Clarification by the government of just who has regulatory responsibility for large swathes of Hawke's Bay beaches is not before time.
A change to seaward boundaries announced by associate local government minister John Carter means three Hawke's Bay councils now have control out to the spring low-tide mark.
Napier City Council, Wairoa District
Council and Central Hawke's Bay District Council have long stretches of coast but there was confusion as to who was responsible for the beach from the spring high-tide mark down to the spring low-tide mark.
The three councils were among 23 territorial authorities in New Zealand whose regulatory responsibility ended at the spring high-tide mark but now extends to the spring low-tide, standardising seaward boundaries for all local authorities.
This is important. When the tide is out at popular beaches, the area from high-water mark to low-water mark is a high-use zone. Whether it's people out walking or running, children swimming or playing, dogs being exercised, people casting for fish, it's a busy place. And that same stretch of beach is often used by vehicles.
It is now crystal clear that all councils have regulatory responsibility for issues such as driving, littering and dog walking on the beach.
Perhaps the major issue here is driving on beaches. There is a belief by some that no rules apply to vehicles on beaches, resulting in some real cowboy driving in a zone which, as we have outlined, is often busy.
Now, all local authorities, in concert with the police, have the jurisdiction to ensure bylaws are complied with.
Without regulation, events can spiral out of control. On New Year's Eve 2007, a 13-year-old schoolgirl, Daisy Fernandez, was struck and killed by an unregistered motorbike driven by a 15-year-old boy on a Northland beach.
The death heightened concerns on Northland's west coast about vehicles on beaches and resulted in tighter policing of the issue. Responsible locals said they had been concerned for years about the "Wild West" attitude to driving on the beach.
In Hawke's Bay, we'd prefer to see this sort of thing regulated and, where possible, policed before we see a similar tragedy.
