The approaches to classifying surf breaks in New Zealand

Abstract

This research is focused on classification as a process and how it relates to the identification of regionally significant surf breaks in New Zealand. New Zealand is the first country to incorporate surf breaks into legislation, most namely in the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010. The incorporation of surf breaks in legislation is a way to give surf breaks and the many benefits they provide protection from activities that may damage or destroy them. However, although the New Zealand Coastal Policy statement 2010 has guided regional councils to identify regionally significant surf breaks, it has not provided a methodology to follow. Even though the Wavetrack approach was used to classify nationally significant surf breaks, it may not be considered robust within the courts because of its lack of transparency. Therefore, the identification of regionally significant surf breaks in New Zealand is piecemeal, with different regions using different approaches and most of the regions have not even started identifying their regionally significant surf breaks. Therefore, within this dissertation the main methodologies used to classify regionally significant surf breaks are outlined and assessed as well as some potential solutions to the issues associated with this situation.