Sunday 27 April 2014

Newmarket and St Johns Rotary Clubs take on Motutapu Bridge Project

Newmarket and St Johns Rotary Clubs have been working together recently to further the Motutapu Bridge Project.

In partnership with Motutapu Restoration Trust, DOC, local Iwi and Auckland Tourism there is the potential to create the equivalent of another Tiritiri Matangi on Rangitoto – Motutapu Islands.

To achieve this and to complete the Motutapu Loop Track, the Motutapu Stream Bridge needs to be built. The bridge is a key element to opening up public access to the tracks on the Island.

Consent to build the bridge has been received from Auckland City Council.  $10,000 has been committed by Newmarket and St Johns Rotary Clubs. We believe this important environmental project represents a great opportunity for Districts 9920 and 9910 to invest in their local community.

The following is an extract from the St Johns Rotary club bulletin of April 2014:

This week we were graced with the presence of the Honorable Christine Fletcher. Christine gave us some insight on the Motutapu Restoration project with which she has worked since its inception. Having worked Rotary since the start of the project, Christine was all compliments on the consistent contributions provided to the project by the Newmarket Rotary Club and numerous other Rotary clubs.
Since its creation, Motutapu has accounted for over 500,000 trees being propagated and planted on the island. Although some initial discouragement occurred with some stakeholders suggesting Aucklanders look to further locations for their recreation, this has been pursued as the closest sanctuary to Auckland.

Motutapu is an Island within eyesight of Auckland and therefore an ideal location for both conservation and recreation. They are currently pursuing regular Ferry transport to the island, an attribute that would certainly lend itself to increased numbers of visitors and therefore funding. 

The conservation potential of Motutapu is beyond any other location near Auckland. The island serves as a habitat for Takahe of which there are only a few hundred in existence as well as the Coromandel Kiwi. These rare birds are not cheap to introduce to the island with the kiwi costing about $35,000 each. These are but two of the 61 birds that contribute to the island’s impressive bird chorus.

Motutapu functions as a farm with all proceeds going to the Department of Conservations’ central funding pool for all its efforts nationwide. For this reason, alternative funding specific to Motutapu must be pursued. One source of funding is a mountain biking event with raised between 40 and 50 thousand dollars thanks in part to the efforts of over 500 volunteers (Rotarians included).
 
The history of Motutapu is as interesting as its diverse current uses. As Auckland’s largest farm it also served as a defense asset with its numerous tunnels. These tunnels could possibly provide additional tourist attraction if the funding to make them suitable is made available.

The uses and benefits of Motutapu Island are numerous and include both conservation and recreation. Christine made a note regarding the lack of government funding and the complete reliance on private funding to provide these valuable resources. As the walkway project goes forward we must consider why we are left to fund these efforts privately given their public benefits. Additional efforts will continue to be made in an attempt to acquire a regular ferry service.

Let us thank the Honorable Christine Fletcher for her work with the Motutapu Restoration Project as well as her insight into the future success of the project. We look forward to continuing to contribute to this project and to take advantage of the numerous conservation and recreation benefits that it provides.

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To read an earlier article about the Motutapu Restoration Project go to: http://rotarystories-nzandpacific.blogspot.com/2013/03/rotary-saved-largest-pohutukawa-forest.html