What we do
Waikawa Beach has it’s own unique characteristics, being situated on the banks of the Waikawa Stream which flows to the sea via an expansive estuary. This is home to an abundance of native and migrating birdlife, with nests located both on the beach and in the dunes. The awa was, and continues to have, a wealth of cultural history as a source of kai moana including eel, flounder and whitebait. This unique combination of wetland, river, estuary, dunes and a relatively high water table has resulted in a natural environment which is richly diverse and, with careful management, will only get better.​
​
Dune Restoration
Over the past 7 years, members of the group have been working wit the HDC ro restore the Dunes around Waikawa Beach. Starting in September 2018 we have built up about 2 hectares of Dunes around the Reay Mackay grove North track.
​
Reay Mackay grove north track January 2014
​
Reay Mackay grove north track March 2021
​
River management plan
River, estuary and localised sea water quality is a current issue, with water testing, hazard signage and uploading data to the LAWA website being HDC’s only apparent responsibilities. Increasing collaboration between our group, WBRA and other stakeholders will put pressure on Council to address the issue. There is plenty of evidence in consultants’ reports that erosion caused by silt build-up can be mitigated once a river management plan is adopted.
​
Much of the lower river was overgrown in 2024 with a form of grass from the Poaceae family. the normally 10m wide river was down to about 3m in width. More recently storms have washed this down the river and it is spread across the estuary, in varying state of decomposition.
​
Kayaking the Waikawa River 2024. showing weed growth​
​
Pest management
We have many environmental partners, including LAWA, Horizons and HDC, DOC, Wild Cats of Waikawa Beach, Predator Free NZ, neighbouring community environment groups and subject matter experts.
​
Wild Cats of Waikawa Beach trap, de-sex and re-home wild kittens. They also catch feral males and females and remove them from the area. We collaborate with Predator Free NZ to target rabbits, rats, stoats and weasels, etc.
​
We work with independent experts on the identification of invasive plant species and will work with HDC and Horizons to develop a plan to rehabilitate the natural environment.
​
Uncontrolled runoff from farms is linked to the ‘river management plan’ and we will work with HDC and Horizons to investigate how other communities are dealing with this issue and advocate for stronger bylaws.
​
Managed beach access
We are currently engaging positively with the WBRA, the vehicle access group and HDC to formulate an agreeable solution for community access, and a strong recommendation to Council for a comprehensive beach bylaw.
​
Vehicles in the dunes is a universal problem in all coastal communities, this image is from a recent visit to Foxton Beach Dune garden​
​