Editorial: Disaster argues for one Hawke's Bay council

Two writers to this newspaper have lamented the apparent lack of coordination between our regional and local councils when it comes to the difficult subject of coastal erosion and flood protection.

The message from correspondents Gavin Yortt and Keith Newman, both of the Cape Coast, was essentially the same: It is time there was one plan for protection of vulnerable land in the region.

Haumoana, Te Awanga and Clifton are obvious examples of valuable coastal real estate needing protection - valuable to the region as a whole for a host of reasons other than the fact that people have homes on this coastal plain, but for that reason as well.

Add to that list Westshore, where I recently stayed for a few nights and was disturbed to note how violently the beach in front of the road and reserve is being carved out.

Waimarama and Ocean Beach also have huge problems in the wake of last week's storm.

There are no easy answers but there is no denying that our territorial authorities have seen fit to allow people to occupy and establish businesses on coastal land for decades.

So it is fair to ask the question, why is there not a more coordinated approach to doing the best we can to protect this land?

Not protection at any cost because we are talking about fragile land in a riverine environment on a coast battered by an often raging ocean. But common sense measures such as the one suggested by Mr Newman, who wrote that the simple placement of large boulders or rocks along the coastal crest at the end of Clifton Rd may well have saved the road from collapsing around the expensive new Cape Kidnappers sign only recently erected by DoC.

The flooding in Te Awanga last week was in part due to a combination of drainage issues and the inadequate size of the channel draining the lagoon.

Yet residents struggle to get a straight answer as to whether the flooding could have been prevented or less serious than it was and what will be done in future. Why? Because the lagoon outlet is the Regional Council's responsibility while the drainage is the preserve of the District Council.

Residents noted that when the regional council did dredge a channel from the lagoon to the sea after homes had been flooded, the water rapidly subsided.

The extreme events of last week have highlighted the need for more coordination across Hastings, Napier, Wairoa and CHB. It edges one closer to the conclusion that it is time for one united council for Hawke's Bay.