Territorial battle rages over famous Whangamata break

The Whangamata bar is consistently rated among New Zealand's top three surfing locations. Picture / Alan Gibson

Surfers at Whangamata are locked in a territorial battle with developers of a marina that threatens the town's renowned left-hand break.

They fear Whangamata's reputation as a surfing mecca is about to be replaced as another pleasure-boater's paradise, similar to Whitianga and Tairua, because the boaties have won a 13-year fight to build a 205-berth marina, 1km inside the harbour.

At peak times during summer up to 200 surfers use the channel to get to their take-off point and they will face unprecedented boat traffic.

Opponents of the marina say large-scale dredging could change the shape of the beach, estuary, and harbour. The Whangamata Marina Society will spend $10 million on the project that includes a new car park on an existing wetland.

The Environment Court decision awaits final sign-off from Conservation Minister Chris Carter. The Marina Society hopes the rubber stamp will come in the next few weeks, as it aims to begin construction in July next year, with an optimistic completion date of Christmas 2007.

But Mr Carter's office will now have received a flood of letters from opponents, desperate to stop the marina.

Local surfing identity Paul Shank says the town's surfing reputation and culture - with its associated multimillion-dollar economy - is at risk.

"Simply put, the surfing experience at Whangamata is going to be progressively and dramatically degraded.

"It's ironic that while other communities are raising millions to establish artificial reefs of unproven functionality, a small group of self-centred boat owners will spend millions to destroy an unsurpassed natural asset."

About 123,000 cu m of silt, sand, dirt and mud will need to be dug out from the harbour for the development. A further 50,000 cu m will be dug out for a new channel, and 8000 cu m of material will be shifted to make way for rock replacement.

Maintenance on the new marina channel, which flows into the main channel, will happen on an annual basis. Estimates put the amount of dredging at up to 6000 cu m a year.

"There's a definite clash of cultures," Mr Shanks says.

Hauraki iwi groups have opposed the proposal for more than a decade, citing the loss of customary kaimoana gathering areas. A few weeks ago the iwi groups decided not to take their fight to the Court of Appeal because they felt all resources had been exhausted.

There's no denying that the "Whanga bar" produces first-class surf. Mr Shanks says it is consistently rated among the country's top three spots, sporting a renowned left-hand break but also has a subtle right-hander.

But what really sets the wave apart is that it is surfable at just on half a metre.

It's a breeding ground for novices and grommets (young learners) to hone their skills.

Lyndon Kelly, six times national longboard champ, will testify to that. He moved to Whangamata before he started school and has surfed the bar all his life.

Current national under-12 girls' champion Grace Spiers also learned her craft on the bar (the town boasts at least 10 national age-group finalists over the past five years).

"Reading the judge's final decision you'd think surfers weren't even there [in court]," Mr Shanks says.

However, the outspoken surfer did get a mention in Judge Bollard's interim decision of 2000: "We were left with clear impression that the fears raised by the witness [Paul Shanks] were over-stated and not based on suitable reliable data."

Mr Shanks makes no apology for highlighting his concerns: "It's like Spaghetti Junction in Auckland. Fifteen years ago people thought it was great. Now it's bloody mayhem.

"The judge, in his decision, says tangata whenua values do not have the effect of trumping all else. That's ironic, because the boaties' needs are now having the effect of trumping all else.

"It's not just surfers and iwi that use this area. It's kayakers, jet skiers, families, snorkellers, divers, and windsurfers as well."

He says the town's population swells to 50,000 over the peak holiday season, and he questions why 205 boaties should have exclusive rights to prime harbour area.

A spokesman for Mr Carter says it is unknown when a decision on the minister's sign-off will come, but either way it is bound stir up further waves of discontent.