Ministry of Transport Files - Waihou River

These files from the Ministry of Transport deal mainly with the administrative aspects of structures, reclamations, power, telephone, and pipeline crossings of waterways around the marine foreshore and in navigable rivers and lakes. There is not a lot of environmental information in these files but occasionally there is a copy of a report that deals with the environmental aspects of a structure. In about 1964 the Ministry of Transport (MOT) took over the role of licensing structures on the foreshore from the Marine Department (MD) and employed the Ministry of Works and Development (MWD) as its environmental advisers. Reports from the MWD therefore contain much of the environmental information available in these files. Purpose: This dataset provides a brief discussion of coastal information contained within historical Ministry of Transport files, collected during a review commissioned by Environment Waikato as part of the Coastal Database project. The Ministry of Transport (MoT) was responsible for the administration of structures in the CMA and in navigable rivers and lakes from 1964 to 1997. These files are now held in Environment Waikato’s archives. These files contain useful information on the history and legal status of existing coastal structures.

54/11/166: Outfall Waihou River 1978. No environmental information. 54/11/92: Waihou Drainage Scheme 1972. Technical data only. No environmental information. 54/27/190: Aerial power crossing Waihou River Te Aroha 1908. Nothing of interest. 54/1/30: Waihou River Turua Water supply. Nothing of note on the environment. 54/1/12: Kopu Bridge Waihou River. 1913 Proposal for a fixed ferry at Kopu, approved 1917. In 1919, a bridge was proposed, but was opposed by shipping interests. Construction of bridge started in 1926, and finished in 1927. In 1943 was found to be an illegal structure under the Harbours Act 1923. By 1963 only a few sand barges were using the opening span. Proposals for closing the opening span permanently were being made because of the inconvenience to road traffic. A new bridge was proposed 1977. The fenders on the opening section were in disrepair in 1983 (file contains photographs showing the condition of the fenders). Kopu Bridge feasibility study completed by Ministry of Works and Development (MWD) September 1983. A report of August 1964 discussed sand mining volumes. Sand mining was the main reason for keeping the bridge open, but had reduced from 70,000 yds3 per year earlier to 5,500 yds3 per year by the 1963-64 year. Royalties paid on 1,400 yds3, balance of material came from sand banks above bridge. MWD file for SH 25 is 72/25/2C/2 54/19/9: Catchment Board Scheme, Waihou Valley 1972. File contains a request for approval for channel widening and straightening under the Harbours Act. File includes a booklet on the Waihou Scheme: Coromandel, Kaimai and Mamaku Ranges Hauraki Catchment Board, 1977. This report describes the ranges and discusses and recommends methods to preserve the quality and quantity of water coming from these ranges. This report notes the threat of sedimentation in the estuaries if there is poor hill country management, and outlines the implications for future water supplies for Coromandel coastal developments. The Catchment Board resolved to recommend against any reclamations because these could further enhance siltation of the estuaries. Board asked MoT to forward all requests for reclamations to it for recommendations. File had some notes on unusual tides recorded in the lower Waihou and Piako rivers between 1600 and 2100 hours on 15 March 1980. 54/1/77: Waihou River Shipping Jetty site. (M54/3/146). Has a section demonstrating how important shipping was for transport in the early 20 century in the Waihou valley. Fertiliser, machinery and milk products etc. were shipped because the roads were practically non-existent and shipping was cheaper. All structures had to be licensed to occupy a part of the river bank. Wharves had to be maintained in good condition and the license was for 14 years. Structure was dismantled in 1985. 54/1/57: Waihou River Pump House and Waikato River at Te Rapa. No information of river condition. 54/1/399: Waihou River Jetties. Nothing of interest. 54/1/616: Waihou River Captain Cook Island Removal. Hauraki CB file1/12/4 MWD 13/108. Note another MoT file 54/3/1037. The island removal application was to improve navigation up the river (Hauraki CB file 2/1/1 20 Sept 1978). Lands and Survey had no objection because the land belonged to the crown but was a hazard. Wildlife Service Auckland WIL38/2/2 and Wellington WIL31/5/5 had no objections. However Hauraki Plains County Council thought that removal might lead to silting up of water intakes from the river. The removal was finally approved when Hauraki CB assured the county that they would undertake to clean out intakes if they blocked. 54/1/103 : Ohinemuri River temporary bridge. Nothing of interest. 54/11/152: Pipeline Crossing Ohinemuri River 1977. No environmental information.

Waihou River

1960 to 1984 with references to earlier file information.

Frequency of collection: Infrequent/irregular.

Only includes information available on specific files. Important to note that Ministry of Works files contain further environmental information relating to these files. Completeness: Many files and pieces of information from the files are missing. Many engineer's reports are missing from the files held by Environment Waikato.

Physical files Digital Format: n/a

Historical information.

This data is publicly available in EW archives. Sensitivity/Confidentiality: No confidentiality, public information

Files closed. Include a note where this record continues after end date of file where possible – e.g. Dept of Conservation files. These files have been continued where appropriate but have been amalgamated and given a new file number by DOC making sourcing more recent information difficult.

The Waihou River had a large flood control scheme in its lower reaches. Data of that scheme is to be found in the Hauraki catchment Board and MWD files. These files cover the licensing of structures not the flood control scheme Additional comments: Jetties and Wharves There were two types of jetties and wharves; those built for catching Whitebait, and the fishing boat jetty. As the local fishing industry developed, there was a steady increase in requests for licenses for jetties to load and unload fishing boats. Records in the files indicate that there was either a shortage of hardwood for jetty piles or the locals preferred to rely on piles made from Manuka or Kanuka. This is especially noticeable of the piles used for fishing boat jetties. As the fishing fleet grew so did the demand for fish processing facilities on shore. The increased number of requests for jetties for commercial fishing probably reflects the increased government investment in the fishing industry in the 1960s and 1970s. Boat ramps These appear associated with two activities. Commercial fishing or the storage of a boat used occasionally. As roads improved and boat-building materials became lighter the trailed boat became more popular. This in turn put pressure on local County Councils to either build boat ramps or license boat ramps to be built by for fishing or Boat clubs to access the water. After a burst of activity in the 1960s and 1970s many clubs were wound up leaving the structure the responsibility of the local Council. Slipways Slipway installation commenced from the earliest of settlements because most of the early communities were serviced by boat and needed repair and maintenance facilities locally. There were also some slipways constructed by local boating and sailing clubs. Bridge Construction The notification of many new bridges built on the roads of the Coromandel indicates the slow but steady improvement of roading on the Coromandel Peninsula. There are a series of files that examine bridges as they might affect a waterway for navigation. This demonstrates the importance placed on sea compared to road transport. The second aspect of the bridge construction is the development of better roads and therefore the less importance of the coastal trade to the development of the country. Note that up to the 1970s, fertiliser was barged to Whitianga but after that time it was more common to truck the material in. Sand and Shingle Mining. The winning of aggregate from the foreshore is noticeable as an early occupation of coastal freighters, particularly scows. Beach sediments did not need crushing for the most part and were therefore in high demand as cheap roading material, especially for the growing Auckland market. Where shingle was not readily available, shell material was used for a road surfacing material. Most of the files stored at Environment Waikato start in the 1960s or later and refer to earlier files about the same beaches. Therefore in Archives in either Auckland or Wellington there are probably earlier files outlining activities prior to 1960. There is also a reference to a previous ban on sand mining along the west coast of the Coromandel prior to 1960. This may refer to changes that were enacted after the Rabone Report of 1950. The sand mining applications also highlight the importance of coastal traffic right up to the 1960s and 1970s. Fertiliser was shipped to Whitianga wharf from Auckland and Tauranga and scows took a back load of sand from Whangapoua Harbour entrance to Auckland to lower their costs. Mining licences were also pursued at other beaches such as Otama so that scows could load under differing wind and wave conditions. Related information: All these files are related to Ministry of Works and Development files as the MWD was the adviser to MOT.