![\"Erosion](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4LDUE9O_WDC_6073_png.jpeg\")
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\nErosion visible from the Hampden Closed Landfill.
\nPhoto: Supplied\/Waitaki District Council\n<\/p>\n
Plans to fix coastal erosion caused by increasingly big and powerful waves pounding the Waitaki coast could cost $70 million before 2050, with another $80 million needed to protect the entire \u014camaru sewage system by 2125.<\/p>\n
In a report commissioned by the district council in late 2024 and publicly released this month, engineering firm BECA found three roads, a railyard, pump stations, a p\u0101 site and urup\u0101 were at risk.<\/p>\n
The report described some locations as extremely vulnerable and others at risk from the next major storm.<\/p>\n
BECA’s recommendations included relocating Hampden Cemetery, closing two coastal roads and accepting the loss of private property and land in northern \u014camaru over the next 24 years.<\/p>\n
Waitaki District Council has weaved many of the suggested measures into its long term plan.<\/p>\n
Mayor Mel Tavendale said the council faced some tough decisions and community feedback was important.<\/p>\n
![\"Waitaki](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4JZN7GH_Mel_Tavendale_jpg.jpeg\")
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\nWaitaki Mayor Melanie Tavendale.
\nPhoto: Jackie Tav\n<\/p>\n
“We’re a coastal community, we are going to be having these challenges and they’re ongoing. We do need to have some brave conversations and work out what’s important to us and what’s not as important because it’s going to get more and more challenging,” she said.<\/p>\n
She said not all the land in the report was council-owned, so the council was trying to share the cost with other agencies, such as KiwiRail and the Transport Agency, where possible.<\/p>\n
“I guess in a lot of ways the district cannot afford a $70 million spend. We need to prioritise the council-owned land and then we need to work with the community on other strategies,” she said.<\/p>\n
“There are a few sites where [the erosion] is always going to be a bit further or a bit less than expected but it’s a well-known issue. How we solve the issue, that’s not as well-formulated at this stage.”<\/p>\n
Peak wave heights expected to rise from 2m to 3.5m<\/p>\n
The BECA report predicted 100-year peak wave heights could rise from under 2 metres to over 3.5m along parts of the coast by 2125.<\/p>\n
Coastal scientist Martin Single said parts of the eastern South Island had been eroding for 12,000 years because of sea-level rise since post-glacial times, accelerated by climate change.<\/p>\n
Single, an environmental consultant with Shore Processes and Management, said more storms were expected to hit the coast each year.<\/p>\n
“I think it’s good to see that these reports are being written to identify the financial ramifications of coastal erosion around the country and the significance to infrastructure, and where a lot of money is actually going to have to be pushed into either protecting these assets or relocating them,” he said.<\/p>\n
Long-time \u014camaru resident Peter De Reus said he remembered playing on fields at Waitaki Boys’ High School that had since washed out to sea<\/a>.<\/p>\n He hoped the council would consult with ratepayers before deciding whether to abandon or reinforce an at-risk site.<\/p>\n “Obviously, you cannot guard the whole coast. It’s just not feasible to do that but areas where a lot of the town drive and routinely travel, those areas should be hardened and protected, armoured,” he said.<\/p>\n Beach Road future debated<\/p>\n One site in the BECA report, Beach Road North, has already been closed to traffic for several years, partly because of erosion and partly because of excavation work to remove historic waste<\/a>.<\/p>\n
![\"Beach](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4KGQE5R_Beach_Road_Northern_Site_png.jpeg\")
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