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Waikato District Council - Te Kaunihera aa Takiwaa o Waikato

Port Waikato erosion

22 October 2024 - Spring update

Stormwater Resilience Fund progress  

We are close to getting started on two projects with the consent application lodged for both the slip remedial works and the open channel works at Ooraeroa Marae. The formal consent for the main pump station and outlet is due to be submitted during October.

With regard to the slip works about the Port store, we hope to be able to complete the formal agreement for the slip remediation with Sunset Farms shortly.

Our thanks go to the landowner next to Ooraeroa Marae who has given permission for the planting works needed, as well as allowing us to access the drain from their side during construction.

The design for the main pump station and outlet is progressing well and we will be confirming the pump order in December.

We are in the process of securing all the vegetation needed for planting, which will happen during May for all projects.

Next step is to progress the holiday park area stormwater pump station design (with no Regional consent required).

Adaptation Planning

At the recent public meeting, we mentioned that a community panel would be set up to work through future adaptation options. These options would be brought back to the wider community for feedback and further refinement.

Our team has put together a draft Terms of Reference that will outline the purpose and role of this panel and we will be working with the community to help put that group together over the coming weeks.

We hope that the first meeting of the new adaptation management panel will be during November, to discuss some of the existing adaptive work that has been done to date and any other work that needs to be done to inform us of the options before we engage with the wider community on these matters.

Car park and beach ramp

At time of writing, the application for resource consent for the nature-based solution has not been received but we are continuing to work with the group who is preparing this submission to provide guidance on this.

The car park area and erosion continue to be monitored on a regular basis and, as required, debris will to be removed as it is stockpiled or naturally exposed.

Scheduled maintenance of the access ramp to the beach is also being assessed to provide safe access for the Surf Life Saving club over the spring summer period. We look forward to providing updates on this soon. 
Port Waikato 18 Oct 24

 
Recent updates

26 September 2024 - Erosion and stormwater update

26 September 2024 - Erosion and stormwater update

Car park and beach access  

The weekend of 21 and 22 September saw king tides cause additional damage to the car park at the Sunset Beach community hub.  

The beach ramp was temporarily damaged but is now accessible for use.   

Conditions over the weekend made clearing debris and making the area safe difficult but our contractors will be back on site this week to remove some debris that has fallen onto the beach below. 

Please take extra care on the beach while the clean-up continues.  

We also ask that our contractors be treated with respect as they go about their work. 

Drone pic PW 230924

  
Post-cyclone roading repairs continue across the rural Port Waikato area 

With Spring officially here, the promise of finer weather will see some major slip repairs underway to roads affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.  

Work to repair slips on Port Waikato Waikaretu Road is due to start near the end of September, or early October 2024. There will be temporary traffic management in place until debris removal and repairs will see the road put back to two lanes at the end of the year.  

Underslip repair on Wairamarama Onewhero Road was completed in July, while major works on Onewhero Tuakau Bridge Road should be completed during September.  

Three major slips requiring significant retaining wall work along Mercer Ferry Road, Hunt Road and Waikaretu Valley Road are scheduled for November and December.  

One area particularly heavily hit was around Wairamarama and Waikaretu, where 17 slip repairs were included in the government-awarded repair funds. Of the repairs on Wairamarama Onewhero Road, Baker Road, Brien Road, Ponganui Road, Klondyke Road and Waikaretu Wairamarama Road, almost half have been completed, with the others scheduled for over the coming months.  

For most repairs, no detours are currently expected for these upgrades except for a possible temporary closure of Hunt Road in order to reduce the project timeline, but this will be confirmed later. Details of stop-go restrictions or other disruption are shared on our Current Roadworks page.  

Stormwater Resilience Fund 

Thank you to those who attended our latest community update on works funded by the government’s Stormwater Resilience Fund.  The main points were:  

  • The main pump station upgrade is the main priority.  Once the costs are finalised we can confirm which other priority projects will also proceed.  
  • The consent for the Ooraeroa Marae works will be submitted this week shortly followed by the main pump station upgrade. 
  • Negotiations with Sunset Farms are progressing well.   
  • Further modelling work identified that drain widening delivered minimal benefits, therefore this work will not proceed. 
  • Time is a critical factor for the funding, with all works needing to be completed by end of June 2025. 

Maintenance issues unfortunately are not covered by this particular fund, but a number of questions were raised at the meeting about ongoing maintenance work to the Port Waikato stormwater network. We’re working on the best way to provide regular updates on the maintenance schedule and give greater clarity, so look out for that in our next update.  

6 September 2024 - Ocean View Road residents’ update

On Saturday, a group of Council representatives met with residents of Ocean View Road affected by ongoing erosion at Sunset Beach.

Coastal scientist, Jim Dahm, shared detailed analysis of the projected shoreline patterns that may affect their individual properties over the next few years.

Discussions covered concerns such as rates assessments and potential rates relief, as well as streamlining the consenting process for moving or removing buildings. The importance of ongoing monitoring to better understand the timetable for future risk was also highlighted.

Council is working through rating relief options for each property owner and will provide some additional information on erosion monitoring.

View a brief overview presentation from that meeting:

Port Waikato homeowners update - 31 August 2024

pdf,  784 KB Download

Jim Dahm Port Waikato beachfront landowners presentation - 31 August 2024

pdf,  662 KB Download

25 August 2024 - Information afternoon: Port Waikato erosion

Thank you to all those who joined us at our erosion meeting on Sunday 25 August 2024, at the Community Hub.  With an issue that affects our whole community, it was good to see so many people there.

The main part afternoon was a presentation from nationally recognised specialist in coastal science, Jim Dahm, who has been brought in to work in partnership with Waikato District Council and Waikato Regional Council to support with our community engagement and longer-term planning.

See a copy of the presentation below:

Jim Dahm Port Waikato presentation - 25 August 2024

pdf,  7404 KB Download

View recordings of full meeting and Jim's presentation

Presentation key points
  • Erosion rate: The shoreline is retreating at an average of 4m a year. Although some years are less intense and some more, we know that it is highly likely that this rate is going to continue, and the ‘best case’ projection suggests that we could lose another 18-20m+ by 2050. Overall, this is probably the most difficult coast erosion issue in New Zealand at present.
  • Change from erosion to deposit: We are currently in a period of rapid erosion, and we know that it is possible that there will be a time when sand is deposited back on the beach, from ‘sand slugs’ that work their way up the west coast. However, the science on these large sand deposits is very sparse and we have no knowledge of when, or even if this will happen again at Port Waikato.
  • Flood risk from the high dune: Erosion will not eliminate the high dune, which would cause a major flood throughout the township if it did happen. Even if this dune is reduced, sand replacement through push-ups would reduce the risk further.
  • Planning for the future: Adaptive management is recommended. This is a collaborative and flexible process for ongoing decision-making to plan for different scenarios, flexible to adapt for changing considerations.
  • Monitoring: Working together to monitor changes in detail and regularly is vital to help refine projections over time.
  • Holding the line – permanent structures: Already previously discounted as financially not viable. A hard permanent structure would also eventually remove all beach from in front of any wall created.
  • Holding the line – temporary structures: Given the forces at work, even temporary measures will be difficult and expensive. Structures erected during this rapid erosion phase are likely to be short-term, especially during heavy storm cycles. Those built during quieter erosion periods might last 1-3 years.
  • Managed retreat: Managed retreat is just one option that may come from the adaptive management planning, and focuses on moving buildings, infrastructure or people away from specific areas of high risk over time.


Proposed temporary structure

Malcolm Beattie spoke on behalf of the Port Waikato Resilience Group (Port Waikato Resident Rate Payers Sub-Group) that has proposed a temporary structure on Sunset Beach. Both Waikato Regional and Waikato District councils, along with Jim Dahm, have been evaluating this proposal.

Putting forward a nature-based solution, the group hopes to build a structure that will slow the erosion, if only temporarily, whilst longer-term plans can be developed alongside the community.

The design and potential impacts of the structure mean that a consent is required from Waikato District Council but staff and Councillors are committed to working positively and collaboratively to assist the group throughout this process.

Other updates

Teams were available at the meeting to field specific questions, and we very much appreciate the feedback, questions and suggestions that many of you shared.

Homeowner support
Specialist members of the team, along with Jim Dahm, will be meeting with the immediately affected Ocean View Road residents around options for their properties this coming weekend.

Community assets

Jim Dahm’s projections estimated that the community hub block would potentially be under threat within the next 4-6 years.  Future provision for car parking is also a priority. 

Additional meetings will be scheduled soon to seek feedback from residents to discuss options and their impacts.

Please note that district-wide consultation on the future of all council-owned public places across the Waikato district is currently underway and general feedback is welcome through our online consultation, which closes 6 September 2024.

Port Waikato community assets summary (25 August)

pdf,  1257 KB Download

Adaptive Management

Our team was available to answer questions about the adaptive management process and how it will be used to guide decisions around future resilience for Port Waikato.

Adaptive management is a dynamic and iterative decision-making process that allows for adjustments in response for changing conditions and improved understanding of environmental outcomes.

It involves active participation from the community and stakeholders, and we will be calling for groups from Port Waikato to be part of the panel of contributors over the next few months.

Port Waikato - Adaptive management factsheet (25 August 2024)

pdf,  5073 KB Download

Stormwater

Our waters team has been meeting with residents over recent months to discuss plans for upcoming improvement of the stormwater network, to work through where the $2.35m central government funding for upgrades should be prioritised.

A community meeting to discuss Port Waikato stormwater will be held on Saturday 14 September, 12pm to 2pm at the Sunset Beach Community Hub.

Port Waikato - Stormwater factsheet (25 August 2024)

pdf,  331 KB Download

Upcoming community meetings

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