November 23 2021
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Direct action in sand mining campaign u by Andy Bryenton
Community group Save Our Sands (SOS) have taken its protest action to the next stage, orchestrating direct resistance on the open seas.
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SOS members, who have recently been joined in their opposition to sand mining by Greenpeace Aotearoa, took to the waters in the Hauraki Gulf last week in full fairy tern costume. The activists displayed banners in front of a newlycommissioned dredging boat designed to harvest large amounts of sand from the Pakiri coastline. This area has been mined for more than a century, leading to erosion and slippage. Critically, it is also home to many endangered birds, including the fairy tern. Recognised as New Zealand’s most endangered sea bird, only 40 remain. For this reason, and wider reasons of marine ecology, locals have taken a stand against two new consent applications sand mining company McCallum Bros has lodged with Auckland Council. If granted, these will see millions more tonnes of sand taken from the embayment. “The sand is the fairy tern’s home, it protects them, and it’s literally being sucked away,” said SOS spokesperson Jessie Stanley. “These two new consents are to continue the sand mining, which has already had a devastating impact on Mangawhai to Pakiri beaches. “Mining is damaging seabed ecosystems, disrupting seabird feeding and nesting habitats, and causing irreversible coastal erosion. “McCallum Brothers has been taking sand from this location for generations, creating great scientific and community concern.”
p Protestors take direct action, taking their message to the crew of a sand mining vessel harvesting resources from the seabed
SOS is a community group with the support of groups such as Greenpeace and the Endangered Species Foundation, is urging New Zealanders to oppose the consents and protect the coastline from further sand mining. “Any form of sea mining devastates seabed ecosystems and disrupts food supplies to our wildlife,” says seabed mining campaigner for Greenpeace Aotearoa, James Hita. “This is a perfect example of why we cannot leave the safety of the oceans up to the systems that are currently in place. “The Mangawhai to Pakiri coastline is a scientifically recognised closed
embayment area, meaning any sand that is removed by mining can only be replaced by sand being taken from adjacent coastal beaches.” McCallum Brothers has now registered with Auckland Council for three new sand mining resource consents that, if granted, would allow them to take over nine million cubic metres of sand, starting at a depth of five metres, out to 30 metres depth. Citizens can make a submission on the mining resource consent process up until December 10. Search Save-our-SandMangawhai-Pakiri on Facebook to have your say. A second petition is online at greenpeace.org.nz. ¢
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