Kapiti residents are now able to view the most up-to-date research on coastal erosion predictions on their beach.

The research identifies about 40 homes in danger of sea rise, compared to thousands of homes identified in previous reports.

The Kapiti Coast District Council has uploaded the Waikato University De Lange research and accompanying maps onto its website, which recognise the unique and dynamic environment of the various beaches along the Kapiti Coast.

Coastal Ratepayers United (CRU) filed a judicial review to urge the council to accept De Lange's updated coastal predictions and make the notification available on LIMs.

CRU stated that previous reports were alarmist and failed to recognise the significant variations in soil stratigraphy and vertical beach movement along the Kapiti coast.

That judicial review has been withdrawn following the council's publication of the latest research: https://www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/media/grbb2gbn/coastal-hazard-risk-assessment-2024.pdf.

The De Lange report is now included on the LIMs, assigning it the same weighting as the Council’s information.

CRU chair Salima Padamsey says climate change research is being updated constantly, with new and different predictions. “It’s hard for councils to keep up with new research, but it is crucial that they do so when it affects their people’s lives,” she says. “Climate change is a real issue facing almost everyone on our coast, since most live within a few kilometres of the shoreline.”

She states that one example of outdated reports is predictions relying on formulas like the Bruun Rule, which was developed more than 60 years ago. “Another problem is reports that predict sea rise based on global averages. Many highly reputable climate experts say sea rise and precipitation changes will affect different areas differently, requiring local knowledge and assessment,” she adds.

Dr. de Lange’s report urged the KCDC to establish monitoring stations along various beaches to accurately predict trends.

Maps of each beach are available under “community-commissioned information: https://www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/environment/coastal-adaptation/coastal-hazard-risk-science/.

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