A new planning zone proposed by Tauranga City Council is threatening one of New Zealand's significant historical sites, say Elms Trust members.
The proposal to rezone part of The Elms block as the new City Centre Living Zone threatens the visual connection between the The Elms and the Mission Cemetery, says Jeff Major.

The proposed rezoning will allow three storey apartment blocks to be built on neighbouring Cliff Road properties, blocking the view of the cemetery from The Elms.
Elms Trustee Jeff Major says the sites are connected historically and maintaining the visual link between The Elms and the Mission Cemetery is an important part of local and national history.
He rates The Elms historical significance as equal to the Waitangi Treaty House.
'The collection The Elms contains is way ahead of anything else in New Zealand,” says Jeff.
Historian Jinty Rourke says the mission cemetery and The Elms were originally part of a single purchase, which was divided in 1928 when the East Coast Main Truck railway cutting was dug at Dive Crescent.
'Just because something bad has already happened doesn't mean that you should do something even worse in terms of impacting further on that view shaft,” says Jinty.
The committee members will visit the sites this week before making a decision on their submission.
The historically significant view can be legally built out under the existing zoning.