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The public will be invited to give their views on the future use of Ōrewa Reserve next March.
Auckland Council’s parks and places specialist Matt Woodside updated the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board on the engagement approach earlier this month.
He said the aim of the public consultation would be to narrow down four council concepts to one preferred proposal for managing future impacts of coastal hazards. All four concepts employ the ‘naturalisation’ approach that was unanimously approved by the local board in March this year.
Board members highlighted the importance of clear communication to the public around the concepts for consultation and the overall process, given the high level of interest in the Ōrewa shoreline preservation efforts.
Woodside said he was aligning with the northern seawall and shoreline adaptation project teams on key messages and stakeholder consultation as part of his engagement approach.
The naturalisation approach includes dune restoration, as well as the gradual relocation of council assets such as playgrounds and toilet blocks. For efficiency, the plan is to relocate assets over time, as they come up for renewal. Woodside also clarified that dunes accrete and erode over time, and the expectation is that they will eventually have a natural resilience, eliminating the need for sand to be brought in to top them up.
Woodside said that this approach meant the reserve would look different over time as the coastal edge changed, but maintaining a dry sand beach for recreation would be a priority. He said, the plan recognised that the beach was the primary recreation area, even exceeding the grassed reserve.
Member Gary Brown raised concerns about the potential loss of the grassed area with the naturalisation approach.
“Our greatest asset is the grass,” he said. Brown echoed communication concerns by other members. He said it needed to be made clear to the public as to what they have a say on, within the proposed concepts.
Board chair Alexis Poppelbaum stressed the need to be mindful with public consultation and asked Woodside and his team to ensure the approach was carefully designed.
Woodside is forming an official working group and will hold a public meeting before Christmas. Feedback from that group will then lead into the public consultation next March.
The Ōrewa Reserve project is one of three council initiatives focussed on coastal management in the area. The second is the northern seawall project that is underway (Hibiscus Matters, November 7). The third is the shoreline adaptation programme, under the regional coastal management framework. Public consultation on the Snells Beach to Ōrewa plan closed earlier this month.
