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A group of Upper Waiwera Valley residents has come together to oppose the construction of a large Buddhist statue they fear will overwhelm the natural beauty of the area.
The Waiwera Valley Action Group (WVAG), made up of local lifestyle-block owners and farmers, was formed in response to the proposed installation: a 10-metre-high statue of the Buddhist deity Guru Rinpoche, mounted on a 6.5-metre concrete building and platform, which is set to be built on a prominent ridgeline.
They groups say that although the statue is being built on private land, its scale and prominence affect the wider community and the project should have been subject to public consultation.
WVAG spokesperson David Pennington says the statue’s size, which will be roughly half the height of Ōrewa’s Nautilus apartments, is out of proportion with the rural landscape, making it highly visible from neighbouring properties and public roads, especially when it is finished in gold, as is proposed.
“It is simply inappropriate for this landscape,” Pennington says. “It’s not about the religious aspect, it’s about the scale and impact on the environment and the local community.”
Council planners accepted the project’s description as a decorative structure for personal contemplation and issued a Certificate of Compliance categorising the development as an “artwork,” which allows it to proceed as a permitted activity without public notification or the need for a resource consent.
When the group queried the designation with council planners they were told that there was no global definition for artwork but that planners discussed each case internally among themselves before confirming the designation, Pennington says.
They are asking Council to halt construction immediately subject to a resource consent review and community consultation.
Head of Resource Consents at Auckland Council, James Hassall, says when the council receives an application, they have to assess it against the rules in the Auckland Unitary Plan. If the plan permits the activity without needing a resource consent, then they must issue a certificate of compliance.
“In rural zones, ‘artwork’ is permitted without a resource consent, as long as it complies with other controls – as this statue does. ‘Artwork’ can include a range of different objects and themes, including those of a religious nature.”
