Whitebaiters caught up in fortified beach ban
Ka¯piti whitebaiters are being netted as councils crack down on illegal beach access.
Bollards and a sign blocking vehicles from the Waikanae Beach Estuary were erected by Ka¯piti Coast District Council, days before the whitebait season opened, surprising locals who had long driven to the water’s edge.
Council staff had approached those parked in the off-limits area and one man said he had also been warned by police.
While whitebaiters were unimpressed with the move, the council said it protected public safety and the ‘‘delicate coastal ecology’’, a stance supported by the regional council and Department of Conservation (DOC).
Classified as a scientific reserve, the estuary regularly hosts royal spoonbills and last year an endangered New Zealand dotterel nested for the first time in the sandy spit.
In July, the Greater Wellington Regional Council said it would crack down on people driving on protected beaches but beach users said the move had taken them by surprise.
Those who ignore the rule risk a $750 fine.
Vehicles were officially banned in 2015 but enforcement attempts were difficult and led to physical threats to rangers, DOC spokesman Jack Mace said.
Now the department would work with police and council staff to enforce the rules protecting the ‘‘unique place’’.
‘‘We understand that during whitebait season this might be unpopular with some people, however the wider community has made it clear that they expect us to protect the reserve.’’
Vehicles on the beach could harm people, damage shellfish beds and endanger wildlife such as nesting birds, he said.
Under the scientific reserves bylaw, vehicles could drive on some parts of the beach but not on others; a rule that surprised and confused all the beach users Stuff spoke to. Whitebaiter Chris Turver said the enforcement was ‘‘overkill’’ and done without advance warning or consultation; elderly fishermen now had to drag their gear about a kilometre across the sand. ‘‘Whitebaiters are mainly middle-aged to elderly locals, who respect the special environmental nature of the estuary, and act responsibly.’’
Local authorities were required to consult and communicate on significant changes to existing rules and they had failed to do so, the former regional councillor said.
Other beach users were concerned the new bollards prevented boats being launched, particularly if needed for rescues, and one man described the enforcement as ‘‘resembling a police state’’.
Ka¯ piti council spokeswoman Jacquie Muir said the bylaw allowed police to issue fines to people who broke the law.
The new signs would help educate the community and the bollards would stop vehicles driving through the carpark.
Whitebaiters should refer to the regional council’s proposed natural resource plan and contact that council about vehicle restrictions, she said.
Ka¯ piti Mayor K Gurunathan said that because the area was managed by multiple authorities, it was difficult to make sense of the ‘‘bureaucratic mumbo jumbo’’ that surrounded it.
The council would not issue infringement notices but work to educate people. ‘‘It’s not a big stick – council staff, DOC officers and police will say: move along.’’
The regional council appreciated the work of Ka¯ piti Coast District Council to help protect the area, spokeswoman Miranda Cross said.
‘‘Whitebaiters are mainly middle-aged to elderly locals, who ... act responsibly.’’ Chris Turver