Cultural treasure vs Urban sprawl (Please act and sign the petition)

Please read the following article that concerns me as a Geographer and as a resident of Mangere. The Ihumatao district is unique and has special significance to locals iwi and concerned citizens. Another example of the bullying tactics often used on powerless small impoverished communities making way for big business and powerful developers with the support of local government. This needs to be stopped. Please sign the petition and act on behalf of this community to have a say...

"An area of land on Oruarangi Road, Ihumatao Mangere has been added as one of three Special Housing Areas in the Mangere-Otahuhu community. Foreign-owned Fletchers Residential Ltd are proposing a development of 500 houses on this piece of farmland. This location is adjacent to the Otuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve, a public green space with rich historical, environmental and cultural significance and, Ihumatao Pa, one of the last remaining original and livable papakainga in New Zealand.

Save Our Unique Landscape campaign recognises there is a housing shortage in Auckland and do not oppose the other two locations for SHA in the Mangere-Otahuhu Area. But, a development of this magnitude, in this location, will have huge, negative effects. It will be detrimental to the residents of Ihumatao, community members of Mangere and other interested parties, from a historical, cultural, spiritual, social, and environmental perspective.

This proposed SHA will not contribute to making Auckland a livable city, but destroy one of the few significant and unique spaces Auckland has left.

In 2012 the Environment Court ordered the land be re-zoned to Future Urban. The developers are now in pre-application discussions to rezone the land to Residential, and apply for a subdivision to develop this SHA.

Join us in telling Mayor Len Brown and Housing Minister Nick Smith that the Auckland Council must revoke its support for the SHA in this location and all applications for rezoning the land and future developments of this sort, must be rejected."