Ōrewa seawall

Erosion in Ōrewa

Ōrewa Beach has several challenging erosion issues. It is one of Auckland’s highest priority at-risk coastal areas.

The Ōrewa Beach Esplanade Enhancement Programme (OBEEP) initially identified the section between Kohu Street and Marine View as the area of highest risk.

This assessment was based on:

progressive erosion of the narrow width of esplanade reserve which provides public access along this section of Ōrewa Beach
the need to improve access onto the beach for a range of people.

About the Ōrewa seawall

We are building the Ōrewa seawall to manage the impacts of erosion, while allowing access along and onto the beachfront.

It will be a grouted rock wall and will include:

access ramps
stairs to the beach.

A new concrete shared path will follow most of the seawall, linking park areas Kinloch Reserve and Remembrance Reserve.

The total budget for this project is $21.6 million.

The construction contract has been awarded to JFC Limited for $12.5 million.

People walking, sitting, cycling, walking their dog, playing sports and lying on the beach on and around part of the new shared path at Kinloch Reserve in Ōrewa, with Pohutukawa trees in bloom.

An artist’s impression of part of the new shared path in Kinloch Reserve.

Seawall timeline

The Environment Court granted resource consent for the seawall in August 2020.

This was achieved with funding from Hibiscus and Bays Local Board's One Local Initiative.

Construction was delayed due to:

COVID-19
funding challenges.

In February 2023 we completed ground investigations.

We are now working to the following timeline:

February 2023 to September 2024: detailed design and tendering
October 2024 to December 2024: start of construction (Kohu Street to Kinloch Reserve area)
March 2025 to December 2025: construction of the seawall and path and improvements to Kinloch and Remembrance reserves continue.

With our recently revised timeline, we plan to complete the project before the end of 2025.

Work will start before Christmas and stop over Christmas and the summer holidays. It will resume in March and continue until the end of 2025.

People walking, standing, running and lying on the beach on and around part of the new walkway at Kohu Street in Ōrewa. The walkway includes concrete steps and a ramp leading to and from the beach.

An artist’s impression of the proposed walkway at Kohu Street in Ōrewa.

Project newsletters

Select all

Ōrewa walkway and seawall: project update 5, March 2025 Ōrewa walkway and seawall: project update 5, March 2025 PDF 585.1 KB
Ōrewa walkway and seawall: project update 4, October 2024 Ōrewa walkway and seawall: project update 4, October 2024 PDF 574.6 KB
Ōrewa walkway and seawall: project update 3, Autumn 2024 Ōrewa walkway and seawall: project update 3, Autumn 2024 PDF 978.8 KB
Ōrewa walkway and seawall: project update 2, November 2023 Ōrewa walkway and seawall: project update 2, November 2023 PDF 1019.6 KB
Ōrewa walkway and seawall: project update 1, January 2023 Ōrewa walkway and seawall: project update 1, January 2023 PDF 767.4 KB

Future projects

Future development is also planned for the southern part of the Ōrewa beachfront, near the surf club.

Hibiscus and Bays Local Board supports use of natural methods to adapt and improve Ōrewa Reserve – refer to the agenda and minutes from the meeting on 26 March 2024 (PDF 312 KB).

This decision follows advice about coastal risks and climate change provided by the Ministry for the Environment, as well as detailed reports about the specific site.

Ngāti Manuhiri have indicated they support the local board's plan, focusing on respecting culture and taking care of the environment.

Our next steps are to:

look more closely at four design options
estimate their costs
seek public input through consultation.

We will invite you to have your say when more detailed assessments and designs are completed.

Contact us

Email orewaseawall@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz for further information and to register for project updates.