24 Feb 09
Surfbreak Protection Society has put a submission into the Waikato Regional Council Navigation and Safety Bylaws. The Navigation and Safety Bylaws look at all the navigable waterways in the Waikato Region. Within this region there are two formal surf zones one at Raglan and the other at Whangamata.
The Surfzone at Raglan was placed over Whale Bay and Ngarunui in
2003. This was a result of a submission by a group of Raglan
surfers and was endorsed by the Waikato District Council. In 2006 a
surfzone was included over the Bar at Whangamata. This was a result
of local surfers submitting to Navigation and Safety Bylaws firstly
in 2003 and again in 2006.
The surfzone at Whangamata is problematic. Where surfers paddle
out is also the entrance to the estuary for boats, jet skis, kayaks
etc. The Whangamata Bar, though stable, is also a dynamic natural
feature - the Bar shifts around. How to map a shifting surfzone is
a situation that the Regional Council and Surfbreak are still
working on.
Navigation and Safety Bylaws apply in every regional Government
area in New Zealand where there are navigable waterways. Every
three years the Regional Councils review these bylaws and
submissions are open to the public. The regulatory framework of
these by-laws and public review are the Local Government Act 1974
and the Maritime Transport Act 1994.