NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Mercury Bay Boating Club finds new location for clubrooms in Whitianga

Al Williams
By Al Williams
Open Justice reporter·Waikato Herald·
18 Apr, 2024 08:45 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Cyclone Hale - Coromandel boating club could lose its building due to erosion. Video / Hayden Woodward

Mercury Bay Boating Club in Whitianga has reached out for support as it seeks to relocate its clubrooms.

Its old facility was left teetering on the water’s edge as large swells and surging tides caused by ex-cyclone Hale eroded metres of foreshore and was then moved 25 metres inland.

Club commodore Simon Rawlinson said the club had identified an alternative site in Dundas St and was scheduled to meet with affected parties next week as it went through the public consultation process.

He said Dundas St has been identified as the only suitable alternative in the area for a number of reasons, including proximity to the water, location close to the town’s marina and district plan zoning.

Rawlinson said the process was pushing ahead at a “great rate of knots”.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

On Wednesday’s Mercury Bay Community Board meeting, attended by Thames-Coromandel Mayor Len Salt, Rawlinson told the board the public had now been notified of the club’s intention to relocate the clubhouse.

It was seeking support from the board for the relocation of the clubrooms.

Rawlinson said it was an unfortunate circumstance the club was not able to approach the community board earlier in the process, as they were taken by surprise by the swiftness in which the Department of Conservation (DoC) acted.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The club’s first application to relocate the clubrooms was lodged with DoC in December 2023, and it was then told in January that it could be between six and nine months before they would hear back.

Then, at the end of March, the club received a letter from DoC, saying the application would be put out to public notification in early April.

“Regarding the public notification, we see the club as a valuable community asset, it is not just used by the boat club and for boat club activities.”

He said the club had since undertaken a thorough investigation of potential sites.

Damage caused by storm surges at Mercury Bay Boating Club in Whitianga. Photo / Lynley Ward
Damage caused by storm surges at Mercury Bay Boating Club in Whitianga. Photo / Lynley Ward

Ideally, they wanted to stay at the current site, but it had since become a heritage-listed site, and there were ongoing threats of erosion, which would make the facility uninsurable.

“We looked at many reserves and we settled on our latest proposal of the Dundas site, due mainly to the fact it’s zoned for marine services.

“We are a perfect fit for the zoning of the area.”

The community board agreed to receive the club’s submission, and deferred a decision on whether to support it, to allow time for the board to seek informal community views before public submissions close.

In its application to DoC, the club said the Dundas St site was reclaimed land, which did not exist at the time the clubhouse building was constructed in the late 1990s.

Had it been available at that time, the club would have sought permission to establish the clubhouse building in that location.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Sandbags protect the newly relocated Mercury Bay Boating Club.
Sandbags protect the newly relocated Mercury Bay Boating Club.

The clubhouse was officially opened in 1997.

The club proposed a lease of an area of 2374m², bounded by the Whitianga Harbour on one side and Crown Land leased by the Whitianga Marina Society on the other.

“The proposal is not likely to result in any significant environmental impacts,” the club said in its application.

The proposal would not unduly restrict public access to the reserve or boat ramp.

“The Mercury Bay Boating Club has a long-standing connection with the Mercury Bay community, enjoys excellent community and volunteer support and has one of the most successful junior sailing programmes in the country.

“The current predicament faced by the club as a result of the cyclone events of 2023 has been challenging, yet club membership remains strong and the club is looking to further expand and grow its summer sailing programme this year, albeit from a temporary base out of a shipping container.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“This demonstrates the high level of commitment and determination by the club and its members to overcome the hurdles currently faced and reflects the importance of the club as an asset to the wider community.”

Submissions on Mercury Bay Boating Club’s application for a lease in Whitianga can be made until May 9. Submission forms can be downloaded online.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Man high on mushrooms crashes car into garage, with a preschooler on his lap

New Zealand

Auckland ambulance patients being diverted to non-hospital clinics

New Zealand

'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Man high on mushrooms crashes car into garage, with a preschooler on his lap
New Zealand

Man high on mushrooms crashes car into garage, with a preschooler on his lap

The garage collapsed on top of Freeman Ruhe's vehicle but the pair escaped injury.

14 Jul 08:00 AM
Auckland ambulance patients being diverted to non-hospital clinics
New Zealand

Auckland ambulance patients being diverted to non-hospital clinics

14 Jul 07:55 AM
'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail
New Zealand

'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail

14 Jul 07:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP