The first person to be prosecuted for entering closed tracks in the Waitakere Ranges has been found guilty on two charges in relation to three breaches of the council’s Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The tracks have been closed since May 2018 to protect kauri trees, some of them hundreds of years old, from the spread of kauri dieback disease.
Robert Armitstead’s case was heard before Judge Lisa Tremewan who rejected the defence argument that the track on which he walked was not part of a park as claimed by the defendant.
She went on to confirm that the Council’s closure of any part of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park to the public was valid, and Mr Armitstead was therefore not entitled to be there.
Judge Tremewan added that Mr Armitstead’s claim that he had thought the park signage prohibiting entry was a mistake could have been easily clarified in a variety of ways, but he seemed resolute about his view of the matter and what he considered himself entitled to do.
Chair of Environment and Climate Change Committee, Richard Hills welcomed the court’s verdict in finding the defendant guilty.
“Most Aucklanders are doing the right thing and staying on the open tracks. However, we have had to issue 139 trespass notices and 168 warnings because some people don’t seem to care about the consequences of their actions and the effects these have on the environment and the rest of the community.
“We’ve reopened 72 kilometres of tracks in our regional and local parks after making them safe from kauri dieback disease, with 34 regional park and 22 local parks track upgrades completed and more openings expected in the Waitakere Ranges before Easter. So, there’s absolutely no excuse for going into closed areas.”
Mr Armitstead was remanded to reappear in the Waitakere District Court for sentencing on 21 May. – TIN Bureau