Way forwd for Mangawhai Heads surf club and slip repair

Kaipara District Council and the Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service have agreed a way forward to kickstart remediation and repair of the slip and surf club building.

Extreme weather events in 2023 during Auckland Anniversary weekend caused a major landslip at Mangawhai Heads. The slip, which is on council land, also damaged the Mangawhai Heads Surf Club building. The surf club has remained closed since the slip, with the lifeguard service utilising temporary facilities.

The cost to repair the slip has been estimated at around $1.9 million and no funding is available in the council’s future long term plan budgets. However, in late June 2024, Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service received confirmation from Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) that external funding from central Government was available for the slip repair. The club’s insurance covers the cost of fixing the building.

To get the repairs started as quickly as possible, Kaipara District Council and Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service have signed a works agreement.

At a council meeting in July, elected members gave direction to staff to start engaging with the community for the wider Mangawhai Heads reserve area, which could also include a lease on the reserve area for the surf club. Mangawhai Heads is subject to the Reserves Act 1977 and is one of many reserves covered under the Mangawhai Coastal and Harbour Reserves Management Plan (RMP).

Kaipara District Council Mayor Craig Jepson was pleased that the progress reflected the desires of all the elected members to support the surf club and that he was relieved to have found a way forward that worked for everyone involved.

“I love the surf club and the work they do, and I’m keenly conscious of how important they are to Mangawhai residents and visitors. I want to congratulate them and Surf Life Saving New Zealand for accessing this external funding, and getting the slip fixed without burdening our ratepayers. Getting a works agreement sorted now means they can crack on with repairs quickly and return to their normal premises.”

Jess Costello, Chair of Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service says that the club’s main priority in getting back into a permanent club is to enable its membership to continue saving lives.

“Our number one focus is ensuring Mangawhai Heads is a safe beach for the public to visit. We are grateful for the support of Kaipara District Council, the Government, and SLSNZ for helping us to work towards getting back into a permanent base of operations.

“The club’s current situation, operating out of temporary facilities, is unsustainable. Our goal is to get into a permanent building as soon as possible to maintain membership numbers and improve our rescue response times, and to continue our training, education, and junior surf programmes. The works agreement has provided much-needed certainty around the future of our club. We look forward to possible future improvements to the Mangawhai Heads Reserve that will benefit the community, heritage and environment,” she says.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand CEO Steve Fisher says the signing of the works agreement demonstrates how multiple parties can work together to reach a positive outcome.

“We are extremely grateful for the support of both the Government and the Kaipara District Council in getting the cogs moving to rebuild the clubrooms at Mangawhai Heads. Mangawhai Heads is an extremely popular beach, and it is vital that we have appropriate facilities to operate out of as we progress our vision: that no-one drowns on our beaches. We thank the Government for its funding support, and the Kaipara District Council for enabling a pathway forward for construction work to begin,” he says.

Kaipara District Council Chief Executive Jason Marris says staff will continue to work closely with the surf club to progress the repairs and support them to remediate the slip and their building.

“Our next steps will be to start engaging with the community on the future medium to long term use of the greater Mangawhai Heads reserve area.”