UPDATED
Howickians have been in a flap over the disappearance of the trig station from Stockade Hill.
There has been much speculation, frustration and angst shared on social media in the last few days over the ‘sudden’ removal of the iconic trig – a fixed surveying station – from the hill.
The very vocal Save Stockade Hill Views group said on Monday: “Stockade Hill was invaded in the last 72 hours and the trig station has vanished.
“We’re unaware of the perpetrators and we’re seeking last known sightings. Like One Tree Hill, Stockade Hill is now naked and we’d like this historical relic back. The authorities have been notified and we’re eagerly waiting details.
On Sunday they posited: “Why would it be removed? Is it just being restored or replaced maybe? Or is there something else happening?”
But the mystery has been solved.
Graeme Blick, group manager, Positioning and Resilience, Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), told the Times: “Land Information New Zealand authorised the removal of the trig beacon on the site known as “Howick” (A5Y6) on Stockade Hill in August 2018.
“Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) authorised the removal of the trig beacon above the survey mark known as Howick A5Y6 on Stockade Hill in August 2018. This beacon was removed for health and safety reasons as the metal structure was rusting and would require extensive and costly repairs,” he says.
“In this instance the trig beacon did not require replacement because the memorial obelisk nearby has now been surveyed and its position added to the New Zealand geodetic database. This allows surveyors to continue to make observations for orientation as a replacement for the trig beacon.
“LINZ undertakes a regular maintenance programme on the survey marks and trig beacons around New Zealand to ensure they are fit-for-purpose and meet health and safety requirements.
“New Zealand’s geodetic system provides the reference points by which the location of all the features of New Zealand’s land and sea are defined. These reference points are the basis for creating maps and marine charts, determining property boundaries, and are critical in construction and property development.”
- Stockade Hill is not one of the 14 ancestral sites which the Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority is responsible for
