Save the 29 trees lining Ladies Mile Highway, Queenstown, NZ

Letter from Maggie Hillock - Spokesperson for Save the Ladies Mile Trees Committee

Below is a letter from Maggie Hillock (Spokesperson for Save the Ladies Mile Trees Committee) to Jim Boult (recently elected Queenstown Lakes Mayor).

We wish Maggie the very best and thank her for all of her hard work! The Committee will continue to post any relevant updates to this Facebook page.

Dear Jim,

Congratulations on your election as Mayor. John and I both feel that you are the right man to see Queenstown through this extraordinary time of growth and the associated change!

You may know that I have been one of several people instrumental in a movement to protect the trees on Ladies Mile from being chopped down due to their growth getting closer to the power lines along this stretch of the main road.

Delta made this unilateral decision and a small announcement was printed in the ODT from Vanessa van Uden. The reaction was immediate, with over two thousand people signing a Facebook petition in the first week and, by week two, we had a strong committee formed with very good people looking at what could be done to save these trees.

As you may well have observed over several years, the late Bill Walker tended and pruned these trees with great care and attention. He replaced the fencing with an attractive post and rail fence behind the trees in order to create the beautiful avenue and along the approach to the Shotover bridge and Queenstown. His hope was that other land owners would do the same and complete the effect along the entire Ladies Mile. None-the-less it became obvious from far and wide that these trees were loved by many around NZ and the World. We even received emails from Europe and the U.K. We (the committee) have an affidavit from the land owner that the trees were there before the lines. It is incorrect of Delta to claim otherwise.

We all hoped the lines could be buried; an option that Jan Walker was agreeable to. Delta refused an offer from the council to help with this and it now seems it will be even further from Delta's plans given recent events over rotten power poles. The council has offered to pay for a twice yearly pruning and, given the level of potential development along the Ladies Mile, the committee decided it would be prudent to watch and hope that the trees and their upkeep could be included in future planning.

I think it is worth noting that much of the reaction was about the spread and speed of development and the feeling that precious green areas were not being looked out for. I understand a subcommittee of the council was in place some years ago to do just that. There was also a fund between Delta and the council to bury power lines at appropriate times.

John and I are moving to Nelson in January, where we have bought a Macadamia nut farm in Hope, just outside Richmond (all sorts of jokes there!). I have a deep feeling of affinity for this area however. John and I have lived here for nearly forty years and I've been coming here with my family for the last sixty. My fervent hope is that you and your council are able to introduce some form of ongoing protection (and more sympathetic pruning) to this avenue of beautiful trees that many towns around the World would love to have at their entrance. Also to scrutinise and protect other green areas as the need arises throughout the Wakatipu.

Although this email is written from me personally, I will copy in the committee and the subscribers to our petition.

Thank you for your time, Jim.

All our very best wishes to you, Karen and your family for Christmas and the years ahead.

Best regards,

Maggie Hillock

QLDC proposing to allocate $10,000 a year for two years to prune the roadside trees.

Dear Signatory,

A press release was made by the QLDC today. The following is an excerpt regarding the Ladies Mile Trees:

"After considering submissions, the Council has moved away from the idea of contributing to move power lines along the Ladies Mile underground. Instead, it is proposing to allocate $10,000 a year for two years to prune the roadside trees.

Mayor van Uden said the long-term future of the Ladies Mile area, including the trees, would be addressed through the master planning QLDC would be undertaking to address the increased development demand highlighted through the District Plan review process and the government’s Special Housing Areas programme."

Ciick this link to view the full press release: http://www.qldc.govt.nz/news/show/1730/rates-increase-lower-than-projected/

Aurora refuses to help pay for undergrounding

Good evening,

The following news article was published in the Otago Daily Times on Saturday, 4 June, 2016:

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/385687/aurora-refuses-help-pay-undergrounding

We will continue to keep you updated on developments.

Thank you.

Update - Annual Plan Hearings Commission

On Tuesday, 31 May, Alan Brady and Maggie Hillock spoke to the Annual Plan Hearings Commission and Bryce Whiting presented documents supporting our submission.

Documents presented included a favorable arborists report on the current health of the trees, as well as an affidavit from the farmer whose family planted them, stating that the trees were planted before the lines were placed where they are today - a fact Aurora Energy have disputed in their submission.

Bryce Whiting did a huge amount of meticulous preparation for which we are very grateful. We now await the outcome and will keep you updated on our progress.

Thank you.

Committee Scheduled to Speak to Council on Tuesday, 31 May, at 1.30pm

Dear Petition Signer,

The 'Save the Ladies Mile Trees Committee' is scheduled to speak to Council this Tuesday, 31 May, at 1.30pm, supporting the QLDC Proposal to create a joint fund to underground the power lines.

The Hearing will be in the Council Chambers (upstairs in the Council Building, at 10 Gorge Road) and is open
to the public. The presence of supporters would be a great morale boost for those speaking and a signal to Council that the issue is still alive with the public at large.

Thank you once again for your support!

Optional Hard Copy Submission

Thank you again for your support!

Save the 29 Ladies Mile Trees - Submissions to the Annual Plan Close on Friday April 29

Dear Petition Signer, 

Time is running out and we urge you to go online at: http://www.qldc.govt.nz/your-co…/your-views/annual-plan-2016 as soon as you can and help save the 29 Ladies Mile trees.

We need to support the QLDC’s proposal to put aside $500,000 to bury the power lines and ensure their permanent protection.

Submissions to the annual plan close on Friday April 29 so act now. It is vital that everyone shows their support to demonstrate to the council that the community cares about the trees and their future.

SAVE THE LADIES MILE TREES

Dear Petition Signer,

We have now created a Facebook page and encourage everyone who has signed this petition to 'LIKE' the page, in order to keep up to date with developments. The page is public so anyone can view it - even if you don't have a Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/savethe29trees/

The Save the Ladies Mile Tree committee is encouraging everyone concerned about the future of the 29 trees on the Ladies Mile, which are recognised as one of the Queenstown gateway’s most significant amenities, to make a submission to the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s annual plan to help ensure their future.

Submissions close on April 29 and the committee says it’s a simple process to make a submission online by going to the QLDC website ( http://www.qldc.govt.nz ) and following the easy steps.

A suggested submission follows –

• Support the QLDC proposal to allocate $500,000 to pay half the cost of putting powerlines underground if Delta agrees to fund the same amount for the project
• Request QLDC to allocate sufficient funds for the next trimming of the 29 Ladies Mile tree
• Request that the 29 trees be protected under the QLDC’s heritage protection scheme – by seeking a variation to the District Plan and including the trees in Appendix 3.

Thank you again for your support!

Update: Save the 29 trees lining Ladies Mile Highway, Queenstown, NZ

Thank you very much for your signature in support of saving the 29 trees lining Ladies Mile Highway, Queenstown. As a result of the high number of signatures, the trees have received a temporary reprieve from being cut down.

A committee has been formed and a submission will be made to the council's Annual Plan to submit a number of ways the trees can be protected.

A press release will also be made in the near future. 

Thank you again for your support.

Save the Ladies Mile Trees Committee

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