A message to our local community
This blog post was created from an update we originally sent to our community on Thursday 1st February 2023 in response to the floods in Auckland at the end of January. The information was correct as of 8 February 2023, but some of it will change over time. Please get in touch if you have any doubts about the information provided.
With the recent devastation and upheaval in our community, we want to share our aroha and sympathy for everyone affected by the recent flooding. Few have been spared from some form of damage, and as many of you are representatives for our local parks and green places – the damage to these treasured public assets is also heart breaking. We want to pass on that we care deeply about our network of residents and volunteers, who over the years have given so much back to this community and local environment. Please let us know how you are doing by sending us an email or posting on our community facebook group. Finally - watch this space as we work through how to effectively assist one another and work with the Council to best address the changes that have happened in our neighbourhoods.
Important message regarding safety
We understand the temptation to muck in right away in reserves and public places, but we want to re-iterate the Council’s message that no volunteering should occur on public land at this time. This is purely and simply to keep you safe and to avoid dangers that could still be present.
With the nature of erosion, contaminated water, unseen hazards and falling trees etc – the dangers will be present for some time ahead. In the immediate term, please avoid volunteering in public places until we hear word on how we can constructively and safely work together to repair some of the damage to our parks and Significant Ecological Areas. If you want to put your hand up for other kinds of help (e.g. in unaffected areas, inside safe buildings, etc), get in touch and we can start brainstorming.
What to do if you see a problem on public land:
Please follow the guidelines on the Auckland Emergency Management website and keep in touch with neighbours, friends and loved ones.
If there is an immediate risk to life or property, always call 111.
Do not put yourself or others at risk to further investigate something you have identified.
Report missing manhole covers, damaged catch pit lids/grates or blocked drains or culverts to Auckland Council as soon as possible by calling 09 301 0101 or via the Auckland Council Report a Problem website (in addition, if you have access to the CAMS Weed App, you can report the problem there as well - get in touch to find out how).
Landslides and landslips:
Do not investigate or try to traverse any area close to a landslip or landslide or put yourself at risk. If a slip is observed:
For landslides that might affect public land, contact Auckland Council on 09 301 0101
For landslides that might affect public roads, contact Auckland Transport on 09 355 3553
For flooding caused by a burst water main, call Watercare Services on 09 442 2222
For all other observations of damage to public places and assets, please use the Auckland Council Report a Problem website or call 09 301 0101.
Addressing the situation
We are in discussion with our partners in Auckland Council and the Kaipātiki Local Board as to what we can do together as a community to assist with the impacts of this event on Kaipātiki’s environment and shared spaces, and to when it is safe to do so. Our primary concern is safety, and then how we can constructively get helping hands into the areas that need it most. Discussions are ongoing as to how to best coordinate reporting and the assessment of reserve damage, and how to optimise the organisation of the clean up as a collaboration between volunteers, council staff and contractors. Look out for further updates from us once we know when it is safe to enter reserves. At this time we would welcome any ideas or expressions of interest to get involved and pitch in together. In the meantime, please listen to the emergency recommendations and stay safe everyone.
Related topics
Kauri dieback - let’s not lose now
Now more than ever, with tracks destroyed and members of the public making their own routes through forest – please remember to spread the word about NOT walking off track, spreading potentially contaminated soil and increasing the risk of Kauri dieback killing off our precious and vulnerable Kauri trees. Let’s not lose sight of kauri dieback disease and lose an entire species, along with the tracks and bridges we have recently lost. As a community, everyone has been doing so well to avoid the spread of this infection, so if you see people taking recreational detours in parks (dangerous at this time anyway!), please share with them the serious risks of doing so for the environment and stand up for our trees.
February Predator pulse
Something you may not have thought about yet, is the issue of rodents and where they have gone after this rain. While volunteering in park land is currently prohibited for your own health and safety, if you are in a position of safety and security – you may decide to go ahead with your predator pulse and control pest animals at home (NOT reserves until we are told otherwise).
As we know – rodents spread disease which is something we definitely don’t want to become an issue on top of everything else. Our Community Tool Shed dates are the 2nd and 4th Saturday's of each month, 9am-11am at the PFK HQ (3 Ross Avenue Glenfield). You can collect resources you need. (See our Facebook page for upcoming dates)
Kia kaha everyone – stay strong and look after one another
From the team at Pest Free Kaipātiki Restoration Society