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Kaipara District Council (KDC) staff are preparing a draft concept plan for the Mangawhai Heads Reserve – a move arising from discussions around the future of the surf lifesaving clubhouse, following last year’s slip on council land.
At a briefing held in Tangiteroria on July 3, council agreed to a process that will include public consultation on the medium- to long-term future use of the reserve.
Mangawhai Heads is covered by the Mangawhai Coastal and Harbour Reserves Management Plan (RMP), which states that no further development of reserves should take place before council approves a reserve concept plan.
The RMP’s vision for the Mangawhai reserves emphases “passive recreational activities while protecting and enhancing the natural environment and character”.
Under a working timeline, in August and September, the public will be invited to make written suggestions on how the reserve should be developed. Engagement events may be held, and there will be opportunities for mana whenua and user groups to meet with council staff.
At briefings in October and November council will look at the suggestions and consider a draft plan, ahead of community consultation in the summer of 2024-25.
After briefings in February and March where submissions will be heard and amendments agreed upon, council will adopt the plan in April.
The process is separate to ongoing discussions between council and the Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service (MHVLS) on the fate of its clubhouse, which has been off-limits since the abutting hillside collapsed after the 2023 Auckland anniversary rains.
After KDC ruled out including funding for the repair in its long term plan for 2024-27, MHVLS proposed that it be allowed to raise the estimated $1.7–$1.9 million needed for a repair itself. In return, the club wants council to agree to sign a 33-year lease, with the right to renew for a further 33 years (MM, Apr 15).
Council discussions on that proposal have also looked at whether it might be more cost effective to relocate the club from the compromised site.
At the July 3 briefing, some councillors suggested that the reserve concept plan and clubhouse issues be consulted upon as one, noting MHVLS’s desire for progress to occur quickly.
Staff noted that the clubhouse issue would be discussed during the subsequent publicly excluded session.
“We have a duty of care to the surf club,” chief executive Jason Marris said. “And our approach here would be to talk to them first, prior to talking about them in public.”
