Long-time Paihia resident Ross Robertson inspects the disappearing Waitangi waterfront. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
A long-time Bay of Islands resident says ratepayers could face a hefty bill to save part of Waitangi's waterfront from disappearing into the sea - a problem that could have been averted with a few hours' work when he first raised the alarm almost a year ago.
Ross Robertson, of Paihia, said a roughly 100-metre stretch of waterfront from the Waitangi roundabout toward Te Tii Marae had receded by up to six metres in places, exposing stormwater pipes, and undermining trees and benches.
The eroded bank was now just a few metres from Te Karuwha Parade, Waitangi's waterfront road.
Robertson said the erosion began in mid-2024 when sand mounded up by a storm blocked the outlet of a stormwater drain near the roundabout.
Unable to flow directly out to sea, the stream carved a new path parallel to the shore, heading northwest towards the marae.
Long-time Paihia resident Ross Robertson inspects the disappearing Waitangi waterfront. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
Since then the stream had been cutting away at what used to be a grassed area above the beach.
One bench had been removed when it became unsafe and its concrete base had fallen into the stream; another was set to follow, along with a couple of mature pōhutukawa.
"Since July 2024 I've been fighting with the council to try and get something done," he said.
The council had told him erosion was a natural part of coastal environments and could not be controlled.
Robertson, however, said the erosion at Waitangi was the result of a blocked drainage channel, not natural wave action.
Instead of going straight out to sea, stormwater now flows parallel to the shore towards Te Tii Marae. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
"They've claimed everything from it being a regional council problem to being foreshore erosion, but it's clearly a matter of a flooding drain."
He said the problem came to a head during Cyclone Tam because of the sheer volume of water gushing through the stormwater outlet.
The 67-year-old, who has lived in Paihia much of his life, said storms blocked the outlet every few years.
When he was younger, the council's solution was to use a backhoe to dig a direct path for stormwater to flow to the sea.
"This isn't the first time something like this has happened. It's the first time it hasn't been addressed formally, and it's caused a lot of subsequent damage and likely expense."
In the meantime a family from nearby Ōpua had taken it upon themselves to carry out a temporary fix.
Stormwater pipes show how far the land has receded. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
Robertson said the family turned up with a wheelbarrow and shovels to dig a new outlet to the sea.
He said the stream's new course was not in the ideal location but was the best that could be done with hand tools, and had reduced the length of waterfront exposed to erosion by about half.
Robertson said his enquiries finally appeared to be getting some traction, with the council's Climate Action team telling him it was investigating.
He said Paihia's economy relied almost entirely on tourism, and tourism depended on the town's beaches.
"If we're going to let the beaches erode, then really we have very little to offer, and it will impact tourism," he said.
Robertson said the next storm would likely overwhelm the locals' temporary fix, and the water could revert to sweeping northwards up the beach.
A pōhutukawa tree next to the stormwater outlet has been seriously undermined. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
It wouldn't take much to erode another two to three metres to the road's edge, he said.
The Far North District Council had not responded to requests for comment by publication time.
The Northland Regional Council said it had been made aware of the erosion, which was occurring in the road reserve administered by the Far North District Council - and possibly also in land alongside the State Highway 11 roundabout managed by NZTA.
Regional council regulatory services manager Colin Dall said, given the risk to roading, it was in the interest of the relevant road controlling authority to carry out erosion protection work.
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