Dunes are a naturally self-regenerating 'living' system that affords vital protection for our native species, both plants and animals. They also provide essential storm event protection from the action of cyclic weather patterns which may otherwise destroy the natural environment they encompass landward.
In the history of the settlement of New Zealand, thousands of natural sand dune systems have been destroyed by cattle grazing along the coast, burning off of native flora and bulldozing of dune systems for coastal development and settlement.
In nearly all of these cases there have been ongoing issues of erosion along said beach fronts, due to the inability of the dune systems to naturally self heal. The subsequent loss of the natural sand dune replenishment cycle calls for drastic erosion protection measures at great cost from the local ratepayers, not to mention loss of amenity value and loss of the natural coastal environment which under the resource management act must be retained in all cases. It is also well documented that current applied erosion protection measures especially the most utilised category of hard engineering techniques such as sea walls, groins and rock baskets exacerbate the erosion further, becoming a no-win situation. Paradise is lost.
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