As the only private landowner adjacent to the Ocean Beach Surf Club, I have not agreed to the council's actions nor requested the council to take such action.
The first I became aware of the proposal was on Thursday, December 8, 2011, when a member of my staff advised me that he had been approached by council staff to manage the closing and opening of gates that were to be installed to prevent vehicle access to the beach at night.
As there had been no consultation with me about the proposal, I arranged to meet with council officers on Friday, December 9, 2011, to see what was going on. I also made enquiry of Hariata Baker, the kuia or head of the Maori families at Ocean Beach, and the surf club and was told that they had not been consulted by the council either.
At that meeting, I told the council officers that I did not agree with the proposal but they indicated that council intended to proceed anyway.
It was therefore with some surprise that I read in your paper the next day that unspecified "private landowners" had reached agreement with council on a proposal that would restrict public access to Ocean Beach. I would like to know who these are.
I and my family have, in fact, permitted short-term free camping on part of our land adjacent to the surf club over the Christmas and early New Year period. Access to this has been voluntarily managed by members of the surf club and has been open to people who have been prepared to respect the land and to treat this opportunity as the privilege it is.
It has been a pleasure to me and my family to see people enjoying a traditional summer holiday camping at the beach.
Access to the camping area is via the access road that the council is proposing to lock at night.
It is concerning to me that the council should, in publicly announcing its decision, imply that I have agreed to it, possibly to divert any negative reaction to the news away from it.
When I asked the council what was going on, it was explained to me that it was to stop camping and reduce rubbish on the reserve.
As any rubbish problem is a direct result of the council providing insufficient collection facilities at the beach, leaving Maori and private land owners and surf club members to do the job for it, I consider that closing of the access is an unwarranted action by the council.
As I and my family have been implicated in this council proposal by the article, I would be grateful if your paper could promptly correct this wrong impression by advising your readers that Andy Lowe and his family have not agreed with council that public access to Ocean Beach be closed overnight.
Andy Lowe, Hastings
Editor's note: The information for Saturday's P1 story came from Hastings District Council. Hawke's Bay Today will follow up the writer's points.
