Thread: Could be bad news

People have only a few more hours to submit an objection to this potential removal of the current legal status for access to this part of the Ruahine Forest Park. Get writing.

If people need a few more ideas, feel free to look over my submission:

Road Stopping Proposal: Part of Opawe Road


I strongly object to the District Council proposal to Stop part of Opawe road.

I strongly object on the following grounds:

• In the council’s documentation on your web page headed up “ Road Stopping Proposal: Part of Opawe Road”, under the heading “ Background to road stopping” the sole reason given for this proposed action is that the adjoining land owner occupies this unformed legal road. This is the weakest excuse available for a District Council to undertake any legal action that reduces or restricts the public’s access to public land, that being the Unformed Legal Road itself and the Ruahine Forest park beyond.
• The District Councils’ own “Rural Area Vision Statement” identifies a Vision that “ offers outstanding recreational opportunities…” Any action that the district council takes to reduce, restrict or impede the publics access to recreational opportunities, by changing the legal status of the unformed legal road in question is in direct contradiction to your Rural Area Vision statement.
• The Unformed Legal Road in question: 1.2998ha adjoining or passing through Part Sections 9 and 10 Block XI Pohangina Survey District (RT WNB2/1185) shown as Section 1 on SO Plan 557632 (Part Opawe Road) has been in existence for at least one hundred years, if not longer. This legally defined public road has therefore been in existence, along its current alignment, and evidenced via cadastral information on any subsequent titles deposited with LINZ and its predecessors for any and all purchasers of any parcels of land that adjoin said boundaries of this unformed legal road and surrounding farmland.
It is therefore disingenuous of any previous or current land owner to proffer disruption to their farming practices as a reason to have this long standing unformed legal road Stopped. Previous and current land owners will have constructed rural dwellings and other farming infrastructure in close proximity to this unformed legal road in full awareness that this has always been a public piece of land with the legal standing of any formed legal roads, anywhere in NZ.
• As Public Servants, it is the responsibility of all District Council members to act in good faith, and to always act in the Publics’ best interests. Their (your) role is NOT to favour a small number of land owners at the expense of the Public’s RIGHT to access public land.

The only possible resolution

The only possible resolution that ensure the Publics’ rights of access to public land (this unformed legal road and the Ruahine Forest Park) is for the unformed legal road to be realigned to better suit both farming practices and the publics access to the unformed legal road. Fencing of the unformed legal road alignment would also be of benefit. However, the legal status of the unformed legal road MUST NOT BE DIMINISHED.
Changing the status of the unformed legal road to a Right of Way or some other such arrangement is tantamount to placing the land owner’s desires in front of the Public’s RIGHTS. Both current and the generations of walkers/trampers/hunters to come.


Long term user of the Ruahine Forest park
Beef Farmer
TAUPO