A petition has been launched calling for Piha Campground to remain open.
The future of a campground at one of Auckland’s most iconic beaches is in limbo over concerns it could pose a flood risk to campers.
A petition to save Piha Campground has been launched as locals push back against the prospect of it closing for good.
Auckland Council said it is weighing the campground’s future after updated flood modelling identified a high risk to people staying at the site overnight.
The council-owned campground has been closed since it began its winter break on June 1. It was due to reopen on August 24, but remained shut while council investigated the flood risk.
Piha Campground operator Fiona Anderson said in an automatic email response the camp was unlikely to reopen before October 20 as council considers its future.
“Following the tragic incident at Mount Maunganui Camping Ground where six campers died, the council is as nervous as a cat in a room filled with mousetraps,” Anderson said.
“After a damning flooding model, they are taking legal advice.”
The campground caters for tents, caravans and campervans, with powered and unpowered sites available.
Adults are charged up to $27 a night and children $10. Preschoolers stay free.
Its camping season traditionally runs from Labour Weekend until early April, with the busiest period between Boxing Day and January 7.
The council said the operator recorded about 15,000 visitors to the campground last year.
Flooding at Piha in 2018 raised campground safety concerns, particularly in low-lying areas near Piha Stream.
Waitākere Ward councillor Ken Turner said he was fighting to keep the campground open.
“I don’t just support the Piha Campground staying open, I am fighting as hard as I can to ensure this insane idea that it is an unsafe place to camp is defeated and common sense reigns.”
Turner warned that closing the campground would not stop people visiting Piha.
Waitākere Ward councillor Ken Turner says he is fighting to keep Piha Campground open. Photo / Sarah Ivey
Instead, he believed it could lead to more freedom camping while hurting businesses that rely on visitors, including the local cafe, store, gallery and businesses catering to surfers.
“The Piha Campground is an integral part of the social and economic fabric of Piha.”
Turner said he would continue advocating for the campground to operate.
Years of investigation into the site, including work by Blue Barn Consulting Engineers, did not support immediately shutting it down, he claimed.
The Blue Barn Consulting report prepared for council found much of Piha Campground sits within a mapped floodplain, with some low-lying areas exposed to potentially dangerous water depths and speeds.
However, the report said past flooding had mainly affected lower areas beside Piha Stream, while the main camping terraces and key buildings had remained operational.
Flooding at Piha Campground in 2018. The event led to concerns about the safety of low-lying parts of the site. Photo / Billy Bedford
Campground management already monitored forecasts, moved campers to higher ground and avoided lower areas when flooding was a risk.
The report outlined options, including withdrawing camping from flood-prone areas, reconfiguring the site or relocating it.
Completely ending overnight camping was identified as a “last resort”.
Petition organiser Cindy Baxter said the campground had been a place of “refuge, adventure and community” for generations of visitors to Piha.
Supporters want the council to investigate whether further measures could allow camping to continue safely rather than shutting the site altogether.
“The Piha Campground – and Camp Mother Fiona – is more than just a campground to us,” Baxter said.
“It’s a gateway to reconnecting with nature, a cornerstone of local culture, and an invaluable economic asset to the Piha community.”
The petition calls on the council not to permanently close the campground without first working with its operator, residents and experts.
Piha Campground recorded about 15,000 visitors to the site last year. Photo / Google Maps
It suggests options including a smaller camping footprint, stronger evacuation procedures and restrictions on camping in the highest-risk areas.
Baxter said there had been no consultation with the campground or wider community about the best way forward.
Supporters have also pointed to the campground’s long history at Piha.
One camper said their family’s connection to the site stretched back more than a century.
“My great-grandfather used to come out to the Piha Camping Ground before the First World War,” they said.
“Every generation of my family since has camped there, and I refuse to imagine a world in which my children’s children’s children can’t camp there too.”
The Piha Ratepayers and Residents Association is also backing efforts to keep the campground operating.
The association said the council required part of the campground to close after flooding in 2018.
Its committee subsequently met council representatives over flood risks in the Piha Domain and challenged some of the predicted modelling outcomes.
The council said updated flood hazard mapping had identified a high flood risk at the campground, with particular concern about people staying there overnight.
Head of property management Marian Webb said climate change was increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather, requiring the council to reconsider how public facilities in areas exposed to natural hazards were used.
The campground’s lease had expired and the site remained closed while the council investigated its future.
Webb said the council was balancing the flood risk and safety of campers against the strong desire for camping to continue at Piha.
“Once the investigation is complete, a decision about the future of the campground will be made by the council,” she said.
The council acknowledged any decision to permanently close the campground would affect overnight accommodation at Piha.
Any changes to camping at the site or elsewhere in Piha would also be considered through future council recreation planning.
Rachel Maher is the education correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. She also covers other topics such as Auckland issues, crime and local government. She started at the Herald as a breaking news journalist in 2022, before joining the Auckland team this year.
