Awatoto and Te Awanga coastal litter sparks community concern

• Litter, including plastic bags, bottles, and old furniture, frustrates locals and visitors in Awatoto and Te Awanga.
• Napier City Council collected the rubbish after being approached by Hawke’s Bay Today.
• Community groups are encouraged to organise clean-up events.

Plastic bags, bottles, cans, clothing, fishing debris, appliances, and old furniture litter the Awatoto and Te Awanga coasts, leaving visitors and locals frustrated.

Neil Gannaway, who fishes in Awatoto three times a week, says the rubbish is a constant eyesore.

“People left quirky stuff like couches,” he said.

“When it’s small rubbish, we pick it up. Big things, obviously, we can’t just pick that up and take it back. It’s terrible.

“We get a lot of whistling winds here, so a lot of the rubbish is going to blow into the ocean.”

Neil Gannaway, who fishes in Awatoto three times a week, says the rubbish is a constant eyesore. Photo / Rafaella Melo

“It happens every day,” says Brent Howie, a fisherman who fishes in the region daily.

“This comes from all sorts of people. They bring the rubbish down. Why can’t they pick it up and put it back in their vehicles?”

Howie said that while he would like to see the community gathering to help more with clean-up events, the council also has a role to play.

“More rubbish bins all the way along could [solve] the problem.”

A Napier City Council spokesperson said staff do regular inspections along the beach frontage.

“Due to resourcing it can be a few days before they get to each site they service.”

Council said clean-ups organised by community groups are the solution to keep spaces welcoming and accessible.

Brent Howie shows the rubbish left behind in Awatoto. “It happens every day.” Photo / Rafaella Melo

Howie is one of the administrators of the Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay Surfcasting Facebook group, a fishing community with more than 4000 members, where conversations expressing frustration about the waste left behind is a recurring topic.

Comments such as “take your rubbish with you”, “not hard to put it in a bag and take home”, and “leave your footprints only”, feature among videos and photos of trash-strewn coastlines.

Litter in the coastal area of Awatoto. Photo / Rafaella Melo

While Te Awanga also has a litter issue, it appears less severe.

Local Allan Chambers, who walks his dog in the region daily, said usually it is not “too bad”, but it can be dirty after weekends as the rubbish tins fill.

“Sometimes you see a stack of rubbish beside the rubbish tins, and that might get disturbed with the wind,” he said.

Local Allan Chambers said empty bottles and takeaway containers are some of the few things he sees left on the beach after weekends. Photo / Rafaella Melo

Hastings District Council said local beaches are not directly maintained by council contractors.

“But we have rubbish bins situated on our coastal reserves that are regularly monitored, and we encourage people to dispose of their beach rubbish in them or take their rubbish home.”

"Rubbish bins are regularly monitored, and we encourage people to dispose of their beach rubbish in them or take their rubbish home," said a council spokesperson. Photo / Rafaella Melo

The council spokesperson said community groups are welcome to run beach clean-up days.

“We are happy to assist, including supplying rubbish bags and looking after the disposal of any rubbish found.”