Executive Summary:
This report is one of a number being prepared for West Coast Regional Council (WCRC) to aid the decision-making processes with ongoing erosion problems at a number of locations in the region. The advice provided in this report focuses on the villages of Ngakawau and Hector and relates to ongoing coastal erosion issues along the frontage and the increasing proliferation of ad hoc coastal defense structures aimed at protecting residential land and property. At both Hector and Ngakawaum, as in the most coast areas, the problem is not due to the ongoing changes in the coastline but rather that development historically (and ongoing) has been located too close to the sea to accommodate these natural changes and trends and the resulting impacts now so much more financially significant.
Click here to download NIWA's Hector Final Report (PDF, 2.00MB)