Gary Taylor: Action needed to protect last deserted beach

Wainuiototo Bay. Photo / Martin Sykes

News of a new development proposal for Wainuiototo, or New Chums Bay, has rightly raised public concerns. New Chums is possibly the last pristine beach on the Coromandel Peninsula.

It is a real gem. It was described by the Observer newspaper as one of the 20 best deserted beaches in the world.

The Environmental Defence Society's files on New Chums go back a long way to when the Crown looked at buying the land in the 1980s for a coastal park.

Since then, ownership of the 362ha property has changed several times. There have been many development proposals. EDS and others have strongly opposed them. All of them have failed.

Now John Darby and George Kerr have worked up the latest proposal. Their plans will shortly be publicly notified by the Thames-Coromandel District Council for submissions from the public.

The story of New Chums is very much the story of New Zealand's coast. It's a story of lost opportunities, compromises and a lack of leadership.

The Government could have bought the property for a song in the 1980s but failed to do so. Environment Waikato could have acquired the land for a regional park, like the Auckland Regional Council has done with large parts of its coastline, but chose not to.

The district plan could have made subdivision a prohibited activity, but the Thames-Coromandel District Council hasn't changed its coastal subdivision rules since 1998.

The Minister of Conservation could have created generic protection for places like New Chums by approving a stronger National Coastal Policy Statement, but instead he is keeping the new draft secret.

So what is proposed at New Chums? Well, it's a lot better than previous proposals. Messrs Darby and Kerr are seeking a 20-lot subdivision, covering 25ha, with the balance of around 337ha protected from further subdivision in perpetuity. In addition, approximately 305ha of the total property will be revegetated or left to regenerate into native bush and protected. It has to be said that it is a low-impact proposition compared with many others.

Like most New Zealanders, I would prefer to see jewels like New Chums preserved as wild coast for future generations to enjoy. But unless the Government acts quickly to purchase the land, and in the present climate that seems unlikely, such an opportunity will have been lost.

The district's mayor said in the Herald that up to 200 lots could legally be created on the site. She is wrong. This misinformation is unfortunate because it creates the impression that we should be grateful that only 20 are being proposed. I don't know where she got 200 lots from.

The real lesson here is that we need a better framework for the management of the coast. Nationally important decisions about coastal development shouldn't be left to local councils to decide.

We need a stronger and clearer New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement which identifies areas of the coast that should never be developed. We also desperately need a Coastal Commission to provide national guidance and oversight of coastal development. It could also deal with customary rights claims and access when the Foreshore and Seabed Act is repealed - a Coastal Commission for all New Zealanders.

By failing to take decisive action, we get what we deserve. As my colleague Raewyn Peart concluded in her recently published book Castles in the Sand: What's happening to New Zealand's Coast? " ... the future of the coast is in all our hands. We speak up now to preserve for later generations what remains of our fantastic coastal heritage ... or we remain silent and watch it ebb away forever."

A bit more will have ebbed away with the development of New Chums.

* Gary Taylor is chairman of the Environmental Defence Society, eds.org.nz