Vehicles on the beach, hoons in the dunes, dogs, rubbish and the cultural clash of thousands of daytrippers fishing for crabs are among concerns a Bream Bay group wants local authorities to act on.
They were aired at a meeting at Ruakaka on Monday where residents expressed concerns about breaches of bylaws and other behaviours they said undermined beach safety and enjoyment by the general public.
The meeting was called by Sam Towns to get a "community feel" for how big the perceived problems were and what solutions might be sought.
The conclusion - and the subject for another meeting at which the as yet unnamed Bream Bay group hoped to engage with authorities such as Whangarei District Council, Department of Conservation, Ministry of Fisheries, NZ Police and Asian community representatives - was that more public education and more enforcement of laws were needed.
The group would collate and document concerns, including evidence of breaches, in a study tentatively titled Investigation of Public Safety and Nuisance, which would enable the community to "put an argument forward based on evidence, not anecdotal".