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NPDC’s Rock-hard defences against beach erosion

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PUBLISHED: 24 MAR 2022
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NPDC’s Rock-hard defences against beach erosion

Almost 2,000 tonnes of rock have been rolled in to protect the sea front at Onaero and Urenui.

NPDC has finished reinforcing the sea wall at Onaero, which had slumped due to large waves and gravity. The project shifted to Urenui this week, with work underway at the golf club end.

“Getting these rocks in place means the sea walls will once again work as designed and help reduce erosion in these areas,” says NPDC Manager Parks and Open Spaces Stuart Robertson.

“There’s a lot of power behind the west coast waves, especially during storms, and they can get behind these boulders and force a sea wall out of shape. We’ve been working on sections of New Plymouth’s sea wall as well, for the same reason.”

The work has been timed for March/April as there is less chance of interrupting penguin nesting.

The $40,000 project in Onaero involved 400 tonnes of rock, while 1,500 tonnes of rock is going into the $107,000 job at Urenui.

Fast facts

  • We're embedding climate change into our plans and operations through our Climate Action Framework.
  • Assessing infrastructure vulnerability and building resilience is part of NPDC’s climate change response.
  • NPDC has 23 sea walls in the district.
  • Our coast stretches some 98km from the Mokau River in the north to the Hangatahua (Stony) River in the south.
  • NPDC also manages 68 hectares of coastal dunes.

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Page last updated: 10:31am Thu 24 March 2022

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