s best kept secrets, a living treasure equal to anything found in our national museum, Te Papa. A forest of giant Rātā trees with trunks that rival Aotearoa’s iconic kauri tree, Tāne Mahuta. These living relics are undoubtedly national treasures that have been standing for centuries before the arrival of humans to Aotearoa. Remnant Northern Rātā are iconic lowland forest trees that are now rare as they are endangered by introduced possums. One of NZ’s tallest forest trees, healthy Rātā produce a blaze of red flowers in summer, rich in nectar that supports tui, bellbirds, kākā, geckos and bats with high energy food. Rātā trees begin life as a seedling in the crown of other forest giants like Rimu. Rātā roots descend and eventually, over a few centuries, strangle their hosts to form trunks of their own. Strangler trees are a special feature of tropical and warm temperate rainforests but Rātā trees stand out internationally as having some of the largest root trunks of any species on earth. They are truly spectacular! Among the Akatarawa Giants two of the known trees have a girth exceeding that of NZ’s most iconic kauri tree, Tāne Mahuta! We can build a Te Papa Tongarewa any day but it takes hundreds of years to replace one of these giants! If we drop the ball on possum control for just a few short years the real cost is centuries of living heritage. Most of the juvenile rātā trees have already been killed by possums in the absence of a regular control programme. Greater Wellington Regional Council has a custodial duty to ensure this unique living treasure is protected by sustained possum control to ensure its survival. These are the last such ancient giants on earth!! We implore the council to assign a sustained budget to protect the integrity of the Akatarawa Giant Rātā Forest!

All over Aotearoa, our big old trees are being cut down at an alarming rate. They need to be protected. We face a climate and ecological crisis that puts all of our futures at risk, but especially our younger generations. As our towns and cities become more densely populated and green spaces disappear, people are losing touch with nature, and we’re losing the old trees that provide much needed resilience in the face of climate change and ecological collapse. These big trees are home to kereru, tui, kotare and countless other birds and insects - and they provide a priceless community asset, a place of shelter, recreation and connection. They clean the air, they keep us cool in summer, they store carbon and they make great places to play. Up to one third of Auckland's urban trees have been destroyed since the last National Government removed general tree protection in 2012. The senseless destruction of part of an irreplaceable stand of old native trees at Canal Road in Avondale is just the most recent example of why we need to reinstate tree protection. A community protest to halt any further felling has been ongoing there since 8 July 2020. The site, at 52-58 Canal Road, has a unique collection of native trees planted in the 1920s. Even though half have been cut down, over 23 significant trees remain including two rare black maire and a kawaka as well as other natives like totara, tawa, titoki, and puriri. The protest began when local man William Lee stood in front of a wood chipper and refused to move shortly after the first trees were felled. Since then, many have joined him, dozens have sat in trees and stood watch by day and night, and six people have been arrested for peaceful protest. The story has gained nationwide interest and inspired our call for bringing back general tree protection.