Home | NZ Coastal Society - Sustainable management of New Zealand's coastal and marine environment underpinned by sound science engineering and policy practice comprehensive monitoring involved communities and effective national networks

The New Zealand Coastal Society was formed in 1992 to promote and advance knowledge and understanding of the coastal zone. It provides a forum for those with an interest in the coastal zone to communicate amongst themselves and to the public.

News

6 July

The Terry Healy Project Award

6 July

Grant to support innovative coastal dune protection trial

5 July

Great NZ student papers heard at Coasts and Ports 2017

Chairman

Hugh Leersnyder

Hugh is an Environmental Scientist at Beca with over 30 years in applied resource management. He has an extensive science (biological and physical) and coastal planning background including a detailed knowledge of regional government resource management responsibilities. Hugh has participated in the NZCS since taking the role of manager Coastal Environment for the former Auckland Regional Council from 1993 to 2005. Hugh is an accredited RMA Commissioner and has been involved in a number of resource consent roles representing either the applicant or the regulator. He has a particular interest in the facilitation and coordination of a range of environmental specialists, ensuring integration ac...

John Duder

John Duder deservedly became the first Life Member of the Society at the 2006 Conference held in Kaikoura. This was a fitting tribute, given in recognition of his substantial contribution to the Coastal Society as well as to science and engineering in relation to the New Zealand coast.John’s specialist fields are water resources and coastal engineering. He was appointed a Director of Tonkin & Taylor in 1982 and retired in 2003 to practice on his own account. After working for a consultancy in London early in his career, he was based in New Zealand and also worked on numerous projects overseas.As a practicing engineer, John has also provided support to students and peers throughout his career...

Deputy Chair

Tom Shand

Tom is a senior coastal engineer at Tonkin & Taylor. After graduating from Canterbury with a bachelor of Civil Engineering, Tom worked for T&T in Auckland before undertaking a PhD at the University of New South Wales investigating the effect of wave grouping on wave breaking and surf zone processes.After a stint working at the Water Research Lab in Sydney, Tom returned to T&T where he now leads a specialist coastal engineering and science team who are involved in a range of consulting and research projects in New Zealand, Australia and across the Pacific.Tom's research interests include wave breaking and surf zone processes, remote sensing techniques, advanced statistical analysis of environ...

John Lumsden

John Lumsden received the Life Membership of the Society at the annual conference dinner held in Tauranga in 2007. John was the second recipient of the award.John Lumsden is principal consultant in a Christchurch based consultancy and has over forty years professional engineering experience, with specialist skills in coastal engineering and resource management.He also has twelve years experience working as a hearings commissioner on a variety of resource consent proposals. His work has featured integration of coastal and ocean sciences into coastal zone decisions. He has authored or co-authored over 60 reports and technical papers.John helped establish the New Zealand Coastal Society in 1992...

Treasurer

Eric Verstappen

Eric is a Resource Scientist (Rivers & Coast) with the Tasman District Council, a Unitary Authority blessed with wild rivers and superb coastline. Eric has been working in the regional govt sector since 1986, having graduated from the former Ministry of Works and Development.Eric has specialist interests in river, coastal and flood hazard processes, investigations, assessment and management. He is particularly interested in furthering his knowledge and understanding of river and coastal systems and hazard risk with respect to the impacts and management of projected climate change on development. He champions the sustainable and holistic management of river and coastal environments, particula...

Professor Terry Healy

Professor Terry Healy died on 20 July 2010 after a long battle with cancer. Prior to his death his outstanding contributions to science were acknowledged with a Queen’s Birthday honour, a University of Waikato Medal and the life membership of the New Zealand Coastal Society.Terry Healy was honoured by the cream of the coastal management industry in May with a life membership of the New Zealand Coastal Society. Widely regarded as New Zealand’s pre-eminent coastal scientist, Professor Healy is only the third person – and the first scientist – to be awareded life membership of NZCS.The honour was conferred at a special awards dinner in Hamilton attended by 85 colleagues, Society members, ex-stu...

National Regional Coordinator

Paul Klinac

Paul has been employed within Auckland Council since 2010, and is currently the manager of the Coastal Management Services Team (CMS), comprising specialist coastal scientists and engineers.Paul’s technical background is in coastal geomorphology and he holds a Master of Science degree (MSc) from the University of Waikato, which also encompassed resource and environmental planning. His current role as a coastal practitioner is multifaceted, drawing on thirteen years of applied experience working with complex coastal management issues. His current role includes region wide assessments and interpretation of coastal processes and hazards, including provision of technical solutions and design sup...

Terry Hume

Terry Hume became the fourth ever member to receive the Society’s Life Membership. Terry was presented with the award at the Society’s annual conference held in Auckland during 2012, where the New Zealand Coastal Society was celebrating its 20th anniversary.With over 35 years experience as a marine geologist and coastal oceanographer, NIWA Principal Scientist Dr Terry Hume has been at the forefront of research on New Zealand’s Coastal Environment. He’s one of a handful of coastal scientists working in New Zealand who in the truest sense wrote the book on our coastal environments. For example, in the late 1980s Terry and Ed (CE) Herdendorf classified estuaries into 16 geomorphological types. ...

National Regional Coordinator

Mark Ivamy

I live at Papamoa Beach with my wife Storm and two kids, Siena and Rico. We love getting outdoors and exploring Aotearoa and have recently completed our 3rd Great Walk.My background is in coastal science and I was lucky to study at both Waikato and Auckland University alongside some amazing people. I now work for Toi Moana (Bay of Plenty Regional Council) as the Natural Hazard Advisor.I enjoy working with the community to increase our understanding in this area. Building partnerships and collaborating across organisations to capture and communicate this knowledge is a rewarding challenge.The NZCS supports this challenge by bringing together planners, scientists, engineers and community leade...

Coastal News Coordinator

Don Neale

Don is a Technical Advisor in the Department of Conservation Marine Ecosystems Team. He has worked for the Department in Hokitika since 1987, in the fields of marine ecology and coastal management. He has an MSc in Coastal Geography (with some Ecology) from Canterbury University, and has developed a broad interest in the natural environment in general. His works ranges throughout New Zealand with topics as diverse as coastal hazards, estuarine ecology, marine protected areas, whale strandings and seaweed taxonomy. In his spare time, he is a keen advocate for Hokitika and the West Coast, and he gets involved in hockey, drama, art, the great outdoors and huhu grubs.

Central Government Representative

Sarah McRae

Sarah is an RMA Planner at the Department of Conservation with over 25 years' experience in coastal resource management. Sarah's work covers a range areas such as spatial planning, aquaculture, coastal hazards planning and the NZCPS 2010. Sarah has been an expert planning witness before the Environment Court. Sarah joined the NZCS National Committee in 2012. As 'Central Government Representative' Sarah liaises with other central government agencies with an interest in coastal management. Sarah is a keen mountain biker, kayaker and tramper.

Young Professional Representative

Hannah Berger

Hannah currently works as an Environmental Scientist/Coastal Geomorphologist at GHD Limited in Auckland. Hannah's technical background is in geology, hazard management, coastal geomorphology and she holds a Master of Science degree (MSc) from the University of Canterbury. Hannah loves to be outdoors. She enjoys walking/ tramping, kayaking, and wakeboarding during the summer.Hannah is an active member of GHD's Young Professional committee as a sustainability representative. She has also become involved with Futureintech and is excited to promote coastal science in schools.Hannah enjoys being involved with the NZCS committee and is looking forward to organising student and professional mentori...

Website & Digest Coordinator Administrator & Communications Coordinator

Renee Coutts

Renee completed her MSc degree at the University of Waikato where her thesis focused on the physical shoreline change and beach rotation of Pauanui and Tairua Beaches, with regards to changes in wave climate due to the presence of offshore islands. Renee's interest in all things coastal has developed from a young age with hobbies including scuba diving, boating and fishing. She joined the Management Committee as coordinator in 2012.

Administrator & Communications Coordinator

Rebekah Haughey

Rebekah is currently studying towards completing her MSc at the University of Waikato. Her thesis is focused on developing a numerical model to help understand the sediment/mangrove dynamics in the Firth of Thames. She has a strong passion for the coastal environment and is excited about developing a career in coastal science. Rebekah enjoys being a part of NZCS as it provides great networking opportunities.Outside of study/work Rebekah loves surfing, snowboarding, tramping and fishing.

Coastal News Editor

Charles Hendtlass

Charles has been a copy editor and technical writer for some 30 years, following short stints as a high school teacher and as an energy researcher at Canterbury University. After completing undergraduate degrees in Physics and English, Charles completed a Masters in Resource Management that led (accidentally) to a career in writing and editing. Much of this was spent at the Centre for Advanced Engineering at the University of Canterbury where he ran the Centre's publishing programme, though he has been a freelancer for the past eight years. Charles' involvement in NZCS goes back 20 years, when he first started desktop publishing Coastal News.