Volunteers are enjoying great weather today for the 30th anniversary of a project that has reportedly saved the Bay of Plenty coastal sand dunes.

“Couldn’t have had better weather for the Coast Care Bay of Plenty 30 year celebration this morning,” says Bay of Plenty Regional councillor Kat Macmillan.

“It was a privilege to be there alongside all the amazing volunteers and be able to say a few words to acknowledge what has been achieved over three decades.”

Volunteers planting dunes at Pāpāmoa Beach. Photo: Kat Macmillan.

This milestone of community-led mahi to help restore and protect the dunes is being celebrated with a series of events during Volunteer Week.

"Volunteers are critical to Coast Care’s success, so for us there is no better way to recognise the success of the programme than to celebrate the people who are part of it," says a Coast Care organiser.

Volunteers came to one of two events held on Sunday morning, at Karewa Parade at Pāpāmoa Beach, and Maraetotara Reserve at Ōhope. The event which ran from 9.30am - 11.30am also included light refreshments and kai provided by Coast Care.

Two more events commemorating 30 years will be held from 9.30am - 11.30am on June 23 at Pohutukawa Park, Waihī Beach, and Kaituna: Ōtamarākau, Pukehina. Again, light refreshments and kai will be provided.

Coast Care provide spades for the planting events. Photo: Kat Macmillan.

Kat says Coast Care is one of those organisations that ticks all the boxes.

“Coast Care restores biodiversity, builds climate resilience, and educates across generations,” says Kat.

Coast Care is a coastal restoration programme, run in close partnership with local communities, local authorities and schools that aims to restore and protect the sand dunes along our Bay of Plenty beaches.

Who is involved?

Volunteers who care about our coastal environment like residents, beach users and schools, give their time and expertise to looking after our dunes.  Council provides most of the funding for Coast Care, as well as other resources and educational tools.

Volunteers planting dunes at Pāpāmoa Beach. Photo: Kat Macmillan.

All four coastal district and city councils - Western Bay of Plenty, Tauranga, Ōpōtiki and Whakatāne - and the Department of Conservation are also involved in the programme.

Coast Care volunteers help with beach clean-ups, planting native dune plants, managing the spread of weeds and pests, fencing and much more.

Coast Care offers advice on reducing erosion through planting and also provides resources such as native plants and fertiliser.

Part of Coast Care’s role is also to educate people on why caring for our dunes is such an important part of protecting our beaches and that we all have a responsibility to our environment.

The dunes are the backbone of our beaches, the buffer between the land and the sea. Healthy dunes are wide, gently sloping and have many dune plants to help anchor them.

Native dune plants ready for planting at Pāpāmoa Beach. Photo: Kat Macmillan.

We now know that native dune plants play a vital role in maintaining the dunes, binding light blowing sand onto the beach, and making stable sand dunes.

Without these plants, the sand blows away and dunes disappear - leaving the land vulnerable to weather and wave surges.

The popularity of our beaches, changing climate, pests and development pressure are all affecting the health of our coast, particularly dunes. This makes the work of Coast Care groups even more important in making sure our beaches remain for many more years to come.

Dunes not only provide a buffer between land and sea, they also play an important part of New Zealand’s coastal biodiversity and we have a responsibility to make sure they are protected.

Get involved

Volunteers are invited to come and help at Coast Care Bay of Plenty community planting days

Digging in the sand is quite easy and dune restoration can be enjoyable and rewarding.

You'll be doing your bit for our native plants and animals and working with like-minded locals who care about the environment. All you need to bring is covered sturdy footwear, suitable clothing, gardening gloves and favourite spade.

A previous planting day, with volunteers. Photo: Coast Care.

To receive updates of Coast Care initiatives in your local area and learn more about how to protect and restore the coastal environment in the Bay of Plenty,  fill in the Coast Care form online to join the mailing list and receive details of events in your area and learn more about how you can help with the protection and restoration of the coastal environment.

“If this work hadn’t happened, we would have no dunes by now in some areas along the coast," says Kat.

Contact details for the Restoration Coordinators for the following areas:

• Tauranga/Pāpāmoa: Angus Gough Angus.Gough@Coastcare.co.nz
• Waihī Beach: Sheanna Chadwick Sheanna.Chadwick@Coastcare.co.nz
• Kaituna/Maketū/Pukehina : Chris Pronk 0800 884 881 extn 8801 coastcare.kaituna@coastcare.co.nz
• Matatā/Whakatāne/Ōpōtiki: Ben Banks 0800 884 881 extn 8800 coastcare.east@coastcare.co.nz