Have your say: Nearshore Sand Mining at Mangawhai, Te Arai & Pakiri.
If you haven’t heard already, the public has an opportunity to oppose the nearshore sand mining that goes on in the beautiful Kaipara district. We have until the 4th June 2020 to submit to Auckland Council. Mangawhai, Te Arai & Pakari are some stunning white sand beaches that are regularly visited by many Bettys for their sweet sweet (if sometimes fickle) waves. It’s one of my favourite places in the world, as well as being home to unique and special wildlife.
The company who currently dredges for sand there has to renew their resource consent. There is an established opposition to the project, but a lack of public awareness. What is sand mining anyway? Read on for a quick background, as well as some references and suggestions for how you can have your say. You can submit online or by mail, or help out in other ways.
Mangawhai, Jess Holdaway
What is happening?
Nearshore sand mining has been going on in the Mangawhai, Te Arai & Pakiri area for over 80 years. However, their approval is now expiring and the company has applied for a new consent, to both keep mining and expand their operation. The application is now with Auckland Council for resource consent, and is open to submissions from the public until the 4th of June. See the official consent documentation on the Council website.
Te Arai waves by Bri Woolnough
Sand Mining?
Sand is a natural resource very important for the construction industry as it is used to make glass and concrete. Sand mining has been going on worldwide for a really long time, however similarly to all our natural resources it is quickly running out, and the environmental destruction caused by intensive mining has become clear. Sand mining occurs throughout NZ, such as the iron sands on the west coast. Offshore mining essentially involves dredging the bottom and sucking up sand from different depths and layers of the seabed.
More info: short / medium / long
History of the current situation?
In 2006, this operation was opposed in Environmental Court and won the right to continue mining another 14 years, meaning they have legs to stand on with previous success. A big reason for this is that environmental teams could not definitively PROVE that the sand mining alone was the direct cause of erosion. Another factor in this is that the sand they mine supplies a lot of the construction industry in Auckland, and the government is looking to fast-track many construction projects post-lockdown. Public awareness and opposition will help.
What can I do?
We realise everyone is time poor so hopefully we can make it easier for you to express your thoughts. But please, if you can, do a little research. Just a quick google will get you up to date with the situation and sand mining in general! Be informed to make your own opinions.
If you have very little time, Friends of Pakiri Beach are a good place to start. They were founded to oppose the sand mining and opposed the consent in court in 2006. They have set up an online petition or you can donate to help them continue to support legal proceedings in court.
If you have more time, writing a submission of your own is the best way to help. The more public awareness and submissions, the better. You can submit online or print it off and TWO COPIES sent, one to Auckland Council, and one to the Applicant:
Kaipara Limited
C/- David Hay of Osborne Hay (North) Limited
PO Box 16
Warkworth
Auckland 0941
AND one to:
Auckland Council
Resource Consents
Private Bag 92300
Auckland 1142
Your submission must include your name, address & contact details (and for everyone who wishes to also sign onto the submission - if you get group of friend who wishes to write a submission together! However it would be better if everyone wrote their own) and clearly state that you OPPOSE the application for resource consent to extract sand off-shore from Pakiri.
It must include the application number CST60343373 and be signed & dated by everyone who wishes.
How to write a submission?
Don't be intimidated. It doesn't have to be a highly researched or scientific response. It is more about the council knowing that the public has an opinion about it.
What is your stance? Do you oppose sand mining in general or is it this specific area you care about? Or do you just oppose that this consent is too close to shore? Are you writing as a surfer, a bird watcher, a geologist, a fishing enthusiast, and environmentalist, a parent, a frequent visitor to the area? It is good to share your unique perspective and represent the many different meanings the area has to many different people. Sand mining effects the whole area in many different ways- physically and culturally.
Keep it short and to the point. Don't get too poetic or emotional. Be clear, concise and firm.
MAKE SURE you include your name, address, contact details, application number, a clear stance of your opposition AND it is signed and dated correctly…make your work count!!
Examples and thought starters:
Friends of Pakiri have a great list of general starting points, any of which could be expanded upon.
I have written my own submission which I thought I would share with you as a template or inspiration for style of writing. I have broken it down into a few areas that I personally care about. Again, it would be great to have different submissions that focus on one area in particular. For example, a submission that really broke down all the ways the activity could affect the surf community, or the fishing community, or the golfing community, or local small businesses would be really helpful. We all have a unique perspective to share. I have essentially written a brief introduction and then small, bullet point like points under different categories. Please feel free to copy it to start your own by adding or removing points to create your own submission. If you have written one, we'd love to share it as more examples of how to write a submission! Please send it through. And also, I am not at all an expert on this, so if anyone has better advice, please let me know!
Most of all, spread the world, and get other people involved to have their say.
Below is a submission I wrote, and also one by the Friends of Pakiri. Please feel free to copy & adapt!
“I am writing to oppose the application of resource consent for offshore mining at Pakiri, application number CST60343373.
This is an area of stunning natural beauty and is an important and beloved destination for many kiwis to visit (as well as those who call it home.) It is also an important refuge for wildlife and delicate coastal area vulnerable to intensive anthropological alterations. There are many reasons it should be protected, such as the following:
Lifestyle & recreation:
The areas of Mangawhai to Pakiri are growing settlements. It is built on the love of natural beauty and lifestyle- the area doesn’t need big industry to sustain & grow population.
They are an ever growing popular spot for local tourism (an international) tourism, ranging from beautiful camping spots, batches and luxury offerings. The area is also becoming a hot spot for high value spending because of attractions such as the famous golf course & luxury developments; these can only be adversely effected by dredging activities on their doorstep.
Surfing is the fastest growing sport in NZ and this is a central and important area for this activity. For locals, national & international tourism. NZ has already had proposals for ‘surf reserves’ following in the footsteps of the USA, AUS and other countries. We should be a world leader in this, and this area would be worthy of it.
It is a hotspot for many other kinds of water based recreation, from fishing to kayaking. Many recreational visitors to the area often make the observation (on local community groups, social media, etc.) of dredging ships being extremely close to shore and being an unwanted presence.
Wildlife:
Home to the rarest bird in all of NZ- the fairy terns, who are increasingly threatened by loss of habitat (sand dunes) and also their food sources.
The sandspit wildlife refuge is also home to other vulnerable birds such as the dotterel. Also it is in the name. SANDspit. We need the sand to be there for there to be a sandspit reserve.
Erosion is already effecting the sandspit. Rescue works have already been necessary in the past, when a secondary river outlet burst through the dune, and ongoing projects work on dune restoration and preservation.
It is an important feeding ground for transient larger marine mammals- orca in particular feed of the stingray that inhabit this area (the creature from which Mangawhai takes its name), and it is a popular feeding ground for dolphins. It is also a habitat for our shark friends; even hammerheads have been spotted in the area. Although these creatures are not year round residents, they are an important visitors also. We should not just be thinking about our human tourists.
Sand dredging is harmful to all marine dwelling life. It creates noise pollution and creates sediment. In the water making conditions adverse to marine creatures of all kinds. Dredging literally destroys habitats and life forms.
This area sits directly adjacent to two marine reserves- Tawharanui and Cape Rodney–Ōkakari Point to the south. Pakiri Beach, and the boundaries of the application permit, is right next to the marine reserve at Leigh. This was the first ever marine reserve in NZ- surely the surrounding areas are equally worthy of protection? Te Arai in particular is a haven for fish with its rocky outcrops providing a lovely habitat.
COMMON SENSE:
The world is running out of resources because of our consumption, and sand is one of them- the global situation is critical. Sand, like oil, is a finite and slow created resource. The sand taken from this area will not be quickly or easily replenished.
We do not need to export sand from here to other places (such as Auckland beaches...) when we are also running out of sand in this area, and fighting for dune restoration.
We should not be mining sand when we are also desperately trying to save our sand dunes. Erosion is an ever increasing problem nationwide. We need the sand. We KNOW there are risks with rising sea levels due to climate change in our future. Seriously, leave the sand. Allowing this seems extraordinarily short sighted.
Bad form:
The majority of global offshore mining is not permitted as close to shore or as shallow as this resource consent is asking for.
There have been multiple public observations and complaints of the sand mining activities breaching their consent and coming in too close to shore- yet no action has been taken to mitigate or penalise this rule breaking.
Let’s learn from other countries: Just as we avoided disaster during the covid-19 pandemic by learning from observing disastrous results in other countries terribly and tragically affected, let’s learn from the devastation sand mining has become in other lands such as China, Indonesia, etc. We have the information & data, and we should act upon the risk, the same we we took action against corona virus.
It doesn’t matter that this has already been going on for a number of years, it is never too late to stop, and continuing this activity can only be more harmful and destructive.
There are other sources of sand for construction, such as crushing rocks, or potentially other more suitable areas for sand mining (if sand mining is really so essential to the wellbeing of New Zealand.) We also need to invest in investigating alternatives to sand or concrete as a construction material for a long term solution.
The Green Covid Economic Stimulus Response is a popular and growing movement; and this is most decidedly not a ‘green’ activity. We should be looking to sustainable alternative for our future growth, not depleting our resources until we have nothing left.
”
“Box 1:
The non complying activity and the form(s) of its exercise. Being the offshore, gross extraction of sand from, and disturbance to, the sea bed, using a (trailing) suction pipe, in the Pakiri embayment.
Box 2:
- causal offshore and onshore adverse environmental effects; to flora, fauna, sea bed, water quality & biodiversity
- the Pakiri embayment is in substance, a closed system for the effective replenishment of sand taken out of the system via dredging
- the sand system is in annual deficit from effective sand inputs minus total dredging extraction volumes
- the licencee has failed to fulfil, and breached, many of the key conditions of the licence and has exercised the licence in ways not envisaged in the grant of the licence
- there are alternative & sustainable sand supply sources
- a finite, precious resource as enjoyed by the greater public, is being depleted for private profit
- climate change effects have not been properly considered eg rising sea levels, which in themselves are a direct threat to the coast, which the dredging will further exacerbate
- offshore sand dredging is out of step with Regional and National directives and climate change protocols and commitments
Box 3:
The ending of all dredging in the Pakiri Mangawhai embayment and the non renewal of any licence(s) or amendments thereto”
Thanks for reading! I hope you are inspired to get involved. And share!