News Archive

Tony Dwane, the Centre Manager for the Regional Council’s Dargaville office, says both the NRC and locals are concerned at people taking sand, pebbles and boulders from the Kaipara’s beaches, apparently for use as free landscaping material.

Mr Dwane says the Council has fielded a number of complaints from locals at Omamari, on Kaipara’s West Coast, about the ongoing removal of sand, including reports as recently as last week.

However, he says this issue is a long-standing and ongoing one Northland-wide and there is no evidence to suggest illegal sand removal is any worse in the Kaipara than the Whangarei or Far North Districts.

He says a resource consent is required to remove any sediments from the beach and the Council has taken legal action over the issue in the past.   Penalties range from an instant fine to being prosecuted.

Mr Dwane says many people incorrectly assume removing coastal material will have little impact, however, sand, pebbles and boulders at many beaches could literally take hundreds of years to accumulate.

 “Over time, the continual removal of beach sediments can have a negative impact on the beach environment worsening erosion and other problems.”

At Omamari, locals had been especially irritated because some of the sand taken there was from areas that had been specially planted with dune-stabilising pingao plants.  Anecdotal evidence suggested trailer loads of sand were being taken away.

Mr Dwane says anyone who sees people taking sand or other sediment from beaches should report it immediately to the Northland Regional Council’s 24-hour freephone Environmental Hotline on (0800) 504 639.