Management Guidelines for Surfing Resources
Policy 16 of the New Zealand Coastal Policy Statement 2010 (NZCPS), under the Resource Management Act (1991), provides a legislative framework that identifies and protects surfing resources. While the legislation was ground-breaking as the world’s first environmental policy to specifically identify surf breaks as protected spaces, Aotearoa New Zealand still lacked effective implementation because there were no clear, quantitative measures or guidelines describing the oceanographic or geomorphic characteristics of the coastal zone that contribute to the functionality of a surf break.
The Aotearoa New Zealand Association for Surfing Research (ANZASR) is the successor to a 3-year research project funded by the Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment. The project, entitled Remote Sensing, Classification and Management Guidelines for Surf Breaks of National and Regional Significance, considered surfing resources across the country, held stakeholder engagement meetings, undertook surveys, intensive fieldwork, and deployed monitoring systems to better understand Aotearoa’s surfing resources. The research project culminated in the establishment of monitoring stations and the publication of journal articles and the Management Guidelines for Surfing Resources.
To ensure the latest research and developments are incorporated into the Management Guidelines for Surfing Resources, annual reviews and multi annual revisions are ongoing projects for the ANZASR.