Embedded Files
Stop Orewa Beach Sand Movement
Website Contents
Website Contents
1.History of Orewa Beach sand movement
2.Introductory Photographs to show the basic problems
3.What can Orewa/Hibiscus Coast Residents do?
4.Letters to Council members and their replies.Local Newspaper Coverage of the problem.
5. More photographs
( 1. ) History of Orewa Beach Sand Movement
( 1. ) History of Orewa Beach Sand Movement
In the 1990's the RDC trucked in medium sized rocks which were piled about 1.5 m high to protect the tree roots of the Norfolk Pines planted along the Orewa Beach reserve. (Unlike the houses just north of the reserve whose owners had put in huge rocks to a height of 2.5 metres), Within ten years or so the rocks the council had put in were overcome with waves during storms and tree roots were exposed.
Solution, the council (Then Rodney District Council) decided it would be more nature friendly and accessable if the rocks were removed and replaced by sand to a height of around 2.5m. The resource consent was approved, the beach area was cordoned off and a mixture of sand and silt from the estuary area was moved to the beach front. Result, a large sandy area that protected the tree roots and provided extra beach space for sunbathers?....no. The following outcomes happened:
The sand level was now the same height as the reserve which meant as soon as there was an Easterly or Nor-easterly wind, sand would be blown onto the once flat grassy picnic area and cause undulations.
Sand would be easily blown along the tarseal entry road and block gutters, destroy berms, inundate houses, make footpaths impassable to wheelchairs/prams/off-road vehicles.
The river silt component which is many times lighter than sand, would be whisked away into homes/shops causing unpleasant layers inside buildings as far away as Pine Road.
Storms came and when coupled with extra high tides the replenished sand was completely washed away exposing tree roots and creating dangerous 2.5 metre high sand banks. One particular year a storm washed away the replenishment 4 days after the movement.
This replenish/washaway/replace debacle has been going on for about sixteen years, sometimes two-three times in one year, other times nothing for two- three years. So far the cost of replenishing the sand, sweeping up the sand, building of temporary fences, removing street sand, clearing blocked paths is upwards of $8 million ratepayers dollars.
The wind can easily blow away the beach sand and small sharp rocks are left behind which are not too comfortable to lie on.
At this point it should be noted that :(There are photographs in the photo section to show all of this.)
The houses with 2.5m walls of large rocks have had no sand/bank erosion problems whatsoever.
The HCH houses, roads, footpaths never had a sand problem until the RDC decided to raise the natural level of sand by 2.5 m.
The picnic/grass/childrens' playground area has risen 20-140cm from blown sand and is no longer level anywhere.
( 2. ) What can Local Residents do?
( 2. ) What can Local Residents do?
1. Write to a councillor to express your concern.
2. Copy/ paste and e-mail one of the sample letters below to a councillor.
3. The next time the trucks start moving sand on the beach join a protest group and camp on the area of beach by the Orewa Beach Reserve to prevent the trucks from working.
( 3. ) Photographs Highlighting Some of the Problems Caused by Sand Replenishment to the East of Orewa Beach Reserve
( 3. ) Photographs Highlighting Some of the Problems Caused by Sand Replenishment to the East of Orewa Beach Reserve
This photo shows the beginning of a sand replenishment.
One of the giant earthmovers used to transport sand/silt from the south end of Orewa Beach
Only a few months after replenishment showing about 75% of the sand has been washed away or blown onto the reserve. Note the stones and pebbles left behind !
This photo shows the exposed tree roots after a storm. It was a week before this got covered up.
The Northern end of the reserve after a storm had washed away half of the replenished sand.
This was a large area of flat green grass. When the council raised the height of the sand 2.5 metres above its' natural level, the sand was easily blown onto this area. Eventually grass grows through the sand but the undulations are forever changing shape.
One third of the way through a replenishment.
Evaluation of Orewa Beach August 21st 2018
This week the foreshore along the playgroundhas been fenced off to the public from 9.00am to 6 pm so the council can relocate sand.
This is the fourth or fifth time this year and around 8-10th time in the last ten years at a cost exceeding four million dollars making Orewa one of the most expensive beaches in New Zealand to maintain. (Quote Council)
If the sand level is raised to the height of the bank like last time it was done then as soon as the dry weather comes and we have an easterly wind, it will continue to blow down the park entry road and into the houses opposite, plus block the street gutters (and cause flooding), plus fill up the car park with mounds of sand and continue to reshape the once flat grass area into mounds and sandhills.(see photos)
Why does the council persist on these temporary measures? Back in February they moved the sand , piled it up to the top of the bank level, and 90% of it was washed away 5 days later when there was a storm and extra high tide.
In 2015 there were 5 proposals to restructure the waterfront (2 1/2 of which had rocks), none of them suggested a concrete wall.
The current sand removal is also changing the beach. Instead of sand they are moving silt which is sloppy and sticky and unpleasant for beach play.
Juliet McGhie/Stuff
Is this New Zealand's most expensive beach?(STUFF news report)
Orewa Beach's annual sand replenishment work is currently underway. A fence protects the beach with a construction sign keeping people away during the day.
It is a practice that dates back to the mid-1990s, according to Auckland Council.
Michael Baxter lives across the road from the Orewa Surf Club. He is flabbergasted sand replenishment is still happening.
Auckland's popular Orewa Beach is eroded after big weather events and king tides.
He believes the sand has been replenished at least four times this year. He estimated the costs associated are "in the millions".
"This makes Orewa one of the most expensive beaches in New Zealand to maintain," Baxter says.
Auckland Council head of operational management and maintenance, Agnes McCormack, said sand transfers cost the council around $100,000 per transfer, but the actual costs depend of the volume of sand which is required to be transferred. There have been 11 sand transfers in the last five years.
"Over the past five years, large-scale sand replenishment works have been completed six times. We try to minimise these larger scale sand moves to once per year, longer if we can. There have also been several smaller scale reshaping exercises after severe storms to reduce the height of the erosion 'scarp' face help to maintain the levels of sand so the beach remains an amenity for everyone. It also prolongs the need to do the larger scale sand moves. We have done five of these smaller scale reshapes in the last financial year."
Ventia is the council's full facility contractor for this area.
Jay Boreham
High tides wash away sand replenishment work done on Orewa beach.
But Baxter says the exercise is a waste of money, and is ineffective.Feedback
"You can't use sand to stop wave action," he says.
Instead, either rock/wooden/concrete walls should be installed.
"Other places like New Plymouth, Takapuna and Milford have concrete walls in place and they work really well."
Instead of being effective, Baxter says sand replenishment damages nearby homes, including his.
"In an easterly wind the sand blows across the volleyball court and road into our homes. Earlier this year I collected 20 wheelbarrows of sand around my house, and 'returned' it to the beach. But this shouldn't be my job. My 90-year-old neighbour has pink bats in her home which are now 'brown bats' because of the sand." Matthew Cattin/STUFF
Damage to Orewa Beach after the New Years storm, January 2018.(STUFF News)
The quality of the sand used to replenish the beach is also sub-par, Baxter claims. He believes the sand is partly river silt collected from the estuary.
George McLean, 92, lives in a campervan in Orewa and grew up in the area.
"What they're doing now is wrong, it's an absolute waste of money - a disaster. It was all farmland here when I was younger, and now it's just sand," McLean says.
Another resident who wished to remain anonymous also wanted council to build a rock wall instead of "pouring money away".
Auckland Council says, while sand does wash away after extreme weather events, replenishing the sand performs a dual function of providing a storm buffer which protects the beach from further erosion and, at the same time, restores access by creating a pleasant, sandy beach for beachgoers.
"Therefore, it is important to restore the sand on Orewa beach, because if there should happen to be another extreme weather event in the interim, the beach is very exposed to yet more erosion, and this is an unacceptable risk," McCormack says.
Longer-term management options for Orewa Reserve, immediately north of the Surf Club, that have previously been presented to the Hibiscus and Bays Local board for their consideration have included a range of treatments - from continued sand replenishment, to the construction of seawalls and, retreat and naturalisation - noting the sensitivity of mature Norfolk Pines along this section of coastline, he added.
In 2006 the Rodney District Council removed the boulders because spokesman Mike Isle said the boulders were an 'eye-sore and safety hazard'.
- Rodney Times
From: Michael Baxter
Sent: 17/12/2018 11:31
To: Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board)
Subject: Re: Sand from Orewa Beach to residents
Dear Julia
I really do appreciate your efforts to solve our sand problem however the fence built the other day has worsened the situation.
Reasons:
1.) the fence needed to be another three metres longer. The worst offending area when there is an Easterly wind is the sand ramp at right angles to the road. (see photo 8) and this is not blocked.
2.) when the wind blows, the sand will be blown under the fence. There is a 20 cm high by 8 metre long gap there. (see photo 8) The area to the west of the fence will need to be built up to cover the gap under the fence. I realise that this is just a temporary thing and will not last because of scouring from heavy rain ( see photo (14) Also what will happen is that sand will eventually be blown onto the black plastic which will then pull down as has already happened with the fence built down by the playground area. (see photo 6)
May I also mention the sub-contract that was given to Hogan's heroes viz. clear the street-gutters and footpaths of sand along Hibiscus Coast Highway. This was a very sloppy job and they have left behind 10% of the sand which once again will be blown onto our properties. To make things worse we witnessed the workers using blowers to blow the sand off the footpaths and onto our grass berms.(see photo 5) No doubt the thinking was "if we blow it onto the road, we will have to shovel it up, blow it onto the berm and its out of our jurisdiction."
So in summary:
Any work done on behalf of the council must be supervised by them to make sure it meets the purpose.
The workers need to have explained to them what they are doing and why they are doing it.
All of these problems;the sand on our properties, the protection of the tree roots, storm surge damage, the once lovely flat grass area that is now broken up hilly dunes(see photo 10), the scouring of landscape, could have been avoided if the council had built a 2.5 m high concrete wall with a path on top the length of the reserve.
New Plymouth has built one. Every day hundreds of cyclists, walkers and people in wheelchairs use it, why can't Orewa have one?
I thank you for your time
yours faithfully
Michael
On Friday, 14 December 2018, 12:57:47 GMT+13, Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <Julia.Parfitt@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz> wrote:
Dear Michael
A silt fence is to be installed today. I understand you should have been contacted directly by our council staff.
Kind regards
Julia Parfitt
Sent from my Windows Phone
From: Michael Baxter
Sent: 12/12/2018 13:15
To: Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board)
Subject: Fw: Sand from Orewa Beach to residents
Hi Julia
I am sorry I missed your name on my last letter so in case you missed it please find it below;
please also find enclosed photos from today. Notice the sand buildup in the kerbs is quite bad and prevents rain from draining away.
I also discussed with other council members that the council should pay for the removal of sand from my house gutters. I have a quote for $150.00 to remove it but that contractor said he would walk onto the roof and remove it by hand. I cannot do it myself as I do not have a ladder that can reach six metres up. I cannot find a local contractor that has a suction tool so if this guy is happy to risk life and limb and walk over a roof six metres up then so be it.
I thank you for you anticipated input.
yours faithfully
Michael Baxter
----- Forwarded message -----
From: Michael Baxter <mbaxternz@yahoo.co.uk>
To: Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <janet.fitzgerald@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Melissa Johnston <melissa.johnston@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Ian Murray <ian.murray@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; cherie.veza@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz <cherie.veza@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
Sent: Wednesday, 28 November 2018, 13:33:55 GMT+13
Subject: Sand from Orewa Beach to residents
Dear Councillors
Once again the cycle has started. Somebody has cleared the pathway by the volleyball court on Orewa Reserve and dumped all the sand to the west of it. (see photo (1) Grass had grown there over winter and was protecting the drift of further sand being blown onto the reserve road then onto our properties at 256-270 Hibiscus Coast Highway. Now all that grass has been covered with sand which will now be blown onto our properties. Why couldn't the contractor been instructed to put the sand on the beach ?
Yesterday I had to go in the ceiling of our house to retrieve some photos. All of the cartons were covered in 4 mm of river silt blown there because of the council's action to dump a mixture of river silt and sand on the beachfront. Our gutters are also filled with the stuff and everytime it rains heavily the water cannot drain away and it flows over the sides. Would the council pay for someone to climb the two stories and remove their sand/silt from our gutters?
I have repeatedly asked that sand is not raised to the road level as it will be picked up by the Easterly Wind and be blown onto our roads and property and so far nothing has been done. Two years ago I was promised there would be a new Orewa beach initiative with 5 proposals that would need public consultation at a meeting. I filled in all my suggestions about each of the proposals and sent them to the council but somehow never found out about the public meeting.
We talked about building a small either temporary wall or shrub planting the South side of the volleyball court but nothing happened.
The latest sand shift was worse than ever. They made a sand ramp going directly up to the car park.(see photo (2) This was absolute stupidity as there is now nothing to stop the drift blowing onto the road. Before when it was at right angles to the beach sand drift was considerably less.
Attached are some photos showing the extent of the current problem after only one dry and windy day. Remembering there is only a problem when there is a strong Easterly wind and the sand is dry. December- March is notorious for Easterly winds and the occasional storm so within the next 40 days I expect most of the current shifted sand will be washed away or blown across the road.
Stop for one moment and think what it would be like to have this sand/silt in every corner of your house, blocking your gutters, filling up your ranch-sliders, sticking to your windows and house walls.
After three years of inaction, and inconsiderate thoughtlessness on the councils behalf, I am left with no option but to seek legal action. I have consulted a lawyer and after seeing all the letters, videos and photographs he agrees the council has definitely through its actions affected my rights to live unhindered by outside influences.
Incidentally I am waiting for a reply from the tv show "Fair Go" as our little group of houses are certainly not getting fair treatment.
I will also be seeking an injunction to prevent further moving of the sand from the creek to the beachfront unless it is at least a metre below the Reserve's height.
Years ago, three of us cornered a rat in the house basement. Seeing he had no escape, the rat turned and faced us head-on and attacked us. I feel as helpless as that rat did and have been left with no choice. One man against a billion dollar organisation is going to be tough but I will see it through unless I can get some action.
yours faithfully
Michael Baxter
256 Hibiscus Coast Highway
Orewa
09 426 8356
Ian Murray <Ian.Murray@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
22 Mar at 2:06 PM
To Michael Baxter
Message body
Message body
The project will be going to the Hibiscus & Bays Local Board within the next month or two. Once they adopt the concepts (with any amendments/alterations), a public consultation process will ensue. This may involve public open days, on-line information, media presentations and other avenues to get as much coverage as possible.I will ensure your comments below are treated as a submission to this process once underway. However you are more than welcome to make further submissions at a later date.Thanks again
Ian Murray | Principal Project Manager, Coastal Assets
Community Facilities | Operations Division | Auckland Council
ian.murray@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Ph 09 301 0101 | Mobile 021 762 366 |
Auckland Council, Level 2, Pacific Building, 50 Centreway Rd., Orewa
Visit our website: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
From: Michael Baxter [mailto:mbaxternz@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, 21 March 2018 8:51 p.m.
To: Ian Murray
Subject: Concepts for Orewa Beach Reserve.
Hi Ian
its good to see things are finally happening today re: sand build up.
Please find enclosed my evaluations of the new proposed concepts for Orewa Beach Reserve.
First up there is no proposal offering a concrete wall like in New Plymouth, Takapuna/Milford and many other areas of NZ and worldwide. That is very disappointing and narrow minded. A convex shaped concrete wall would reflect any waves back which would then devalue the impact of coming waves. A promenade could be built along the top and would extend the existing pathways and also allow people in wheelchairs a chance to wheel along the seafront.
I also think using statistics like mean High/spring tides levels as being unrealistic. All concepts should be based on the maximum wave height during a storm AND with spring tide consideration. Concepts 1 and 5 do not allow for this and the cost of storm damage would be massive. One only has to remember that a few years back waves/driftwood and seaweed all reached the road where the ASB bank once was. I also have video recordings showing water height on the Orewa Beach Reserve front with the water level against the bank being 50cm not counting wave action.I am also disappointed that the concept option evaluation matrix did not have as a criteria "Effect on local housing"
We have a tremendous problem of sand being blown over the banks/volleyball court now but concepts 1,4,5 all will make this problem continue. None of the concepts have shrubs or a wall to the west and south of the proposed courts, so the sand will continue to blow into neighbouring properties.
Twice council representatives have said to me. "If you live near the beach you should expect a little sand ." This is an absolute fallacy. The houses to the immediate North of Orewa Reserve do not get any sand in their properties because they have adequate rock protection. It is only because the Council has taken away the rocks and filled up the space with sand 2.5 metres above natural level that we have a problem.
Concept 1
The majority of visitors to the reserve like to picnic and play on grass areas. Concept 1 does not allow enough grass areas. During storm/Spring-tide occurrences (There have been 3 of these in the last four months) would devastate the area.
With all concepts there needs to be a five metre wide ramp running at right angles to the beach for access to the beach. Ideally this should be by the north end of the car-park. This would be a great help to the wind-surfers/kite-riders etc. (At present anybody trying to get access to the beach has to carefully make their way through sharp projecting rocks and scouring.)I doubt if the spinifex plantings would successively survive all the trampling they would get.
Concept 2
Good grass area, excellent for cyclists, difficult for wheelchairs.
The volleyball court is too close to the road and does not show enough protection from the Easterly wind. Sand would be blown down the path into houses. The high cost is immaterial because the maintenance over a long period of time would be less than all the other concepts.By far the best proposal!!!
Concept 3
Second place idea. The volleyball court again does not show enough protection. Basketball half/court adequate.(Based on current usage a full basketball court is needed.)
Concept 4
Would be washed away during a freak storm/tide combination. Not enough grass area. We often have have 3-5 busloads of South Aucklanders arriving during the weekends? This sandy beach would be blown across the road within weeks and would be very costly to maintain. No good for cyclists and wheelchairs
Concept 5
Not storm proof. Sand will be blown across road.Cheap and high maintenance.
Many thanks for reading this far
Michael Baxter
Cherie Veza <Cherie.Veza@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz> 21 Mar at 9:11 PM
To
Michael Baxter
Hi Michael
That's great news, thanks for the update.
Regards
Chere Veza
-------- Original message --------
From: Michael Baxter <mbaxternz@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: 21/03/2018 8:46 pm (GMT+12:00)
To: Cherie Veza <Cherie.Veza@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
Subject: Re: Please see the attached
Hi Cherie
It took a bit longer than anticipated to get started but today there was good action. These guys are good conscientious workers (far better than Hogan's Heroes) and have made excellent progress in one day.
Many thanks for getting the wheels turning!!!
Michael
From: Cherie Veza <Cherie.Veza@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
To: Michael Baxter <mbaxternz@yahoo.co.uk>
Cc: Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <Janet.Fitzgerald@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Leigh Radovan <Leigh.Radovan@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Michelle Sanderson <Michelle.Sanderson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <Julia.Parfitt@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
Sent: Monday, 19 March 2018, 8:10
Subject: RE: Please see the attached
Thanks Michael, this is very helpful, I will make sure our maintenance team see this asap.
Ngā mihi nui - Many thanks
Cherie Veza | Stakeholder Advisor
Stakeholder and Land Advisory | Community Facilities
Tahi: Devonport-Takapuna, Hibiscus and Bays, Kaipātiki, Upper Harbour
Mobile: 021 804 528
Auckland Council, Level 4, Bledisloe House, 24 Wellesley Street, Auckland
Auckland Council, Level 1, 50 Centreway Road, Orewa
Visit our website: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <Julia.Parfitt@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
16 Mar at 1:44 PM
To Michael Baxter
Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board)
Paul Klinac,Michelle Sanderson ,Ian Murray and 5 more...
Dear Michael
I have asked Auckland Transport to sweep the road and clean the gutters.Also I have asked for the sand to be removed from the volley ball court.
You can phone the Customer Service Centre on 3010101 to log these type of jobs
Kind regards
Julia Parfitt
From: Michael Baxter
Sent: 16/03/2018 1:31 p.m.
To: Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board); Paul Klinac; Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board);Michelle Sanderson; Ian Murray; Leigh Radovan; Keith Cresswell; NeilAtkinson; Melissa Johnston
Subject: Re: Orewa Beach River Silt Bungle
Dear Councillors
It has been a month and very little has happened with the immediate problem viz stopping the sand that has built up by the road entranceway to the Orewa Surf Club from being blown down the tarseal and onto and into our properties.It is difficult to understand how the council can sub-contract Fulton and Hogan to clear the street gutters of sand but not remove the cause of the blocked gutters. The only reason the problem is not ten times worse than it currently is, is because we have had frequent rain. When we have a few days of sunshine followed by a strong Easterly wind, then once again tonnes of sand will be blown back onto the road and our properties.
The street gutters were also truck-swept one night about two weeks ago. Why wasn't this machine instructed to at least do the entrance to the car-park?Would it help your understanding if I came to your council offices and deposited some of this silty sand all over your desks so you can see at first hand what it is like. I am typing this in my office inside my house. Every time I pick up a book/paper/clothing there is a light layer of silty sand on it!
Please face up to your responsibility. Your council caused this problem( by raising the level of sand 2.5 metres above the natural level) , please do something about it.Sweep up the entrance road, take away the 1 metre high pile west and south of the volleyball court.Put in some sort of (temporary)wall at the South and west sides of the volleyball court.
Have the gutters swept by machine again. Last time it took only three days to refill the gutters with windblown sand. Have you noticed when there is heavy rain, there is considerable surface flooding along Hibiscus Coast Highway and Weiti Road? One can only guess this is because of blocked drains.
Yours faithfully
Michael Baxter
From: Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <Janet.Fitzgerald@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
To: Michael Baxter <mbaxternz@yahoo.co.uk>cc: Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <Julia.Parfitt@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Michelle Sanderson, <Michelle.Sanderson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Lesley Jenkins <Lesley.Jenkins@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Paul Klinac <Paul.Klinac@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Tracey Hill <tracey.hill@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz> Sent: Monday, 22 January 2018, 15:16Subject: Re: Orewa Beach River Silt Bungle
Thank you Michael for your email. I understand your frustration re the Orewa beachfront.
The LB will be looking at solutions for the whole of the beachfront in the very near future and we will be relying on the community to get fully involved in the consultation process.
Unfortunately it is not as easy as just placing rocks back on the beach. All work carried out on the foreshore requires resource consents and as you may have read just recently the Resource consent for a rock wall applied for further along the beach was rejected by the Independent commissioners and is now being appealed by Council to the Environment court. I have copied into my response Julia Parfitt LB Chair, LB staff and Paul Klinac from the coastal team so they too see your concerns.Paul maybe you may like to talk to Michael?
Kind regards
Janet Fitzgerald
Deputy Chairperson
Hibiscus and Bays Local Board
Phone 021 242 7504
ia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <julia.parfitt@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
To:
Ian Murray,Paul Klinac Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board)
Cc:Keith Cresswell Neil Atkinson Melissa Johnston mbaxternz@yahoo.co.uk Leigh Radovan
and 1 more...
Fri, 2 Feb 2018 at 12:23
Dear Ian
I keep having concerns raised about the sand moving too.
One thing Paul mentioned to me and I hope I understood it correctly was that with the new sea wall this renourishment was not required and that it was being done more as a gesture for a couple of its opponents who liked dry sand in front of their properties If I did get it correctly and its not needed I know the works will get a lot more support from the community who see it as a waste of time and money.
Did I understand you correctly Paul?
Kind regards
Julia
Sent from my Windows Phone
From: Ian Murray
Sent: 2/02/2018 11:27 a.m.
To: Paul Klinac; Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board)
Cc: Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board); Keith Cresswell; Neil Atkinson; Melissa Johnston; mbaxternz@yahoo.co.uk; Leigh Radovan; Michelle Sanderson
Subject: RE: Orewa Beach sand moving
Hi All
I met with Mr Baxter and his neighbour (Jean Alexander) this morning to discuss the impacts of the recent sand moving exercise and the following storm event(s).
I ran through the history of development on Orewa Beach and council’s proposed management responses, via the OBEEP document. I explained the level of previous intervention and modification means the beach will always be subject to a level of ‘management’.
I introduced them to the Draft Orewa Reserve Development concept options that have previously been presented to the Local Board. I explained that the Local Board will be considering this document (or similar) again in the next few months with a view to undertaking a first round of public consultation on how best to develop and manage the Orewa Reserve section of the beach in the future.
I hope Mr Baxter and Mrs Alexander better understand the level of modification on Orewa Beach, the varying public emotion on what the options are, and that council has done a lot of thinking about how to arrive at the ‘best’ solution.
What is apparent, and impacts on the immediate neighbours on the hibiscus Coast Highway, is that the sand, when recently moved and subject to an easterly wind severely affects their environment. It covers everything, from lawns to gutters, windows, furniture etc. Windows cannot be left open.
So, can we address this in the medium term, until such time as the community decides on a longer term solution? By way of screen planting and/or removal of windblown sand from the reserve areas? We will need to discuss this further.
Mr Baxter and Mrs Alexander also pointed out that, in their opinion, the sand is now of a finer particle size than previously indicating a higher content of river silt.
I hope this covers our discussion. Certainly these recent events have been a prompt to get a wider discussion going on Orewa Reserve development.
Ian Murray | Principal Project Manager, Coastal Assets
Community Facilities | Operations Division | Auckland Council
ian.murray@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Ph 09 301 0101 | Mobile 021 762 366 |
Auckland Council, Level 2, Pacific Building, 50 Centreway Rd., Orewa
Visit our website: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
From: Paul Klinac
Sent: Thursday, 1 February 2018 5:28 p.m.
To: Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board); Ian Murray
Subject: RE: Orewa Beach sand moving
Evening Janet,
Ian is meeting with Mr Baxter tomorrow.
The scarp which has formed along the seaward face of placed sand will be reshaped tomorrow. Sand will be removed from the carpark/paths and returned to the beach.
Regards,
Paul Klinac | Coastal and Geotechnical Services – Team Manager
Engineering and Technical Services
Infrastructure & Environmental Services
Ph (09) 3010101 | Mobile 027 2308263
Auckland Council, Level 2, Bledisloe Building, 24 Wellesley Street, 1010, Auckland Central
Visit our website: www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
CAUTION: This email message and any attachments contain information that may be confidential and may be LEGALLY PRIVILEGED. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this message or attachments is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email message in error please notify us immediately and erase all copies of the message and attachments. We do not accept responsibility for any viruses or similar carried with our email, or any effects our email may have on the recipient computer system or network. Any views expressed in this email may be those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Council.
From: Michael Baxter [mailto:mbaxternz@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Thursday, 1 February 2018 1:47 p.m.
To: Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board); Paul Klinac
Subject: Re: Orewa Beach sand moving
Dear Janet and other council members
Please find attached some photographs of the damage caused by your council decision to go against nature and move sand.
You will see that over 50% of the sand has been washed away in only 5 days.
An even bigger problem is the amount of sand that is now being blown onto the carpark, our berms, inside our houses, down drains and gutters and many other places.
Please remember this NEVER happened when the rocks were on the waterfront.
A few years back a suggestion on how to prevent the volleyball court sand from being blown over the road was presented too the council who in their wisdom rejected it. It involved simple planting of shrubs, not expensive,. If this had been done the council would not be sending in workers to take away the truckloads of sand from the carpark and surrounds.
I look forward to meeting Ian tomorrow
yours faithfully
Michael
Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <Julia.Parfitt@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz> 16 Mar at 1:38 PM
To Michael Baxter
Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) Paul Klinac Michelle Sanderson Ian Murray and 5 more...
Dear Cherie and Ellen
Firstly Ellen can you ensure the road(should say and car park entry road) is swept again and gutters cleaned.Cherie can we remove the sand on the (Sides of the )volley ball court ?
Kind regards
Julia (Sent from my Windows Phone)
From: Michael Baxter
Sent: 16/03/2018 1:31 p.m.
From: Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <Janet.Fitzgerald@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
To: Michael Baxter <mbaxternz@yahoo.co.uk>
Cc: Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <Julia.Parfitt@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Michelle Sanderson <Michelle.Sanderson@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Lesley Jenkins <Lesley.Jenkins@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Paul Klinac <Paul.Klinac@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>; Tracey Hill <tracey.hill@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
Sent: Monday, 22 January 2018, 15:16
Subject: Re: Orewa Beach River Silt Bungle
Thank you Michael for your email. I understand your frustration re the Orewa beachfront.
The LB will be looking at solutions for the whole of the beachfront in the very near future and we will be relying on the community to get fully involved in the consultation process.
Unfortunately it is not as easy as just placing rocks back on the beach. All work carried out on the foreshore requires resource consents and as you may have read just recently the Resource consent for a rock wall applied for further along the beach was rejected by the Independent commissioners and is now being appealed by Council to the Environment court.
I have copied into my response Julia Parfitt LB Chair, LB staff and Paul Klinac from the coastal team so they too see your concerns.
Paul maybe you may like to talk to Michael?
Kind regards
Janet Fitzgerald
Deputy Chairperson
Hibiscus and Bays Local Board
Phone 021 242 7504
-------- Original message --------
From: Michael Baxter <mbaxternz@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: 22/01/2018 2:04 pm (GMT+12:00)
To: "Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board)" <Janet.Fitzgerald@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
Subject: Orewa Beach River Silt Bungle
256 Hibiscus Coast Highway
Orewa
0931
23/01/18
Dear Janet
I am one of the many residents living across the road from the Orewa Beach playground.
For the last fifteen years, the respective Rodney/Auckland councils have spent millions of dollars of ratepayers money dumping river silt(and sand) on the beach in front of the playground.
This exercise has been absolutely fruitless because as soon as there is a storm the waves wash away the sand/ silt. In the past 5 weeks the council has organised this procedure twice. The first time this was done in mid December and within ten days all of it had been washed away once again exposing the roots of the Norfolk pines. These roots were further exposed when we had another storm last week to the point where some of the trees are showing signs of dying. If these trees are not protected there is a grave danger that they will all die then eventually fall down(hopefully not towards the childrens' playground.
History
Sixteen years ago we had some rocks to protect the bank for the entire length of the playground/grass area but these were inadequate as the council of the time was not prepared to spend money and build the required 2.5 metres with large boulders. Instead they had small useless rocks up to a metre high which were moved and /or washed over during storms. At least at this time there was no blowing of sand over the bank and across the road as the rocks did prevent this.
However 15 years ago, some councillors, decided to move away all the rocks and replace them with truckloads of river-silt from the estuary. Consequently when there was a extra high tide coupled with a storm all of the silt was washed away exposing tree roots and providing dangerous banks for children to play on.
Moreover this river silt is many times lighter than sand and is easily picked up when a strong easterly wind blows and is transported across the road where it builds up in gutters, blocks drains, raises grass areas, defiles windows, jams door sliders and gets into rooves and houses. None of this happened before the original rocks were removed. It may be noted the houses who put their own boulders 2-3 metres high on the beach front do not have any problems during storms nor do they have any sand blown into their houses.
Today there are contractors shifting tonnes more of river silt back to protect the tree roots and eroded banks so once again all the local residents are going to be silt blasted the next time the wind gets up. Council workers were shovelling up the silt that was blocking the Hibiscus Coast Highway road gutters but that only lasted two days and the gutters were filled again. n.b I am not talking kg of silt, the quantity blown onto our properties can be measured in tonnes!
One only has to look at the concrete sea walls around parts of Takapuna, Milford and New Plymouth to see how to solve the problem.
Future Action
1.Build a decent concrete sea wall all along the playground sea-front.
2. Stop wasting $millions of ratepayers money on transporting river-silt as a temporary measure.
3.Protect the waterfront tree roots.
4.Put proper sand on the volleyball court, the current cheap silt they have now is being blown away.
5.Eliminate the possibility of dying trees falling on people and children being injured whilst playing on collapsible banks.
Please Janet come to our properties and inspect the silt damage caused by the councils cost-cutting measures. Look at the tops of some of the beachfront trees and see for yourself that they are dying.
yours faithfully
Michael Baxter
CAUTION: This email message and any attachments contain information that may be confidential and may be LEGALLY PRIVILEGED. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure or copying of this message or attachments is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email message in error please notify us immediately and erase all copies of the message and attachments. We do not accept responsibility for any viruses or similar carried with our email, or any effects our email may have on the recipient computer system or network. Any views expressed in this email may be those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Council.
Janet Fitzgerald (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board) <Janet.Fitzgerald@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz>
To:Michael Baxter
Cc:Julia Parfitt (Hibiscus & Bays Local Board),Michelle Sanderson,Lesley Jenkins,Paul Klinac,Tracey Hill
22 Jan at 15:16
Thank you Michael for your email. I understand your frustration re the Orewa beachfront.
The LB will be looking at solutions for the whole of the beachfront in the very near future and we will be relying on the community to get fully involved in the consultation process.
Unfortunately it is not as easy as just placing rocks back on the beach. All work carried out on the foreshore requires resource consents and as you may have read just recently the Resource consent for a rock wall applied for further along the beach was rejected by the Independent commissioners and is now being appealed by Council to the Environment court.
I have copied into my response Julia Parfitt LB Chair, LB staff and Paul Klinac from the coastal team so they too see your concerns. Paul maybe you may like to talk to Michael?
Kind regards
Janet Fitzgerald Deputy Chairperson Hibiscus and Bays Local Board
Phone 021 242 7504
Several other letters have gone into the council asking them to stop the sand replenishment scheme and build a wall. Their replies have been:
"We are committed to do the sand replenishment scheme."
"Do you realise the council spends more on cutting the grass at the sports ground than what the sand replenishment costs."
When the council was asked to put in at least a temporary fence to stop sand filling up the car park and surrounds, a screen-fence was erected with a 20cm gap under it so the sand was still able to be blown down the road. When this fault was pointed out, two weeks later sand bags were put in to block the gaps.This temporary fence lasted 8 months, was torn to shreds and replaced. The new fence had sand build up on both sides and was efficient for six months then became 90% covered and became useless..
When the workers (Fulton and Hogan) were asked to clear the sand from the berms:
"Sorry, cant help you, we have been told to clear the gutters and footpath only"
When locals shovelled sand into wheelbarrows and tried to wheel it back to the beach.
"What are you doing?. You cant do that!"
"Well what am I supposed to do with all this sand?"
"Sweep it up into a pile on the side of the road and ring up the council to remove it."
When the giant sweeping truck came in at midnight to sweep up the footpaths/gutters....great job....it lasted one week. They were not told to sweep the entry road which had a metre of sand on both sides and some of this was blown back across the road and blocked footpaths for weeks.
∼ 15 Jan 2022 When the Council was asked to remove the sand that had blown onto footpaths blocking wheelchair/pram access:
"We will have to wait for the wind to stop."
∼ 7 Feb 2022 Workers arrived, the 30 cm of sand was swept off the footpath into the gutter.
∼ 11 Feb 2022 The gutters and surrounds are still piled up with sand.
23/01/18
Dear Janet
I am one of the many residents living across the road from the Orewa Beach playground.
For the last fifteen years, the respective Rodney/Auckland councils have spent millions of dollars of ratepayers money dumping river silt on the beach in front of the playground.
This exercise has been absolutely fruitless because as soon as there is a storm the waves wash away the silt. In the past 5 weeks the council has organised this procedure twice. The first time this was done in mid December and within ten days all of it had been washed away once again exposing the roots of the Norfolk pines. These roots were further exposed when we had another storm last week to the point where some of the trees are showing signs of dying. If these trees are not protected there is a grave danger that they will all die then eventually fall down(hopefully not towards the childrens' playground.
History
Sixteen years ago we had some rocks to protect the bank for the entire length of the playground/grass area but these were inadequate as the council of the time was not prepared to spend money and build the required 2.5 metres with large boulders. Instead they had small useless rocks up to a metre high which were moved and /or washed over during storms. At least at this time there was no blowing of sand over the bank and across the road as the rocks did prevent this.
However 15 years ago, some councillors, decided to move away all the rocks and replace them with truckloads of river-silt from the estuary. Consequently when there was a extra high tide coupled with a storm all of the silt was washed away exposing tree roots and providing dangerous banks for children to play on.
Moreover this river silt is many times lighter than sand and is easily picked up when a strong easterly wind blows and is transported across the road where it builds up in gutters, blocks drains, raises grass areas, defiles windows, jams door sliders and gets into rooves and houses. None of this happened before the original rocks were removed. It may be noted the houses who put their own boulders 2-3 metres high on the beach front do not have any problems during storms nor do they have any sand blown into their houses.
Today there are contractors shifting tonnes more of river silt back to protect the tree roots and eroded banks so once again all the local residents are going to be silt blasted the next time the wind gets up. Council workers were shovelling up the silt that was blocking the Hibiscus Coast Highway road gutters but that only lasted two days and the gutters were filled again. n.b I am not talking kg of silt, the quantity blown onto our properties can be measured in tonnes!
One only has to look at the concrete sea walls around parts of Takapuna, Milford and New Plymouth to see how to solve the problem.
Future Action
1. Build a decent concrete/wooden sea wall all along the playground sea-front.
2. Stop wasting $millions of ratepayers money on transporting river-silt as a temporary measure.
3. Protect the waterfront tree roots.
4. Put proper sand or bark on the volleyball court, the current cheap silt they have now is being blown away.
5. Eliminate the possibility of dying trees falling on people and children being injured whilst playing on collapsible banks.
This is a photo facing west down the entrance to the Orewa Surf club car park. Photo taken 18th March 2018
If the current 20-40 km/h wind keeps up for a week all the loose sand to the right of the black line will have blown down the road to the houses in the top of the photo
The bottom photo is to the right of the first photo. This was the sand on the volleyball court plus a few more truckloads from the beach which has blown here because the council decided to move the rocks which once prevented this from happening,
There will be no point in hiring Fulton Hogan to send in a few men to lean on shovels, This requires a bobcat/front end loader to remove the sand and cart it away by the truckful.
Before the council decided to move sand in front of the reserve, all of the above reserve was once level. As the sand level built up the grass level grew up thus we now have hills over a metre high.
If these hills are removed then larger areas of sand will be exposed, which will also blow across the road into our houses. This could be prevented by building a temporary one metre wall/fence of that black plastic wind netting until the grass has re-established itself.
Unfortunately the original email from Janet asked that the sand from the volleyball court be removed. What she intended to say was the sand build-up to the south and west of the volleyball court. I have watched previous contractors who follow the exact wording(when it suits them) and show no initiative whatsoever. Two weeks ago the Fulton Hogan contractors left behind massive amounts of sand and when I asked them why they didn’t pick it up I was told.”We have been instructed ONLY to pick up the sand in the gutter.” I hope these photos will help.
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