Short-term Commercial Gain vs. Forever Environmental Destruction

ENVIRONMENT

KEN RAYWARD

Save Our Sands (SOS)

30 Jan, 2023

OPINION

Mangawhai enters 2023 with a major battle looming in the Environment Court in May and the outcome will determine the areas future. Will it continue to be the ‘Magical Mangawhai’ that has seen it become the fastest growing location in Northland, or will it become an environmental casualty to the exploitation of commercial sand miners who are taking our coastal sand for use in making concrete for other areas across New Zealand?

A quick update on what has got us to this point. Firstly, the sand along our Mangawhai to Pakiri coastline is all the sand we will ever have – it is finite – coming originally from the Waikato, when it flowed northwards through the Firth of Thames. Every barge full of sand taken by sand miners can only be replaced with infill from our beaches.

Sand mining along our beaches has been going on in various forms for some 70 years, starting out with wheelbarrow-loads filling the ute, now with super-sized mining vessels that vacuum up sand and every other living seabed life, from sea grass to mussels, in massive volumes.

The Environment Court Hearing set for May will be the culmination of three resource consent applications that started over three years ago, with Auckland company McCallum Bros Ltd, the miners, first trying to push through an extension to their then current near shore mining without it going through a public notification process. Fortunately, Mangawhai locals became aware, forcing it to become a public hearing.

Environmental damage

The near-shore mining practice is the most damaging to the environment of all sand mining, and is globally prohibited, except for very few countries. New Zealand, to our shame, is one of these. Not only does New Zealand condone it, but supports it through our laws. The near shore consent extension that McCullum Bros tried to have processed to avoid public scrutiny was actually finished in September 2020. Yet, despite the public consent hearing refusing the application, they are able to continue taking the remains of our coastal sand for as long as the company continues to challenge their court refusal. They are out mining our beaches most nights of the week, taking it whilst they can, and as much as they can.

Anyone walking our beaches of late will have witnessed the erosion of our beaches, and the very sad sight of black sand taking over from our white sand. This dominance of Holocene sand is the sign of coastal erosion, the normal refurbishment not possible as the sand to do this has been taken.

Over the past two years commissioners hearings to respond to McCallum Bros mining consent applications have been heard. There are three applications in total – near shore, mid shore and far shore. Following these hearings, heard by two sets of commissioners, McCallum Bros was refused the near shore and the far shore applications, but were granted the mid shore. The logic in doing this has yet to be understood or explained. The result of this is all three applications will now be heard at the one Environment Court hearing in May.

What can we do?

The threats to Mangawhai and our extended coasts has moved over the past two years from increased awareness to increased concern to now increased initiatives of involvement and action.

What have we got to lose? If mining is permitted we will lose the sandspit and our iconic dune, homes to 12 different bird types, coastal seabed ecology, coastal lifestyles, financial investments – we will lose the future, the promise, that Mangawhai always offered.

So what happens now and what can we do? Our community is blessed with people of infinite skills and character, be it old timers or wonderful newcomers. We have a network of individuals and organisations that have, over the past two years, formed collaborations that have enabled these initiatives to be combined, maximising resources and passions to one common objective to save our beaches and stop sand mining. Amongst these are the Mangawhai Harbour Restoration Society, Friends of Pakiri, NZ Endangered Species, The NZ Fairy Tern Association, Forest and Bird, Greenpeace, Whanau O Pakiri, Ngati Manuhiri and many more, working as individual organisations but under the ‘Save Our Sands’ (SOS) umbrella. Groups will be preparing their submissions for the Environment Court, covering coastal ecology from seabed to sea shore, bird life, lifestyle or commercial impact.

Opposition and challenges

There are many challenges to our community prevailing and stopping the sand mining. McCallum Bros have indicated they will provide 18-plus expert witnesses to support their case at the Environment Court. The hearing is expected to go for six weeks.

Whilst environmental concerns are the main driver to stop the sand mining, the two consent hearings that declined the McCallum applications were strongly influenced by Maori cultural rights not being recognised. Ngati Manuhiri are the owners of these rights for the area now designated to be the future mining focus, from Te Arai to 10km north on Mentawai’s door step. Ngati Manuhiri have committed to opposing the consent applications on the grounds it would be to the detriment of their own cultural values and traditions.

This commitment is welcomed by all in the area. However recent actions where Ngati Manuhiri reversed their opposition to the Warkworth waste dump and are now supporting it creates concerns that similar actions may occur, changing their long-term opposition to sand mining. We can only hope their values and principles survive any commercial tests put to them.

During the months ahead we will be advising our community on developments, and at some stage there will be a need for your local groups to reach out for some form of extra support, be it financial or in kind!

If mining is permitted we will lose the sandspit and our iconic dune, we will lose the future, the promise, that Mangawhai always offered. PHOTO/GRANT CROWE