Sand mining fears for Northland’s Bream Bay rise as project approved for fast-track consenting

Bream Bay’s Ruakākā Beach was left eroded and damaged by storms in 2023. Sand extraction opponents fear the Bream Bay proposal will stop the sand on the beach being replenished, making erosion worse. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Northland residents are highly concerned a project to extract more than 8 million cubic metres of sand from the Bream Bay seabed has been approved for fast-track consenting. They worry the 35-year McCallum Bros proposal could strip sand from beaches and impact fishing. But the company says the proposal is so far offshore there will be no impact on beaches, and the community will get their say. Reporter Denise Piper takes a look at all sides.

Mangawhai local Ken Rayward is adamant fast-track consenting should not be considered for sand mining company McCallum Bros.

The company’s Bream Bay sand extraction project is one of 11 Northland projects to be included in schedule 2 of the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill. Once the bill is passed, the company will be able to apply to the Environmental Protection Authority to have an expert panel assess the project and apply relevant conditions.

Rayward admitted he did not know much about the Bream Bay proposal nor the timeframes for the fast-track consenting, with the bill winging its way through Parliament now.

But he does know about McCallum Bros. For the last four years, he has been involved in fighting the company for other sand extraction consents in the Mangawhai to Pākiri embayment, just on the border between Auckland and Northland and mere kilometres south of the Bream Bay proposal.

Those consents - for inshore, midshore and offshore areas - were either surrendered or declined through an Environment Court process where McCallum Bros was ordered to pay $500,000 to two parties who objected, plus confidential amounts to another four parties, the highest costs ever awarded through the court.

McCallum Bros has now appealed all matters to the High Court.

It also applied for fast-track approval of offshore extraction in the Mangawhai to Pākiri area but this was not included in schedule 2.

Rayward said the Environment Court process found the sand in this area is finite - deposited thousands of years ago when the Waikato River came out on the east coast - and the sand extraction is causing ecological environmental damage to the coastline.

“Every barge-load of sand taken out has to be replaced by sand eroded from the coastline.”

The sand extraction also had cultural impacts on tangata whenua, he said.

The process also found McCallum Bros had breached its temporary consent, taking sand when it was not supposed to, Rayward said.

Mangawhai resident Ken Rayward has been opposed to McCallum Bros sand mining at Mangawhai to Pākiri for several years, and he is against the Bream Bay proposal for the same reasons. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The fast-track process raises plenty of concerns for all Kiwis, he said.

“At a time when New Zealanders are on the threshold of not knowing what’s coming environmentally because of all the weather changes, to fast-track something with little consideration - something that’s going to go on for 30 years - to an operator that’s got a history of breaking the rules ...

“To give them the keys to our coastline would be a situation that we couldn’t even contemplate.”

Rayward is working with Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, Endangered Species Foundation to raise awareness of the Bream Bay proposal and start a petition against it, which has attracted 2600 signatures so far.

Foundation general manager Natalie Jessup is also concerned about how the sand extraction could impact the sensitive ecosystem.

“Sand mining completely destroys the seafloor. They hoover up all the sand, which means that everything living on the seafloor gets destroyed: it damages scallop beds and fish no longer have food sources.

“It destroys fishing and also higher up the food chain, it affects the whole ecosystem for whales and seabirds too.”

This map from McCallum Bros shows where the proposed sand extraction will take place, at least 4.7km off the shore of Bream Bay, south of Whangārei.

This is a concern because Bream Bay’s Waipu - which includes a rivermouth wildlife refuge - is one of the few breeding grounds for the critically endangered tara iti, or New Zealand fairy tern, one of the most endangered birds in the world.

Jessup said the sand extraction would also destroy the buffer between the sea and the land, an area already vulnerable due to climate change.

While sand is needed for construction, there are viable alternative sources, including extraction from the Kaipara Harbour where sand is being naturally replenished, and on-shore sand extraction, she said.

Another alternative, Kayasand - which crushes waste from quarries to create sand - could create more jobs in Northland, Jessup said.

“A project that could be so destructive to livelihoods and beaches should not be fast-tracked,” she said.

Local hapū Patuharakeke is also opposed to sand extraction in principle, but is still working through the details of the Bream Bay proposal.

The hapū has been approached to carry out a cultural impact assessment, said David Milner, who is co-chair of its environmental arm, Te Pou Taiao.

Tara iti, the New Zealand fairy tern, are critically endangered and their breeding grounds at Waipu, Mangawhai and Pākiri could be impacted by the sand extraction, opponents fear. Photo / Michael Cunningham

“From a cultural and community perspective, it’s not until we get the information that we can fully understand the impacts.”

The hapū is also not sure how the fast-track consent process will work and is unsure if this will be the only chance for tangata whenua and the community to have a say.

Community will have input, company assures

But McCallum Bros said as well as working with several iwi and hapū on the cultural impacts, the company is committed to engaging with the community in meaningful consultation.

Chief operating officer Shayne Elstob said in a statement the application is to extract up to 250,000cu m of sand, for up to 35 years, from central Bream Bay at least 4.7km from the coast. It plans to operate predominantly at night using a trailing suction dredge.

At this stage, the company is still investigating the environmental impact of the proposal, with at least 14 expert reports being prepared for its Assessments of Effects.

These reports will help determine the proposal details, with the final extraction volumes and consent term ultimately determined by the fast-track panel, he said.

“Importantly, the proposal seeks to extract sand from an area that is well outside the depth of closure, a point at which there will be no effect on the beach, shoreline and dunes.”

On top of the environmental assessment, McCallum Bros has been consulting with several iwi and hapū, with the aim of addressing any cultural concerns as early as possible, Elstob said.

Once the Assessments of Effects are completed, it will start engaging in closer consultation with local business and community groups.

“The opinions of these groups are important to us but, until the assessments are finalised, we will be unable to provide meaningful answers to their concerns.”

Elstob said the comments about McCallum Bros’ breach of compliance at Pākiri needs some perspective.

“MBL [McCallum Bros Limited] operates many consents but has been extracting sand at Pākiri for greater than 80 years with no enforcement action taken by Auckland Council for this duration.

“The error was a genuine mistake in trip scheduling, which was voluntarily reported to Auckland Council immediately and corrective action was taken to prevent it happening again. The vessel extracted one day earlier due to this error and this had no effect on the annual consented volumes.”

Elstob said the company is taking significant and genuine steps to undertake a comprehensive Assessments of Effects of the Bream Bay proposal.

“MBL are preparing an application that minimises the effects of the activity on the physical and cultural environment, while also providing a high-quality concrete sand that can be used as a critical component in the building of residential, commercial and key infrastructure projects in the upper North Island.”

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.