Ministry of Works Files – Port Charles and Kennedy Bay

The Ministry of Works and Development was the principal organisation carrying out the physical, engineering and environmental investigations for many government departments before it was disbanded in the 1980s. Consequently, the Ministry of Works files contain a wealth of environmental information about the condition of our harbours, coastlines and waterways, both as they were originally, and as they were modified during settlement. To fully understand these files they need to be read in conjunction with information from other Government Organisations, in order to place the investigations into context. For example the development of the West Coast mobile sand dune problems and the subsequent attempts to stabilise them needs to be studied in conjunction with the Maori Affairs Department and the Department of Lands and Survey files. Both of these departments were involved in financing sand stabilisation projects. Eventually the work of sand dune conservation, (formerly done by the Agriculture Department and then by the Ministry of Works Soil Conservators (Water and Soil Division) after 1958), was passed on to the New Zealand Forest Service; who took control of nearly all exotic forest planting and management together with some erosion control functions where pine forests were involved. From 1958 onwards the Ministry of Works Water and Soil Division was the service provider for NWASCA (National Water and Soil Conservation Authority) and SC&RCC (Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council), which authorised the funding for the many soil conservation activities throughout the country. All projects submitted for funding to the Authority by the various Catchment Authorities were examined by members of the Ministry of Works Water and Soil Division to ensure they were soundly based, before funding was approved. Thus, as the adviser to other government departments and NWASCA, the Ministry of Works played a pivotal role in land development and conservation throughout its existence. These files as a result contain a wealth of historical information about; land development, flood control schemes and soil conservation in New Zealand. Because of their extensive engineering knowledge, the Ministry of Works and Development (MWD) reviewed various engineering structures such as wharf construction, reclamations and coastal aggregate mining licenses for the Marine Department and later the Ministry of Transport. Purpose: See data abstract below

7/19 Harbour and Marine works - Kennedy Bay Wharf, 1924-28. 8 April 1924: Coromandel County Council authorised £300 the erection of a wharf at Kennedy Bay. This suggests there was no wharf there at the time. July 1924: Coromandel County Council wrote to the resident engineer (“RE”) in Paeroa asking for assistance after the rock mole base of the wharf had been swept away during recent storm (there were severe storms in both March and April 1924). The file contains a copy of the wharf plan (plan number MD5744, and ADO 7639). There is a copy of the contract held by Coromandel County and issued to Kapa Potae, a local builder. The County asked the RE Paeroa to consider providing £150 storm damage subsidy as the contractor did not have the funds to repair the damage done by the storm. The RE suggested that the wharf was in a poorly chosen location, very exposed to easterly and south-easterly storms. A better location existed 20 chains (400m) to the east but getting road access to this location would be very difficult. He also suggested that with ship traffic to the wharf the County should think seriously if they wanted to continue with the construction. Debate as to the location and the justification for a wharf continued to November 1926. Locals stated that the wharf did not need road access as they brought wool etc. to the wharf by boats. By July 1927 the more eastern location was the preferred location but the RE thought it would be more expensive to construct a wharf there that the present estimate of £280. 21 November 1928 the file ends with a letter saying previous funds had been cancelled because the county had not proceeded with the work and that future work would depend on future Council actions. 12/1 Harbours and foreshores: Harbour and river works general 1926-1937: July 1930: Regulations for the reclamation of mudflats for agricultural and pastoral purposes passed and gazette May 1930. File 6/139. Coromandel Harbour 1949–1953. File mainly covers the construction proposal for a new wharf at the granite quarry near Moehau. File 6/174. Port Charles 1967 This file concerns the recovery of a wrecked launch which was lying in the approaches to the inner channel to Port Charles. Works Paeroa blew the wreck to pieces and left the bits to bury themselves in the mud. File 47/16. Big Sandy Bay Port Charles In August 1981, the Thames Coromandel District Council applied for 500 m3 per annum based on the existing situation. This volume of extraction was thought to be beneficial to the Okahutahi Stream. File 47/16. Okahutahi Stream Sandy Bay During July 1967 the Marine Department received an application from Coromandel County to remove material from the streambed in order to stop flooding of farmland and adjacent housing. The licence was approved for 260 yds3 per annum. File 74/30/28 Part 1. Coastal erosion surveys, and File 74/30/28 (pt 1). Coastal Erosion Surveys Both files commences in 1974. Note: these files are nearly duplicates of each other and contain much of the same information. Report covers period 1974 to 1983. BOPCC file 21/4. The file notes the existence of the Bay of Plenty Coastal Erosion Survey (1977) and the Coromandel Coastal Survey (1981). The storms of July 1978 appear to have started a review of protection works around the coast. The list includes; Kawhia 1953, Ohope 1954 (Tropical cyclone) Maketu Domain 1965, Waihi Beach 1968 Ohiwa 1969 Whitianga Esplanade 1969 Whangamata 1970, Kawhia 1970, Whitianga 1970, Waihi Beach 1971, Ohiwa 1972, Aotea 1972, Whitianga 1972, Ohope 1973, Miranda 1975, Waihi 1975, Kawhia community shore 1975, Waihi estuary 1977, Marakopa estuary 1974. MWD (Attwood) suggests that beach profiling is expensive and sometimes misleading and therefore recommended the use of aerial photographs to determine the position of the dune toe on each beach. No further information. File 74/30/5/1/1 (pt 2). Hauraki Catchment Board Hydrology; Operational surveys File contains a proposal for a thesis studying the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula by Mr Reitema. There is no information on whether this study went ahead. File 12/243/1: Harbours and foreshores. Includes report Rabone, 1950: Beach sand and shingle supplies, Auckland and Coromandel Areas, Special Report November 1950. File also contains the photos and negatives used in the report. There are also notes on meetings held with sand merchants, land owners, and regulatory authorities. Note: Marine Department file:M4/1965. The file contains a request for a copy of Rabone's study. It is reported here that the Marine Department supplied copies of the 1911, 1923 and 1924 reports as background information for the Rabone report. Following the Rabone report the Engineer in Chief recommended that all beaches on the east coast of Auckland Province be closed to mining. This created strong opposition from the sand mining interests and construction industry in Auckland. A petition was sent to parliament complaining about the beach closures and Mr Sheat (MP) went on a tour of the Firth of Thames and along the east coast of the Northland Peninsula. As a result Mr Sheat came back with the recommendation that that the sand could be removed from Pakiri, Mangawhai Heads and the Waipu River mouth as was being done in 1952, and recommended by Rabone (1950). There was no comment about Coromandel beaches at this time. During the 1960s there were a number of applications to take sand from offshore islands or other remote areas such as the Kaipara Harbour, which had been regarded as uneconomical while the east coast beaches could be mined. 12/243/1: Harbours and Foreshores: Beach sand and shingle supplies, Auckland and Coromandel Areas. File starts 1950. 7/1 Harbour and Marine Works Annual Reports 1931-1945. January 1932: Rice grass Spartina Townsendii. A brief summary of discovery and its uses. Notes on planting or sowing seed. Lists experts who understand the plant. It was considered that the plant could never become a problem because of its agricultural value for grazing and hay making. The report was compiled by Mr. W. H. Hayes, Glen Eden Auckland. A land owner proposed to reclaim 294 acres of mud flats in Manaia Harbour using Spartina. Notes reference .Allen, H.H., 1929. Journal of Agriculture. Vol. XXXIX No.5. This article describes the growth pattern of Spartina planted in the Manawatu estuary. This is one of three reports on the plant. May 1938: Repairs to Port Charles wharf. February 1943: Erosion at Waihi Beach threatening the Surf Club and St Johns ambulance facilities. Proposed stone rip rap to protect buildings. Stone work to extend north from stream mouth. 7/1 Harbour and Marine Works Annual Reports 1946-1969. April 1946: Mud flat reclamation using salt grass (puccinellia). Used in areas where stop banks keep out salt water. Organised by Plant Research Bureau, Grasslands Division, DSIR. June 10 1960: The effect of the tsunami on the eastern side of the Peninsula. Ohinemuri County said that the waves were similar to a high spring tide and a dead low over a short period. Thames County residents of Whangamata were evacuated in the afternoon but no damage was caused by the abnormal tidal action in Whangamata Harbour. 7/2 Harbour and Marine Works: Removal of sand Coromandel Peninsula. 1958-1970. In the 1950s the Lands and Survey Department was responsible for all Crown land and this included river and stream beds. Ministry of Works and the local Count Councils often used shingle from local streams for roading material. To simplify licensing these activities and Lands and Survey issued a blanket licence to Ministry of works to take shingle from all rivers and Streams. The Ministry of Works then issued permits to the County Councils and sent in a quarterly return to the Lands and Survey Department. Much of the contents of this file contains these returns from the different areas of the Coromandel Peninsula and the collated summaries sent to the Lands and Survey Department. August 1951: There several memos referring to illegal taking of sand and shingle from beaches. Associated files Paeroa 24/256, SH39/1/1 and SH72/25/2C/6 also Paeroa 24/1256 October to December 1960. 7/2 Harbour and Marine Works: Removal of sand Coromandel Peninsula. Volume II 1970-1974. Note: This file contains 3 monthly returns of material taken from beaches and streams in the Coromandel Peninsula and sent to the Lands and Survey Department who was responsible for Crown Land. This summary does not include these returns and anyone wanting to know where and when material was taken will need to consult these files at Archives NZ. October 1971: Coromandel County applied for permits to take material from a number of beaches and streams, specifically Papa Aroha Creek, Goat Bay, Whangarahi Stream, Okahutahi Stream (Sandy Bay), and the Urarimu Stream at Melsops Crossing. A total of 9,760 yds3 (7,562 m3) of material was applied for. At the same time Parry Brothers Ltd applied for 3,000 yds3 (2,294 m3) from the entrance to Whangapoua Harbour and Mr Simpson of Whitianga applied for 500 yds3 (382 m3) from Kuaotunu beach. 7/2 Harbour and Marine Works: Removal of sand Coromandel Peninsula. Volume III 1974-1976. February 1974: Application for a permit to remove 10 yds3 (7.6 m3) of sand from Kennedy Bay foreshore. This application was turned down. May 1974: The Lands and Survey Department lost control of sand mining in rivers and beaches to the Mines Department. Control of sand removal now came under the Mines Act 1970. Ministry of Works now told that would have to apply to the Mines Department for a blanket approval to take sand and shingle from the catchments of the Peninsula. This was a continuation of the system run by the Lands and Survey Department. Ministry of Works then issued permits to remove material to local bodies and contractors. May 1974: Ministry of Works were told by the Mines Department that shingle removal from streams etc. was better dealt with under the Lands Act 1948 and that the Lands and Survey should control such licences. 7/2 Harbour and Marine Works: Removal of sand Coromandel Peninsula. Volume IV 1977–1981. February 1977: The Ministry of Transport instigated a requirement that the local Catchment Authority would have to be involved in approval of any sand mining operations. June 1977: Ministry of Transport asked the Ministry of Works if there were any other beaches that were suitable for mining out of the public eye. March 1978: The Hauraki Catchment Board and Ministry of Works agree to work together on matters of coastal sand extraction. June 1978: The Thames Valley Gazette ran an article that reviewed present sand mining permits. Included was a report by R.W. Harris, on "Sand and Shingle Extraction from Coromandel Beaches and its Relation to Coastal Erosion" The report concludes that the existing licences should be declined. This file contains the Rabone Report which described individual beaches and their suitability for supplying sand of shingle aggregate for industrial purposes to Auckland City and some of the supporting investigation information. Much of the file is on the Auckland and Northland region with a later section on Coromandel Beaches. The coverage reflects the reduction in importance of the Coromandel area as a source of industrial sand and shingle for the Auckland area. File 12/243 contains a report dated 1958 which suggests the recommendations by Rabone to close all beaches was too harsh and though sand mining had not stopped after the 1950 report, this report recommended that mining to continue.

Port Charles embayment and surrounding area, from Stony Bay to Waikawau.

1931-1981

This information summarised from physical files in 2013. Frequency of collection: irregular

Gaps in collection: n/a Data quality: varied

This database and physical files stored with NZ Archives. Digital Format: Some images and reports scanned and stored at Waikato Regional Council.

none Sensitivity/Confidentiality: none

historical