Assessing the Potential for Surf Break Co-Management: Evidence from New Zealand

Abstract

The involvement of surfers in surf break co-management initiatives may assist local authorities in providing for surf breaks and develop community stewardship. This research involved a comparative case study of the Auckland and Otago regions in New Zealand to assess the potential, and identify key ingredients, for successful surf break co-management. An online survey of surf break users (n = 181) and qualitative interviews (n = 16) considered the potential voluntary involvement of surfers, the role of local authorities and types of approach to surf break co-management. Findings indicate a level of support from a proportion of surfers to be involved and stress the need for local authorities to provide a supporting policy response. A local-scale co-management approach, similar to National Surfing Reserves in New South Wales, Australia, is considered more likely to produce positive outcomes compared to the involvement of surf break interests in coastal-wide co-management approaches.

Keywords:

• co-management
• resource management
• surfing
• surf breaks
• surfing reserves

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Derek Morrison at Dunedin Light (dunedinlight.com), Matt Giles at Surf.co (surf.co.nz), Paul Greenland at Auckland Surf (aucklandsurf.co.nz), Geer Iseke at Surfbreak Protection Society (surfbreak.org.nz), and Kevin McAlister at Isolated New Zealand Bodyboarding (isolated.co.nz) for promoting links to our surveys.