The Woodills Track is a popular 2 hour walking loop in the hills behind Akaroa. The route has existed since the early 1990s, with private land crossed by the grace and favour of the current owners, and the Trust has been concerned since its inception that the track could close on a change of ownership. When land belonging to the Woodills family containing the South part of the track came on the market in 2016, the Trust purchased it, and has subsequently on-sold the land having protected the track with an easement. This has been a long and complex project for the Trust with many steps, and is the first time the Trust has created a public walking easement and conservation covenant, and the first time it has on-sold land and augmented its funds through subdivision.
The process has also enabled us to better understand and to identify weaknesses in the way the Council deals with resource consent applications offering public access that furthers its Public Open Space Strategy and we are now working to improve this.
Project Status: Completed
Partners:
Partners in this project have included Christchurch City Council who surveyed and registered the easement, Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust with whom the conservation covenant is registered, and Akaroa community members Ad Sintenie and Erin Neufeld and Stephen Horton who purchased the sub-divided lots and worked with the Trust throughout the process, contributing to the costs.
Achievements to date
June 2019 – Consent conditions met and titles released. Sales take place – See our news article
April 2019 – Sale and Purchase agreements signed with both parties
February 2019 – Walking easement and Conservation covenant registered on title
December 2018 – Subdivision approved
July 2018 – Subdivision application submitted
March 2018 – Deed to Enter covenant with BPCT signed
August 2017 – Woodills south track relocated to pass through more bush and be further away from proposed house sites.
June- April 2017 – Professionals engaged to prepare subdivision application
May 2017 – MOU signed with Neufeld Horton family.
October 2016 – MOU signed with Sintenie Trust and Land purchased
September 2016 – Due Diligence on purchase and subdivision opportunities
Steven Horton and Erin Neufeld and their three boys (left) and Ad Sintenie (right). Also pictured are track builder Steffan Kraberger (centre) and track expert Paul Newport (centre right) on a happy day spent re-aligning the track to avoiding the proposed house sites.