Coastal Environment, Shoreline Change and Coastal Protection Works at Aotea Township

The consent application contains useful reviews of existing information and descriptions of the physical and biological characteristics of the area, but no significant new data collection. Existing data includes a number of shorelines, mapped from historical surveys. The consent for the seawall (hearing April 2003) required monitoring prior, during and following construction to determine compliance of construction with consent requirements and effects of the construction on the adjacent shoreline and beach. The monitoring aims to detect end effects and drops in the level of the beach fronting the seawall. The purpose of this work is to assess coastal hazards, and the environmental impacts of a 750 m seawall fronting Aotea township, near the entrance to Aotea Harbour, West Coast North Island. Severe coastal erosion has threatened and damaged private and public property at Aotea for decades. A number of private properties have been lost to erosion. The Otorohanga District Council has constructed a wooden and rock seawall to protect remaining properties from ongoing erosion, and to replace derelict illegal structures that had been placed by local residents.

The dataset includes information gathered prior to the construction of the wall in order to predict it's effects, and monitoring information gathered during and after construction. Monitoring data includes: Cross-shore profiles at 50 m spacing, collected immediately prior to and following construction, and annually thereafter. Photography looking both directions at same times, at 100 m intervals along the wall and showing the shoreline adjacent to the end of the wall. Alongshore survey along the length of the wall and 150 m past each end, taken immediately prior to and following construction, ane year after construction and 5 yearly thereafter. Annual monitoring report.

Frontage of Aotea Township

2002 onwards plus review of older information

Monitoring survey: Total Station georeferenced (GD49) Frequency of collection: annual

Using total station for surveying alongshore and cross shore locations can be determined with 5 mm horizontal and 10 mm vertical accuracy.

Data presented as hard copy graphs and survey diagrams in annual monitoring report.

Assessing environmental impacts of the seawall.

Files can be viewed at the Waikato Regional Council - written request by email or letter. Most information publicly available. In rare circumstances some information is confidential.

Data collection ongoing.