Catherine Delahunty

Wainuiototo (New Chums) Beach: Paradise subdivided?

by Catherine Delahunty

Wainuiototo or New Chums beach on the coastal Hauraki/Coromandel is ranked in the top 20 wild beaches in the world. The land adjacent to this gorgeous silent place has withstood several development attempts thus far. The latest attempt is by developers from Queenstown, who know all about making real estate suitable for the enjoyment of the elite. But now they are up against the considerable creativity of the lovers of the Coromandel.

Fresh from our Schedule 4 mining victory, the tangata whenua, locals and visitors who oppose the development are gathering national and international support for protection of this place, which is only accessible by boat or by foot. The developers have moderated their original proposal and managed to persuade the regional and local authorities that this is the best that can be done. They want to build only 20 houses with associated roads and one boathouse for their boats on the beach. They are claiming to be ecologically aware and willing to share. But they miss the point. The point is wilderness, silence and a unique relationship that we all long for, a connection with the utterly natural.

The many Facebook Friends of New Chums, the Preserve New Chums for Everyone Trust and other networks are preparing to fight in the courts and in the media. You can sign an online petition to preserve it, or down load the hard copy PDF from the website.

At the public meeting where I spoke for the Green Party in support of this campaign, more than one hundred people testified to the love of wild places. Peter Johnson from Ngati  Hei told us there are at least 19 registered archaeogical sites along that piece of coast. Manawhenua talked of their great grandmothers gathering kai there.  The kayak business described the marine experience at New Chums. The local families talked about the place of the beach in their family history and life. Everybody understood the importance of holding on to one of the few jewels left in a developed peninsula where subdivision and marinas have eaten away the magic.

It will be a hard campaign but that is not new for either the Green Party or Coromandel people. We will need that national and international support. But get ready to picnic for paradise this summer. It is worth the trouble when you come over the ridge and down through the nïkau. Wainuiototo

Published in Environment & Resource Management | Featured by Catherine Delahunty on Thu, August 26th, 2010   

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