Much of the Hawke's Bay coastline is prone to erosion or seawater flooding hazards. This page features the results of work undertaken by the Regional Council to identify erosion and inundation (flooding) hazards along the Hawke's Bay coastline. That work has resulted in a report titled the Hawke's Bay Regional Coastal Hazard Assessment.
The Regional Council has undertaken further work as part of preparing the Proposed Regional Coastal Environment Plan to address (amongst other coastal planning matters) coastal hazards and the management of activities within hazard areas.
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In February 2004, consultants Tonkin and Taylor Limited (T&T) produced a report which assessed coastal hazard risks for the Hawke’s Bay coastline. This work was part of ongoing efforts by regional, district and city councils to identify and gather information on natural hazards (including earthquake, flood, and volcanic ash, as well as coastal hazards). Individual sections of the Tonkin and Taylor Ltd’s 2004 Regional Coastal Hazard Assessment report can be viewed here.
As part of Hearings on the Proposed Regional Coastal Environment Plan, a report was prepared by Tonkin and Taylor Limited (T&T) in April 2008 that provides additional advice and reassesses Erosion Risk Zones at a number of locations across Hawke's Bay.
What does the 2004 report include?
Volume 1 covers the methodology and development of the hazard areas. Volume 2 summarises the hazards for each specific coastal location. Volume 3 includes the technical appendices and beach profiles.
The 2004 report presented maps for each coastal area within the region showing the extent of predicted coastal erosion risk areas. The 2004 report also included methodologies for identifying coastal flooding risks and cliff shore erosion risk. Using the Regional Council’s GIS software, it is now possible to map the coastal flooding and cliff shore erosion risk areas.
Since the 2004 report was completed, several additional coastal hazard investigations have been undertaken by T&T on behalf of the Regional Council. These additional investigations have reassessed cliff shore erosion risk areas and long-term erosion risks for northern and southern beaches.
This suite of coastal hazard assessment reports do not attempt to define hazards on an individual site-by-site basis, but rather are intended to be used as a means of identifying coastal erosion and inundation risks at a broader-scale.
How can I find out the location of hazard risk areas relative to my property?
Volume 2 of the 2004 report includes maps for most of the coastal settlement areas showing the erosion risk areas. The scale of those maps is 1:10,000 (where 1cm on the map represents 100m on the ground).
Similar maps were produced as part of the April 2008 Tonkin and Taylor Limited (T&T) report which reassessed erosion risk areas at some locations.
For more detailed information - A4-sized maps for specific properties (at 1: 2500 scale) can be produced by HBRC staff. A charge of $5.00 per map will apply. These maps show both the erosion and inundation risk areas where relevant.
What do the various hazard areas represent?
The hazard areas represent parts of the coast that are potentially at risk from coastal erosion and/or inundation (sea water flooding). They are based on up to a 100-year time frame and include consideration of long-term erosion trends, short-term annual trends and weather related aspects, as well as the effects of waves and anticipated sea level rise.
Erosion Risk Areas
Land seaward of the Current Erosion Risk Zone (CERZ), is at risk of damage from coastal erosion in the immediate or near future (10 years). Land between the CERZ and the 2060 Erosion Risk Zone (2060ERZ) is assessed as being at risk of damage from coastal erosion by the year 2060. Similarly, land between the 2060ERZ and 2100 Erosion Risk Zone (2100ERZ) means that area is predicted to be at risk of damage by coastal erosion by the year 2100.
Inundation Risk Areas
Land covered by the Extreme Inundation Risk Zone (EIRZ) means that those areas are at risk of damage from coastal inundation from a storm event with a 1 in 50 chance of occurring each year. That land is also at risk from wave damage or flooding due to waves travelling up the beach and overtopping the beach berm.
Land covered by the Moderate Inundation Risk Zone (MIRZ) means that those areas are at risk of damage from coastal inundation from a storm event with a 1 in 50 chance of occurring each year.
Cliff Shore Hazard Area
Areas like coastal cliffs and hills near the coast may be within the Cliff Shore Hazard Zone (CSHZ). The CSHZ extends inland from the toe of coastal cliffs and represents an area of land that is potentially at risk of erosion due to wave undercut or cliff instability by the year 2100.
Some of the more questions and answers relating to the Regional Coastal Hazard Assessment Report are listed in a special Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
Individual sections of the 2004 Regional Coastal Hazard Assessment can be viewed using the links to PDF files set out below.
To read these documents, you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat. Click here to download a copy of the free reader.
The original Adobe Acrobat PDF files were too large to be downloaded, so we have now provided them in smaller chunks below. For your convenience, we have provided the estimated file size for each PDF file.
We apologize for the quality of these electronic documents. They have obviously been scanned, so some of the maps and diagrams are skewed.
Printed copies of the Report can be obtained from Hawke's Bay Regional Council, 102 Vautier Street, Napier, or by contacting Mike Adye or Lisa McGlinchey at Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (06 835 9200 or 0800 108 838) outside the toll free area or email to action@hbrc.govt.nz.
Some questions and answers from the information sheet that was sent out to residents affected by the findings, are listed in a special Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page here.