Cyclone Gabrielle: Crackdown at Piha road blocks after reports of fake access documents

Roadblocks at Piha have reportedly become stricter after claims that people had faked documents to gain entry to the popular beach.

The west coast community of 1000 people is still recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle last month and visitors to the village have been told to stay away.

Cordons have been established on the roads into Piha, with access limited to locals, emergency services, insurance assessors and tradespeople.

Auckland Emergency Management (AEM) began issuing vehicle passes for Piha residents on Wednesday to allow locals to pass cordons more easily.

But residents reported that the new vehicle passes had already been copied or faked by people wanting access to the area.

The vehicle passes were relatively basic and would be easy to copy, one resident told the Herald.

“There have been unconfirmed reports of these passes being duplicated,” Auckland Council deputy recovery manager Mace Ward said.

“It is disappointing to hear this as these passes were issued to residents as a matter of public safety,” he said.

Ward said there was no plan at this stage to change the vehicle pass system.

Several beach homes in Piha were completely destroyed during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Dean Purcell

But residents reported online that they were now being asked to provide proof of address at the roadblocks after the reports of fake copies emerged.

Some said this was not always possible because of patchy mobile coverage, or that it was an added frustration for a community worn out in the aftermath of the storm.

Others said they were unable to provide proof of address because they were renting.

Ward said that people who were unable to prove they lived in the area would be processed on a case-by-case basis.

“Once again, we urge non-locals to stay away from these areas,” he added.

“These communities have been majorly impacted by the cyclone and are asking for your respect and understanding during this time. Please continue to stay away from these areas, and expect to be turned away if you are not a resident.”

The issues around access are a sensitive subject. A Piha community Facebook page joked yesterday that it was selling off one of the vehicle passes for a raffle, but the post was removed after a backlash.

The west coast communities of Muriwai, Piha, Karekare and Bethells Beach bore the brunt of Cyclone Gabrielle in the Auckland region on February 13 and 14, with significant damage to properties and roads.

As of Friday, 227 buildings had been red-stickered in Auckland, most of them on the west coast.

Cordons were set up by AEM, police and Auckland Transport at all of the beachside villages except Bethells Beach to manage access to the areas and reduce the impact of tourists and visitors.

The main road into Piha, which was damaged by slips in the cyclone, was reopened on Friday. Residents had been travelling a longer route via Bethells Beach since the cyclone.

Vicky Pomeroy, who owns a studio and a rental property at Piha, said her entire street had been red-stickered and she had been unable to return to the property.

Her bank had allowed her to delay her mortgage payments, but she had been told that her insurance assessment may not be completed for up to nine months.

Residents were feeling battered and exhausted by the fallout from the cyclone and the ongoing battles with building assessors and insurance, she said.