The proposed Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy 2120 has been presented to Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. We’re now talking with our communities to test the proposed options, making sure they’re practical, affordable, and reflect what local people want.
We know affordability matters. Economic conditions have changed significantly since these options were first considered, and responding to Cyclone Gabrielle has placed real pressure on our region. Protecting our coast from erosion and flooding will require significant investment, and we need to hear from the community about how you think this work should be funded.
Before moving to formal consultation, we need to be confident the options will work for communities and that costs are acceptable.
Coastal challenges are complex and long term. The solutions are significant investments, so it’s important we take the time to get this right. At the same time, all three councils (HBRC, HDC and NCC) are continuing work to address current impacts while we plan for the future.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council has, in principle, taken responsibility for driving the Clifton to Tangoio Coastal Hazards Strategy 2120 on behalf of the Joint Committee and the region. To do that the strategy needs to be included in its Long-Term Plan.
Last year, Council considered the recommendations of the Joint Committee as set out in the Proposed Strategy.
When considering the current economic context, including recent rate increases, the costs of recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle, economic recession and inflationary pressures, Council's view was that any new costs for communities needed to be carefully considered and worked through. More input was needed from communities on what actions and costs are acceptable in the face of the risks posed by coastal hazards.
Coastal processes are complex. There have been a number of scientific and engineering reports done to understand the processes at play along our coastline.
There has been robust community input into a range of options for managing coastal hazards over the long term.
Options need to have acceptable costs for the people who end up paying for them. We could take a full user-pays approach, which may be unaffordable, or share the costs in some way.
In order to implement options, we need to decide on which ones we take forward and how we pay for them – that requires Council including preferred options in its long-term plan and rating for them.
All of these decisions need to be made with the community input – otherwise when we get to formal consultation, the preferred options might not work for the communities they’re designed for, and we’ll be back to the drawing board.
If we rush this, there could be significant environmental, social and economic implications.
Yes. We're monitoring erosion and flooding, maintaining existing protection structures, and supporting communities with advice and emergency planning. These actions reduce risk while we develop long-term solutions.
The three councils have been progressing actions to respond to the most urgent risks, including:
This survey focused on an important question: how should we share the costs of building resilience to coastal hazards?
We received over 200 responses to our survey and will publish the insights soon.
Your feedback will help Councillors understand what matters most to our community, including the principles and trade-offs you think are fair.
We’re returning to our communities to help choose the preferred options and understand what people feel is affordable.
Focus groups have been set up in Te Awanga, Haumoana, Westshore and Bayview so local residents can help shape the options for their own coastline. We’re continuing to work closely with tangata whenua to ensure cultural values and frameworks guide the strategy development.
We’ll also be seeking feedback from the wider community, as funding decisions may affect the whole region.
A Community Reference Group, made up of focus group representatives and other community members, will review feedback and expert advice and make recommendations to Council.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council will then consider this input as part of developing its next Long Term Plan.
Once we have recommendations from the engagement process, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council will consider them in context with its wider work programme as they develop their next Long-term Plan for wider community consultation.
See the summary report of the community engagement held in 2025.
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