The Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy 2120 has been looking at all of these issues since 2014, with the aim to identify and respond to the coastal hazards of erosion and inundation and the influence of sea level rise over the next 100 years.
We've been working with the community all the way through since 2014 to plan for the uncertain future.
Over the past six years we've identified the extent of coastal erosion and coastal inundation hazards, developed a community decision-making framework, and developed responses based on community-led "panels".
The panels identified 100-year pathways for each section along the coast between Clifton and Tangoio. Part of the pathway for Westshore is annual renourishment, which for 2020 began along the beach in November.
For the wider strategy, we're now looking at how we plan to implement responses to hazards, based on the panels' decisions. This means we'll engaging with the wider community on design, budget, funding, and preparing for implementation over the next couple of years. We're about the re-engage with the community to get their feedback on our work ahead of going to consultation.
The strategy is at the forefront of dealing with these issues across New Zealand and around the world. While we're taking the lead, we're also facing challenges with little or no guidance. We're having to make decisions about who is responsible for helping communities adapt, and who pays for it, within existing regulations and without central government guidance.
We've worked with the Ministry for the Environment to develop a report looking at the challenges to responding to coastal erosion and climate change adaptation. We also submitted to the Resource Management Act review based on our experiences and challenges, and were pleased to see the recommendations come from the RMA Review Committee for a Climate Change Adaptation Act.
Our focus remains on supporting our communities and implementing our response to coastal hazards.
Jerf van Beek is chairman of the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy 2120 Joint Committee.
Napier City, Hastings District, and Hawke's Bay Regional councils alongside Mana Ahuriri, Heretaunga Tamatea, and Maungaharuru Tangitū have partnered on this project.