Matapōuri residents have say at public meeting

Consultant Max Haag gives a presentation at the public meeting at Matapōuri. Photo/John Stone

Changes to two road bridges could be the long-term solution to sand movement issues at popular Northland beach Matapōuri.

In the short term, sand replenishment work costing $300,000 looks set to go ahead which will see 15,000 cubic metres of sand from the estuary moved to the beach.

About 60 people attended a community meeting at Matapōuri Hall on Sunday to discuss the council's sand replenishment work. Once completed the work is estimated to last 15 years.

Whangārei District Council parks manager Sue Hodge said the council made a presentation at the meeting about the coastal processes in the Matapōuri estuary being out of sync so sand that naturally moved along the beach and into the estuary where it was no longer being flushed out. That was because work done to the two bridges had restricted the flushing capacity of flood flows.

Te Whānau a Rangiwhakaahu marae chairman Kris MacDonald said there was a definite feeling at the meeting to find a long-term solution over the next three years.

"When we look at the next long-term plan, there is a fundamental issue that needs to be resolved."

That issue was two road bridges which had narrowed the stream channels.

He said there was a recommendation made that a community group be set up to meet with the council and start scoping out a long-term solution.

"Fix some of the erosion at the southern end with a longer-term solution even though it's going to be more expensive."

He thought the meeting was well attended, with residents raising concerns about who initiated the idea and why the consent hadn't been notified.

Hodge said many people at the meeting felt the 2007 sand replenishment project had failed.

"Some thought this was a one-off project that would fix the problem and therefore did not think it was successful.

"However it was explained that the life of the original project was 10 years and considered ongoing maintenance to replicate the natural processes upset by the causeway and bridge construction in the 1940s."

Hodge said the council presented a cost-benefit analysis of six options including doing nothing, altering the bridges and beach replenishment, with the latter the preferred option.

As a result of the meeting, Hodge said the council would ask Northland Regional Council to publicly notify the consent application to allow the community the opportunity to consider the details of any resource consent application and be able to make submissions.

"Council will also continue to work with local hapu and the community around the wider catchment issues."