Auckland Council has recently finalised a long process which has seen all current regional parks retained together under the jurisdiction of the Governing Body of the Auckland Council.

On amalgamation Auckland Council inherited literally thousands of parks, ranging from urban pocket parks, to sports fields to large tracts of conservation estate such as the Waitakere and Hunua Ranges which made up the regional parks network under the former Auckland Regional Council.

The Transition Agency allocated all regional parks to the Governing Body, along with maunga (volcanic cones) that might be part of Treaty settlements between the Crown and iwi, while virtually all other parks went to the new local boards. Some local boards had many regional parks within their boundaries and some have sought to have those regional parks allocated to them, including initially the Waitakere Ranges Local Board.

This would have split up the regional parks network resulting in a catastrophic impact on this network, started in 1964, which contains some of the best beaches in Auckland, iconic landscapes, pristine and restored ecological areas and a multitude of recreational opportunities for camping, walking, horse riding and mountain biking.

The regional parks’ network is run as a coherent whole, with the farming operation the largest in the Auckland region. Rangers are moved around the region to address demands, which would have been threatened  by allocating individual parks to local boards.

The resolution of the Governing Body on 22 August finalised the allocation of parks, with the regional parks network maintained as a while entity maintained regional level  by the Governing Body.