Kāwhia Seawall Defence
Kawhia Township Sea Wall Defences
The Kawhia Township Sea Wall Defences, which is referring to the area of coastline from Omimiti Reserve through to the Kawhia Boat ramp near the entrance to the Maketu Marae, approximately 1 km of coastline.
Sea Wall Defences generally refers to engineered interventions to slow down or mitigate coastal erosion, and can range from simple placement of rocks to major sea wall installations, with a view of trying to slow down coastal erosion and protect land and property without interfering too much with the natural environment.
Any work done in the coastal area requires resource consent from the Waikato Regional Council (WRC), and any existing structures are also under the monitoring of resource consents.
Otorohanga District Council (ODC) holds an overarching consent to have existing structures within this area. The structures are all different including sand retaining groynes, concrete walls, gabion rock filled baskets and wooden retaining walls. This consent expires in 2029 and renewal of this consent would need to start in 2027 to meet WRC deadlines.
Although there is an overarching consent any substantial work required within this area requires additional consents. ODC holds a further two consents for additional works carried out within the last decade. These also expire at the same time.
In 2008 a report was commission by ODC from a consultant to inspect and recommend a renewal maintenance programme for the sea wall defences.
The report detailed a set of recommendations on work needed with a life expectancy of 20 years given the harsh conditions and ever changing environment.
The work was valued in 2008 between $200,000 – $300,000, depending on the level of construction carried out. With a basic inflation adjustment from 2008 to 2022, $300,000 would now equate to $377,000, which does not factor in any other cost increases over the years for goods and services.
Cultural significance
It is important to note that this same stretch of coastline is designated under the district plan as an area of significance as it is the location of protected pohutukawa trees, which include Te Papa o Karewa (tree of the year) and Tangi-te-korowhiti. This area is also part of the Ngati Hikairo Heritage Management Plan given the significance of the trees and the area to iwi as this was the mooring location of the Tainui Waka.
Funding allocation
Investigation - $50,000
- Investigation and remedial works programme
Consenting - $550,000
- Resource Consent renewal process
- Construction and consenting
Planning - $130,000
- Walkway Concept
- Contingency
Expected Outcomes of this investment
| OUTCOMES | MEASURES |
| Slow down or mitigate coastal erosion, and protect land and property with minimal interference with the natural environment. | • An investigation by coastal engineers to inspect the current status of the sea defences and make recommendations on any repairs or new construction elements. • Complete required works • Initiate the early resource consent renewal process |
| Increase residents enjoyment of the outdoors | Scope of work to assess the feasibility of a walkway on the sea-wall |
About this funding
The Ōtorohanga District Council has been allocated $2.6 million from the Government as part of the Better Off Fund (BOF). This is to provide funds to councils nationwide to support community development and climate resilience as they transition away from managing 3 Waters, now known as Affordable Waters.
Through workshops and voting processes, four priority projects were identified and approved by Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) on behalf of the Government, which included $730,000 for the "Kāwhia Seawall Defence", see related pages for the background story.
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