Northland Regional Council said nature had taken its course and the disturbance caused by unauthorised earthworks at Church Bay had essentially returned to its pre-disturbance state. Photo / Supplied
Northland Regional Council said nature had taken its course and the disturbance caused by unauthorised earthworks at Church Bay had essentially returned to its pre-disturbance state. Photo / Supplied
Two Church Bay property owners who carried out unauthorised earthworks on the beach and reserve land last month have been hit with an abatement notice and five infringement notices totalling $6500.
The Northland Regional Council action related to work that was done on February 10 in two areas ofthe beach, including reserve land in front of a row of beachside properties.
A digger was used to scrape and shift a large area of sand and to move soil, sand, and rocks in an area where a seawall had been previously damaged.
NRC group manager Colin Dall said one of the property owners had been issued an abatement notice requiring them to stop any further unauthorised disturbance of the beach. That owner also received three infringement notices totalling $4000, while the second property owner received two infringement notices totalling $2500.
“Because of the prompt site inspection by council staff after being notified of those works, the council was able to stop the property owners doing further works,” he said.
Despite the scale of the disturbance – estimated by hapū representatives at roughly the size of a rugby field – Dall said the area had since recovered naturally.
“Nature has taken its course and the scraped area of beach has now essentially returned to its pre‑disturbance state,” he said.
The NRC has also been working with the Whangārei District Council (WDC), which administers the beachfront reserve. Dall said NRC was aware WDC was considering its own enforcement options in relation to the works carried out on district-council land.
Te Waiariki, Ngāti Kororā, Ngāti Takapari Hapū–Iwi Trust chairwoman Dr Arvay Armstrong‑Read told media at the time that the earthworks appeared to be an attempt to protect private property from coastal change, but emphasised the land affected was not private.
Local residents also raised concerns about the damage, including to wāhi tapu at the southern end of the bay.
Unauthorised earthworks at the end of Church Bay Beach photographed on February 10. Photo / NRC
The person responsible told the Northern Advocate they preferred not to comment, but did say they had considered the situation urgent.
They provided photos of the shore taken before and after last month’s torrential rainfall, saying the images showed their reasoning for “hauling loose sand back up the beach”.
The person said they are in consultation with the council and iwi to find a way forward.
Dall said NRC would continue working with WDC on the regulatory response and monitor the condition of the affected area.
Hapū representatives have previously indicated they expect to discuss environmental and cultural remediation once NRC’s investigation is formally completed.
Church Bay is a small sheltered beach on the Tutukākā Coast, about half an hour from Whangārei.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast.
