Slow down: Coastal cycle trail 'less important' than protected surf break

Tuesday, 24 July 2018

A lone surfer at Mangamaunu near Kaikōura.

OPINION: The proposed cycleway between Blenheim and Kaikōura requires careful consideration, due to the likelihood that parts of it will have an adverse effect on the scenic beauty of Mangamaunu Bay.

High quality surf breaks are rarer than most of our endangered flora and fauna, but until 2010, they had no protection. Few people realise that the surf break at Raglan has changed dramatically since it became world famous in the 1960's cult surfing movie, Endless Summer.

The damage our breaks have sustained over the years led the usually laid-back surfing community to become national activists.

Their strong advocacy, backed by scientific evidence, led to Mangamaunu and 16 other breaks receiving legal protection in 2010 through the NZ Coastal Policy Statement.

Any activity that might pose a threat to such breaks would normally be carefully scrutinised through Resource Management Act (RMA) hearings.

However, after the 2016 earthquakes, the Government passed special legislation allowing for the restoration of Kaikōura's road and rail routes while avoiding the normal RMA consent processes.

Less than a month before this legislation expired, the New Zealand Transport Agency and KiwiRail lodged a fast-track application for the cycleway, meaning that scientific experts will be unable to air their conflicting views over the nature of the effects.

The Kaikōura District Council and Environment Canterbury had no option but to approve the consent, despite expressing concerns over the lack of detail and possible impacts of the proposal.

But long-term resilience closely relates to the emotional wellbeing of communities, so actions that might damage a community's sense of itself need to be handled carefully, especially in a post-disaster context. NZTA and KiwiRail should be well aware of this.

It is difficult to be too critical of government agencies, as the fast-track path is a logical business decision and the special recovery legislation avoids a costly and lengthy process with a less certain outcome.

However, as the Mangamaunu Preservation Society and NZ Surfbreak Protection Society rightly say, what's the rush? The parking areas and cycleway are less important than the break and their request that the Government step in and apply normal RMA processes to enable full examination of the proposal is a sound idea.

This issue has put the Government in a difficult position. Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter is leading the charge in promoting safe cycling, but Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage is responsible for DOC, which promotes environmental protection and ensures that the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement is effective.

It would be ironic if this nationally significant break, having survived nature's violent earthquakes and seabed uplift unscathed, was damaged by the recovery efforts of a Government-funded cycleway.

Hamish Rennie is an associate professor of planning at Lincoln University, specialising in coastal planning.