Waikanae beach clearing underway

START MADE: Contractors have made an initial start on the big job to clean the debris off the city beaches. An enormous amount of driftwood has to be moved this year, up to four times more than last year and it is one of the biggest cleanups for many years. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

THE massive deposit of slash in front of the Waikanae Beach carpark will be cleared by the end of tomorrow.

Gisborne District Council’s (GDC) community development and services committee heard yesterday that 45,000 cubic metres of slash lies across Waikanae and Midway Beaches and were informed of plans to clear the beaches of the driftwood.

The beaches are cleared of winter debris before the start of each summer but flooding in September has left far more wood on the beaches than normal, and later than usual, leaving a large and costly exercise for the council.

Andrew White, community and recreation manager, said the situation was a major challenge.

He later told The Herald that staff had met with contractors after the council meeting and still aimed to have the remainder of Waikanae Beach, eastwards to The Cut, also cleared by the long weekend. But that would depend on tides.

Mr White said the area from Waikanae Beach to Roberts Road would be cleared in mid-November. The area around the Beacon was not a priority, as erosion was a concern and the council did not want people accessing the dunes.

The usual Guy Fawkes site would be ready but wood remaining afterwards would not be burned because of fire service concerns. The slash would be deposited at Kopututea part-way along Centennial Marine Drive. It would be buried in the dunes and native grasses planted on top.

A GDC diagram shows the slash will be deposited along a one-kilometre stretch of the roadway at Kopututea. Mr White said the council had been negotiating with Kopututea Trust.

Amber Dunn said the disposal of the wood concerned her in regard to the New Zealand Coastal Policy. Mr White said a resource consent would be required, which would take into account the requirements of the coastal policy.

Larry Foster said a similar storm could flood the area with slash again before Christmas.