Parua Bay residents want community consultation before popular, historic wharf is demolished

Parua Bay residents Colin and Marjorie Edwards with Deborah and Allen Jowitt are worried the Parua Bay Wharf will be demolished by Whangārei District Council without any public consultation, as they say they were promised

Parua Bay residents are worried Whangārei District Council will demolish their wharf without going through promised public consultation over the popular facility.

The council closed the wharf to the public in July, due to safety concerns, but people have continued to use the wharf since with no issues.

Parua Bay resident Colin Edwards, himself a mechanical engineer, said the council had a duty to consult the local community before it decides to demolish the wharf and before any replacement is confirmed.

The group wants the council to instruct its staff not to demolish any part of the Parua Bay Wharf until after a public meeting has been held involving Parua Bay residents, appropriate Council staff and the authors of the Parua Bay wharf engineering reports (suggested venue Parua Bay Community Hall), and Parua Bay residents have addressed the council meeting on Thursday, February 23. Edwards said the group felt the wharf could still be used by people fishing, but not vehicles

The council has confirmed that the wharf is deemed dangerous and it will be demolished, but says it will consult with the community over any replacement structure.

Council parks and recreation manager Sue Hodge said the council will continue to be very open about what is happening with the project.

Hodge said all engineering projects have a natural life-span and this wharf has come to the end of it’s life.

‘’It was built 100 years ago, and marine environment is harsh,’’ she said.

‘’When an asset gets to this point, we investigate all options. These include the pros and cons (costs and benefits) to the community of restoration, demolition and replacement, or demolition.

‘’Following open council meetings discussing the wharf, agendas, reports and stories going online, in Council News, Facebook and coverage by local reporters, the public asked for an independent peer review of the first engineering report. The peer review was done and confirmed initial findings that the wharf is not safe.

‘’The wharf should be demolished to prevent people from using it and getting hurt. Stage 1 would include demolishing the first 3-4m of the wharf and stage 2 would be the wider demolition of the wharf.’’

Hodge said all demolition and any new construction must meet all resource consent requirements including managing/preventing impacts on the environment and any nearby infrastructure, such as the water and wastewater networks and the road to the site.

‘’We have checked with Heritage NZ and Parua Bay Tangata Whenua and there are no special protections on this site. The timeline for removing the wharf has not been finalised yet because we need to do more planning about the best way to do this,’’ she said.

‘’The next phase of the investigations is to design and cost a new structure for people to enjoy, that would be cost-effective to build and maintain, and how to go about this project in this environment. When options are clearer they will be presented to the public for their input before any final decisions/choices are made.’’

However, Edwards said, in mid-August 2022 the Parks and Recreation Department put up notices at the wharf advising the community that the wharf had been designated dangerous on July 23, 2022, and they would be working with the public over the coming months and exploring replacement options.

‘’On the basis of this advice the local community expected to have the opportunity for open dialogue with Council staff. No further public communication occurred, apart from an evolving succession of notices being attached to the wharf, that no longer mention working with the community,’’ he said.

Parua Bay Wharf is still a popular fishing spot, despite Whangārei District Council closing it to the public in July due to safety concerns over the ageing, rusting wharf

‘’The level of safety for foot traffic on the wharf is so far unproven. A simple test to gauge its weight-bearing capacity would give more information than mathematical calculations. The wharf was built to take trucks which delivered and picked up goods for the local community.’’

Edwards said the wharf is a well-used fishing spot, with high recreational value.

‘’What is the council proposing to replace it with? The people who use it who do not as a rule own their own boats - they use it as an important local food source. Where would the Council suggest they go to catch kai moana if the wharf is demolished?’’ he said.

‘’We are concerned that Council will secretly demolish part of the wharf before any discussion has taken place. We ask Council to meet with locals before any irreversible action is taken. We feel this is fair and reasonable and would like a commitment that this will happen. Open and transparent communication is what we are asking for, not a surreptitious fait accompli.’’

While the Parua Bay wharf is closed, the community can visit other wharves nearby at Parua Bay pub, marina and cruising club, and further away at Urquharts Bay landing, McLeod Bay and Onerahi. There are other places to fish from the rocks, including Fisherman’s Point, the end of Manganese Point, and beaches along the Whangārei Heads coast.