Kaiwharawhara resident Brent Slater's plans for a second home on his property have been quashed thanks to new protections classing the land as a significant natural area (SNA). Landowners in Wellington are getting around rules intended to protect natural biodiversity on private land by chopping down trees and clearing native bush. Significant Natural Areas were first introduced in the Resource Management Act in 1991, with councils charged with identifying and protecting areas with significant areas of indigenous biodiversity. KEVIN STENT/Stuff Some of Brent Slater’s neighbours have resorted to cutting down trees before they are protected. “We deliberately took this intensive approach to engagement because we knew that there was a potential risk that people might move to remove SNAs while it was still legal to do so.

Source: Stuff April 29, 2022 05:24 UTC