Northland surf club and council join hands to ‘quickly’ fix major slip

The Mangawhai Surf Club building was closed after a slip last year.

Work to fix a large slip that caused a Northland surf clubhouse to close down last year could begin this October.

The Mangawhai Surf Club building was heavily damaged after heavy rain resulted in about 560 cu m of rock slipping on the hillside on February 1, 2023.

After several deliberations, the club signed a “works agreement” with the Kaipara District Council to kickstart “remediation and repair” of the slip and surf clubrooms.

“This is a really positive step forward for us,” said club chairman and search and rescue coordinator Jess Costello.

“The process has already begun but the physical work potentially starts in October.”

She said although the club building was insured, they could not do any repairs without having the slip fixed. The area was deemed “too dangerous” for even insurers to access the damage.

Since then, the club has operated from its temporary facilities at Mangawhai Heads carpark. And their search and rescue teams from a facility at the Boatshed for “logistical and safety reasons”.

Earlier this June, the club was given a “thumbs up” from Surf Life Saving New Zealand on securing an external funding of $1.9 million for slip repair from the central government.

The fund would be used to fix the slip with rockfall drapery mesh and rock bolts as favoured by an independent investigation undertaken by the surf club.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand CEO Steve Fisher said the signing of the “works agreement” demonstrated how multiple parties could work together to reach a positive outcome.

“We are extremely grateful for the support of both the Government and council in getting the cogs moving to rebuild the clubrooms at Mangawhai Heads.

“Mangawhai Heads is an extremely popular beach, and it is vital that we have appropriate facilities to operate out of as we progress our vision: that no one drowns on our beaches,” Fisher said.

Jess Costello from Mangawhai's Surf Club says they are grateful for the support from the council and other organisations. Photo/ Michael Cunningham

Costello said their main priority was to get back to their building and to enable “its membership to continue saving lives”.

“The club’s current situation, operating out of temporary facilities, is unsustainable... The works agreement has provided much-needed certainty around the future of our club.

“We look forward to possible future improvements to the Mangawhai Heads Reserve that will benefit the community, heritage and environment.”

Kaipara District Council Mayor Craig Jepson felt relieved that the club had found a way forward that worked for everyone involved.

“I love the surf club and the work they do, and I’m keenly conscious of how important they are to Mangawhai residents and visitors.”