Along the region's 353 km coastline, the impact of erosion and inundation are increasing.
The coastline is undeniably a treasure for Hawke’s Bay. Thousands of people live along the Hawke’s Bay coast, but climate change and rising sea levels are putting their homes at risk.
Along the region’s 353km coastline, the impact of erosion and inundation are increasing, as well as the frequency and severity of storms.
It’s predicted that sea levels will rise by more than a metre over the next century.
To deal with complex cross-boundary hazards, the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy 2120 was established eight years ago.
The Hastings District, Napier City, and Hawke’s Bay Regional Councils are working together with local iwi and communities to plan for and respond to these coastal hazards.
The Coastal Hazards Strategy Joint Committee chair and HBRC councillor Jerf van Beek said the coastline in Hawke’s Bay is well-populated.
“There are a lot of infrastructures that we need to protect. We will go with hard engineering and trying to stop erosion, but also stop sea level rise to the point that it will inundate properties.
“The priority for us is to inform the community and get that draft strategy endorsed so we can start doing the work,” van Beek said.
The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s asset management group manager, Chris Dolley, a technical adviser for the strategy, said he had seen erosion and sea level rise, and it would get worse.
“We have erosion that’s occurring in the Westshore. Every year we spend up to about $400,000 nourishing the beach. The beach would get progressively smaller if we weren’t doing that.
“For Westshore, the first tranche is to continue this work along with the placement of suitable dredging from the port to help facilitate the beach here.”
Locals were vocal about their concerns in a public drop-in session in Westshore.
A public drop-in session about the strategy was held at the Westshore Surf Life Saving Club last week.
“It’s fantastic. We’ve had a really good turnout and received a lot of good questions. Some people want us to start engineering work now. Other people prefer to stay in a more natural state,” said Dolley.
Van Beek agrees.
“We may have to seek support from the community. If we know that our community is behind us, we can make these changes happen sooner and more quickly. "
While some locals were vocal about their concerns, some thought the council exaggerated the impacts.
Napier resident Alan Petersen believed the regional council shouldn’t be frightening people that they have to retreat in the future.
“As long as we keep nourishing the beach, we don’t have to retreat. This coastline will be safe for 100 years, protecting over a billion worth of property and infrastructure.”
According to the strategy, managed or planned retreat in some areas is likely to be an eventual outcome in the long term, depending on how far and how fast sea levels rise.
The next major public consultation is next August. There will be a detailed proposal about what the strategy is, how much it will cost, who will fund it and the timing for its execution.
The public can get access to the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s website to check for hazards around the properties.
