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Four draft Shoreline Adaptation Plans for Pākiri to Mathesons Bay, Ti Point to Sandspit, Snells Beach to Ōrewa, and Kaipara Harbour are expected to be released for a further round of community engagement and feedback next month.
Just under 1000 individual pieces of feedback were received during initial consultation earlier this year.
Auckland Council principal coastal adaptation specialist Lara Clarke says analysis of the feedback is currently underway, alongside ongoing engagement with local iwi, asset owners and managers, and technical experts.
The Shoreline Adaptation Programme includes plans for 20 coastal areas in Auckland, covering 3200km of coastline. They look at how best to manage council-owned assets and land – beaches, cliffs, harbours and estuaries – to respond to coastal hazards and climate change over the next century.
The plans will be based on four approaches:
- No active intervention – Let nature take its course without intervention. This strategy would be employed to coastal areas where council-owned land and assets are not exposed to coastal hazards or catchment flooding. It invests in hazard-risk management such as land stability, but does not invest in hazard protection structures.
- Limited interventions – Allowing for some maintenance to existing coastal defences, and ensuring assets are kept safe while accepting that processes like wind, waves and storms will change the position of the coastline over time. This strategy also identifies that some assets or uses such as footpaths, sports fields and carparks may need to be moved to manage potential risks.
- Hold the line – Defending council-owned assets and land from erosion and flooding, and preserving areas such as walkways and sports fields for their intended uses. This could involve building protective measures such as sea walls and planting dunes.
- Managed realignment – Planning for changes to the coastline and managing risks by moving assets, uses and infrastructure away from the coast and hazard-prone areas.
Initial community feedback identified the following themes:
Kaipara Harbour
• The importance of boat access to the harbour
• The natural environment is highly valued
• The value of the harbour for marine life including recreational fishing and gathering of kaimoana
• Enjoyment of the regional parks and the value these have to the region
Pākiri to Mathesons Bay
• High importance of water-based recreation like swimming and surfing
• Health of the moana linked closely to how land is managed, with concerns raised around land use impacting the quality of the coastal environment
• The value of coastal walkways to the community and visitors
• Concerns regarding changes in natural environment being observed, in relation to dune habitat, the abundance of wildlife declining both on land and in the marine areas.
Ti Point to Sandspit
• Recreation at the coast being an essential activity for families and residents, and this recreational opportunity needing to be safe, friendly, accessible
• The need to provide areas for a diversity of use including family spaces and dog walking spaces
• Awareness of the challenges from inundation with low lying areas
• Access to the coast and harbour(s) being of high importance, including the provision of recreational coastal access and boat launching facilities
• Access to the harbour and to islands, in particular, being an important feature of the coastal infrastructure
• Value of the natural ecology and the need to provide for habitat for birds and other species, and provide for the needs of ecosystems within coastal spaces alongside recreational access and enjoyment for people
Snells Beach to Ōrewa
• Importance of coastal access (to and along) for all abilities
• Importance and value of wildlife
• Value of dunes and beach areas for recreation
• Community led environmental initiatives being important, recognised and supported
• Coastal erosion observed in many locations.
