Protecting our beaches together
Coastcare groups are partnerships between coastal communities, iwi, district councils and Waikato Regional Council, working together to care for natural dune systems, building resilience and biodiversity for the future.
We have Coastcare groups throughout the region, caring for approximately 24 beaches on the east and west coasts of the Waikato.
Why we need Coastcare groups
Many of us love spending time at the beach. During summer many of our region's coastal towns and beaches become crowded with visitors. Unfortunately, as our beaches become more popular and coastal development increases, the pressure on many of our region's beaches increases.
Over 70% of dune ecosystems in the Waikato region are now classed as "significantly modified", and there are now no remaining examples of an intact dune-coastal forest vegetation sequence in the Waikato, so it's really important that we look after what remains.
Coastcare groups are made up of people who care about a particular area of coastline. They work together to help protect and restore it.
Across the region volunteers spend around 2000 hours planting over winter months, but also carry out a range of other work throughout the year, including weed control, predator trapping, and monitoring beaches and wildlife.
Keen to get involved?
Follow our Facebook page for all the latest Coastcare event information, and check out our story map to find a Coastcare group near you. We'd love to have you join us!
If you're a business looking to give back to the community, a Coastcare planting or weeding bee is a great way for your team to do some good. Keen to donate plants? We can arrange that too. Drop us a line at coastcare@waikatoregion.govt.nz to get in touch.
- Think like a skink
- Making a deposit in Raglan sand bank
- Ocean and community dynamics at play in dune restoration
- Unconventional approach taken to tackle ‘difficult’ dune
- Cyclone adds to ‘problem of not enough spinifex’
- Science of dune restoration pays off after summer cyclones
- Climate change research project taps experiences of Coastcare volunteers
- Kaitiaki approach helps rare sand daphne
- Seed collectors await plants' return in battle to protect coast