Two years ago, a group of concerned residents formed WOW (Walking On Water), to investigate ways of stopping erosion along the Cape Coast.
WOW commissioned Steve Moynihan, one of New Zealand's top coastal engineers, to find a solution. Steve compiled a detailed 31-page report, covering everything from gravel movement to predicted
sea-level rise from global warming, etc.
That confirms groynes were the answer on this coast, as has been proven by the groyne at the Tukituki River mouth built in 1999 which has stabilised the beach for 500 metres.
The report was forwarded to the Hawke's Bay Regional and Hastings District councils, which set up a joint committee to look into the feasibility of the report gaining resource consent..
The committee employed four consultants to peer review the report. Twelve months later, its 33-page report came back.
Groynes will work and the chances of gaining resource consent were excellent. So, who pays?
Since the 1931 earthquake, approximately 30 million cubic metres of gravel have been extracted from the Bay. Most of it comes from the Tukituki and Ngaruroro riverbeds and from the northern cliffs of Cape Kidnappers.
This gravel has been used to build Napier and Hastings, the airport, the Port of Napier, roads and motorways. The Hastings Sports Park will gobble up a few thousand cubic metres.
Tests have proved that extracting this gravel and putting nothing back is one of the major causes of coastal erosion.
So, surely, it is only right, in this world of user pays, that coastal protection costs be spread across all of Hawke's Bay. R ReadClive
