Decision to take Matapouri estuary's sand 'terrible'

The council says the work will help protect the bay. Picture / Matt Johnston

Plans to extract thousands of cubic metres of sand from the Matapouri estuary have been approved, albeit with a raft of conditions.

The decision by the Northland Regional Council has residents fuming and they are considering an appeal.

Marine biologist Lew Ritchie described the resource-consent approval as "terrible".

"Nothing is safe in Northland. The decision-makers don't have an idea of what Northland is."

Residents had yet to see the committee's decision in writing, but an appeal would be considered.

Another opponent, David Roy, said a decision on whether to appeal would be made after discussions with residents.

"One of Northland's greatest attributes is its great coastline.

"I can't understand how anyone, particularly the district council, which is supposed to look after the interests of its people, can do something like this," he said.

The district council had applied to the regional body for resource consents to extract sand from the estuary and pile it on the adjoining sandspit, remove mangroves and carry out associated work.

A two-member regional council hearings committee heard the council's application and subsequent submissions at Tutukaka late last month and has granted six coastal permits and three land-use consents, subject to several conditions.

The consent allows the removal of about 18,500 cu m of sand, totalling about 3.19ha, from two places in the estuary. It also allows the removal of mangroves from 0.66ha in the estuary's Te Wairoa Stream area.

The sand is to be placed on Matapouri Beach between Morrison Rd and the sandspit.

The consent - which expires in September 2016 - allows temporary removal and subsequent replacement and re-establishment, as necessary, of sand-binding plants from about 0.27ha at the end of the sandspit.

The hearings committee found that at the levels proposed, the environmental effects of the sand extraction, placement and mangrove removal would be "no more than minor".

It said the relocated sand would "add protection to areas along Matapouri Beach identified by coastal hazard mapping as Coastal Hazard Risk Zones".

The committee believed the natural progressive infilling of the estuary with sand from Matapouri Beach would continue irrespective of whether the proposal went ahead.

The council said dredging was necessary because the estuary was not flushing properly, partly because of a build-up of displaced sand off the beach.

Objectors have until November 1 to appeal the decision.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE