A presentation was made to the Ōrākei Local Board (OLB) in October on the restoration of the jetty at Wilson’s Beach.
This jetty is a Council asset and a valuable public amenity. It is used by many people daily, and its understated appearance is in keeping with its surroundings. It is also an extremely important part of the environment and ecology of Hobson Bay in respect of its constant use by shags/cormorants for their feeding purposes and it provides a safety barrier for children paddling in the shallows at the sandy beach. Wilson’s Beach was recently restored by the OLB, at the request of Wilson’s Beach Advisory Group (WBAG).
In 2018 storm damage compromised several piles of the jetty. Council has prevented access to the jetty on safety grounds since then.
The jetty provides the western safety barrier to the approximately 25m stretch of sandy beach so popular with very young children. The eastern barrier is the rock groyne immediately in front of Victoria Avenue. Retaining this safe area for small children is essential, because the main 50m section of beach is used by the older paddle boarders, kayakers, water and jet skiers and the like. The demolition of the jetty would remove this safety barrier.
The protected Black and White Shag species need a structure like the jetty from which to dive for fish to feed their young. Shags have relatively poor eyesight, so they need this above the water structure. Grey Herons have a feeding ground immediately to the west of the jetty. This is protected from high speed jet skiers by the jetty. The Heron numbers have been gradually increasing, along with other wading birds, throughout Hobson Bay.
At its meeting of 18 October 2018 the OLB asked for a report from council staff on the ownership status of the jetty and the ecological impact of removing the jetty at Wilson’s Beach, Hobson Bay.
Please help us save the jetty for our birds and residents.