Ministry of Works Files – Thames Coast

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 set abstract below

7/12 Harbour and Marine works-Proposed jetty at Tararu 1922-1923. January 1922: Thames Quarry Ltd applied to erect a wooden jetty south of Tararu for the purpose of shipping metal to Auckland and other parts of the coast where aggregate was in short supply. The aggregate source was the Opitomoko Creek and the firm were to erect a crushing plant and a tramline across the highway with the view of shipping metal out of the district. Thames Borough Council approved the construction with the conditions that the tramway would not obstruct traffic flows. The Governor General approved the proposal and the wharf was constructed by July 1923 (Marine Dept. plan MD5648). 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. 7/1 Harbour and Marine Works Annual Reports 1946-1969. August 1956: A petition from land owners at Te Puru requesting help for sea protection. A total of 26 sections were affected. Following correspondence indicates there was no recognised method of assessing and then paying for protection works for private land. Plan HDO6820 file 22/1/2 shows the problem in Te Puru Bay. It seems that channel protection in the Te Puru Stream was contributing to the coastal erosion. 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 County 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 content 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 a resident 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. 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. 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 6/143. Thames Harbour. Opened 7th October 1949. Firth of Thames Mussel deposits – Nature foods Ltd, Thames applied to work the Kopuarahi shell deposits (File Works (Paeroa) 7/16). The area proposed was between the Waitakaruru and Piako river mouths and ¾ mile (1200 m) offshore. The area was regarded as being within the Thames Borough drainage area of contamination. However, the firm wanted the shell for lime making, not food. The site proved to be too sandy for extraction. In 1952 there was a proposal for an international wharf on the Waihou to export timber from Tokoroa Forest. The file has a tracing of a 1928 hydrographic survey of the lower Waihou and the Firth of Thames up to Tararu. (Extra files Works (Hamilton 96/093000, Hauraki Catchment Board file 2/2/1, Works (Paeroa) 2/53 and 7/16). Kauaeranga river bend upstream of the Thames wharf had moved downstream about 100 feet (30 m) between 1944 and 1961.By the 1960s most small coastal ports were struggling to survive because of the improvements in road transport despite the restrictions of a 30 mile radius limit placed on trucking firms. (Explanation: As part of an effort by government to protect the Rail and port services, a limit for trucking from a railway station or port facility of 30 miles radius from that facility unless there was no other way to get the goods to their destination (e.g. a back-country sheep station). Commercial fishing was becoming the main user of wharf facilities. A report by C Roose (Barge operator on the Waikato River) in 1966 suggested that the Kaimai tunnel and the upgrading of Tauranga to International port status was a waste of money. He suggested that produce should be railed to Kopu and barged into the Firth of Thames to be loaded onto ships. File 6/132. Firth of Thames Dredging 1948. This file contains a plan to dredge for dead mussels from the mud south of a line from Tapu to the Hauarahi stream, the entire southern Firth and also for a strip of the western side of the Firth from the Hauarahi Stream to Orere point up to 2 miles offshore. There is no outcome for this plan on the file. File 6/125. Thames Harbour 1923-1949. Relevant files: Works Wellington M4/1387, Auckland 12/133, Paeroa 7/16. This file covers a plan to build a harbour of 114 acres, and dredge the base to get a usable depth at low tide. It also proposed to dredge shingle out of the river to get material for reclamation. There are reports by Sir James Coode (1879) describing a plan for the Thames Harbour and River. Percy Smith and Horace Baker (1882) had previously made a chart of Thames Harbour. E.F. Adams (1918) drew up a plan for the Thames Harbour proposal. These charts show severe shoaling of the lower Waihou River especially between Kopu and Opani Point. About 3,500,000 yd3 (2,700,000 m3) of material was deposited between 1879 and 1919. From Opani Point seawards, approximately 3,250,000 yd3 (2,500,000 m3) more sediment was estimated to have been deposited. The estimate for the whole area, consisting of 6.14 square miles, was 9,000 000 yd3 (6,900,000 m3). The Public Works Department estimated that 500,000 yd3 (383,000 m3) of sand and silt was discharged annually. The total sedimentation in the Southern Firth of Thames was estimated to be 47,950,000 yd3 (36,700,000 m3). All of these estimates are contained in a report by E. F. Adams, the Harbour Board Engineer. His 1924 report refers to the coastal belt from Kaiaua to Tararu. Summary of events from Works Auckland; In 1879 Sir James Coode reported on a harbour scheme within the river and had a complete marine survey done to the extent of the harbour limits. In 1919 Blair Mason recommended closing 110 acres (44.5 ha) near the town wharf at a cost of £24,000. In 1924 E.F. Adams presented a proposal for a £60,000 wharf development. All proposals were defeated by the ratepayers polls. The Borough Council however decided to support the proposal. A PWD drawing (ADO7746) has the 1924 and 1879 contours showing the shoaling. Mandeno, Lee and Brown Consulting Engineers estimated the total accretion to be 30 feet (9.1 m) to low water from the Coode & Blair Mason surveys. Over the 105 miles2 the annual rate of siltation was estimated to be 2,100,000 yd3 (1,600,000 m3). The most rapid siltation was in the lower Waihou River below Kopu bridge where the average shoaling was 6.5 ft (2 m) or about 3,500,000 yd3 (2,670,000 m3). The storm on the 6th of July 1936 caused waves large enough to sink the harbour dredge. File 96/094 000. Hape Stream. Report commences 1970 (Hauraki County file 2/2/7). File concerns a sea wall at Tararu needing repair. It had been built privately and not maintained. Therefore the wall did not qualify for a subsidy. Head Office argued that the history of the structure was irrelevant and that the question was whether the structure was justified. Investigations showed that the structure had been built by relief workers during the 1930s depression for the Thames Hospital Board. Any maintenance should have been carried out by the Thames Hospital Board. The outcome was not contained in the file. The next section of the file deals with the diversion and flood control engineering of the Waiotahi Stream which flows seawards south of the Banks Street reclamation, in North Thames. The proposal was to divert the stream into its old channel so as to facilitate more land reclamation. File 96/095 000. Te Puru Stream. Report covers period 1954–1972. In 1954 there was a flood on the Te Puru Stream, it occurred at the time of a tropical cyclone. This storm damaged much of the East Coast of the North Island (Works Paeroa file 2/2). There is a reference to Hamilton file 96/095 020. (There is a Te Puru creek that discharges onto Waihi Beach but is not mentioned in this file). By May of 1954 there was a request for a full investigation into the 45 chains (900 m) of the Te Puru channel from the hills to the sea. The investigation then involved a scheme to draw up plans that would prevent flooding. Te Puru was considered a very violent waterway. The Thames County engineer wrote a report in September 1954 showing a full investigation was necessary to ensure the protection of all properties in the Te Puru area. The report was accompanied by a series of scanned photographs. In May of 1956 there was erosion of the coast near the mouth of the Te Puru Stream as noted by a resident. It was suggested that there was about 20 m of erosion over the last few years. The sections were surveyed and sold in 1949 by the Lands and Survey Department (File MWD Wellington M4/4507). In September 1956 the Re: Paeroa (file 7/1) stated that during his period at Paeroa there has been progressive erosion from Puru Point southwards over to the Thornton’s Bay area. To combat the sediment aggradation in the Te Puru stream channel, a sediment trap upstream of the houses was proposed. The trapped shingle was to be used for road metal (File: Paeroa 22/1/12 Marine dept Auckland 13/1340 and Works Tauranga 37/30/7). A review of the progress was undertaken in October 1957 and describes the present coastline as being up to 2 chains (40 m) inland of the HWM as surveyed in March 1946 (SO 1746). The report also concluded that the flood of 1954 started a new meander which would have rebuilt part of the coast had it been allowed to continue but it would have destroyed property on both sides of the river in the process. The erosion of the esplanade was considered to be coastal erosion and nothing to do with the river(Wellington file TP149/230 (Waihi Beach). This report was followed by a series of letters trying to determine who was responsible for repairing the coastal erosion problem. Reports through to 1961 cover the political, legal and financial aspects of protecting river and coastal property. The file finishes with a series of reports from 1962 discussing the meander loop upstream of the Manaia Creek that threatened to leave the channel resulting in the SH bridge crossing an empty channel while the stream reverted to a channel used many years previously. The outcome of the problem was not covered in the file. File 47/16. Sand mining - Western Firth of Thames. In 1954 the Ministry of Works (Paeroa office) was accused of removing shells from the beach in an area near Miranda where all sediment removal had been banned. This restriction was made by the Auckland Office of the Ministry of Works in 1949. This department had banned the removal of all material from the beach and inland for a distance of 2 chain (40 m) between Miranda and Whakatiwai Point. This prohibition was brought about by the serious instability of the coast, as caused by certain private commercial firms’ excessive removal of shells for crushed shell grit for bird feed. File 47/16, Thames Borough Council. Report commences September 1950. The Thames Borough Council was taking shingle from the beaches to the north of the town. Locals accused the Council of causing severe beach erosion. The engineers report suggested that erosion was the result of the present high tides and the continuous northwest winds at the time. The engineer suggested that these events are not very frequent. These conditions tend to turn the Tararu Stream southwards, which can further aggravate the situation. The Council was removing material to the north of the Tararu Stream to encourage it towards a more northerly course. File 47/16. Tapu. File concerns a request in 1962 to remove shingle out of the Tapu Stream in order to protect a Maori subdivision (Related files 96/097000, 40/s.p.4815). Approval was given to remove shingle from the river, provided it did not cause erosion of the domain land on the opposite side of the river. The resulting plan was to take the bulk of the material from the bar at the mouth of the river. File 47/16. Kereta Bay. In June 1976, Works staff inspected the bay and found that the stream had changed course northwards, eroding the beach near the boat ramp. It was recommended that removal of 25 m3 of material from the former position of the stream mouth would cause the stream to realign and allow recovery of the eroded section of the beach. A licence was due to be issued for a single removal of material. No further information was given. 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 (available for download from Ministry of Works Whiritoa dataset) 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. The Rabone (1950) report contains a number of recommendations for the Coromandel, including: •Thames to Otuturu Bay: no removal of material as the beach deposit was needed to protect the road. •Cemetery Bay and Tapu: previous 1923 Attwood and Tanner report had recommended limited shingle removal, but by 1950 it was felt that the shingle was needed for beach protection. •Te Mata to Cutina Bay: previous 1923 Attwood and Tanner report had recommended limited extraction, but by 1950 it was considered that no shingle should be removed. •Waikawau Bay. The road at this point had to be realigned because of the eroding beach. Useful photographs are contained here. Photograph by Rabone (1950) taken at same alignment as the photographer (Exon) who accompanied Wright in his 1911 survey of sand and shingle resources. Exon's photographs are held in the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington. The Rabone (1950) report recommends that the beach be closed to mining and that adjacent private land owners also be prohibited from exploiting the inland shingle deposit. This condition was in response to the purchase of coastal land by Scow owners and subsequent mining of areas adjacent to the beach. This mining would occur to such a level that wave action would wash shingle into the hole providing a continuous supply of shingle at the expense of the beach deposit. This method was also used to avoid paying the shingle royalties due to the government. •Waikawau to Wilsons Bay: In 1911 these beaches had a good quantity of shingle (Wright) but by 1923 all beaches but Otakeao (Kereta) were nearly bare (Attwood and Tanner). Rabone (1950) recommended closing all these beaches. 12/243/1 Harbours and Foreshores: Beach sand and shingle supplies, Auckland and Coromandel Areas. File starts 1950. 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 continue.

Western Coromandel Peninsula, from Thames to just south of Colville.

Actual data in physical files held by NZ archives. Summarised in this form from archives in 2012/13. Digital Format: Some photos, plans and reports scanned and held by Waikato Regional Council.

None Sensitivity/Confidentiality: None

Complete, historical