Waikato District Council is talking with the community about the effects of coastal erosion and climate change as part of the up-coming District Plan.

Council is in the process of reviewing the Waikato District Plan, which contains rules for subdivision of land, what activities we can do and where we can do them.

As part of this review, rules must take into account land that is at risk from natural hazards and the effects of climate change.

For this reason, Council needs to identify coastal areas that could be impacted by coastal erosion and inundation over the next 100 years. Council will then develop approaches to appropriately manage the hazard risk in these areas.

Raglan and Port Waikato both have areas of coastal land at risk of coastal erosion and inundation.

The community’s local knowledge and understanding of coastal processes in these areas are critical to getting good information. With this in mind, Council needs your help. Public open days in Raglan and Port Waikato were held in mid-December to gather information. Further open days will be held early this year to discuss the results of the assessment and to discuss the options for managing the identified hazard risk areas. The open will also include strategies that will help communities adapt to the uncertainties around the effects of climate change.

Council would still welcome information from the Raglan and Port Waikato communities including shoreline changes of the last 50 to 100 years; coastal erosion or flooding events that have affected your property or nearby areas; people or groups who may have useful information (eg long-term residents, local historians etc), photos or observations of erosion or flooding and early descriptions or old maps of the local coastline.

Details around when the open days will take place will be advertised closer to the time.

For more information or if you would like to discuss this project further, phone Kelly Nicolson on 07 824 8633 or email Kelly.nicolson@waidc.govt.nz.

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