Coastal developments which encroached on sand dunes, such as Mt Maunganui and some North Shore beaches, were also susceptible during a major earthquake.

Large tracts of silty, low-lying land compounded the effects of Saturday's earthquake in Canterbury, as whole streets were transformed from firm land to sludge.

In what's known as liquefaction, Christchurch's sandy soil was shaken violently, causing water to rise through its pores. Scientists compared it to jumping on wet sand at the beach - it soon turns to a murky soup.

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An extract from "Ngunguru Sandspit: Values, community and property on the Northland coast":

At least three different models of public ownership and access were advocated by respondents:

• a conventional coastal park, accessible to the public for recreational purposes
• a conservation-oriented reserve, to which public access was controlled; and
• a site of small-scale local economic development, particularly for Maori cultural and tourism ventures.

(Chapter: "Proposed landswap and aspirations for a reserve", pages 35-36)

View the report (PDF, 357 KB, 62 pages)

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Residents of some of Northland’s most flood-prone communities are being invited to meet with local authorities to provide their feedback on more than 20 draft river management plans tailor-made for their local areas.

Over a month-long period beginning Tuesday September 14, the Northland Regional Council (NRC) will hold a series of 21 meetings around the region as part of a second round of public consultation under its Priority Rivers Flood Risk Reduction Project.

Bruce Howse, the Council’s Land/Rivers Senior Programme Manager, says the Council in 2008 identified 27 catchments around Northland as priorities for flood risk planning, all but a few in the Far North District.  (The catchments were identified on the basis of the potential threat flooding poses to lives, buildings, road access, infrastructure and agriculture.)

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It is reasonable for the Minister to take time to consider the Board of Inquiry's report but the delay is now becoming excessive.

"The current public furore over development at New Chums beach, on the Coromandel Peninsula, brings into sharp focus the need for greater national direction on coastal development," said EDS Senior Policy Analyst Raewyn Peart today

"The Minister of Conservation, Hon Kate Wilkinson, has been sitting for months now on a revised New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement (NZCPS) that would provide that direction.

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The Environmental Defence Society has welcomed a decision by the Thames Coromandel District Council to downzone land at Te Karo Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula.

"Plan Change 8 changes the zoning at Te Karo Bay from Coastal Zone (Residential Policy Area) to Coastal Zone (Outside All Policy Areas). This effectively changes it from an urban to a rural zoning," said EDS Chairman Gary Taylor.

"The permitted minimum site size has now increased from 800m2 to 20ha.

"The decision to downzone the area followed approaches from the local Tairua community to the Council which listened and, to its credit, acted to reverse the permissive development rules covering the area.

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Under the assignment, all of Melview’s obligations will be picked up directly by the Todd company, which has been developing the Stonefields suburb in the former Winstone quarry at Mt Wellington, and has begun earthworks for its Long Bay project.

Nearly 3 years after Melview Developments Ltd (Nigel McKenna) signed the Flat Bush town centre development agreement with a Manukau City Council property company, the rights & obligations have been assigned to another developer.

Tomorrow’s Manukau Property Ltd chief executive Mike Higgins said yesterday the council-owned company had agreed to the assignment to a Todd Property Group Ltd subsidiary, Todd Property Flat Bush Ltd.

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Original Manukau City Council press release: Flat Bush town centre development contract assigned.

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Our vision for Todd Property Group is to be the leader in developing properties that contribute sustainable and lasting value to communities.

Todd Property Group owns approximately 153 hectares of land holdings in Ngunguru, 25 Minutes north of Whangarei. The land holdings comprise of 119 hectares within four titles on the natural marine sandspit and the 33 hectares "Mathers and Butt" block above the sandpit, on the hill.

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One of SCF's largest exposures was to a Marlborough vineyard venture by Auckland developer Greg Olliver.

South Canterbury Finance's "bad bank" was in a desperate last-ditch race for cash, tumbling a string of property and business empires as it entered its death throes.

SCF's receivership pitched at least 20 other companies into receivership as loans and interest slipped into default in the last year.

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An Estuaries Toolkit for New Zealand Communities

"The kit firstly establishes the importance of estuaries as habitats worth caring about and then outlines how a community might be mobilised to establish a monitoring program in their district. The methods for such a program are then clearly described in workable ways without resort to expensive and complex analysis or testing. The result is an estuary ‘Warrant of Fitness’ check, with further guidance for groups who want to take their program to the next level. Finally the kit lists a wide range of educational resources, community case studies species descriptions and references."

Extract from a review written by:
Allan Smith, New Zealand Science Mathematics & Technology Fellow, Cawthron.

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Why Care about Mud?

Estuaries are the point where streams and rivers rest momentarily as they contemplate their destiny amidst the great salty ocean. As the river lulls in its peaceful respite, it starts to unload its burden -- particles washed from the headwaters, foothills and plains of the surrounding catchment. These particles accumulate within the estuary as mementos of the river's journey. The health of the surrounding land very much affects the health of the estuary.

Estuaries are far more than just a geological process however! We New Zealanders love our estuaries! Estuaries have long been regarded as useful to humans as sheltered harbours and food gathering sites. It is no surprise that most large towns in New Zealand are built around them. Although we have recognised the benefits estuaries can provide, we have not realised our own strength in terms of our impacts upon them. With population increases and industrialisation our impacts have been ever intensifying.

Turning the tide, chapter 1: Introduction

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Aerial view of Ngunguru by Adrian Gilbert

N.Z. going down the gurgler

Today beneath the warm, high tide river I wondered how the school of tiny silvery trevally would survive if heavy rain hits, as last year, filling their whole world with a choking cloud of mud.

Inputs of sediments to the New Zealand coastal zone are now especially high by world standards, approaching almost 1% of total world sediment yields. Recent NIWA studies show in detail how sediment is having a huge effect on the survival of many of our commercial fish species at the juvenile stage.

Heavy downpours send plumes of dark brown water far out to sea from Ngunguru River in Northland. It curves north, off Dolphin Bay and beyond. It almost gets to the precious Poor Knights Islands. This ocean pollution happens several times a year. Even a 12mm rainfall has produced a mud plume. A slug of sediment is wallowing down the tidal reaches of the river. So much mud, even in the inshore waters, is a serious matter for marine life, local fishing, diving and the tourism potentials of which Tutukaka Coast is so proud. It comes from multiple disturbances in the catchment that should be controlled. Some day, perhaps, those who love the sea or profit from it, may engage actively in campaigning against the bad practices happening on land....

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