SHORT NEWSLETTER TO FINANCIAL MEMBERS — 02 July 2013
Last week the Association was invited to attend a meeting with Horowhenua District Council to be briefed on Coastal Hazards Assessment which are included in a report from Horizons Regional Council. Affected ratepayers from Waikawa, Hokio and Waiterere were also in attendance.
The report was by the firm of Tonkin and Taylor, Dr Roger Shand and was peer reviewed. It identified a Coastal Erosion Zone and a Coastal Inundation Zone based on 3 time zones in the next 100 years and predicted sea level rises, storm surge, tidal effects and shoreline changes.
The report is required by the Resource Management Act which says identified coastal hazard risks are managed by avoiding new development, a managed retreat for existing development and protecting or restoring natural defences.
The report is too late to be included in the soon to be published District Plan so an amendment will be required in due course.
The report say that Coastal Erosion does not affect any property in Waikawa at present, that there is a slight risk by 2062 and that 40 properties could be affected by 2112. However Coastal Inundation currently affects 8 properties, could affect 30 properties by 2062 and 60 properties by 2112. These figures are based on sea level rise by 0.3 metres by 2062 and 0.9 metres by 2112 and, although fluctuating, no seaward accretion around the estuary inlet.
Any person may apply for a Land Information Memorandum (LIM) and it shall include information identifying any special feature of characteristic of the land concerned including but not limited to potential erosion or inundation being a feature that is known to the authority and failure to disclose may constitute negligence. The Local Authority is not required to express an opinion on the information. The answer to a question from the floor that if a LIM report was requested for an affected property today what would it say was “Information about coastal hazard risks is available from HDC“.
It was explained that HDC has made no decisions on the report as it is complex and easy to misinterpret. None will be made before the court decision on a similar report affecting Kapiti ratepayers is made but the HDC has statutory obligations to discuss it and wish to meet with the Waikawa Beach community.
It is suggested that anyone interested and especially those affected attend a meeting with the Council either in Levin at the Council Board Room or at a suitable location at the beach. The beach is not very practicable as much of the information is on maps and diagrams in a computer generated display. The WBRA can organise the meeting but we need to know are weekends the best time considering the number of weekenders? Or is the next public holiday preferred — say Labour weekend?
Please give us some indication.
