Abstract
Coastal erosion is a planning issue of great and ever growing significance in New Zealand. Considering the long and short term advantages of mitigating this hazard through managed retreat rather than hard engineering alternatives, the successful implementation of such strategies stand against several barriers. This thesis aimed to define and discuss these barriers, including the cost of relocation, social perceptions towards managed retreat and the loss of land. With a particular focus on the Clifton coastline under the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council jurisdiction, this study looked at what actions have been taken by regional authorities to minimise these barriers and how effective these steps have been.
Data was collected through the use of Key Informant interviews with employees of local Hawke’s Bay Councils, analysis of coastal processes and land movement with the help of GIS and with the assistance of national and local plans and policies. Comparisons were also made to other situations within New Zealand where coastal erosion has been a planning issue. These case studies were Muriwai Beach, Auckland, where managed retreat has been successful in its implementation, and Urenui Beach, Taranaki, where a hard engineering structure was chosen over retreat from the coast. Through discussion, the outcomes of these comparisons, alongside the information gathered through desktop research and interviews aimed to shed light on possible improvements and changes to Hawke’s Bay, and New Zealand’s, current strategies for managing the encroaching coastline.