A years-long battle between Pākiri locals and a sand mining company has ended after McCallum Bros withdrew its High Court bid to continue dredging operations in Auckland’s north.
McCallum Bros Limited (MBL) and the Manuhuri Kaitiaki Charitable Trust (Ngāti Manuhuri) reached a settlement agreement that would see the company surrender its temporary consent for sand extraction at Pākiri, abandon its legal challenge against Environment Court decisions made in 2024, and settle the costs awarded to Ngāti Manuhuri.
Effective immediately, MBL would no longer extract sand under the consent.
The company said a key factor in its decision was the significant time, cost and resources involved in pursuing the High Court appeal.
It also confirmed a strategic shift in focus toward other opportunities, including its Fast-track application for sand extraction at Bream Bay.
For many in Pākiri, the news marked a hard-won victory.
“We put a rāhui in place,” said local Darrell Brown. “If we lessen the amount of people, it will give nature time to itself.”
Brown, whose family had lived in the area for generations, said the beach had been mined for sand — a key ingredient in concrete — for over 80 years.
“The barges got bigger, more and more sand went out, and basically bugger all came back,” he said.
“It’s been a very, very tough fight,” said Damon Clapshaw, a long-time opponent of the mining.
“I hope other organisations in New Zealand and elsewhere can take encouragement from us — because you can get there in the end.”
The company’s operations faced mounting opposition in recent years.
In 2022, Auckland Council rejected McCallum Bros’ resource consent application, citing unacceptable environmental costs.
That decision was upheld by the Environment Court in 2023 and again by the High Court in 2024.
Despite being granted a temporary consent for limited dredging, the company has now confirmed it will abandon its legal fight and would pursue new consents to mine at Bream Bay.
Locals there were already preparing for their own fight.
“It’s not a good thing,” one resident said. “It could destroy a paradise.”
Malcolm Morrison of the Bream Bay Guardians warned of the ecological risks.
“The damage to the ecosystem from sucking up sand that goes down six inches will kill all the invertebrates,” he said.
“The beaches will degrade just as they have at Pākiri.”