The first step for a solution for Westshore Beach has been sitting on a desk at Napier City Council since May 6.
It's called the Cowell Report. Since 2009 we have had councillors telling residents "we will restore the beach" and "we will get a sandy beach back" and more recently "we need a holistic approach and we are fixing it by leaving it to a joint council committee set up to address climate change".
Going back to a meeting at the Westshore School Hall in 2009, the Mayor presented a $3.4 million scheme including an offshore breakwater and confirmed beach nourishment is the long-term solution. Mayor Arnott could not answer my questions and this became the catalyst for all my research.
My submission (described by Bill Dalton as comprehensive and well-researched) took the risk of confronting omissions and misunderstandings within the $111,400 Komar Report which both Councils still use as the defining document.
Prof Komar made two pivotal conclusions: "beach replenishment gravel does not and has never passed Bluff Hill" and "the state of erosion is 'net zero' (as in gone one today - back on another)".
My submission included a proposition to Council which still stands today. "If an engineer or coastal expert agreed with the entire Komar Report, I will make no further comment on Council's solutions for Westshore erosion".
Out of frustration and Council's refusal to discuss or explain, I offered up to $10,000 for an engineer's review of my assessment. Councillors rejected the offer which was conditional on the Council paying if the review agreed with my assessment because ratepayers would save $2.4 million by not building the disastrous breakwater. I won.
The Cowell Report was commissioned in May 2011, not by the Chief Engineer but the CEO because he alone believed my assessment warranted a "peer review" by an expert.
The Council Solicitor was appointed to handle the task and kindly allowed further material to be sent to Dr Cowell. However, after monthly email updates or calls over three years, a new CEO and a new Mayor decided to give up pursuing the review at the end of 2014.
A reluctant complaint to the Ombudsman resulted in the new CEO resurrecting the Cowell Report in May 2015. The CEO agreed to my direct contact with Dr Cowell in Sydney which resulted in regular and lengthy phone discussions on a variety of erosion issues along with additional information and evidence being sent across the Tasman.
Dr Cowell does not favour hard engineering because in his experience structures have failed due to not being built as designed. Such failures are similar to Council's ongoing maintenance to rock protection along Hardinge Road. I would expect his final report will consider the seabed beyond 250m offshore Westshore is stable and the beach and nearshore at the south end is best protected by rock seawalls or revetment.
Council engineers are obviously disappointed to find the draft copy of the long-awaited Cowell Report delivered back in May has validated most of my concerns. It will confirm Westshore Beach is in fact in a state of permanent erosion, sand transported via the Marine Parade is trapped in the shipping channel and most of this sand would otherwise replenish Westshore Beach.
Unfortunately, every report costing many millions of dollars and written before 2010 (when Beca Consultants conceded permanent erosion) are virtually worthless. Dr Cowell is unable to give a day or month for delivery of his final report because he needs to prepare extra information to satisfy collegial issues.
