Kia ora,
Our August newsletter was unfortunately released in error prior to the usual internal review process.
This came to light when we received some emails expressing concern that the summary of impacts from Cyclone Gabreille on coastal communities was understated.
We apologise for the error on our part – and for the impacts this has had on people who are still dealing with the ongoing effects of the Cyclone. Below is an updated version of the newsletter.
Please get in touch if any questions, and thank you to the two people who contacted us advising of this issue.
The HB Coast team
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HB Coast newsletter | August 2023
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Kia ora, haere mai, and welcome to our Te Matau-a-Māui Hawke’s Bay coastal hazards newsletter.
It’s been a while since we last sent a newsletter out, so there's a bit to update you on in here.
Cyclone Gabrielle has had a huge impact on all of us in Hawke’s Bay and we wish to acknowledge those still living with the effects.
In this issue we show coastal damage from Cyclone Gabrielle, update you on project timelines, highlight key reports from the last Joint Committee meeting, and talk about other mahi we've been doing.
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Coastal damage from Cyclone Gabrielle
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While the most serious impacts from Cyclone Gabrielle were from rivers overtopping, heavy rain, strong winds, and large waves also affected the coastline.
The highest wave recorded by Napier Port during the cyclone was 5.94m. The sea was so rough that the Port buoys broke off from their moorings and drifted away.
Some of the coastal impacts felt were:
- The change in the Maraetotara River mouth to the north in conjunction with the offshore gravel deposit location, and direction and size of the waves increased the erosion of the access to the surf break carpark.
- Tyres were exposed in front of beach front houses at Te Awanga
- Clifton Reserve at Haumoana, and Te Awanga Hall beach crests were overtopped
- The Haumoana Domain Reserve was flooded up to the road and the gravel barrier breached. Over 20 properties were flooded
- The Westshore beach crest was damaged, with a couple of properties on North Terrace flooded at Westshore
- Large amounts of debris washed up on the beaches with the area south of the Esk River mouth the worst affected
Overall, while the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle were more widespread and catastrophic for inland communities, a number of homes and properties at the coast were significantly impacted and we acknowledge those still dealing with the aftereffects. The advice we are getting is that the plan being developed through the Strategy still holds up.
However with the erosion of beach crests at various locations, some communities and properties are more at risk from ocean waves overtopping and flooding during a storm. A number of projects are being advanced to respond to this.
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Images from the cyclone from top left clockwise:
Te Awanga coastal defense tyres exposed in beach front properties (credit: Regional Council Post Cyclone Aerial imagery)
Westshore (credit: Pippa McKelvie-Sebileau)
Haumoana Domain (credit: Tim Whittaker)
Te Awanga Motor Camp (credit: Thompson Evan)
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We had been working towards publicly notifying the strategy in August 2023, and incorporating it into the Regional Council’s Long Term Plan engagement in 2024.
Cyclone Gabrielle meant that Joint Committee meetings and workshops were cancelled and Technical Advisory Group staff time was at capacity with response and recovery work, meaning the August 2023 notification was no longer possible.
The full financial impact of the Cyclone on the Councils is also yet to be determined, and this may impact the availability of funding for implementing the Strategy.
The new process is for a standalone consultation to occur in August 2024. With community support for the Strategy and the proposed approach to funding it, implementation funding would come into effect from 1 July 2025.
We are acutely aware that coastal hazards issues are ongoing and will not wait for a Strategy to be put in place.
Strategy notification is a key process step, as it is required to introduce Strategy implementation as a significant new activity for the Regional Council.
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The new Joint Committee held their first meeting for the triennium in May 2023, with the February and April meetings cancelled due to Cyclone Gabrielle.
The May meeting focused on the processes of the Joint Committee and general updates on the project. You can see the Joint Committee papers on the Regional Council website, and the full list of Joint Committee members on our HB Coast website.
In June, the Joint Committee held a workshop with an independent local government funding expert to start the process of developing a funding model for Strategy implementation.
The Joint Committee held their most recent meeting on Friday 11 August. Three key items on the agenda were:
- a Draft Management Interim Response Plan
Emerging coastal hazard issues are currently managed on a case-by-case basis by the relevant Territorial Authority, supported by the Regional Council. This case-by-case approach introduces some uncertainty for communities about what will happen in response to immediate issues, by when, who to talk to, and what to expect, while the strategy development process continues.
The draft plan has been developed in response to these issues. Eight key actions are identified, including new monitoring initiatives. The plan is in place to guide actions in response to emerging coastal hazards issues until the Strategy is finalised and implementation begins.
- Final Adaptation Thresholds Development Report
The Adaptation Thresholds Development Report outlined the proposed adaptation thresholds for the Strategy and the process taken to develop them.
Adaptation thresholds represent the conditions or effects from hazards that the community wish to avoid. Alongside signals and triggers, adaptation thresholds are a key component of adaptive planning for the coastal hazards and the effects of climate change and sea level rise. The proposed adaptation thresholds will form part of the Strategy for later community consultation.
- A Real Options Analysis of Strategies to Manage Coastal Hazard Risks in Hawke's Bay
Infometrics, a leading NZ economic consultancy, were engaged to update their earlier Real Options Analysis (ROA) report, using new and more accurate cost information to analyse the costs and benefits of various strategies for adapting to coastal hazard risks.
The ROA analysed the 100-year adaptive pathways recommended by the Community Assessment Panels in 2018. An important question considered through ROA is whether managed retreat (from an economic analysis point of view) should be pursued as the favoured adaptation option instead of ‘buying time’ with interventions such as beach nourishment, groynes and sea walls.
The updated real options analysis generally aligns with and supports the Panel’s recommendations, at least over the next 20 to 30 years or so.
The next Joint Committee meeting is on Friday 22 September 2023.
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December 2022 and January 2023 community engagement
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Two community drop-in sessions were held in December 2022 at Westshore and February 2023 in Haumoana to give the community an update on the Strategy and its mahi. There were posters, information sheets, and Joint Committee members and Technical Advisory Group staff present to talk to the community and answer any questions.
The sessions were well attended, and community attendees were interested, engaged and generally positive. The main concerns from the community were lack of progress, not enough consideration for the coastal ecology, and how it would be paid for.
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The Strategy continues to be progressed through 7 interrelated workstreams.
Here is a brief update on each workstream.
- Design
- The Design Workstream is largely completed, with updated costings and concept plans for the short-term action in each recommended pathway.
- Regulatory
- Work continues to identify how the existing planning framework (e.g. District Plans, Regional and Coastal Plans) will need to be revised to support adaptation and complement Strategy implementation.
- Funding
- This is a key focus for the next six to 12 months before the Strategy is notified for public consultation. We need to design a funding approach for implementing the work, looking at who should pay and in what proportions as between property and asset owners and the wider public is central to this work.
- Signals & Triggers
- With draft adaptation thresholds now developed, the Signals & Triggers workstream is paused until after the Strategy is notified. Once feedback is received on the proposed thresholds, signals and triggers can be developed to drive the adaptative planning framework.
- Managed retreat
- This work has been completed with a report from Tonkin + Taylor on the cost and possible approaches to achieve managed retreat in Hawke’s Bay.
- Coastal ecology
- A gap analysis has been completed to identify what we do and don’t know about coastal ecology values. A monitoring plan is now being developed to guide monitoring to fill gaps in our knowledge. This will be crucial to understanding the potential for environmental effects from projects designed to reduced coastal hazard risks.
- Mātauranga Māori
- This new workstream will weave Mātauranga Māori through the ongoing development and implementation of the Strategy. The workstream will develop cultural values frameworks, Mātauranga Māori implementation and reporting plan, and taiao (environment) monitoring plan.
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We’re keen to hear from you if you’ve got any feedback or suggestions. Get in touch with hbcoast@hbrc.govt.nz
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