Dunedin's new mayor moves to reinstate famous St Clair beach poles after heavy swells washed them away
From reporter Hamish McNeilly:
The tide may have turned for the Dunedin’s famed St Clair beach poles.
In June, heavy swells stripped sand from the popular city beach, exposing coastal defences in the form of giant sand sausages, and leaving a solitary pole remaining – before that too was destroyed.
Those poles once formed part of a groyne – a series of poles embedded in the sand and designed to trap sand – first installed 120 years ago.
Reinstating the groynes to assist with coast erosion was a pet project of former councillor Jules Radich. Now he’s the mayor, and the Dunedin City Council is preparing to vote to have them reinstated.
Radich’s motion to reinstall a groyne at St Clair on a five-year trial basis was rejected by the last council at a June meeting.
Prior to that vote he told Stuff he did not have the numbers, and “the only blockage to this is political”.
Fast-forward five months and Mayor Radich is likely to have the numbers, when the matter is again discussed at a council meeting on November 8.
That motion that council: ‘’Requests an urgent report on the cost and time frames for reinstating the St Clair groyne, potentially on a trial basis’’, was signed by the mayor and five other councillors.
An online poll, backed and promoted by Radich, to reinstate the wooden poles had attracted thousands of signatures.
The council’s St Clair- St Kilda Coastal Plan was adopted in February. That short-term walk includes improving access, removing redundant infrastructure, and dune stability work.
In an effort to retain sand at the beach, a groyne or a similar structure designed to trap sand, could be constructed.
‘’This could create an enhanced high tide beach. It would require ongoing investments to top-up and sustain sand levels over longer periods,’’ the plan said.
A 2019 council report concluded a groyne would help retain sand on one side, but reduce sand on the other.
To be effective, a groyne at St Clair would need to be at least 65m long.
Another council report, this time in 2020, estimated the cost to construct a timber groyne at $150,000, with additional maintenance costs.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Poll: When should the tree go up? 🎄
From what we've heard, some Christmas trees are already being assembled and decorated.
What are your thoughts on the best time to get your Christmas tree up?
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4.7% Second half of November
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43.6% 1st December
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17.4% A week before Christmas
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33.2% Whenever you wish
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite tomato recipe?
Kia ora neighbours. We know your tomato plants are still growing, but we're looking ahead to the harvest already! If you've got a family recipe for tomatoes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine to share with our readers. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our February 2025 issue.
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