The WOW Vision - Haumoana, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Haumoana Family in Court

Haumoana family in court for failing to remove protective sea wall.

Mark Lawrence and Tracey Oliver of 23 Clifton Rd appear in the Hastings District Court at 10am on Monday 25 January to defend the case being bought against them by the Hastings District Council.

This court case is being pursued despite the fact that the couple are in the process of trying to achieve retrospective resource and building consents for the wall that protects their property. In WOW’s view this couple have sought simply to protect their young family and their property from inundation by the sea. Without this well constructed wall, simply a replacement for the structure damaged by storm after they purchased the property, their home would have been destroyed.

Mr Lawrence and Ms Oliver are to be commended for the professional job of creating a secure defence against the sea and cleaning up the beach in front of them from rubble and rusting iron. All around them the destruction from previous inundation still litters the beach but the council have insisted on ‘making an example’ of this couple to deter all others from protecting their properties along this coast. The council is seeking a significant fine and to recover costs.

The implications of ‘the full force of the law’ being bought against Mr Lawrence and Ms Oliver will be devastating to them as a family and to this community.

This prosecution continues while plans are being discussed for a protection wall along that stretch of coastline where properties are at risk from further inundation and while both Hawke's Bay Regional Council and Hasting District Council are engaging with WOW over plans for a groyne field to protect the coast and the 21 properties along the stretch of coast where Mr Lawrence and Ms Oliver are doing their best to protect their home.

The only other option to hard engineering to protect the coast is managed retreat which WOW and the local community oppose. This case, if it sets a precedent to prevent property owners from protecting their homes, could whether we like it or not, be the beginning of managed retreat. In other words the removal of the contentious wall would result in the destruction of Mr Lawrence and Ms Oliver's property in the next king tide and would significantly impact other properties along this coastal area.

WOW has invited members of the community to attend court in support of Mr Lawrence and Tracey Oliver who will through their barrister attempt to rebut the council’s allegations - WOW

WOW mission statement: “To find and implement solutions for serious erosion at Haumoana, Te Awanga and Clifton and unite the Cape Coast community to beautify, protect and promote the coastline as an asset for the wider Hawke’s Bay region.”

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Latest stories in the media:

Urgent need to save homes from sea - Stuff - 07.06.10

Seas do fresh harm to shoreline - HB Today - 31.05.10

Benefactors back Groyne - HB Today - 14.05.10

Huge seas threaten homes - NZ Herald - 09.03.10

Coastal Haumoana Residents can return home - Dominion Post - 08.03.10

WOW urges Government Intervention on Coast - The Scoop - 19.02.10

Unlicensed seawall earns $3000 fine by Marty Sharpe - The Dominion Post - 26.01.10

Coastal dwellers left stranded By MARTY SHARPE - The Dominion Post - 25.07.09

Family home threatened if forced to remove sea wall - Campbell live - 24.07.09

Father fights seawall order - Hawkes Bay Today - 23.07.09