New Zealand’s Tauranga City Council is currently reviewing their coastal structures policy to ensure that they consider the needs of future communities, including the potential impact of climate change as they decide when and how to maintain public coastal structures.
Coastal structures are any man-made building, equipment, device or other facility fixed to land along the coast. They include hard protection structures such as seawalls and groynes (aka breakwaters), and structures with recreational benefits like jetties and boat ramps.
The draft coastal structures policy will guide council’s decisions on whether to build, maintain (or not), renew or remove public coastal structures.
Christine Jones, General Manager of Strategy and Growth , said that Tauranga City Council first adopted a policy on coastal structures in 2006 in response to a regional council requirement for all structures in the coastal area to have a consent.
“Now, in 2019, councils across New Zealand are required to consider the needs of future communities when making decisions about how they manage their assets, including considering the potential impact of climate change,” Christine said.
“We need to agree with the community how we’ll protect council assets and activities like reserves, wastewater or transport infrastructure from potential risks such as sea level rise.”
“The current discussion on the coastal structures policy is part of this.”
According to the council’s latest release, consultation closes on Sunday, 17 November.