Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Northern Advocate

Coastal engineer ordered to stop coastal work in Northland

Imran Ali
Imran Ali
Multimedia Journalist·Northern Advocate·
3 Jan, 2021 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

A Mason Contracting digger at work near an estuary in Teal Bay allegedly in breach of the relevant rules administered by the Northland Regional Council. Photo / Supplied

A Mason Contracting digger at work near an estuary in Teal Bay allegedly in breach of the relevant rules administered by the Northland Regional Council. Photo / Supplied

A coastal engineer and an earthworks' contractor could face jail or a fine up to $600,000 after allegedly breaching environment rules by damaging a wetland near an estuary in Northland.

The Northland Regional Council has issued abatement notices to Auckland-based Craig Davis of Davis Coastal Consultants and Mason Contracting of Wellsford for unauthorised work on Webb Rd in Teal Bay late last year.

Davis brought the contractor to the 4ha site surrounding the estuary he leases off the landowner who lives in Tauranga on December 15.

When contacted by the Northern Advocate for comment, Davis said he was talking to the council about work he intended to do before he hung up.

The landowner said he was unaware of Davis' actions. The coastal engineer has a contract to buy the land in question, he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mason Contracting managing director Lance O'Callaghan said he was unaware his company was being hired to do earthworks in breach of the Resource Management Act.

Members of the Teal Bay Ratepayers and Residents' Association contacted NRC after seeing heavy machinery near the estuary.

NRC group manager regulatory services Colin Dall said the council's investigation found that the earthworks had disturbed and damaged a salt marsh and excavated material was put in a place where it could enter water.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The earthworks were not authorised by a resource consent or any RMA regulations and breached the regional plan rules that potentially permitted them, which means they were also in breach of sections 9, 12 and 15 of the RMA."

Section 9 says that no one is allowed to use land in a way that contravenes national environmental standards without express permission.

Discover more

Farm manager slapped with $28,500 fine

16 Sep 10:00 PM
New Zealand

Two farms fined nearly $75,000 for effluent discharges

12 Feb 04:28 PM

Section 12 restricts on the use of coastal marine area and Section 15 sets out rules around discharging contaminants into the environment.

Heavy machinery near an estuary on Webb Rd in Teal Bay raised the ire of locals who contacted the Northland Regional Council.
Photo / Supplied
Heavy machinery near an estuary on Webb Rd in Teal Bay raised the ire of locals who contacted the Northland Regional Council. Photo / Supplied

Dall said the person supervising the work was asked to stop.

"After the inspecting officer returned to the office, it was reported to the council that earthworks were again being undertaken in breach of the relevant rules.

"Council staff made follow-up calls to the works supervisor and contractor [who] advised that it would not undertake further earthworks at the site," Dall said.

The council has issued abatement notices to those who did the earthworks, requiring them to stop the work.

Ratepayers' association president Carol Armitage said the earthworks have destroyed the breeding ground of the banded rail and other birds hatching in the "fragile" area.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Carol Armitage is among Team Bay residents aghast at the actions of Craig Davis to carry out earthworks close to an estuary. Photo / Tania Whyte
Carol Armitage is among Team Bay residents aghast at the actions of Craig Davis to carry out earthworks close to an estuary. Photo / Tania Whyte

If the council decided to prosecute the maximum penalties were up to two year's jail or a fine not exceeding $300,000 for a person, or for a company, the maximum fine is $600,000.

Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate
|Updated

Nut today: Customs bust $9m drug haul hidden in macadamia nut parcels

16 Sep 11:22 PM
Northern Advocate

Making strides: Northland teen's dog walking venture takes off

16 Sep 11:00 PM
Northern Advocate

Hundreds gather in Whangārei to celebrate Māori Language Week

Watch
16 Sep 08:45 PM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Nut today: Customs bust $9m drug haul hidden in macadamia nut parcels
Northern Advocate
|Updated

Nut today: Customs bust $9m drug haul hidden in macadamia nut parcels

A parcel with over 2kg of meth was traced to a 31-year-old Waihī man.

16 Sep 11:22 PM
Making strides: Northland teen's dog walking venture takes off
Northern Advocate

Making strides: Northland teen's dog walking venture takes off

16 Sep 11:00 PM
Hundreds gather in Whangārei to celebrate Māori Language Week
Northern Advocate

Hundreds gather in Whangārei to celebrate Māori Language Week

Watch
16 Sep 08:45 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP