“Crossroads –Making ToughDecisions forFutureGenerations” wasthis year’s themefor the NZ CoastalSociety AnnualSeminar held inOctober 2002 atPauanui Beach,Coromandel.

The NZCSChairperson,Harvey Brookeswelcomed over100 participantswho were presented with a keynote addressfrom Dr Andy Short, Director of the MarineStudies Centre and Coastal Studies Unit atthe University of Sydney.

The Coromandel Peninsula is facing hugepressures from increasing demands forhuman use, including competingcommercial and recreational users andsubdivision, throughout the coastal marginsand estuarine environments. The conferenceprovided an opportunity to discuss coastalmanagement and the development of toolsfor successful long-term management in theface of conflicting pressures. It was fantasticto see a positive meeting of such a diverserange of coastal professionals all keen tolearn and explore, network and catch upwith each other. Thanks must be given toour sponsors, Environment Waikato,MacCaferri, Tonkin & Taylor, Beca CarterHollings & Ferner Ltd and CSP Pacific whohelped ensure the conference was a greatsuccess.

This is the first conference where we havereached the maximum on attendee numbersand have had to turn some people away.We believe this reflects the continuallyincreasing interest in the work of the CoastalSociety and in coastal science, engineeringand management in general.

KeynoteAddress:AustralianApproaches toCoastalManagementDr Andy Short(University ofSydney)

Andy describedcoastal managementin Australia, whichis conducted at threelevels - federal, stateand local. Whereasthe local

government has had long experience indealing with coastal issues, traditionally ina policy vacuum, state governments onlybegan developing coastal policies andbecoming involved in coastal managementin the 1970s, while the first federal NationalOceans Policy (NOP) was enacted in 1998.

At a federal level the NOP links oceanecosystems to ecologically sustainabledevelopment and promotes strong, diverseand internationally competitive marineindustries. The federal government has alsoencouraged the establishment of marineparks around the Australian coast. Coastalmanagement in Australia is principally theresponsibility of the states that are concernedwith coastal pollution, coastal protection,provision of ports and harbours, coastallanduse planning and overall economicdevelopment. The responsibility is sharedin practice with local government.

Andy described the situation in NSW wherethe NSW Coastal Protection Act (1979) wasenacted after the devastating storms andcoastal erosion in the mid-1970s. The firstNSW Coastal Policy in 1990 was quitenarrow, largely responding to large-scaletourist and development pressures. Itsrevision in 1997 expanded the terms ofreference to broader based environmental

NZCS Conference 2002– An Overview

Newsletter of the New Zealand Coastal Society: a Technical Group of IPENZIssue 21 • November 2002

ISSN 1172-6938

Coastal news

ContentsConference 2002- An Overview 1-5, 8-9

WRC Tsunami Report 6

Wellington HarbourCase Study Update 7

New Coastal Book 7

Tauranga CoastalHazards 10

Word from the Chair 10

Regional Coordinators 10

NZCS AnnualReport 11-12

NZCS MissionStatement 12

Test YourCoastal Knowledge 12

What’s Hot onthe WWW 13

Regional News 14

NZCS Reports 14

Student ScholarshipWinner 15

Wahine StormReconstruction 15

Editorial 16

National HazardsCentre 16

A Thought from theManagementCommittee 16

NZCS NewProject Proposal 17

University News 18

NZCS ManagementCommittee 18

Conferences/Workshops 19

Coastal & StormHazards WorkshopProceedings 19

Conference Gallery 20

www.coastalsociety.org.nz

Tairua Beach(Photo: Jim Dahm, Coastline Consultants)

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Coastal News No. 212

and social issues, and extended the coastal zoneto include estuaries, lakes, lagoon and rivers. Thepolicy addresses issues such as water quality,ocean outfalls, fishery habitats, wetlands, intertidalreserves, development controls (coastalsettlements), cultural heritage and climate change.It discourages ribbon development, bans sandmining in national parks, bans canal estates (stillpermitted in some states), and encourages localcommunity involvement.

Local government is the beachhead of coastalmanagement. There are hundreds of LocalGovernment Areas (LGA’s) around the Australiancoast and 57 in NSW alone. They rangeconsiderably in size, population, coastalenvironment, climate and hazards, as well asresources and development pressures. In NSWeach LGA must have a Coastal ManagementCommittee (also Estuary Management Committeeand Catchment Management Committees). Allcommittees have a majority of communitymembers, together with representatives from localgovernment and some state agencies. Thecommittees develop coastal management plans,using guidelines set out in the NSW CoastalManagement Manual (presently under revision).The plans must be approved by regulatoryauthorities and receive 50% state funding. SomeLGA’s combine to develop regional plans suchas the Sydney Harbour Regional Councils andthe Northern Rivers Regional Councils.

Andy’s parting shot was that he felt that the timehad come for coastal management in Australia

because of broad community (voter) support andthe fact that management had moved from coast(property) protection to coast (environment)protection. There was a need for coastalmanagement to be adapted to local/state/regionalenvironment & requirements and in places itneeds regional integration. He considered that itbecomes increasingly compromised at local level,and needs state and federal oversight and fundsto address this issue.

By Terry Hume (NIWA)

The Coastal CRC: An Australian Initiativefor Bridging the Gaps between Scientists,Decision-Makers and the CommunityTim Smith (Griffith University)

Tim began by providing an overview of CoastalCooperative Research Centres (or Coastal CRCs)in Australia, the mission of which is to deliverdecision-making tools, understanding andknowledge necessary for the effectivemanagement and ecosystem health of coastalzones, estuaries and waterways. The researchfocus of the CRCs are transdisciplinary andintegrated with research themes that attempt tointegrate research into policy. Tim spoke abouthis current project - the Citizen Science Toolbox. Citizen Science aims to provide a strategy forlinking scientists, stakeholders and decision-makers. In doing so, Citizen Science promotes anactive citizen society and promotes citizenresponsibility. Tim suggests looking at the websitefor more information (see p13 for website address).

By Tracey Grant (Beca)

Review of the New Zealand Coastal PolicyStatementDenise Young (Department of Conservation)

Denise Young, a senior policy analyst with theDepartment of Conservation, discussed theforthcoming review of the New Zealand CoastalPolicy Statement (NZCPS). The current policywas gazetted in 1994 and must be reviewed before2004. She explained that the Government wascurrently engaged in the process of selecting areviewer (or reviewers) and that the formal reviewwould commence by November 2003. Denisedoesn’t expect a new policy statement to be inplace before 2006, given the contested nature ofcoastal management in New Zealand.

There have been a number of developments sincethe first NZCPS was prepared, including thedemand for more and larger marine farms,increased knowledge of the nature of coastalhazards, increased conflict over pubic access tothe coast, the impact of Treaty of Waitangi claimsand settlements, the development of governmentpolicy in the area of oceans and biodiversity, andprogress in completing the first generation ofregional coastal plans. The new NZCPS mayneed to respond to some or all of these issues.

In the meantime the Department has been

Keynote speaker Dr Andy Short presentingto the conference

NZCS Chairman, Harvey Brookes, andKeynote speaker, Dr Andy Short

November 2002 3

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discussing the strengths and weaknesses of thepresent policy with local authority staff in a seriesof 12 nationwide meetings. Denise identified anumber of issues raised at these meetings,including the role of the NZCPS in the post-plan(regional coastal) environment, the need for betterimplementation of policies, the role of restrictedcoastal activities, definition of the coastalenvironment, and the need for better integrationbetween district and regional councils. Membersof the NZ Coastal Society will, no doubt, lookforward to the forthcoming review and theopportunity to further improve coastalmanagement in this country.

By Mike Hilton (University of Otago)

Aquaculture ReformsOwen Cox (MfE)

Owen Cox from MfE outlined the proposedforthcoming aquaculture reforms that are requireddue to the huge number of applications for spacein 2001 and a regulatory regime that preventsResource Management Act 1991 (RMA) consentauthorities considering the impact of aquaculturedevelopment on fishing.

A key element of this proposed reform isstreamlining of the regulatory processes by anumber of methods such as:

• Providing RMA to be the main legislationcontrolling aquaculture with an amendmentof the interface between RMA and fisherieslegislation. This will mean that allenvironmental effects and fisheries mattersare considered when decisions are madeconcerning aquaculture.

• Minister of Conservation having the power todirect regional councils on relevant matters ofgovernment policy that need to be taken intoaccount when determining areas / activitiesto be tendered and when setting tender criteria.

• Retaining a Fisheries Act test to ensure thataquaculture development does not proceedwhere it has undue adverse effect on eithercustomary or commercial fishing. Voluntaryagreements can be reached with affectedcommercial fisheries rights holders.

• Registration under the Fisheries Act 1996.

• All existing marine farming, leases, licencesand permits to be transferred to the newregime.

• Providing for economic development bycreation of aquaculture management areas incoastal plans.

• Ensuring cumulative effects of aquaculture onthe environment are assessed.

• Providing regional councils with greaterpowers to manage and control the stageddevelopment of aquaculture within AMA’s.

Government plans to introduce AquacultureReform Bill in late November.

By Ken Murray (DoC)

Aquaculture Variation to the ProposedAuckland Regional Plan: CoastalSharlene Pardy (ARC) & Alan Moore (ARC)

Sharlene and Alan presented their work definingAquaculture Management Areas (AMAs) anddeveloping a policy framework to managedevelopment within AMAs for the Auckland andWaikato regions.

There has been major growth in the marinefarming industry over the past five years and theindustry is continuing to expand both in thenumber and scale of marine farming operationsand in the species farmed.

In response to industry growth and pressure oncoastal open space for aquaculture, centralgovernment has announced its intention to amendthe RMA in an effort to manage aquaculture inan appropriate and effective manner through theprovision of AMAs.

The key principles in the provision of AMAs are:

• The coastal marine area is predominantlypublic open space.

• Aquaculture is appropriate at the right locationand scale.

• The life supporting capacity of ecosystemsneed to be safeguarded.

• A precautionary approach should be takenwhere information is lacking.

• Minimise the impacts on public access,navigation and natural character.

• Space allocation should be efficient.

• Certainty of outcome minimises ‘transactioncosts’ to applicants and communities.

The first stage in developing AMAs was thedevelopment of a ‘constraints map’ whichidentified various uses and values of the coastalmarine area, such as navigation, recreation,anchorages, natural character, fishing and culturalheritage. The purpose of the mapping exercisewas to identify areas of high value and use thatmay conflict with aquaculture activities. Such

Leigh Hopper discussing thePaunaui waterways

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Coastal News No. 214

areas of high constraint are then discounted aspotential AMAs. Conversely, areas of low or noconstraint will be considered as potential sites forAMAs. Alan noted that the accuracy of theconstraints map was only as good as theinformation received but that it gave a broadindication of areas of low constraint to be assessedin the next stage of AMA development.

The use of defined AMAs will require an allocationmethod to be developed. The ARC is undertakingconsultation with MfE and Ministry forConservation to determine an appropriate coastaltendering process to be employed. The allocationmechanism will then be incorporated into a policyframework for inclusion in the variation toproposed Regional Plan: Coastal.

By Matt Paterson (ACC)

Planning and Precaution: Linking Policyand Science in the Management of MarineFarmingRobin Britton (Consultant), Rosalind Wilton (EW)& Dr Stephanie Turner (EW)

Environment Waikato followed on from AucklandRegional Council (ARC) to explain how a MarineFarming Variation to the Waikato Regional CoastalPlan identifies an area at Wilson’s Bay in the Firthof Thames as a Marine Farming zone (a.k.a.Aquaculture Management Area – AMA). RobinBritton stressed that these decisions often needto be made with limited information, so anapproach that is precautionary but responsive toincreased knowledge is required.

Policy was developed that enabled science toinform the management of marine farmingthrough an iterative and adaptive process. Robinexplained that Environment Waikato has requiredthat marine farming development in the Wilson’sBay be staged, with monitoring results from thefirst stage of development indicating whether thesubsequent stage can progress.

Stephanie Turner joined Robin to explain the widerange of physical and biological monitoringrequired as part of consent conditions of themarine farms at Wilson’s Bay. Stephanie alsooutlined current work towards establishing triggerpoints (or performance criteria) for Wilson’s Bay,

as well as a joint project with ARC and theindustry to assess the sustainability of shellfishoperations in the Firth of Thames.

This talk provided a very interesting insight intothe practical implementation of AMAs, and thebenefits of closely linking science with policy anddecision-making.

By Bronwen Gibberd (EW)

Estuaries – Management ChallengesDr Stephanie Turner (EW)

Stephanie gave the conference a brief overviewof what estuaries are and the type of estuarymanagement problems we are facing. Primaryproblems for estuary management include landclearance (especially forestry), agriculture, infillingand reclamation, channel dredging, marinefarming, sewage works and potential effects fromsea level rise. Changes that have beendocumented include rising rates of sedimentinfilling and the rate of mangrove growth,declining numbers of sea grass beds and the lossin the number of shellfish.

Key management issues include a need to takean integrated management approach, spatialcontinuity to include land catchments throughestuaries to the open ocean. Another key issuefor management is the lack of knowledge ofcumulative effects, these have not been quantifiedor critically analysed yet.

Environment Waikato has a number ofinformation needs for which research has begun.These include long term monitoring programmes,specific field studies or case studies, conceptualand predictive models and social, cultural andeconomic (such as cost of loss of estuaries) values. It is important that scientific information mustbe made available and useable by the decisionmaking process.

Stephanie concluding by saying that the integrityof estuaries must not be unduly compromisedand the management of these special placesrequires a proactive integrated approach.

By Lucy Brake (Beca)

Studies of Sand Storage and Movementin the Tairua-Pauanui EmbaymentDr Terry Hume (NIWA)

Terry provided an update of research that NIWAhas undertaken into the coastal geomorphic andgeological processes occurring in the vicinity ofthe location of the NZCS conference - Pauanuiand Tairua. Any assessment needs to understandand quantify the sand in storage, the movementof sand, the features and processes that act tocontrol movement, the sources of sediment, andrates of loss due to erosion and movement in andout of the system. The approach taken by NIWAwas to, in effect, “pull the system apart”, and thento reconstruct it by way of models. The studybroke the sand system into three subcomponents

Hugh Keane from Environment Waikatodiscussing the proposed Taiura Marina

November 2002 5

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– the offshore, the tidal deltas (ebb and flood) andthe barriers (Pauanui and Tairua). Wide-ranginginvestigations included sediments, side-scan sonarmapping, seismic surveys of the seafloor, groundpenetrating radar of the barriers’ cores, currentmetering, instrumented tripod developments onthje seabed, sediment sampling, Cam-era andnumerical modelling. As part of this suite ofmeasurements, the study undertook repeatsurveys of bed-forms and sediment facies atoffshore locations. Rather surprisingly, this foundremarkably persistent bed-form features in 15 -20 m depth, despite significant storm events. Sandtransport was predicted by analysing thecharacteristics of seabed ripples, levels of sandre-suspension, as well as the effect of non-uniformspatially varying roughness. The ability of Cam-era and the digital rectification of oblique imageswere also described.

By Harvey Brookes (ARC)

Coastal Hazards and DevelopmentSetback Recommendations on theCoromandel PeninsulaBronwen Gibberd (EW) & Peter Wishart (TCDC)

Bronwen and Peter presented an excellent paperon a topic of relevance to many local authoritiesas they face up to increasing developmentpressures. They told us that, on the CoromandelPeninsula, over 75% of all sandy beaches are nowdeveloped and the close proximity of thisdevelopment to the sea, and the consequentialdamage to the natural dune system, has resultedin widespread coastal hazard problems.

Development setbacks have been in place on partsof the Coromandel Peninsula since the early 1980s.The use of setbacks as a planning instrument hasrecently been reviewed in light of considerablyimproved knowledge of coastal behaviour. Twotypes of beaches have been identified: dune barrierbeach systems, usually enclosing estuaries, andpocket beach systems that generally occur in smallembayments on steep rocky coasts.

The new setback recommendations are intendedto ensure that hazard risk is avoided or mitigatedas far as possible while maintaining some naturalbuffer zone. In developed areas, the setbackdistances are based largely on hazard risk whereas

in undeveloped areas a much wider zone (100m)has been recommended to make allowance fornatural character and amenity values.

On developed coastlines, two setback zones havebeen recommended with distances appropriateto the two types of beaches. The PrimaryDevelopment Setback (PDS) is intended to providefor dynamic shoreline change and the SecondaryDevelopment Setback (SDS) includes an allowancefor aggravation of existing coastal hazards likelyto be driven by such matters as projected sea levelrise over the next 100 years.

The concept of a PDS and a SDS is sound and,although there may be room for debate as to howthe distances are defined, other councils couldwell consider adopting the same terminology, inan effort towards developing more consistentcoastal management practices around the NewZealand coastline

By John Lumsden (Consultant)

Are we getting the Coast we Deserve?Waikato Region Coastal Values SurveysJill Thompson (Consultant)

Approximately 75% of the beaches on theCoromandel Peninsula are affected bydevelopments, reflecting that coastal beaches arethe most popular destination for leisure activities.National and international demand for access tobeaches is growing, particularly to clean,undeveloped beaches. Of the nearly1200 responsesto an extensive, region-wide survey on beach useand management, 80.2% chose the “natural beach”over “rip-rap”, “grass verge” and “city” beachespopularly visited. A further 17.5% preferred agrass-verged beach. Most respondents consideredthat retention of some undeveloped beaches wasVery Important, while least valued was protectionof private property, even at the expense of losingthe beach. Coastal property owners tended towant to protect their asset and regarded that theirviews should rate more highly than non-coastalproperty owners, whereas non-coastal propertyowners saw the beach as a community asset andfelt that if an asset needed protecting, it probablyshould not have been built there in the first place.

Walking/running (93%), swimming (83%) andsunbathing/relaxing (77%) were the most popularactivities for the beach, while on average $11.57was spent per person per day at the beach. Initialsurvey work clearly indicates that the more naturalthe beach, the higher its value and importance intheir lives.

By Eric Verstappen (NDC)

Environmental Economics: What’s it gotto do with the Coast?Matt Hickman (EW)

In his presentation Matt explored the theory,practice, and challenge of environmentaleconomics, in particular deriving economic values

Jim Dahm discussing the finer points ofbeach care at Tairua

continued on page 8

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Coastal News No. 216

In July 2002 a report was released from theWellington Regional Council (WRC) titled:‘Options for Managing Risks from Tsunami inthe Wellington Region’ produced by consultantsTonkin & Taylor. The report builds on our currentlevel of technical knowledge (provided to WRCby GeoEnvironmental consultant James Goff inhis Tsunami Scoping Report) but alsoacknowledges that our level of knowledge of thescience of tsunami will continue to grow.

The main aims of the project were to identify andassess options for managing risks from tsunamito the Wellington Region, and to recommend amanagement approach for each distinct sectionof the coastline or community. The key interestwas to protect human life through good planning,building and infrastructure design and placement,and assisting recovery of the community throughmanagement of lifelines/infrastructure.

The report characterises the Wellington region’scoast into seven classes of landuse or developmenttitled ‘Elements at Risk’ (see Figure 1 - Please noteFigure 1 can be viewed in colour on the website– www.cae.canterbury.ac.nz/nzcs//NZCS21.pdf).

Seven management options were then devised,considered from principles from the NationalTsunami Hazard Mitigation Programme in theUS (see Table 1). In summary, seven classes oflanduse or development for the Wellington Regionwere devised (see Figure 1), as well as seven waysthat tsunami risk can be managed (see Table 1).

To assist the territorial authorities, a number ofmanagement options were discussed for each ofthe ‘Elements at Risk’ (Figure 1) as being directlyrelevant to that section of landuse ordevelopment. For example, forClass G (Coastal Infrastructure)management options 3,4,5and 7 are relevant.

This report is a newstyle of publicationthat the WRC isexploring. Itseeks to buildon the existinghazardknowledgethat theWRC has,andattempts toprovideoptions andofferguidelines forthe TerritorialAuthorities tomanage the hazardin their area.

Table 1: Management Options tominimise the risk of tsunami on the

social and physical environment(Source: Tonkin & Taylor)

A copy of this report and the earlier Scoping Studycan be found in the publications page of the WRCwebsite: www.wrc.govt.nz, or follow these directlinks:www.wrc.govt.nz/pub/view_doc.cfm?id=468scoping study andwww.wrc.govt.nz/pub/view_doc.cfm?id=527options study

If you have any queries, please contact RyleePettersson, Hazard Analyst at the WellingtonRegional Council on 04) 385 5708, or email atrylee.pettersson@wrc.govt.nz.

WRC Tsunami Report

Lifelines/Essential Infrastructure

Urban Residential

Urban Industrial/Commercial

Semi rural/semi urban

Potential/Future Development

No Development/RuralCoastal Infrastructure

Figure 1: Characterisation of regional coast according to classesof elements at risk (Source: Tonkin & Taylor 2002)

Option 1 Identification of risk: hazard,vulnerability and exposure

Option 2 Avoid new development in tsunamihazard areas

Option 3 Control the location and nature ofnew development

Option 4 Regulate the design andconstruction of buildings in tsunamihazard areas

Option 5 Protect existing natural and physicalresources

Option 6 Planning and design of keyinfrastructure and critical facilities

Option 7 Emergency response plans

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Coastal News 20 detailed some of the workWellington Regional Council (WRC) wereplanning to undertake later this year . This articleis an update on the progress of that work.

WRC have a webpage on the design desk and thisshould be up and running shortly. This will bean important point of contact for the study,enabling people and community groups to keepup to date with the latest events.

WRC have an information database underway.The data will be available on the webpage in thecoming months (see above). The database (ametadata base) will hold most popular marineand coastal publications, technical papers andother reference material for the case study area.A search engine will be built and accessed via thewebsite. This will allow people interested inWellington harbour and other parts of Cook Straitaccess to a list of publications. The database willprovide all current details about a publication,such as where to source it, copyright controls andwho to contact about the publication.

Another information project WRC are also gettingunderway with is GIS layers of the case studyarea. The layers will be built from existinginformation and again accessed via the websiteabove. Some preliminary layers are bathymetry,resource management boundaries, shipping lanes,fishing areas, areas of significant conservationvalue, sea surface temperatures and so on.

WRC are also progressing with communityparticipation in this project. A series of talks hasbeen planned at Te Papa, the first was held on 14

November 2002. The idea is to involve thecommunity with the marine environment for thestudy area. The talks will cover many themes,the first was a series of small talks and discussionson the biophysical aspects of the harbour andstrait, what community groups are involved in,what education possibilities exist, and aninteractive session about how the community canhelp plan events in the future.

WRC also have moved along with understandingof marine legislation and the decision- makingpaths contained within this legislation. Morework is required in this area, and some excitingprojects are planned. Keep a look out for the nextupdate in Coastal News 22.

If you want any more information please call PaulDenton on 04 384 5708 or email:paul.denton@wrc.govt.nz

Wellington Harbour Case Study – An Update

Castle Point, Wellington

There has long been a need for an earth sciencebased book about the New Zealand coast.However, while there has long been a need, todate a book has not been forthcoming. So it ispleasing to note that a book is finally at the presses.It is called "The New Zealand Coast: Te Tai OAotearoa" and is edited by Helen Rouse (WestCoast Regional Council), James Goff(GeoEnvironmental Consultants) and Scott Nichol(University of Auckland). Chapter contributionshave come from 22 authors, representing a crosssection of Universities, Regional Authorities andCrown Research Institutes.

NZCS has contributed to the book by way ofcontribution to the publication costs and throughCoastal Society members writing chapters.

The editors began work on the book way back inAugust 1997 and it is a tribute to the enthusiasmand patience of the contributing authors that thisbook is now emerging as a reality. It is hoped thatthe book can fulfill its potential as a tool to assiststudents and workers alike with their interest in,and responsibilities to, the New Zealand coastline.

A New Zealand Coastal Book – at lastAlthough the work contained in the book is byno means exhaustive, the chapters provide acompilation representative of coastal research inAotearoa/New Zealand. The chapter topicsinclude regional tectonics, physical oceanography,tsunami and storm surge hazard, shelf sandsystems, high energy beaches, gravel and mixedsand and gravel beaches, sandy barriers andcoastal dunes, estuaries and tidal inlets, coastalwetlands, humans on the coast, and contaminantson the coast.

The book is a key milestone and we look forwardto future editions of this, and similar volumes, toprovide an ongoing commentary of our NewZealand coast.

The book launch is planned for early in the newyear, when copies may be purchased at anaffordable price from Whitireia Publishing inAuckland. Full details on how to buy a copy ofthe New Zealand Coast will be published in thenext Coastal News.

For further information please contact Lucy Brake,Editor Coastal News, lbrake@beca.co.nz

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Coastal News No. 218

for the coast in order to ensure that such areasare fully taken account of in decision-making.

With the focus now on sustainability, decision-making needs to balance social, environmentaland economic considerations. Not placing amonetary value on natural coastal resources haseffectively excluded these from consideration inthe policy decision-making process.

A range of economic valuation techniques hasbeen developed to assist in imputing the monetaryvalue attached to environmental goods andservices. The general aim of these is to determinethe trade-offs (in monetary terms) that individualswould be prepared to make.

An example given was how much you would bewilling to pay in your rates for a natural,undeveloped beach against a developed beachwith good access and facilities. A monetary valueis then derived. This monetary value can thenbe used with social and economic considerations.

Like most perception-based values there aredifficulties in applying such techniques basedaround the questions asked and how the valuesare derived. However, even if agreement cannotbe reached in terms of actual monetary values,such valuations can be extremely useful in termsof understanding the relative importance of issues.

In order to protect the unique character of NewZealand’s coastline, there needs to be a definitechange in thinking towards how our societyvalues our coastline and how such values can beequitably integrated into decision making, toensure their ongoing protection and existence.

Matt concluded that:

• Internationally there has been a ‘bridging ofthe gap between conventional economics andenvironmental economics!

• Although not common in New Zealand,especially for the coastal area, there is growinginterest across the industry for the potentialusefulness of environmental valuations.

• The challenge is to encourage research in thisarea as well as the acceptability and usabilityof environmental monetary valuation indecision-making.

By Matt Paterson (ACC)

The Impact of Exotic Grasses on theDevelopment of Active Dune Systems inNew Zealand and Southeast AustraliaDr Mike Hilton (University of Otago)

Mike Hilton presented an interesting paper aboutthe impact of exotic plants on active dune systemsin both New Zealand and Australia and theirability to completely dominate the naturalvegetation and change the functioning of sanddune systems.

Using Mason’s Bay Stewart Island sand dunes as

an example, Mike illustrated the rapid invasion(1978 to 1999) of the exotic marram grass overdunes containing scattered populations of pingaoand sand tussocks. This marram invasion resultedin the development of a major fore dune complexwhere none existed previously. In 1999, theDepartment of Conservation aerially sprayed themarram with gallant with backpack follow up.Native pingao is now re-establishing althoughthe foredune is still bonded together by deadmarram rhizomes.

Mike also illustrated changes in the Manawatudune system following introduction of marram.This system has had several phases of active dune(6000, 3500, 1000 years BP). With the marraminvasion habitats a number of species dependenton dune mobility were lost.

A chilling example illustrated was the spread ofSea spurge (Euphorbia paralis) a perennial herbnative to Southern Europe around SouthernAustralia and Tasmania. Its seeds can remainviable in seawater for seven years and can betransported in ballast water. Again the dunecommunities are totally dominated by this plant.

Overall, there is great potential for some newexotic species to colonise NZ’s dune systems. Atpotential risk are dunes that are down currentfrom Australia that presently have few exoticplants and retain their naturally functioning, suchas in Fiordland. Exotic invaders can also totallydominate indigenous plant communities andchange dune functioning. But the good news isthat they can be eradicated and the indigenouscommunities can re-establish.

By Ken Murray (DoC)

Cheese Tasting and Dinner

The evening started off with a delectable selectionof cheeses and a talk from the cheese makers.This was followed by a luscious dinner of seafoodand other goodies (you can tell it’s a piscatorialwriting this), before everyone settled in for themain event of the evening – pudding. And I mustpause briefly here to rave about the richness ofthe chocolate cake and the general deliciousnessof the cheesecake thingy (I had three helpings!).

Well lubricated with wine and entertaining

Tairua Harbour

continued from page 5

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Whitianga field trip

conversation, the evening then turned to moreloquacious activities. The Improvisers (who someremembered from the Auckland Conference of2000) gave us moving rendition of “Bronwen andTom in the ruck” accompanied by the dulcet tonesof Craig Davis (not the last time we would hearhis singing voice that evening). We also heard anentertaining tale of Crusty Crackles Ken generatinga current in novel ways to reach the blue sands ofInvercargill. Control of the evening was taken outof Harvey’s hands, but my personal favourite wasa tribute to the newly married Susy and husbandClarke, the Superman in her life.

As the evening wore on, the crowds thinned andthe serious merrymaking got underway. But asthey say, what goes on at the conference, stays atthe conference (I went to bed early and no-one’sadmitting to anything) so just let me conclude bysaying you had to be there!

By Jo Fagan (WRC)

Whitianga Field Trip

Day two of the Seminar was largely devoted to atour of local coastal hot spots, starting with thePauanui “Waterways” development. LeeHopper gave a very informative account of theenvironmental issues associated with this canal-housing style development. Regardless of theirpolitics, most delegates were impressed by theamenities and high water quality standards in thecanals.

Delegates then enjoyed morning tea at the UpperDeck on the former Auckland ferry near theproposed site of the Tairua marina. Refreshed,the party moved to Tairua Beach, where TerryHume described NIWA’s Cam-era project (seephoto above) and Jim Dahm discussed local beachmanagement. Delegates then enjoyed the twistsand turns and stunning scenery of the Coromandelranges on the journey to Whitianga.

The salt marsh and mangrove habitats of theWhitianga estuary reminded those of us now livingin the south of our northern pnuemataphors (i.e.roots). We slowed as we entered the town to viewthe Whitianga Waterways development, which issimilar in style to the Pauanui project. The coastalhazard issues and “temporary” engineering

solutions at Buffalo and Ohuka Beaches providedfuel for an absorbing discussion on the foreshore.

Thereafter, people lazed on the foreshore andenjoyed their packed lunch. A great day out -thanks to Bronwen and Co. and all the speakers. Based on the sites visited coastal managementwill continue to be relevant for many years hence.

By Mike Hilton (University of Otago)

Wharekawa/Whangamata Field Trip

The importance of the Wharekawa Estuary forbird feeding and breeding was illustrated by thepresence of dotterels as we walked over the sandflats. Although fairly pristine in terms of lack ofdevelopment, the catchment is made up of 50-60% exotic forestry, and when this is harvestedlarge amounts of sediment flood the estuary.

This increased sedimentation of the estuary hasmeant a rapid increase in mangroves, although itis unknown to what extent increased nutrientsare also contributing.

Some local people seem very concerned about thespread of the mangroves, and the associated lossof recreational opportunities, and are nowremoving new mangroves on a weekly basis.

Environment Waikato has undertaken asedimentation study in the Wharekawa andWhangamata estuaries, as both have a small tidalprism and are becoming very infilled. Both haveconcerned locals removing new mangroves. TheCouncil is now trying to incorporate themonitoring of estuarine sedimentation andbiological communities into the consent conditionsfor forestry companies clearing productionforestry.

Whangamata is an incredibly popular summerbeach resort with numbers swelling to about50,000 during the summer holidays. TheWhangamata Beachcare group started in 1994,and despite a “healthy scepticism” by some in thelocal community, have successfully re-vegetatedforedunes and provided access ways to directpedestrian traffic onto the beach, and to protectthe revegetation plantings.

By Jo Fagan (WRC)

Tairua webcam - spot the NZCSConference group!

CoastalNews

Coastal News No. 2110

Further to an article presented on page 14 ofCoastal News 19 about coastal hazards in theTauranga District area, this is a further update.

At the end of the last article it was noted that thetechnical evidence relating to the EnvironmentCourt appeal had been completed and that theCourt had retired to consider its decision withrespect the evidence presented.

In August 2002 the Court delivered its decision. The Court, with one exception, upheld theCouncil's decision by confirming:

- the positions and validity of the Extreme, Highand Moderate Risk Zones.

- the lack of certainty as to the future climatechange and how such change will affect thedrivers that lead to shoreline movement.

- the sediment system for the area is governedby cross shore transport mechanisms.

- the Bruun Rule was an appropriate methodfor assessing the possible effects of sea levelrise for the area.

- that Tauranga District Council had actedappropriately in pursuing the course of

investigation and analysis with regard tocoastal hazard risk.

The Court however found that in its opinion thesafety buffer zone was overly conservative andshould be deleted.

The Court directed that Tauranga District Councilfile for its consideration a memorandum with theCourt with respect to proposed amendments tothe provisions in its Proposed District Plan relativeto coastal hazard management.

Since the decision was delivered both the TaurangaDistrict Council and the appellant have appealedthe decision to the High Court of New Zealand.The basis of the appellants appeal is that theEnvironment Court could not have reasonablyreached the decision it has on the evidencepresented while the Council's appeal relates tothe Court's decision to delete the safety bufferzone.

Further news of the coastal hazard issues forTauranga District will be supplied in the nextissue of Coastal News.

For further information, please contact the Editor,Coastal News.

Coastal Hazards — Tauranga District

NZCS Regional Co-ordinatorsThere are a number of Regional Co-ordinators around the country who may be able to help you if youhave any queries about NZCS going on’s in your local area — or if you are just interested in gettinginvolved in the NZCS on a local level.

North Island

Northland Rick Stolwerk stolwerk@xtra.co.nz

Auckland Matt Paterson patersom@akcity.govt.nz

Waikato/BOP Bronwen Riddle Bronwen.Riddle@ew.govt.nz

Hawkes Bay VACANT

Taranaki Peter Atkinson dwk.newplymouth@duffillwatts.com

Manawatu/Wanganui Lachie Grant lachie.grant@horizons.govt.nz

Wellington VACANT

South Island

Upper South Island Eric Verstappen eric@tdc.govt.nz

Canterbury Justin Cope justin.cope@ecan.govt.nzBrodie Young brodie.young@ecan.govt.nz

Southland/Otago Mike Hilton mjh@geography.otago.ac.nz

For further information, please feel free to contact the NZCS Regional Co-ordinator Jo Fagan(jo.Fagan@wrc.govt.nz)

In a sense this edition of Coastal News brings theNZCS year to a close, and begins what I hopewill be another exciting and positive year for thesociety. This year's conference at Pauanui was atremendous success by any measure, and was afitting way to conclude the past 12 months. Youcan read more detail on the achievements of theyear in my Annual Report.

The one additional comment that needs to be

added to that is my own sincere and personalthanks to the 2001/02 Management Committee,and also to Bronwen Gibberd and Matt Pattersonfor the huge amount of work that went intoorganising the 2002 conference.

Best wishes

Harvey Brookes, Chairman, NZCSe-mail: Harvey.Brookes@arc.govt.nz

A Word from the Chair

November 2002 11

CoastalNews

It is my great pleasure to report to you on theactivities and achievements of the New ZealandCoastal Society (NZCS) over the past 12 months.As chairman, it has been my pleasure to workwith a very capable and enthusiastic committee,which has helped to lead a year of achievementand change for the society.

From a personal perspective, that change startedat this same conference 12 months ago, when asa society, we decided that a change in directionwas needed. Some of you may recall my call fora change from a culture of transactional thinkingto one of transformation and change. That changewas about becoming an organisation with a greaterpublic profile, an organisation recognised as aleader in coastal issues throughout New Zealand,and a provider of excellent services and productsto its members and the wider community. To thisend we have developed a strategic plan whichhas helped us to focus on the key outcomes anddeliverables which we wanted to achieve in ourterm as committee. My report focuses on ourachievements relative to that plan.

The changes we have made have necessarilyfocused on the core activities of the committee.Outside of the annual conference, the society existsprincipally through the activity of its committee.We have reduced the size of the committee to 10,and ensured that each committee member hasdefined roles and outcomes that they takeownership of while in service to the society. Wehave reduced the number of committee meetings,and focused on fewer, more focused and moreresults oriented committee gatherings. I ampleased to say that this has led to good outcomes,quicker resolution of issues and generally betterservice to our members. I would also dare tosuggest that we have each shared our own ideason leadership, coastal management and even alittle philosophy, which some of you might havenoticed by way of the occasional passage of coastalwisdom in the Coastal News.

More specifically, the stand-out achievements forme and the committee in the past year haveincluded:

1. The continued evolution and increasedreadership of our flagship publication “CoastalNews”. CN is a high quality publication whichrepresents many of the major coastal interestsin New Zealand, and is published to a regularschedule. CN fills a well-defined niche inbetween technical journals and general mediapublications, and does it in a way that isreadable to a very wide audience. It really isour flagship product, and one of which I thinkthe whole society can be very proud of. I’dlike to especially mention several people whohave lead this publication to its current highstandard.

— Terry Hume (immediate past Editor) hassomehow managed to squeeze producingCN in between his other manycommitments. Terry’s role has been pivotalin seeing CN reach its current highstandard. Terry has now stood down fromthe Editor’s role to focus on next year’sCoasts and Ports Conference.

— Lucy Brake (Editor) has been AssociateEditor of CN for several years, and hasnow stepped up to the Editor’s role. Lucyhas been the backbone of CN in terms ofsearching out articles, web-link and givingpeople a gentle nudge to submit articleson time. I’m sure under Lucy’s leadership,CN will grow even further. Mike Hiltonhas now stepped into the AssociateEditor’s role, which is sure to bring asouthern flavour to future editions.

2. The NZCS web-site has continued to evolve,and is now more actively managed to ensureit is up to date, topical and interesting toreaders world-wide. In the past year we haverevised the domain name for the site, updatedcontent and revamped the overall structureof the site. John Lumsden has beeninstrumental in this, working alongsideCharles Hendtlass from CAE to ensure wehave a worthwhile and attractive portal ontothe world-wide-web.

3. Membership has been a key focus for thesociety since last October. Our Strategic Planset a target of increasing our membership baseby 10% by February 2003. Since that time wehave identified around 35 people andorganisations who were offeredcomplementary membership by the NZCS atthe 2000 seminar, but were never given theopportunity to take up that offer. We havenow contacted most of these people, andalmost all of them have accepted our offer ofmembership. While we are not collecting feesfrom these people in their first year, we feelcertain that a good percentage of them willwish to stay in the society, thus growing ourmembership and financial base in the future.I’d like to thank Jo Fagan, Paul Baunton andKen Murray for all their work in this complexand difficult area over the past 12 months.

4. We have reached out to tertiary studentsthrough our student travel scholarshipprogramme. The society now offers an annualstudent scholarship to allow students to travelto the NZCS seminar. We are delighted towelcome Donna Woodley from the Universityof Otago, the winner of this year’s studentscholarship. My thanks to Mike Hilton for hiswork in establishing the system whichsupports this new process.

Annual Report of the New Zealand Coastal Society Inc.For the Year October 2001 – October 2002

CoastalNews

Coastal News No. 2112

5. We are now stronger in the regions thanks tothe identification of regional sub-committeerepresentatives. These people acts as catalystsfor the discussion of coastal issues and theconvening of meetings and gatherings fromtime to time. Jo Fagan has spent a considerableamount of time creating this importantnetwork.

6. I cannot understate the effort required to holdan event such as the NZCS AnnualConference. Along with CN, the seminar isthe tangible evidence of the NZCS, so itssuccess is a major factor in a successful yearfor the society. It requires commitment, skilledplanning plus some dogged determination tosort out speakers, venues and sponsors, letalone attract participants from all over NewZealand and even beyond. Mat Patterson andBronwen Gibberd have poured a great dealof time and passion into the 2002 Conferenceand they receive my heartfelt thanks. I wouldalso like to mention the tremendous work ofEric Verstappen who looked after the 2001seminar in Nelson, which was one of the mostsuccessful seminar/conferences the societyhas held.

7. Our last area of focus is on the satisfaction ofour members with the quality of servicesprovided. We have started to develop amarketing strategy to ensure we are reachingour target audiences, and are also criticallyconcerned with your views on ourperformance.

I would like to also make mention of our secretary,Paul Baunton and our treasurer Eric Verstappenwho have both found time to look after thecorrespondence and finances of the society overthe past 12 months. Both are thankless tasks andI appreciate their effort and commitment.

Our financial position remains very strong. Thesociety has a total of $87,000 in available funds,of which $80,000 is currently invested. Thetreasurer’s report gives a detailed breakdown ofour financial position (a summary is presentedon page 14 of this issue). As a committee, wehave been very mindful of the need to maintainthe Society’s strong financial position, against the

need to make wise investments for the good ofour members and coastal management in NewZealand. Our investments in a showcase book onthe New Zealand Coast and our studentscholarships are examples of this. We are currentlyinvestigating options for investment of our fundsin key coastal guidelines and publications andfurther upgrading of our website. However, weare mindful that the NZCS is in part underwritingthe 2003 Coasts and Ports Conference, and whilewe expect a very successful conference, we mustretain sufficient equity to cover any unforeseenevents.

With our retrospective assessment complete, I’dlike to look forward to the year ahead. The societyand the committee you elected at the conferencewill continue to grow as a central player in coastaland ocean management matters in New Zealand.Our regional subcommittees will strengthen andprovide a solid foundation for the sharing of ideasand knowledge at a regional level. You, ourmembers, will continue to receive a suite of highquality products via Coastal News and our website. The society’s profile will leap ahead as it co-leads a highly successful Coasts and PortsConference from September 9-12 2003 inAuckland, and we will see an even moresuccessful 2003 annual NZCS conference as ournew members swell the conference attendees. Thesociety will continue to invest in services andproducts that benefit its members and the widercoastal community. And of course the net resultof our efforts, and all of those involved in matterscoastal, will be that our world class coastal andocean areas are, even if in a small way, bettermanaged, better protected and better off for futuregenerations.

Thank you for your support, and best wishes forthe year ahead.

Harvey Brookes, Chairman, NZCS.e-mail: hbrookes@arc.govt.nz)

NZCS Mission Statement

“The New Zealand Coastal Society wasinaugurated in 1992 to promote and advancesustainable management of the coastalenvironment.

The Society provides a forum for those witha genuine interest in the coastal zone tocommunicate amongst themselves and withthe public. The Society currently incorporatesabout 300 members. Members represent thewide range of coastal science, engineeringand planning disciplines, and are employedin the engineering industry, local, regionaland central government, research centres anduniversities.”

Applications for membership should be sentto the Secretary (see address on p 18)

Test your Coastal Knowledge

Where is this coastal settlement (photographedin the 1960s)?

Answer on page 19

CoastalNews

November 2002 13

What’s Hot on the WWWwww.coastal.crc.org.au/index.html

It might be timely to check out the (Australian) Coastal CRC(Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary andWaterway Management) site, in light of Tim Smith’s presentationat the NZCS Pauanui Seminar. The goal of the CRC "is to bridgethe gaps between science, the community and policy makingorganisations". The Coastal CRC conducts research in fiveinterlinked themes: decision frameworks, citizen science andeducation, planning and restoration, ecosystem processes, andassessment and monitoring. They are also carrying out a NationalEstuary Audit involving an assessment on the condition of morethan 900 estuaries around Australia.

www.ntf.flinders.edu.au/

The National Tidal Facility of Flinders University (Adelaide,South Australia) undertakes research in various areas of marinescience, including tidal analysis, forecasting sea levels for maritimeservices, sea-level monitoring for climate change, tsunamipredictions, marine hazard predictions and current monitoringfor climate change and shipping. The site provides access to sea-level and other data recorded at SEAFRAME (Sea level FineResolution Acoustic Measuring Equipment) stations. It also hassome fascinating animations of recent tsunami. The websiteprovides access to the Southern Ocean Sea Level Centre (SOSLC),which provides a communication forum, data bank andinformation service for all groups with an interest in sea levelwork in the Southern Ocean.

www.johannesburgsummit.org/

This site reports on the World Summit on Sustainable Developmentheld in Johannesburg from the 26 August to the 4 September2002. This sites contains a wealth of information and links and,of particular interest, a number of key outcomes relate to thecoastal environment. The Summit resolved to encourage theapplication by 2010 of the ecosystem approach for the sustainabledevelopment of the oceans; establish by 2004 a regular processunder the United Nations for global reporting and assessmentof the state of the marine environment.

www.ea.gov.au/coasts/index.html

The Coasts and Oceans section of Environment Australia supportsan excellent web site with links to various programs, includingCoastcare, Coasts and Clean Seas, Fisheries, Marine Pests andMarine Protected Areas. Some of the recent developments incoastal and resource management in New Zealand have alsooccurred in Australia, such as state of the environment reporting.The Australia State of the Environment 2001 Report echo’s manyof the themes in Andy Short’s keynote address to the NZCSAnnual Seminar in Pauanui. It is interesting to see that theAustralian Government is actively supporting the disseminationof knowledge relating to coastal ecosystems, through the Coastsand Oceans Information Centre.

www.waveclimate.com

This is a commercial site run by ARGOSS, offering online waveand wind climate (at any site, in any season). New features areautomatic cross-calibration of wave height data from differentsensors, simplified selection of the area of interest, and the optionto keep downloaded climate information on the screen.

CoastalNews

Coastal News No. 2114

Northland Coast

Firstly, thanks to the NZCS ManagementCommittee for an excellent conference. A specialvenue, great beaches, interesting papers and goodcompany. Looking forward to next year’sconference.

At our annual Bream Bay Beach Clean Up Dayin September, we had over 600 students, parents,local businesses and members of the communityinvolved on the day. We cleaned up over 22kilometres of coastline. A special thanks to theWaipu and Marsden Lions who cooked the 1000sausages that disappeared rather quickly.

Recently we were fortunate to host Tim Smithfrom the Coastal Co-operative Research Centre(CRC), at Griffith University Brisbane. Tim spokeat the NIWA Aquaculture Park in Ruakaka, onthe formation of the CRC and its role in educationand ‘bridging the gaps’ in Australian coastalresearch. Tim also presented a paper at the recentNZCS Conference.

An idea for the future: the logo below is beingdesigned in consultation with staff and studentsat Northland Polytechnic, participating overseasuniversities and Bream Bay College. The finaldraft will be produced as a board game andpresented at the Coastal Zone Asia PacificConference in Brisbane in 2004.

News from the Regions

This draft of the logo is based on the shape of thedistinctive nautilus shell. The overriding themeis the integrated management of coastal resources.Individual locations are rated internationally,according to the certification levels listed below.Please feel free to contact me with any ideas orsuggestions you may have.

Rick Stolwerk, Faculty of Health and Science,Northland Polytechnic

Email: stolwerk@xtra.co.nz

Waikato/Bay of Plenty

The organisation of the NZCS 2002 Conferencehas really taken up most of the time of theRegional Co-ordinators for the Waikato/Bay ofPlenty. The NZCS Regional members wereinvited to join with the NZ Planning InstituteBOP Regional members for a presentation onAquaculture by Environment BOP andWhakatane District Council held in early

November. This was well-attended and provideda continuation of one of the themes presented atthe NZCS Conference in Pauanui.

Bronwen Gibberd, Environment Waikatoe-mail: bronwen.gibbered@ew.govt.nz

Auckland Region

To date I have been rather inactive in organisingactivities for the Auckland Region. However,Andrew Benson and Richard Reinen-Hamill havekindly offered their assistance in getting aprogramme of regular seminars going. So if youare doing anything of interest that you wish toshare, or have some issue worthy of debate, letme know.

Matthew Patterson, Auckland City Councile-mail: matthew.paterson@aucklandcity.govt.nz

NZCS ReportsNZCS Accounts - Brief Summaryfor 12 months to 30 Sept 2002

The opening balance at 1 Oct 2001 stood at$68,988. Over the 11 months to 31 August,the NZCS recorded a net operating surplusof $5,263 and had introduced funds of$10,706, resulting in a Total AccumulatedFunds balance of $84,957. A sum of $80,000is invested in a WestpacTrust short termdeposit account, and as of 30 Sept 02, theIPENZ Current Account registered abalance of $1867.89. The Total AccumulatedFund balance to 1st October 2002 is$81,867.89.

NZCS Website

Visitor numbers to the site are relativelysteady, with an average of 160 uniquevisitors per month over the period July -September 2002 (unique visitors excludesreturn visits in the same month).Approximately 70% of visitors are fromwithin New Zealand.

The most popular files on the site are thepdf versions of Coastal News, followed bythe Upcoming Events section. It is pleasingto note that the on-line joining form hasresulted in 15 applications for membershipsince it went 'live'.

Major updates to the site coincide with thepublication of Coastal News, and minorchanges are made regularly to keep the siteup to date. Along with the next majorupdate, it is also intended to submit thesite to a wider variety of search engines toboost visitor numbers.

Address: www.coastalsociety.org.nz

CoastalNews

November 2002 15

NZCS Student Scholarship Winner 2002Donna Woodley of Otago University was awarded the 2002 NZ CoastalSociety Student Scholarship. The Scholarship, which has a value of around$500, plus conference registration, supports student attendance at theSociety’s annual seminar. Donna is engaged in MSc thesis research inthe Department of Geography. She is studying foredunes at sites wheremarram grass has been eradicated (using herbicide). Her work has revealedthat such foredunes erode quite slowly after death of the marram grasscover. Marram rhizome and “stubble”, which is still present 2-3 yearsafter vegetation die-off, inhibits sand transport. This period of stabilitymay provide time for the natural re-establishment (or re-introduction)of indigenous species before blowouts or other mobile dunes form.

Donna’s work is funded by the Department of Conservation. The study sites are located on theremote southwest coast of Rakiura National Park on Stewart Island, which is not an easy environmentto work in. Access to the beaches of this part of the Park is by light plane, southwest gales arefrequent and Donna has to navigate “quicksand” to cross the Doughboy River. The NZCS managementcommittee congratulates Donna on her award and wishes her well for the future.

Applications for the next award close on the 30 June 2003. Students should check the NZCS websitefor details.

We like to think that our ability to anticipate theeffects of severe weather in coastal waters hascome a long way over recent decades, withimprovements in data availability and modellingtools. But how well will modern forecastingpractices perform when it really matters, in theface of a truly life-threatening weather event?

A notorious example was Cyclone Gisele, aregenerating tropical cyclone that passed over theNorth Island from 9 to 10 April 1968. This wasmore widely know as the Wahine storm, after theInter-island ferry TEV Wahine that sank offWellington Heads with the tragic loss of 54 lives. As a way of testing the forecasting skill of modernwind and wave models, NIWA has reconstructedthe Wahine storm using a computer model tosimulate winds and pressures at high resolution(as small as 10 km) based on a re-analysed NCEPglobal wind model. Then the regional winds wereused to drive a wave model to obtain a picture of

"Example of computer model reconstruction of wind patterns from Wahine Storm– for a colour version, see www.coastalsociety.org.nz or www.niwa.co.nz/rc/prog/chaz/news/winds

what the deep-water wave heights may have beenalong the east coast of the North Island. Theresults were compared with historical records ofpressures, winds and waves collected frommeteorological stations and observers in shipsand lighthouses. Simulated wave heights of upto 8 m, similar to the contemporary observations,were produced by onshore winds on the east coastas the storm tracked south. The onset of the highwaves near Wellington that caused Wahine tofounder was found to be sensitive to the timingand location of the storm centre passing over theWairarapa coast. The study also highlighted theneed for high resolution regional models inrepresenting such compact storm systems, as waveheights were significantly underpredicted in low-resolution (>100 km) simulations.

By Richard Gorman, NIWA (r.gorman@niwa.co.nz)& Mike Revell, NIWA (m.revell@niwa.co.nz)

Reconstruction of the Wahine Stormby computer modelling

CoastalNews

Coastal News No. 2116

Welcome to the 21st issue of Coastal News and tothis year’s issue dedicated to the NZ CoastalSociety’s 2002 Conference, which was hosted byEnvironment Waikato on the fabulousCoromandel Peninsula.

The annual conference provides a fantasticopportunity for learning and sharing ideas andexperiences on coastal science, engineering andmanagement for both Society members and non-members. The venue at Pauanui was certainlyappropriate in the face of the increasing pressuresand conflicts that are being experienced on theCoromandel Peninsula that are similar to thosethroughout the country. The inclusion ofpresentations on marine farming and aquacultureprovided an opportunity to discuss a very topicalnational issue and the presentations on coastal‘values’ and environmental economics stimulatedsome interesting debate. A big thank-you to theorganisers of the conference and the speakers

What do earthquakes and landslides, storms andfloods, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, coastalerosion and tsunami have in common? Theanswer lies in the newly established NaturalHazards Centre, which will bring all the naturalhazards New Zealand faces under a single banner.

The Centre is a joint initiative of the Institute ofGeological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) and theNational Institute of Water and AtmosphericResearch (NIWA).

“The aim is to provide planners and hazardmanagers with a ‘first port of call’ for scientificinformation and services on any of the wide rangeof natural hazards New Zealand communitiesface”, said joint coordinator Dr Robin Falconerof GNS.

“That means that if you want to know theearthquake risks that a new bridge might beexposed to, or the risks to a proposed subdivisionfrom a nearby river bursting its banks, the Centrewill help identify them.”

GNS and NIWA are well placed to take a centralrole in providing such information because theirresearch and consulting services cover the naturalhazards threatening New Zealand, they havenational monitoring networks and databases,have a national focus, complement each other’sactivities, and are seen as leaders in their fields.

“The whole focus is to make New Zealand a moreresilient society”, said Dr Rob Murdoch, NIWA’sResearch Director. “As scientists, we want toimprove the communication of our findings tothe people making decisions, and we want tohear from them where they want us to focus ourresearch efforts.”

“The Centre is not about GNS and NIWA alone.

Natural Hazards Centre (NIWA & GNS): A New Focus on Hazards

We aim to bring together expertise from a widerange of different bodies, including the Ministryof Civil Defence and Emergency Management,the Earthquake Commission, the Maritime SafetyAuthority, the Ministry for the Environment, theInsurance Council, Regional and District Councils,weather forecasters, emergency services, utilities,and tangata whenua as well as researchers fromuniversities, other CRIs, and researchassociations”, said Dr Murdoch.

The Centre will develop a full communicationsstrategy that will include a regular quarterlynewsletter, public talks, workshops, mediareleases, hazard planning tools and a one-stop-shop web site (www.naturalhazards.net.nz/).

Of interest to the coastal sector, the first newsletter(due out early in November), has a focus ontsunami. Also, GNS and NIWA are jointlycoordinating a series of community perceptionsurveys on coastal hazards across NZ over thesummer.

For more information please contact MurrayPoulter (m.poulter@niwa.co.nz) or Mike Kozuch(m.kozuch@gns.cri.nz).

A Thought from theManagement Committee

“A leader is best when people barely know heexists, not so good when people obey and acclaimhim, worse when people barely know he exists,not so good when people obey and acclaim him,worse when they despise him … but of a goodleader who talks little. When his work is done,his aim fulfilled, they will say ‘we did itourselves’”.

who donated their valuable time to give excellentpresentations and provided much food forthought.

As a result of the strategic plan, which has beendeveloped for Coastal News to ensure the highquality is consistently maintained, Terry Humehas now been able to pass on the role of Editorto myself and Mike Hilton has taken on the roleof Associate Editor. Our major goal is to continueto make better use of Coastal News as a tool forkeeping communication in the society goingthroughout the year and to ensure this is a topquality production for the members.

We do rely heavily on assistance from the societymembers to provide us with up-to-dateinformation on work they are involved with andsincerely appreciate those who put their handsup to write the brief and thought provokingarticles which now make up the Coastal News.

Lucy Brake, Editor (Beca)

Editorial

by Mike Hilton

Proper coastal management requires a multi-disciplinary approach. The skills required mayinclude: planning, law, geomorphology, biology,geology, engineering, oceanography andmeteorology. Most practitioners involved in thecoastal zone tend to have a specialised knowledgein just one or two of these areas and, sometimes,little appreciation of the complex nature of manycoastal problems. They may also be ill-equippedto deal with cultural, social and economic issuesthat can arise. It is not surprising that there isoften a lack of consistency in coastal managementdecision-making in New Zealand.

At present there is no one resource available thatoffers a comprehensive review of coastalmanagement problem-solving in New Zealandin a form that assists practitioners to balance theoften competing and conflicting demands ofcoastal resource use, hazard mitigation, economicdevelopment and conservation.

NZCS initially proposed to provide such aresource as a single project two years ago. Excellentcouncil support was received for the concept andan application for funding was made to theSustainable Management Fund in November 2000.This, however, was a large project and it did notrank highly enough within SMF’s priorities toreceive funding at the time.

It has now been decided to break the project downinto a series of, more manageable ‘books’, to be

NZ Coastal Society — New Project ProposalGuidelines for Sustainable Management of the NZ Coastline

CoastalNews

November 2002 17

completed over the next several years. Apreliminary list of titles includes:

• Introduction to Sustainable CoastalManagement

• Understanding the Coastal Environment

• Managing Development in the Coastal Zone

• The Treaty of Waitangi and Coastal ZoneManagement

• Managing Water Quality in the Coastal Zone

• Managing Coastal Hazards.

It is intended that, when completed, this projectwill provide best practice guidelines that identify,explain and promote strategies for sustainablemanagement in a manner that is consistent withthe maintenance of the physical, cultural andecological integrity of the NZ coastline.

The proposed guidelines will provide planners,scientists, consultants, engineers,environmentalists, academics and lay people withtools to enable them to make informed andconsistent decisions about coastal issues.

Further details of the project will soon be availableon the society’s website (coastalsociety.org.nz)and feedback from members is to be activelysought. In the meantime, please send anycomments to: j.lumsden@cae.canterbury.ac.nz.

John Lumsden

CoastalNews

Coastal News No. 2118

People:

Patrick Hesp has accepted a professorial post inGeography and Anthropology at Louisiana StateUniversity, Baton Rouge, USA and will depart NZin January 2003.

Kevin Parnell has accepted the position ofassociate professor in the School of TropicalEnvironmental Studies and Geography, at JamesCook University, Townsville.

New Research Projects:

Mike Shepherd (Massey University) and BruceMcFadgen (DoC) have resumed their studies atMatakana Island, Bay of Plenty, and most recentlyhave been investigating the evidence for a tsunamiimpact (M.Shepherd@massey.ac.nz).

Martin Single (University of Canterbury) isinvolved in an international study of themanagement of high speed craft(chaired by LtCdrAlan Blume, US Coastguard) and is working withKat Bunting on the Port Otago Dredge SedimentDispersal Study (m.single@geog.canterbury.ac.nz).

Patrick Hesp is finishing a study examining therelationships between ENSO phenomena andparabolic dune movement, with particular focuson the relationships between El Nino events,strong winds and dune movement(P.A.Hesp@massey.ac.nz).

Scott Nichol, Kevin Parnell and Paul Kench arecollaborating with Roger McLean and RobBrander (UNSW) on a Marsden-funded projectto investigate 'process controls on atoll islandmorphology in the Maldives'. The project isdocumenting reef platform processes and changesin island morphology in response to predictableshifts in monsoon winds.

Mike Hilton is working with Nick Harvey of

Adelaide University on the impact of exotic plantspecies on indigenous flora and the long-termdevelopment of transgressive dune systems(mjh@geography.otago.ac.nz).

Post-graduate Research nearingCompletion:

Suzanne Boorer (MSc, Canterbury) - CoastalGeomorphology of South Bay, Kaikoura (withMartin Single).

Sarah McDonald (MSc, Auckland)- Measurementand Prediction of High-Speed Vessel Wake WashPropagation along Grove Arm, MarlboroughSounds (with Kevin Parnell).

Angela Burke (MSc, Auckland) - Aspects of vesselwake induced sediment transport in theMarlborough Sounds (with Kevin Parnell).

Anna Taylor (PhD, Canterbury) - An investigationof processes on Shore Platforms, NZ (with MartinSingle).

Jeff Page (MSc, Massey) - Parabolic dunemigration and geomorphology at Three MileCreek, near Himatangi (with Patrick Hesp).

Richard Poole (MSc., Massey) - Methods forvaluing coastal dunes in the Manawatu regionfor various purposes (farming, forestry, recreationand conservation) (with Patrick Hesp).

Donna Woodley (MSc, Otago) – Processes of dunedevelopment and indigenous species recoveryfollowing marram grass eradication (with MikeHilton).

Pip Watt (MSc, Otago) – Drought-related blowoutdevelopment, Tahakopa, Otago (with MikeHilton).

Jo Walton (Plan, Otago) – Integrated community-based coastal management in New Zealand (withMike Hilton).

News from the Universities

NZCS Management CommitteeChairperson Harvey Brookes – Auckland Regional Council (harvey.brookes@arc.govt.nz)

Secretary Paul Baunton – Tauranga District Council (paulb@tauranga.govt.nz)

Treasurer Eric Verstappen – Tasman District Council (Eric@tdc.govt.nz)

CommitteeLucy Brake Beca Carter (lbrake@beca.co.nz) (Editor Coastal News)

Jo Fagan Wellington Regional Council (jo.Fagan@wrc.govt.nz)

Mike Hilton Department of Geography, University of Otago (mjh@geography.otago.ac.nz)

(Associate Editor, Coastal News)

Terry Hume NIWA (t.hume@niwa.co.nz) (Coasts & Ports 2003 Co-ordinator)

John Lumsden Coastal Management Consultant, Christchurch (j.lumsden@cae.canterbury.ac.nz)

Ken Murray Department of Conservation (KMurray@doc.govt.nz)

Matthew Patterson Auckland City Council (PatersoM@akcity.govt.nz)

Correspondence to Paul Baunton (paulb@tauranga.govt.nz)Website queries to Charles Hendtlass (c.hendtlass@cae.canterbury.ac.nz)

CoastalNews

November 2002 19

Coastal Dune Vegetation Network12-15 February 2003, Dunedin Museum, Dunedin

The next in a series of successful CDVN meetingsconcerned with the restoration and managementof dune vegetation. The programme includesplenary and technical presentations, the CDVNAGM and short and long fieldtrips to the fabulousOtago coast. See website for more information(www.forestresearch.co.nz) or emaildblairs@xtra.co.nz.

Symposia on Coastal Processes and Storm Surge,2003 IUGG General Assembly30 June – 11 July 2003, Sapporo, Japan

There will also be other symposia of interestranging from air-sea to groundwater-seawaterinteraction. The full listing is at their Websitealong with the 2nd circular, call for papers, detailson requirements for abstract submissions, etc.For more information go to www.iugg.org andthen click on 2003 IUGG General Assembly.

New Zealand Geographical Society 22ndConference (with Geog Ed2003)6-11 July 2003, Auckland, New Zealand

The Conference Committee see as a principalpurpose of the Conference the establishment oflinks between geographers working and studyinglocally, nationally and internationally. The theme,‘Windows on a Changing World’, reflects theselected inclusive scientific, policy, planning andGeographical Education programme and isexpected to be of high interest to those from NewZealand and overseas. Check out the website:www.geog.auckland.ac.nz/nzgs2003/

Coastal Zone '0313-1 7 July 2003, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

This is being labelled as the largest conference forthe world's coastal resource managementcommunity, with the theme for this conferencebeing ‘Coastal Zone Management Through Time’. For more information go towww.csc.noaa.gov/cz2003/

Conferences/WorkshopsCoastal Structures Conference26-29 August 2003, Portland, Oregon, USA

CSC 2003 is focused on continuing the traditionsand advance innovation in coastal structures andbeach preservation. This Conference is the fourthin a series of conferences that highlight thesignificant advancements in coastal structureinnovation, design, and construction.

The Proceedings for the previous threeconferences have yielded milestone works andare frequently cited references in the field. Moreinformation can be found at the web site:www.asce.org/conferences/coastal2003/

HYDRO 2003: The 4th AustralasianHydrographic Symposium24-26 November 2003 Christchurch, New Zealand

These symposiums are held every 6 years andthey address the Australian, New Zealand andPacific market in hydrographic survey, coastaland offshore oceanography. You may just be intime to catch the symposium so for moreinformation go to:www.hydrographicsociety.org.nz/conference.htm

The proceedings of the Coastal and Storm Hazards Workshop are nowavailable via the NIWA website and the Physical Hazards programme pagewww.niwa.co.nz/rc/prog/chaz/ The document itself is atwww.niwa.co.nz/rc/prog/chaz/news/2002-03-25.pdf

The Coastal and Storm Hazards Workshop, held in Hamilton on 25-26 March2002, was organised and partially funded by NIWA, with support from theFoundation for Research Science and Technology. The proceedings form animportant document that summarises the state of the knowledge base andend-user needs and requirements for research tools and services.

We are grateful to all the presenters and their organisations for theircontributions and to Jim Dahm who facilitated proceedings.

Rob Bell & Terry Hume (NIWA), Workshop Convenors

Coastal & Storm Hazards Workshop proceedingsnow available on the web

Instructions for authors

Your contributions to Coastal News keep Societymembers and the coastal community informedabout coastal issues.

Contributions can be advertisements forconferences or workshops, short news itemsor longer articles. We prefer articles of amaximum of 400 words (about 1-page in thenewsletter), preferably with pictures ordiagrams. Submit articles to Mike Hilton,Associate Editor(e-mail: mjh@geography.otago.ac.nz).

Test your Coastal Knowledge - Answer

Tairua in the 1960s; compare this with the coverphotograph taken in 2002 (page 1).

Coastal News No. 2120

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