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A group is seeking resource consent to build an artificial reef at Orewa Beach aimed at improving the surfing break and restoring a wider sandy beach.
The application was lodged with the Auckland Regional Council and would be open to public comment, said Zane Taylor, who is chairman of the Orewa Beach Reef Charitable Trust.
"Lodgment with the ARC is proving to be a little more long-winded and costly than expected," said Mr Taylor. "However, we are over the moon to have reached this stage of the project."
The group has worked for six years to reach this stage and has won community backing of $275,000, including $125,000 from the Rodney District Council to help gather scientific information.
"The trust will be working hard over summer on further public consultation and fundraising," said Mr Taylor.
Artificial or multi-purpose reefs, built from sand-filled geotextile containers, are designed to give a wider dry section of the beach at high tide and buffer it from the full force of stormy seas.
