A day and a high tide later, unauthorised earthworks on the beach and reserve at Church Bay are still obvious.
A digger shifting a large area of sand at Church Bay, near Tutukākā, has prompted several complaints to authorities.
Northland Regional Council (NRC) group manager regulatory services Colin Dall said the council received three reports on Tuesday about the earthworks and also became aware of the activity through a video posted to social media.
Two NRC officers were sent to the site, where they saw the beach reserve being disturbed in two places adjoining the small bay.
The officers spoke with those involved and told them to stop – a direction that was complied with. The digger – thought to be in the range of 10 to 15 tonnes – was moved on to the adjoining reserve.
Some residents and hapū members were reportedly so alarmed by the activity they lay in front of the machine in an attempt to stop it.
Dall said an investigation was now underway, so he would not comment on other details – including who owned or operated the digger and what might have prompted the activity.
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.
Hapū, with whom the council collaborates in the management of the reserve land in front of a row of beachside properties, say they are awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
Dr Arvay Armstrong‑Read, the Te Waiariki, Ngāti Kororā, Ngāti Takapari Hapū–Iwi Trust chairwoman, said the trust was “horrified that an event like this can take place in our own backyard” and described the scale of the damage as “a tragic event for the environment”.
Armstrong‑Read, who oversees the trust’s environmental portfolio, said residents began raising concerns shortly after the digger appeared on the foreshore. She personally became aware of the incident on Tuesday afternoon.
She said the affected area of beach was significant: “I’d probably say maybe a rugby field size”.
It extended from the high tide mark down to the low tide mark, and there were also some “quite deep holes” dug in an effort to shift the sand.
While Armstrong‑Read could not comment on reports that some individuals lay down in front of the digger to halt the work, she said there was no question that local hapū and community members were distressed by what they saw.
“Our whānau that live in that area were very concerned about the actions (earthworks) that were taking place by local community members in Church Bay.”
Armstrong‑Read said the trust held serious concerns about the environmental and cultural impact.
“The beach at Church Bay has been hugely impacted. And the ecosystems and the habitat that are delicate within that area, not to mention that this area holds sites of cultural significance for the hapū that have been hugely impacted – possibly even irreversibly,” she claimed.
Armstrong‑Read said the earthworks presented as an effort to protect private property from ongoing coastal change.
She noted that the land affected was not private.
Armstrong‑Read said the trust expected to discuss with the NRC how the environmental impacts should be addressed once the council had completed its investigation.
She said what concerned her most was the continuing sense of “entitlement” some community members had shown on the coastline. People often assumed they had the right to dig up the foreshore in front of their properties, believing they were helping, when in fact their actions caused more harm than good.
Armstrong‑Read urged authorities – and the public – to recognise the gravity of the harm caused.
One resident, who did not want to be named, told the Northern Advocate he too was concerned about the damage done to the beach, and wanted to see it repaired, especially at the southern end, which he knew to be wahi tapu (a sacred or spiritual place for Māori).
He was mindful of the need to maintain good relationships in a small community, so he was glad authorities had intervened; he was hopeful the person who carried out the digging could be convinced to stop without conflict.
Church Bay is a sheltered sandy and pebbly beach on the Tutukākā Coast in Northland, about half an hour southeast of 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.