Contractors hired by Waikato District Council chopped down the stand of poplar trees at Kopua Reserve on Friday. The woodlot of poplars was listed in the Waikato Council’s District plan as significant trees and several of the trees had plaques on them saying that they were significant trees. Council staff had advised the Raglan Coastal Reserves Advisory Committee that the trees were ‘hazardous to the area and need removing’. The committee voted to remove the trees at its meeting on 22 November. It is understood that the WDC plans to plant native trees in the area.
Pablo Rickard said that the poplars trees were originally planted as a wind break. Chairman of the Raglan Community Board, Rodger Gallagher said he was extremely disappointed in what had been done. He had worked with local experts and Council staff advocating a staged approach so that the poplars could be used as protection to establish the native trees. He said that there were only about 20 hazardous trees and some deadwood that should have been removed.
Whaingaroa Harbourcare’s Fred Lichtwacht said that the area was a known habitat for katipo spiders. Since the middle of 2010, katipos have been on the endangered list and their habitats have been protected. The katipo is a coastal creature, making its home on sand dunes throughout the North Island. Its most common distribution area is on the west coast beaches of the lower North Island. It can be found on beaches under stones, in driftwood and sheltered in plants. They make their webs at the base of beach grasses such as marram grass, or under logs and driftwood, close enough to the sand to catch ground-crawling insects for food.
Killing New Zealand’s most venomous spider can earn culprits jail time or a $100,000 fine under changes to the law. The katipo now has complete protection.
In June 2010, Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson announced changes to the protection status and said that “Under changes to the Wildlife Act, katipo spiders go from not being protected to having ‘absolute protection’, as the kereru and kiwi have.” By chopping down the poplar trees at Kopua and destroying a katipo habitat it appears that the Waikato district Council may have breached the Wildlife Act.
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