The following is a historical summary of events concerning the Ngunguru Sandspit, based on articles clipped from local newspapers and reports collected over many years by Mrs. Pat Heffey, a concerned Ngunguru resident.
1838 - the Ngunguru Sandspit is the scene of a large battle which ends a sustained campaign by the southern tribes against Te Waiariki whose forces are decimated. The survivors of Te Waiariki declare the Ngunguru Sandspit to be "waahi tapu": "a place sacred to Maori in the traditional, spiritual, religious, ritual or mythological sense."
1917 - cyclonic winds cause huge waves to come across the Ngunguru Sandspit dislodging tons of sand. The highest tide in
fifty years is recorded. Many properties along the Ngunguru foreshore are devastated.
1930 - an Easter storm causes waves to break over the Ngunguru Sandspit and exposes what appears to be "miles of human
remains".
1956 - in a statement made to the New Zealand Historic Places Trust in 1994, Mr.
Stanley Bartlett - who had been associated with the Ngunguru Sandspit since 1940 - says: "in 1956, when the district was subjected to very
heavy rainfall, the Ngunguru River shortened its course and, for a time, flowed to the sea across the Ngunguru Sandspit. There is no guarantee that this natural hazard cannot occur again and this should be taken into account when modifications to the Ngunguru Sandspit are proposed".
Map of the sandspit, generated by the Whangarei District Council's excellent GIS website. The blue cross-hatching shows where the floodzones are.
May 1960 - earthquakes in Chile trigger tidal waves measuring between 2.7 & 3 meters to strike Ngunguru at half tide causing flooding.
1964 - between 50 and 60 Maori Owners sign a document authorizing the sale of the Ngunguru Sandspit to a Mr. Everard Lambert
for 6,000 Pounds. Mr. Lambert is a Director of Ngunguru Seaside Estates Ltd.
1965 - Ngunguru Scenic Preservation and Improvement Society expresses concern about the possible loss of the Ngunguru Sandspit to
the public if the Ngunguru Sandspit were to be subdivided. The Whangarei City Council "approves to acquire" the Ngunguru
Sandspit.
1968 - Ngunguru Seaside Estates Ltd sells the Ngunguru Sandspit to a private individual: Mr. Robert A. Green, Company
Director of Takapuna, Auckland, for approximately $150,000.
1973 - Approximately one hundred people form the Ngunguru Sandspit Preservation Society in opposition to the holiday resort
plan proposed by Seaside Estates Ltd. The company had applied to the Whangarei County Council to change the zoning of the Ngunguru
Sandspit from Public Open Space. The re-zoning application was declined.
May 1973 - the Whangarei County Council attempts to buy the Ngunguru Sandspit as a reserve. The asking price is too high and
the council requests the assistance of the Lands and Survey Department.
March 1974 - the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Mr. O'Brien, advises that, during his negotiations with Seaside Estates
Ltd, the Ngunguru Sandspit was sold for approximately $150,000 to Mr. R. A. Green. This figure is close to the sum that the Whangarei
County Council were attempting to buy it for in May 1973. Mr. O'Brien also says that the Crown is still interested in purchasing the land at a
reasonable price and asks the Council to adhere strictly to the Public Open Space designation of the area. He further requests the Council not to permit any development which would prejudice the chances of buying the land for a reserve. The Council receives the letter and agrees to comply with those requests.
1974 - in a Northland Catchment Commission Report, Chief Engineer Mr. Alan Moores states: "the Ngunguru River will break a new path to the sea across the sandspit. In extreme cases, erosion will cause parts of the Ngunguru Sandspit to disappear. There is little man can do to prevent such occurrences. Part of the sandspit will become an island; it is not possible to predict when this will occur; all that can be said is that it will occur."
1986 - the Department of Conservation offers Mr. Green $600,000 for the Ngunguru Sandspit. The offer is turned down.
1988 - a Northland Regional Council coastal hazard identification report says that, at its narrowest point, the Ngunguru Sandspit is 310 meters wide where it is also the lowest lying part and is frequently flooded by the river or breached by the sea. A Mr. Paton; an authority on such hazards, quotes such events occurring in 1974, 1975, 1978 & 1982.
October 1989 - Mr. Green offers the Department of Conservation the Ngunguru Sandspit for $5,871,000. Government Valuation of the property in November 1989 is $605,000.
November 1993 - the Ngunguru Sandspit is advertised for sale both in New Zealand and internationally by Bayleys Real Estate as having four titles over 119 hectares with riparian rights. Possibilities exist to construct a grass air strip forming an exclusive retreat. Predominant uses with rural zoning would include: farming, agriculture and forestry. Conditional uses may be: tourist travelers' accommodation, camping grounds, farm-stay or golf course and a potential internal marina development.
Mr. Green promotes the 119 ha coastal property as having development potential despite the Department of Conservation designation as a proposed reserve. Potential buyers are put off by, in Mr. Green's Agent's words, "a storm in a teacup dispute." Mr. Green states: "if those people who are trying to stop me selling put their hands in their pockets they can buy it. I would like someone to get some enjoyment out of it."
Mr. Green gets his Caretaker to deny people access to the Ngunguru Sandspit as he is sick of the "animosity and criticism from the people of Ngunguru." Mr. Green comments: "I am the biggest ratepayer in Ngunguru and I have not earned a cent off the land in twenty-five years. They have used the spit as their own private beach."
Officials say the zoning of the land will ensure its open space character will be maintained.
1993 - the Department of Conservation considers buying the Ngunguru Sandspit for approximately $518,000, the Government Valuation. Mr. Green says the block has been independently valued at $3,000,000. Mr. Green's land agent says it is worth over $5,000,000.
March 1994 - over 1,500 Tutukaka Coast residents petition the Department of Conservation to tender for the Ngunguru Sandspit. The Whangarei MP, John Banks, replies in a letter to Mrs. Pat Heffey: "I support the proposal to have this sanctuary area made part of the public estate and have made my views known to the Minister of Conservation."
The MP for Hobson, Mr. Ross Meurant, expects to table in Parliament a petition signed by 1,500 mainly local people opposed to any development of the Ngunguru Sandspit.
The Department of Conservation spokesperson, Mr. Hancox, is fairly confident that the funding will be approved. He says the Ngunguru Sandspit has high ecological, landscape and historic values.
28 April 1994 - tenders close for the sale of the Ngunguru Sandspit. Despite making eight offers and counter offers since 1977, no tender is received from the Department of Conservation.
2 May 1994 - in a newspaper article, Mr. Bill Mansfield, Chief Executive of the Department of Conservation, states that the Department of Conservation would not tender for the land and would also remove the Ngunguru Sandspit's protected reserve status. This was done because of the "risk of arbitration".
Conservation Minister, the Hon. Dennis Marshall, says that he supports the Department of Conservation's decision not to tender for the Ngunguru Sandspit. He said the community, through the local authority in the area, had not seen fit to financially support buying the Ngunguru Sandspit.
1994 - the Royal Forest and Bird Society make submissions against the Whangarei District Council's proposed "Plan Change 87 - Proposed Rules for Coastal Subdivision for Covenant Protection". The submission pointed out that, by bringing in Plan Change 87, the Whangarei District Council was: "failing in its obligations under the Resource Management Act to preserve and protect the natural values of coastal land and was contrary to the spirit of the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement." The Society employs a coastal planner to represent the Society at the submission hearings.
1994 - Mr. Wade Doak; acclaimed author, marine researcher and diver, makes a plea for the protection of the Ngunguru Sandspit: "I believe that the protection and enhancement of the Ngunguru Sandspit is critical for the future of the Ngunguru community. With rising sea levels, the time will come when the sea will breach the spit with drastic implications for the suburban settlement adjacent to the main road. I urge that the local people and those of Whangarei, along with the Department of Conservation, should be involved in developing a management plan for the Ngunguru Sandspit, which must be permanently designated as public land for recreation and enjoyment, with picnic places and special walkways through sensitive areas, proper respect for Maori burial grounds and, possibly, a bird sanctuary in nesting areas."
13 May 1994 - Ngati Taka lodges a request with the Whangarei District Council for the initiation of a plan change to rezone the Ngunguru Sandspit to the Ngunguru Sandspit Protection Zone. The purpose of the rezoning is to provide, not only policies and objectives, but rules to provide a mechanism for the protection of the Ngunguru Sandspit from inappropriate and environmentally unsound development. This was to be done in conjunction with interested and affected parties.
May 1994 - two hundred people attend a Ngunguru Sandspit public meeting held in the Ngunguru Hall. Representatives of the Department of Conservation, Whangarei District Council, Northland Regional Council, tangata whenua and the Northern Branch of the Royal Forest and Bird Society are also in attendance. Mr. Semenoff, Whangarei Mayor, says: "it would be a brave person to risk $3,000,000 developing the property. I am committed to preserving the sandspit and I believe other Councillors want to protect the Ngunguru Sandspit one way or the other."
The Department of Conservation points out its concerns that, if the proposed changes are made to the District Scheme, 29 sections would be allowed on the sandspit "as of right." Regional Council Chairman, Mr. Michael Gross, says the sandspit was not appropriate for development as it was an identified coastal hazard area. The meeting passes a motion that: "the Whangarei District Council and the Northland Regional Council, in consultation with the Department of Conservation, will cooperate to ensure the absolute protection of "the area known as the Ngunguru Spit".
At this meeting, a committee is formed to work with the Whangarei District Council with representatives from tangata whenua. Committee Members elected are: Mrs. Te Rapu Pitman, Mr. Paratene Wellington, Mrs. Christine Cronshaw, Mrs. Pat Heffey and, representing the Royal Forest and Bird Society, Mr. Ian Page and Mr. Chris Robertson.
1995 - Mr. Bartlett, Northland Regional Filekeeper for the New Zealand Archaeological Association , says in his statement of evidence before the Planning Tribunal: "on three separate occasions between 1962 and 1968, I assisted police and Maori elders in locating and removing human skeletal remains. I have no doubt that further remains will be exposed in the future. The evidence indicates a very long period of Maori occupation associated with the Ngunguru Sandspit."
June 1995 - the New Zealand Historic Places Trust gives Mr. Green permission to "destroy, damage and modify" several archeological sites on the Ngunguru Sandspit. Mr. Green says he would like to see the middens removed as soon as possible and comments: "the middens are of no benefit to anybody and no use to anybody. They are only middens, it is a rubbish dump of shells." An angry Mr. Hori Parata, Resource Manager and Convener for Conservation of the Ngatiwai Trust Board, said the tangata whenua would appeal the decision and adds: "occupation of the Ngunguru Sandspit is not a policy of the Trust Board but I would not rule it out as an option for the whanau."
June 1995 - the Whangarei District Council tries to safeguard the Ngunguru Sandspit as a Rural Scenic Protection Zone. However, this is overturned by an Independent Commissioner on the grounds that the Ngunguru Sandspit is privately owned.
August 1995 - the Whangarei District Council is to publicly notify any applications for Resource Consents given the level of national interest in the fate of the Ngunguru Sandspit.
October 1995 - Ngatiwai Trust Board secretary, Ms. Himiana Munroe, says that a fund set up to stop the development of the Ngunguru Sandspit has been met with public apathy and misunderstanding. The fund stood at $100 with the only contributor being the Ngatiwai Trust Board.
March 1996 - Planning Tribunal judge; Mr. David Sheppard, rejects the appeal by the Ngatiwai Trust Board concerning authority to destroy seven middens because the Ngatiwai Trust Board "lacks the required status."
June 1996 - the Historic and Cultural Heritage Management in New Zealand Summary Report, with specific reference to the Ngunguru Sandspit, summarises its conclusions and recommendations by stating: "the system as a whole is performing very poorly and permanent losses of all types of historic and cultural heritage are continuing despite some positive achievements". It recommends that the Minister for the Environment amend Part II of the Resource Management Act so that: "recognition and protection of the heritage values of sites, buildings, places or areas become a matter of national importance".
The report says no public authority has ever been able to supply the Ngunguru Sandspit with specific planning protection in order to manage its values.
1996 - the New Zealand Historic Places Trust's Maori Heritage Council registers the Ngunguru Sandspit as a "waahi tapu", although the decision is not widely known. It is not a statutory protection mechanism but it will allow the Maori Heritage Council and local iwi to become involved in any future resource applications.
May 1996 - Mr. Frank Newman writes in the Northern Advocate: "the Ngunguru Sandspit is very significant to the north's heritage. Regardless of who owns it, its historically significant features should be protected and, indeed, promoted."
March 1998 - Mr. Green's contractor attempts to upgrade the two km accessway from Ngunguru Ford Road onto Mr. Green's property. The route crosses private Maori land and encroaches on sacred sites. Maori threaten the bulldozer driver and the Police are called. Mr. Mitai Paraone-Kawiti, spokesman for the Te Waiariki and Ngatikorora hapu says: "Mr. Green has no right to bulldoze through Maori land. In this area, our tupuna used to wash the bodies of the dead before burial." Mr. Green's neighbours, the Mahanga family, successfully seek a Maori Land Court ruling stopping any further work on the track. Mr. Green says a Court decision in 1963 gave him permission to construct a 20 m wide accessway and that he will appeal the injunction.
April 1998 - the Hon. Dr. Nick Smith, the Minister of Conservation, states that there is no quick and ready solution to the issue of the Ngunguru Sandspit. Apart from
anything else, there is the question of getting the current Land Owner to accept the true value of his property - that of a mostly unstable and hazardous landform - before meaningful negotiations can get under way.
August 2001 - property developer, Ocean Pines Ltd, applies to the Whangarei District Council to subdivide about 90 ha of Mr. Green's land into twenty-one small farms. Mr. Green says that "he is connected to Ocean Pines in a modest way".
A map accompanying the application shows a
long thin strip down the centre of the Ngunguru
Sandspit with Lots of between 4 and 5.8 ha off
either side of it. The Resource Consent
application says that access to the subdivision
will only be available by water.
August 2001 - An informal petition
is sent to the Whangarei District Council
signed by over 1,000 residents. The
petition reads: "in the public interest, we
urge the Tutukaka Residents and Ratepayers
Association to represent their community
in:
insisting that any
application to develop the Ngunguru
Sandspit be publicly notified in
accordance with the provisions of the
Resource Management Act
demanding that, under
the Act, the Whangarei District Council
fulfils its obligation to accept the
latest information and recommendations
in the Whangarei
District Council Coastal Hazard
Zones study
2001 - National Institute of
Water & Atmospheric Research expert,
Mr. Terry Hume, states that recent scientific
evidence recognizes that: "spits in river
mouths are extremely turbulent places. Today we
would not allow people to build in these types
of areas."
2001 - Mr. Tony Phipps, Northland
Regional Council Monitoring Manager,
states: "if you let people build on sand dunes
then the inevitable will happen - in the end
the sea will claim it back". If the Environment
Court rules in favour of the Northland
Regional Council it could see the end of the
controversial plans to subdivide and develop
the Ngunguru Sandspit.
The "Coastal Management Strategy - Managing
our Coastal Environment" document sets out:
"local implementation directions for achieving
the overall vision for the Ngunguru Policy
Area" and states that it will: "seek protection
in perpetuity of the special natural character,
heritage and sense of place values of the
Ngunguru Spit through the establishment of a
reserve or park."
February 2003 - Whangarei District
Council proposes a draft "Ngunguru
Structure Plan". It is a strategy that sets a
long term direction for the future of the coast
outlining the need for planning of the Ngunguru
area due to the identification of potential
threats to the coastal values of this
area.
March 2003 - two Community meetings
are held which are very well attended by the
Tutukaka Coast residents. The main concern of
the community is to see the Ngunguru Sandspit
protected and become a regional Park.
July 2003 - Mr. Green transfers the
Ngunguru Sandspit to BBG Coastal Ltd; a
subsidiary of Landco.
September 2003 – the four titles of the
Ngunguru Sandspit are valued for rating purposes
at $2.35 million.
November 2004 - the Ngunguru
Sandspit is put up for sale again by BBG
Coastal Ltd through Bayleys Real Estate. The
advertisement states: "this rare site has
unlimited potential to develop exclusive and
enviable lifestyle retreats by maximizing the
multiple building sites"
February 2005 - Councillor
Mr. Frank
Newman writes in the "Focus" magazine
that the Ngunguru Sandspit has two Resource
Consent designations: the bulk of the sand
spit panhandle being "Outstanding Landscape
Area" while the remaining thin estuary strip
and the areas behind the sand hills is
designated "Notable Landscape." Mr. Newman
comments further: "given the public interest
and significance of the Ngunguru Sandspit it
is likely that, if a Resource Consent
application was received, it would be
publicly notified."
February 2005 - A petition is circulated
calling for the protection of the Ngunguru Sandspit
and the adjacent Whakairiora mountain and for public
access along existing tracks to be retained. The
petition with over 2,300 signatures
is handed to the Whangarei District Council.
28 February 2005 - tenders close for
the sale of the Ngunguru Sandspit.
April 2005 - The figure of $37.65 million is
given in a valuation of the Ngunguru Sandspit prepared for
the vendor by C.B Richard Ellis Ltd. Government valuation
of the Sandspit is $2.35 million. With much of the area
classified as hazard zone the high figure given is
questionable.
28 May 2005 - Some 600 people turn up at a
mid-winter protest, some having traveled a considerable
distance to be present. A flotilla of about seventy craft
take to the water with flags and banners flying in the
media event "All Hands on Deck" to ask for the protection
of the Coast and oppose development and
subdivision of the Ngunguru Sandspit and adjacent
Whakairiora.
14 & 29 June 2005 – two Applications by Mathers, Butt
and Partners to subdivide a 33.35 ha block of land including
Whakairiora, adjacent to the Ngunguru Sandspit, into four allotments
are heard before Independent Commissioner, Mr. Allan Watson, on
behalf of the Whangarei District Council.
The Applicant is requesting the right to destroy 4,000 square metres
of native vegetation for the house lots – twice the area permitted by
the District Plan – and a further 3,800 square metres for the
construction of access tracks.
Four submissions in opposition to the Applications are heard from the
NZ Historic Places Trust, the Department of Conservation, Te Waiariki
/ Ngati Korora / Ngati Taka Hapu Resource Management Unit and the
Tuhaia Kerepeti Whanau. Further evidence is provided by Ms. Davidson
on behalf of the Ngatiwai Trust Board. A paper is also presented on
behalf of Mr. Wade Doak.
17 July 2005 - Ngunguru Sandspit is taken off the market
by Bayleys, agents for Landco Ltd: the current owners. When tenders
close on 28 February 2005, no acceptable buyer has been found.
18 August 2005 - the decision regarding the Mathers, Butt
and Partners Applications to subdivide a 33.35 ha block of land
including Whakairiora is released. The Commissioner determines that,
subject to certain conditions being observed, Resource Consents can
be granted.
14 September 2005 – the three hapu involved with the
Whakairiora hearings: Te Waiariki, Ngati Korora and the Ngati Taka,
lodge an Appeal with the Environment Court against the Whangarei
District Council regarding the proposed subdivision at Whakairiora.
September 2005 – the Department of Conservation and the
New Zealand Historic Places Trust also lodge Appeals with the
Environment Court regarding the proposed subdivision at Whakairiora.
5 October 2005 – Landco holds its first community
consultation evening in the Ngunguru Sports Complex. It is attended by
at least 200 people, and the mood of the meeting is clearly that the
Ngunguru Sandspit become a reserve.
November 2005 – Landco Ltd attempts unsuccessfully to enter
into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Whangarei District Council
concerning the future of the Sandspit. The secret document is later
published in full.
11 January 2006 – The Tutukaka Coast Ratepayers & Residents
Association Ngunguru Sandspit Questionnaire shows that 67% of the
community believes the area should be a Public Reserve. 83% favour
the Department of Conservation as the most preferred purchaser of the
Sandspit. 92% favour increasing the environmental protection of the
area. 71% say the owners of the Sandspit should be compensated for the
loss of property rights.
17 March 2006 – Deputy Mayor, Mr. Phil Hulse, announces on
National Radio that the Northland Regional Council has the funds and
the rating powers to purchase the sandspit and create Northland’s first
Regional Park.
25 March 2006 – The Ngunguru Coast Action Group hold an event
entitled "Stories, Myths and Facts". An informal afternoon of sharing
stories and photographs, along with displays of educational material, is
followed by an evening with invited speakers from the Whangarei District
and Northland Regional Councils, a local archaeologist, and others as well as LandCo.
9 November 2006 – the Northland Conservator for the Department of Conservation states that the Ngunguru Sandspit is an important biological and cultural site and the Department is keen to protect it. The Department of Conservation is looking at a land swap but this is in the “early days” of discussion.
November 2006 – Landco Ltd’s “Ngunguru Sandspit Newsletter” issue Number 1 is advertised in the Coastal Report magazine.
30 November, 1 & 2 December 2006 – Landco Ltd hold “drop in” days at the Ngunguru Memorial Hall presenting their plans to build 350 houses on the Ngunguru Sandspit.
Landco releases “Ngunguru Sandspit Newsletter” issue Number 2. Landco requests that feedback forms on the proposed subdivision be returned by 15 December 2006.
Information of Landco Ltd’s plans is inadvertently posted on the Landco website prior to the official release. This provides the opportunity for many people to show their opposition to this development and many new people sign up as Friends and Guardians of the Ngunguru Sandspit. Landco Ltd omits the option of “no development on the sandspit”. This had been the overwhelming response at the original consultation meeting in October 2005 where Landco Ltd stated they would listen to public input.
December 2006 – All District and Regional Councils are instructed to complete hazard investigations by end of 2008 and do community response plans relating to the Government’s Tsunami Plan with “at risk” communities by June 2009. Councillor Ms. Robin Lieffering expresses concerns for what could happen for dealing with any disaster with “at risk” communities between now and 2009.
18 December 2006 – the Whangarei District Council declares the Ngunguru Sandspit an “iconic landscape.” It is the only privately owned landscape that is declared a natural reserve. The Council plans to seek changes to the Local Government Act so that any developments in areas identified as either iconic or outstanding reserve will have to ensure the amenities are not spoilt.
Councillor and Environmental Services Committee member, Ms. Sheryl Mai, said the owners of private land identified as natural reserves are expected to follow Council guidelines on the care of such places. Ms. Mai said all the iconic landscapes are protected under the existing council laws.
3 January 2007 – the Ngunguru Coast Action Group holds a “Land and Sea Celebration” at the Ngunguru Memorial Hall presenting the history of the Ngunguru Sandspit over the last 40 years and Landco Ltd’s development proposal. Many more people sign up as “Friends & Guardians of the Ngunguru Sandspit”.
Early 2007 – Landco Ltd proposes to finalise its plans for the Ngunguru Sandspit and lodge applications for consent.
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