Community Perceptions of Coastal Processes and Management Options for Coastal Erosion

Report: TR 2011/09
Author: Carol Stewart, Julia Becker and Maureen Coomer (GNS Science)

Abstract

Long-term management of the coast is an important and challenging task. Some of the challenges faced by coastal managers include maintaining and protecting public access and natural character, protecting people and property from natural hazards, and sustainable planning and use of natural and physical resources. As an added complexity, these issues must also now be addressed within the intergenerational dimension of climate change and its range of associated effects.

Coastal residents, absentee coastal property owners, beach users and visitors all have a stake in how the coastline is managed. However, to date, the aspirations of the ‘coastal community’ in the widest sense have only been identified to a limited extent.

The general framework for this study is one of community involvement in coastal hazard mitigation. Understanding the perspectives of the community, including people’s viewpoints about what they value about the coast, whether they really understand how coastal processes work, and what their preferred community management options or outcomes might be, can assist with setting goals for long-term coastal planning.

For this study, research was carried out in three communities on the east coast of the Coromandel in January and February 2007. The communities selected were Whangapoua, Tairua and Waihi Beach. These locations were chosen as they illustrate both a range of severity of current erosion threats and of approaches to coastal protection.

Following the completion of survey data collection, a basic data report (Becker et al. 2007) was produced, which presents the postal survey results in tabular and graph format. A further report (Stewart et al. 2007) was also produced, containing a detailed analysis of the findings from the interviews with the beachgoers, as well as a preliminary analysis of data from the postal questionnaires.

This report presents a more in-depth analysis of the results from the postal questionnaire and links the results back into the wider coastal work programme.

Results are also interpreted in light of a new national direction on preparing for climate change in the coastal zone. A particular focus is to determine public attitudes towards coastal erosion and its management, and to what extent there appears to be a mindset of ‘taming’ coastal processes (sometimes referred to as ‘holding the line’) compared to that of a more sustainable viewpoint of ‘living with’ natural processes.

Community Perceptions of Coastal Processes and Management Options for Coastal Erosion [PDF, 1.2 MB]