Coast Care “a gentle approach"
Coastal erosion at Parapara. Grass mown to the edge of the sand makes the bank vulnerable. Photo: Gerard Hindmarsh.
It’s been six years now since Coast Care got started in Golden Bay. In that time it has initiated dune planting projects at Tata Beach, Ligar Bay, Pohara beach, Rototai, Rangihaeata, Patons Rock, Tukurua, Parapara, Collingwood and Pakawau, all with community labour. Some plantings have also occurred on Farewell Spit in conjunction with the Department of Conservation.
This is not the first time this sort of endemic dune planting project has happened in Golden Bay. Private initiatives of informal plantings happened back in 2000 around beaches at Wainui, Tata and Motupipi. The pingao and spinifex for these were all grown and propagated from seed by foresighted individuals.
Despite apparent perceptions, the total amount of foreshore being restored by Coast Care is still small—under six kilometres of Golden Bay’s convoluted total of 65km. The longest section of planting, one kilometre in length, has occurred at Pakawau, where a large number of the community has been involved.
Yet the plantings do have their critics, often adjoining landowners who have had virtual control over their esplanade reserves to date.
Coast Care co-ordinator Rob Lewis welcomes the opportunity to share information.
“Beaches are very important to people, and we like to express our thoughts. Some people think it’s a disaster when a foredune gets cut into and washed away by a storm, but I see it as a natural cut process. The sand and those plants that get moved gradually re-establish down the beach as a fill process. That’s when we can identify where plants and sand go to and grow, then we can plant more on that spot. It’s a naturally occurring and ongoing process. Planting endemic sand-binding species will give the foredune a better chance of holding up.
“If residents want to come on board, then we will design a plan to help buffer their beach backyard and provide all the plants, which they then help to plant. The idea is to change the management of the esplanade, in particular the mowing right up to the sand edge and dumping of garden waste refuse. This only brings weeds and allows for scouring out later on. I guess it’s all about sharing our ideas.”
The rationale behind Coast Care, an international programme adopted by Tasman District Council, is that dunes are an important coastal habitat, and provide a natural buffer between sea and land. Native plants like pingao, spinifex, even sand convolvulus, are now regarded as the best sand-binding species because they naturally create a lower and wider-profile dune that is aerodynamic and more able to capture sand blown inland from the beach. Marram grass, introduced from the North Atlantic in the early 1900s to replace native grasses under threat mainly from burning and grazing, tends to form dunes that are narrower and much higher, making them more susceptible to storm events.
Incidentally, a recent project at the end of Parapara sandspit, in which an area fenced off for bird breeding was quickly washed away, was a Forest & Bird initiative.
Rob is quick to admit that the plantings are still very much a trial. “But what we are seeing is that, compared to marram, the spinifex and pingao are establishing themselves further forward and out the rear of the dune on some trials, which is exactly what we want to buffer the impact of the sea. Storm wave cutting of foredunes is a natural part of beach dynamics, only causing a problem when the beach has been modified and cannot recover naturally. Endemic species do seem to allow this recovery to happen effectively.”
All of the annual $50,000 budget for Coast Care in Golden Bay comes from development impact levies, for which bids are made every year by TDC’s Reserves Department. The only structures that Coast Care builds are the ‘ladders’ or timber ramps (to reinforce high-impact areas where vehicles or people enter the beach) and the odd interpretation board. Things like beachside reserve grass mowing, bins and picnic tables are all paid for out of rates, and are not part of the Coast Care programme.
Over the Hill, the TDC is also involved in Coast Care projects at Torrent Bay, Little Kaiteriteri, Stephens Bay, McKee Domain, Kina Beach and Rabbit Island Domain.
Rob’s background is in environmental landscaping. He has lived in Golden Bay for seven years now and been co-ordinator for Coast Care here since day one. His previous job in Auckland was running establishment courses at the NZ School of Outdoor Studies. These would involve trips out to islands in the Hauraki Gulf which entailed getting a grasp on coastal conservation issues.
“I see Coast Care as a gentle approach to esplanade management, rather than storming in. Nearly all our work is along esplanade reserves, so the council is well within their rights to carry out the work based on all the best research we have. But I see the best approach as aligning ourselves with local communities and then working with them to find the best outcome to protect their properties. We don’t expect everyone is going to become involved, but the invitation is always open to meet with people if they so wish and answer any questions they have.”
Coast Care planting and workshop days happen most weekends during planting season at different locations around the Bay. They are all advertised in TDC’s Newsline updates in all local newspapers. For Golden Bay Coast Care enquiries, phone Rob Lewis at 525 6183.
Gerard Hindmarsh
