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It was a packed house at Ōrewa Surf Life Saving Club on Tuesday, June 24, as more than 400 residents turned out for a public meeting organised by the Ōrewa Community Residents Association (ORCA) to discuss Auckland Council’s proposals for Ōrewa Reserve (Hibiscus Matters, April 7, 2025).
ORCA arranged the event to raise community awareness and present several resolutions to be voted on and submitted to the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board. ORCA spokesperson Stephen Havill said the strong turnout clearly demonstrated the reserve’s significance to the local community.
Auckland Council officers were invited to the meeting but declined, although several members of the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board and Albany Ward Councillors John Watson and Wayne Walker were in attendance.
At the meeting, ORCA outlined the council’s proposed options for the reserve, which all involve dune restoration, native planting, improved beach access, and the relocation of vulnerable facilities such as public toilets, playgrounds, and courts. ORCA strongly advocated for its alternative proposal, a seawall, to protect the integrity of the reserve and its existing amenities, including trees, parking, and recreational areas. This comes amid ongoing debate over the most suitable long-term approach for managing coastal erosion at Ōrewa.
ORCA also restated its position that the council excluding the seawall option breaches both the Local Government Act and the Reserves Act. The Local Government Act requires councils to consider all reasonably practicable options when making decisions, while the Reserves Act states that public consultation must not have a predetermined outcome. The group says council has failed to meet these obligations by presenting dune restoration as the only option and has not fulfilled its legally-required public consultation requirements.
Ōrewa Surf life Saving Club representative John Chapman also spoke at the event, restating the club’s concern over the lack of consultation by the council and that the loss of carparks and facilities would push beachgoers down to the more dangerous southern end of the beach. (Hibiscus Matters, April 22, 2025.)
Chapman emphasised, however, that the club wasn’t advocating for any particular option, but for the one that best suited the reserve.
After lively discussion and contributions from attendees, ORCA put forward three resolutions, (below) which were passed unanimously and will be tabled at next month’s Hibiscus and Bays Local Board meeting.
Resolution 1: Concerning the Ōrewa Reserve Management Plan; That the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board request and review a detailed study for the alternative of an engineered retaining rockwall for the Ōrewa Reserve coastal edge in terms of S. 77(1) of the Local Government Act. The wall to extend from Riverside Rd to the northern end of the Ōrewa campground boundary. The rock wall alternative to be progressed before further consideration of, and in conjunction with, the naturalisation option.
Resolution 2: That the Local Board liaise and establish a committee, including ORCA and Ōrewa Surf Club representatives to develop a management plan for the Ōrewa Reserve incorporating a rock wall.
Resolution 3: That community and beach users represented at this public meeting, advise the Local Board that an engineered retaining rock wall is the preferred management plan, on the coastal edge, together with retaining the playground, basketball and volleyball courts and existing car parking (subject to the relocation of the Ōrewa Surf Club building) in their current locations.
The meeting does not support the naturalisation proposal, as tabled on March 26, 2024.
More information is available on the ORCA Facebook page
