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A Northland iwi says its proposed resort development could be the core of a new public park along unspoiled Pakiri and Te Arai beaches.
Te Uri o Hau chairman Russell Kemp said a park could be formed along 11km of scenic coast by combining iwi owned and managed land with that of Crown and council land.
Forest north of Pakiri is the only large area of private undeveloped beachfront on the Auckland region's entire northeastern coast.
Te Uri o Hau and developer NZ Land Trust have a joint venture, Te Arai Coastal Lands Trust, which plans a residential, thermal spa and golf course development at Te Arai.
The venture needs a change in the Rodney District Plan on 616ha of forest it owns at Te Arai Beach, south of Mangawhai Harbour.
Mr Kemp said the development, with its wildlife reserve buffer zone, beachfront park and public access to the forest road and trail network, could be the core of a new coastal park.
This could be formed by extending public reserves to a forest south of Te Arai Pt.
The headland is owned by Rodney District Council and Auckland Regional Council. It looks 23km south along Pakiri Beach and over the Mangawhai South Forest, which is Crown land and subject to a Treaty of Waitangi claim.
Mr Kemp said southern forest could provide a large area of coastal park and public camping ground land.
"Te Arai Coastal Lands Trust is discussing with the ARC and Department of Conservation about opportunities to extend reserves north and south of Te Arai Pt, involving land and forest owned or managed by the TACL partners," said Mr Kemp.
Last week, the trust said it had scaled back its original development proposal from 850 dwellings to 180 for visitor and holiday accommodation in the forest.
Its former plan conflicted with planning policies and drew huge opposition, particularly because of fears for endangered fairy tern and New Zealand dotterel birds.
Now the trust hopes a smaller development with coastal protection measures will gain support from Rodney District Council, ARC and the Conservation Department.
Te Arai Beach Preservation Society chairman Mark Walker said the society still objected to a rezoning for housing and its aim was for the whole of the trust's Mangawhai North Forest to be regional park.
