Tony Jeffery: Coast preservation impacts us all

Tony Jeffery.

The Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazard Strategy Committee (CHSC) was formed by the Napier City Council, the Hastings District Council and the Hawke's Bay Regional Council in 2014.

Its purpose is a collaborative planning approach to make our communities resilient to the threat of coastal erosion, the risk of inundation due to sea levels predicted to rise by up to 1.5 metres by 2120, and tsunami.

A holistic approach was recommended by the Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Wright, because mitigating coastal hazards in one coastal cell can adversely impact others.

The commissioner also found that, while hard-engineered retention works might be individually affordable, building and maintaining them would be collectively costly and that they would inevitably fail and require replacement.

What these works can do, at best, is buy time where gravel replenishment is ineffective and planned retreat is not the best economic, cultural or social solution.

Correctly identifying and prioritising mitigation and developing equitable funding solutions is the role of the CHSC. Liaising with the insurance and banking industries and with government agencies to facilitate this is ongoing.

The committee's lead consultants, Tonkin Taylor, have now completed the identification and risk assessments for the individual cells using state-of-the-art methodology. This information is available on www.hbrc@govt.nz

The next stage is formulating a decision-making and funding framework. This is to be completed over the next few months, before the planning and implementation stages commence. Some overlapping of the last stages will occur.

Two evaluation panels for the cells south and north of the Port of Napier will be formed, consisting of the key stakeholder representatives. They will assisted by the technical advisory and consultancy team.

Committee members will only be in attendance in an observational role. This ensures a transparent process for the evaluation panels' recommendations to the decision-makers.

Retention projects currently being progressed including one at Whakarire Ave awaiting consent and another (hopefully )under final review at Southern Westshore.

A further one at Clifton will likely be sufficiently advanced to be considered in the framework. Issues such as the implications of the Ruataniwha Dam on the coast's gravel budget will be factored into the evaluation.

Public information on drop-in opportunities to meet committee, evaluation panel members and the technical advisers will be organised and full ongoing updates posted on the committee's portal.

- Tony Jeffery is a Napier City councillor. He is chair of the council's District Plan/RMA Hearing and the council's member on the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Strategy Committee. He is standing for re-election to the Napier City Council in October's local government elections.

- Views expressed here are the writer's opinion and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz