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The impact of vehicles on beaches
Motorbikes and 4WD vehicles are causing significant damage to sand dunes in the Waikato region and are creating serious safety concerns for other beach users.
With sales of 4WD vehicles and off-road motorbikes increasing dramatically in recent years, the number of vehicles being driven on our beaches is also dramatically increasing. A large number of complaints are being received by local authorities and police with vehicle related accidents and near misses becoming a common occurrence on our beaches.
We would like you to respect the beach, the fragile dune environment and other beachgoers. Any reports of reckless vehicle use will be followed up and are taken very seriously. Find out how to make a complaint.
The Waikato region
Within the Waikato region, vehicle use on beaches mainly occurs on the west coast. Particular hotspots include Karioitahi, Raglan, Ruapuke, Kawhia and Mokau although all of the west coast settlements experience issues to varying degrees.
While some vehicle users who drive on the beach do act responsibly, the threat to the environment and other beach users by those who are driving recklessly, has become too great at some locations. This has resulted in vehicle access ways to some beaches being closed to vehicles indefinitely.
The threat to our environment
Sand dunes need to be protected so they can continue to protect coastal communities from coastal erosion and flooding and so the natural character of the coast is preserved for future generations.
Dunes are formed when dry sand is blown up the beach and trapped by native sand binding plants. The plants then grow through the trapped sand increasing the height of the dune and becoming a natural barrier between the land and the sea. The greater the width of the dunes, the greater the reservoir of sand available to provide protection from storm waves.
Any activity that damages these important sand binding plants can stop the dunes from rebuilding and can lead to increased erosion.
Driving over sand dune plants can destroy them and lower their growth rates by breaking off stems, crushing seedlings and damaging underground roots.
Vehicles also compact the sand and soils which changes the conditions needed for sand binding grasses to grow.
The loss of plant cover, as well as the physical changes to the sands and soils, makes dunes more vulnerable to wind erosion and 'blow-outs' - where the dune gives way and sand is blown inland. Driving on dunes can also change the profile or shape of the dunes, creating wind funnels and making the dunes more vulnerable to erosion during storm events.
For more information you can order the free Environment Waikato publication Fragile: A Guide to Waikato Dunes in the coastal publications section.
Public safety concerns
The increasing number of vehicles on Waikato beaches is causing problems for other beach users with many complaints of near misses and general nuisance being received by police and other agencies.
Popular beaches can host many beach-goers who enjoy sunbathing, walking, sand-castle building, surfing and land based fishing. People enjoying these activities are encountering vehicles driving at unsafe speeds and who are getting far too close to children and other beach users. The reckless driving of vehicles on the beach and in the dunes is also a significant safety hazard for the driver.
There have been a number of deaths from vehicle crashes on New Zealand beaches in recent years and many other serious accidents. Common causes of accidents include hitting a patch of soft sand at speed and crashing, rolling over in sand dunes, or crashing into another vehicle or person.
Responsible driving on the beach
If you are taking a vehicle to the beach, please follow the guidelines below to ensure the safety of other beach users and the environmental impact of the vehicle is minimised:
- Do not enter sand dune areas.
- Always slow down when there are other people or animals around.
- Stick to the hard part of the beach below the high tide line.
- The same rules apply as driving on a road: Your vehicle must have a current warrant of fitness and registration, and you must have the appropriate license.
The rules
District council bylaws regulate the safety aspects of vehicle use on the beach. Under the Reserves Act 1977, District councils can prosecute any reckless motor vehicle activity (including off-road biking) on beaches. For more information on the bylaws that apply in your district, contact your local district council. Find out the district boundaries in the Waikato region and contact details.
The police have a regulatory role under the Land Transport Act which treats beaches as 'roads'. This means that the rules of the road apply, including speed limits and rules relating to licensing of vehicles and drivers, alcohol use, seatbelts and driving behaviour.
Environment Waikato manages activities that have an environmental impact and gives effect to the Resource Management Act 1991 in the coastal marine area through the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan. In some circumstances, the Coastal Plan permits vehicles to be driven on the flat part of beach (not the dunes) as long as certain conditions are met.
Waikato Regional Coastal Plan
16.6.2 Vehicle Use (Permitted Activity)
The use of motorised vehicles on the foreshore of the CMA for the purposes of:
- launching boats; or
- life saving activities; or
- conservation activities undertaken by the Department of Conservation, in accordance with their statutory functions; or
- dune management activities, or the servicing of public facilities undertaken by territorial authorities; or
- private access where no other landward access is available; or
- removal of sediment from mouth of waterways which empty into the CMA; or
- access for people with disabilities; or
- defence purposes, undertaken in accordance with the Defence Act 1990; or
- gathering drift seaweed or driftwood; or
- maintenance of infrastructure
is a permitted activity provided it complies with the following conditions:
- There shall be no use of vehicles on shellfish beds, vegetated areas, bird nesting areas during nesting season, or in any area identified as waahi tapu, except for the activities provided for in Rule 16.6.23.
- No vehicle shall be operated at a speed in excess of 10 km/hour.
- Any visual disturbance to the foreshore or seabed shall be remedied within 24 hours
- No contaminants shall be discharged to water or land from the vehicle.
If your vehicle use does not meet the criteria above, you may need to apply for resource consent. Find out more about the resource consent process.
Find out more about the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan.
Making a complaint
If you wish to make a complaint about a vehicle driving in the dunes or on the beach, please get as many details as possible without putting your own safety at risk, such as:
- exact location of offence
- date, time and duration of activity
- the make, model and registration of the vehicle involved (OR the registration of a trailer if it is being used to transport motor-cross bikes)
- the use of the vehicle
- the effects (actual or potential) that you saw or experienced personally
- a house address if the vehicles are coming from a property
- a description of the driver (or their name if possible)
- photographs if possible (i.e. from a photo-capable cellphone)
With these details, please contact either the closest police station or the relevant agency to make your complaint.
Who to contact
The agency that you should make your complaint to depends on the nature of the complaint and where the incident occurred.
- Safety concerns, damage to personal property, or threatening behavior: Police
- Nuisance, public health and safety complaints, bylaw information: District Council
- Impact on the environment: Environment Waikato
- Impacts on wildlife, heritage areas or midden sites : Department of Conservation
Contact details
Police
If the incident is of a serious or urgent matter, please call emergency services on 111.
For complaints regarding traffic offences, safety concerns, damage to personal property, or threatening behavior please contact the closest police station. The focus of the police is on the safety of drivers and the public, not on effects on the environment.
Franklin District: Waiuku Police Station, Phone (09) 236 5020
Waikato District: Raglan Police Station, Phone (07) 825 8200
Otorohanga District: Kawhia Police Station, Phone (07) 871 0827
Waitomo District: Kawhia Police Station, Phone (07) 871 0827
Environment Waikato
For complaints related to environmental damage being caused by vehicles on any beaches in the Waikato region: Phone 0800 800 401
Department of Conservation
For any complaints related to vehicle use in DOC conservation reserves, or vehicle use leading to the destruction of archaeological sites (including midden sites), disturbance of birds, or endangerment of marine life, please contact: Conservation Hotline, Phone 0800 362 468.
District councils
For more information regarding the relevant bylaws that apply to your beach, or complaints related to nuisance or public health and safety, please contact the relevant district council. If you are unsure about which district the incident took place in, please refer to the map.
Franklin District Council: Phone (09) 2371300
www.franklin.govt.nz
Waikato District Council: Phone (07) 825 8129
www.waikatodc.govt.nz
Otorohanga District Council: Phone (07) 8738199 or 0800 738 199
www.otodc.govt.nz
Waitomo District Council: Phone 0800 932 4357
www.waitomo.govt.nz