Dear Editor
Your recent correspondence, “Driving on Muriwai Beach“, fails to outline the issues involved, but instead makes pointed personal comments and suggests a conspiracy based around the 2011 Marine and Coastal Act, and Agenda 2030.
There are several issues at Muriwai Beach, which to a point, are intertwined. The exponential increase in vehicle traffic on the beach at Muriwai over the past 40 years is a fact and has raised legitimate concerns regarding safety.
1.From the Auckland Councils’ viewpoint, they are quietly more concerned with the off-road boy racers entering the extremities of the Regional Park via the beach and trashing the vegetation and wildlife habitat than they are concerned about personal safety. Don’t worry about the people, just look at the integrity of the facility. It should also be pointed out that Muriwai Beach road does not fall under the Council’s jurisdiction.
These off-road boy racers have created their own ‘unofficial off-road park’ at the back of the dunes, where to be fair to the Park Rangers, the environment has been nothing short of trashed.
Locals will attest to the abnormal times and frequency that these boy-racers will visit the beach. It is not unusual to see a dozen or more vehicles coming back down the beach at 2 am from their ‘off-road park’.
Given the recent history of nighttime gatherings of young people being ‘moved-on’ from the Regional Park, it is reasonable to assume that the ‘unofficial off-road park’ is also being used as a social gathering point late at night and into the very early hours.
The noise generated by these off-road boy racers is considerable and is a nuisance to anyone close by. This is clearly a concern to those horse riding at the beach – a skittish horse in a public place in the hands of someone inexperienced who may have paid to ride a horse for the first time, is certainly not desirable.
Some residents have had 8 accidents outside their property, (in less than 2 years) – almost all involving off-road boy racers returning from the beach. These boy racers race around the Muriwai village with complete disrespect for others – it is not just the beach for their anti-social behaviour.
2. The boy racers are not the only concern. Muriwai is very close to Auckland – and with every second car-yard boasting affordable SUVs, the weekend warriors also present a problem. Inexperienced SUV drivers are a hazard in themselves. As per a recent tragedy, the Sunday SUV driver finds himself on the open expanses of the beach, down goes the accelerator and before you know it the vehicle has rolled and four people have been killed. In that particular circumstance, the vehicle could just as easily have rolled into another car or a group of people.
Many new drivers on the beach also follow the advertisements for their fish harvesting torpedo kon-tikis. These ads highlight Muriwai as a place for their reaping machines, which increases the numbers of inexperienced drivers on the beach. I note these commercial enterprises are not contributing one iota to the upkeep of our beach while they delight in the free advertising.
3. Off-road dirt bikes also have a considerable presence. Visiting riders bring their trail bikes to the beach by trailer. Some are unregistered and unwarranted – whether the rider is licensed is another point of contention. It is not always visitors, it has to be said that there are also young locals tearing up the dunes on their bikes. Given their lack of noise baffling and licence plates, these bikes also have dubious legality. It will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for these dirt bikes to be kept off the beach, and out of the dunes – despite any beach closure.
4.The fear of fire risk is also being promoted as a reason to close the beach. This argument lacks logic. There are roads alongside Kiangaroa, Waipoa Forests etc but none of those has been closed due to fire risk. Further, the road is on the beach, not in the forest. Rather than completely restricting good citizens from the beach, perhaps the landowners should be taking more care and responsibility.
I note that the boy racers have developed their off-road park at the very extreme edge of the Regional Park. Why haven’t the Council taken more measures to halt the few who are ruining the beach access for everyone else? It seems the easiest solution is to flex the muscles of bureaucracy and place a ban on the public by closing the road. Many see this as an abdication of the Councils’ responsibilities resulting in the loss of personal freedoms.
5.The NZ Police are between a rock and a hard place. Firstly, policing the beach is not a 24 hr policy. They lack the manpower, and the equipment to provide consistent policing that will cover most eventualities. Secondly, according to the Local Board Chairperson, it costs the council $12,000 to pursue a prosecution. This appears excessive, especially if court costs are fairly disbursed.
The Chairperson has also stated that ‘the Police are out at Muriwai every weekend and have issued hundreds of tickets.’ Most locals would completely disagree with those statements. It must be said that the Chairperson has appeared to disembellish information about the reasoning behind the lobby to close the beach.
6.There is no solution offered by the Council that would appease legitimate beach users – all of the three options involve some form of closure of the beach. This is indicative of a Council that has a seriously chequered history at Muriwai.
Rather than outline all of those here, as an example, it should be pointed out that the findings of a Commission of Enquiry as to the Councils’ development style at the Park (carried out by commissioner Dorothy Wakeling) were completely ignored by the Council to the considerable detriment of the park environment, and to the safety services aspect of the beach. It also split the community down the middle creating a division that unfortunately still remains.
Despite the charades of so-called democracy departments, the attitude of riding roughshod over public opinion certainly plays a part in this Council’s modus operandi at Muriwai Beach.
7.Perhaps the most logical solution has not been considered. As with many other countries, a fee for a permit could be applied. Yearly, or daily could be available. This permit system would go part way to funding a more active beach patrol that would be all but permanent at the beach. Fines for serious breaches of the rules should be raised as high as is logically possible, and dare I say it, but a previous government managed to curb anti-social boy racers by crushing a couple of vehicles. Given Muriwai’s close proximity to our largest city, perhaps this is the time we should take on a full-time community constable.
8.The noisiest and most high profile of those who are creating this issue, are the boy-racers. It should be said that young people have to let off steam – most of us do not have an issue with that. However, there is an officially sanctioned and permitted off-road park not far from Muriwai. There is an anti-social element involved in not frequenting that. Instead, they find their own ‘hidden’ location that can also double as a nighttime party venue.
As mentioned, it is not just that one group of ‘rowdies’, but also the dirt bike riders and weekend warriors in their SUV Jappas, that make this a multi-generational issue.
The most disturbing aspect is that those who do use the beach with respect – to fish, surf, family picnic/swim, horse ride etc. are going to be penalised and lose part of their lifestyle due to the authorities lacking the drive to provide adequate administration of the area to keep those with no respect or experience off the beach.
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