Coastal Hazards

Coastal Hazards

Our natural environment is an essential part of our sense of place. We need to find the best ways to care for our coastline while ensuring our coastal communities are kept safe.

We are proposing to transfer budgets, assets and service delivery associated with managing part of our response to coastal hazards to Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. This would mean revetments, which are retaining walls to protect the coast from erosion, as well as the budgets for coastal planting would come under the care of HBRC.

The existing revetment is at Hardinge Road. This has a capital value of $500K, and we budget $325K for its upkeep every two years. There is also budget put aside for a revetment at Whakarire Avenue in Westshore and renourishment of the Westshore beach front. The operating budgets for renourishment and erosion prevention are $370K per annum.

The revetment, renourishment and associated budgets can be transferred to HBRC through a Memorandum of Transition, which has been agreed, in principle, by all partner councils and is part of the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy.

This transfer was not included in our Long Term Plan, as the regional proposal hadn’t been finalised. The transfer itself will not take place until HBRC has formalised the proposal through its Long Term Plan, as required by law.

The proposal to transfer these assets has come about for the following reasons:

• We need to prevent the impact of climate change, and currently there's no logical ‘leader’ of that work for Hawke’s Bay;
• The Clifton to Tangoio coast doesn’t fit with city/district boundaries, but an integrated approach is needed. This section of coastline falls entirely within the boundaries of HBRC. It makes sense for HBRC to be the regional lead on this work;
• Napier City Council and Hastings District Council will still have the opportunity to bring experience and expertise, and understanding of local communities to the table through an advisory committee; and,
• HBRC is the only council of the three with the power to direct for managed retreat (moving communities and infrastructure inland before they are severely impacted by coastal hazards).

The following documents provide further details about the Costal Hazards consultation:

• Memorandum of Transition
• Raynor Asher QC Report