Land Information New Zealand has not identified the proposer, but the board says the individual is happy to include a te reo Māori name, such as Kokoru a Tupa.
Public consultation is open, with submissions closing on August 10.
The proposal says the beach is valued for its relatively sheltered and safe conditions, but notes the lack of an official name makes it difficult to describe the location.
An official name could also assist emergency services if needed, it says.
It adds that clearly communicating the location on official maps and Google Maps could also save lives, if people use the bay rather than the beach off Marine Parade, which is notoriously dangerous because of a strong undertow.
Swimmers on a sunny Sunday in 2004, on small beach on the Ahuriri side of the groyne next to Sandy Beach.
But the board notes the beach near the port is so small it might not appear on some maps, such as NZTopo50-BJ39.
The lack of a name is linked to the beach’s relatively recent creation, becoming particularly popular in the summer, with sand trucked in and a groyne put in place to stop it washing away.
The Napier City Council uncovered a passage from a report saying two small breakwaters were constructed to the west of the port (Battery Rd reclamation) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with a boat ramp and parking area.
“A small sandy beach has formed within the lee of these breakwaters,” it says. “This is now known as Port Beach.”
It said sand has accumulated mainly naturally as a result of onshore sediment transport from the west and north, while the Port of Napier Ltd had added fine to medium sand.
Breakwater Bay? What people on social media say the beach should be called:
Alan Mason: Whatupuka – these were the healing waters.
Josh Weeks: As a yachtie, it’s the only safe anchoring bay in the wider Hawke’s Bay, the only safe destination – we call it “Container Bay”.
Larry Dallimore: Breakwater Bay is a ridiculous name for a beach that has absolutely nothing to do with the breakwater, other than most of the sand for the beach is sourced from clearing a drain inside the breakwater. Reclaiming land for storing export pine logs created this beach in the late 1970s and resultant erosion threatening Hardinge Rd and the Mobil oil lines to storage tanks at East Pier needed the rock groyne. The HB Harbour Board built this coastal protection with rocks and heavy equipment provided by Dallimore Groundworks in the early 1980s. What became a popular facility is not a naturally formed sandy beach. This beach should be named after Dennis Hoy, who as port chief engineer was instrumental to creating this beach. We just did the work that formed the beach.
Tipene Cottrell: It already has a name. It’s called Te Whatapuka.
Leigh Burnell: We call it the Cove.
Anna Alexandra: I’ve known it as Sandy Beach for at least 35 years.
Marie Grogan: A Māori name that represents the lovely beach, best spot in town.
Gwyn John: I reckon Mana Ahuriri Trust would be a good place to start for naming.
Doug Laing is a reporter in Napier, where he was based in 1999 as a Napier Daily Telegraph reporter in the merger with Hawke’s Bay Herald-Tribune to create Hawke’s Bay Today. He has more than 50 years’ experience as a journalist.