Kaiteriteri the pick of Kiwi beaches

Kaiteriteri Beach, near Motueka, is leading an online poll to find New Zealand’s mostloved beach.

The brainchild of Green Party MP Gareth Hughes, the competition is part of a campaign to bring attention to deep sea oil drilling.

Ironically, Opunake and Oakura beaches in Taranaki, which would probably be among the first affected by a deep sea oil spill, have so far only managed to get 47 votes between them.

Kaiteriteri, near Motueka, currently leads the way with 353 votes, while Mount Maunganui sits at a distant second on 280 votes.

Hughes said all of New Zealand’s beaches were at risk. ‘‘Taranaki beaches are iconic for surfing and recreation and I know a lot of people love them so hopefully more people will vote for them.’’

He said the Government was letting oil companies drill deeper than ever before which would increase the chances of a ‘‘catastrophic’’ leak or blowout.

‘‘The risk to Taranaki’s beautiful beaches is real and I think we should have a national discussion about it,’’ he said.

‘The damage to New Zealand’s marine environment, our coastline, economy and our reputation would be catastrophic . . . We can protect our favourite beaches from oil spills by saying no to deep sea drilling.’’

In October, Fairfax Media revealed the 2013-14 summer period would see a boom in offshore activity with at least 25 wells slated to be drilled.