McCallum Bros Limited® is in the process of applying for a resource consent to extract marine sand via a trailing suction barge off the coast of Te Ākau Bream Bay.
This website is our way of being transparent with the public about our application and making access to the reports as simple as possible for interested parties. As these reports are finalised they will be uploaded here.
Within this website we hope to demystify sand extraction and show that it isn’t like other marine mineral extraction techniques and can be undertaken in an environmentally responsible manner.
Beach & Dunes
McCallum Bros Limited® is committed to reducing as far as possible any effect on the beaches and dunes in Te Ākau Bream Bay. The area where we have applied to extract sand from is a long way from the coast, at its closest the inner boundary is 4.7 km offshore and in water depths greater than 20 m. The sand in this area is so deep and far away from the shore that it is disconnected from the coastal processes (waves and currents) that move sand on and off the beach. The proposed sand extraction area is offshore of the Depth of Closure (DoC) which means that if sand is extracted in the proposed area, it will have no impact on the beautiful beaches and dunes of Te Ākau Bream Bay. The science of this will be covered extensively in the coastal processes assessment.
Te Ākau Bream Bay
To ensure we can continue to support the upper North Island’s future construction plans we are applying for a coastal permit to allow the extraction of sand in Te Ākau Bream Bay.
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We’re applying for a 7 km long by 2.2 km wide area (15.4 km2) in central Te Ākau Bream Bay. It is west of the commercial anchorage site and at its closest point is 4.7 km from the shore (see map below). The proposed volume of sand extracted from the Te Ākau Bream Bay will supply the construction sand requirements for Northland, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, Waikato, and the wider upper North Island. Sand is an essential component for making concrete, which is produced from a mix of cement, sand, aggregates and water. The marine sand found at Te Ākau Bream Bay has a high quartz feldspar content with no minerals that promote alkali-silica reactions that can weaken concrete over time. This makes this sand ideal for making high-strength concrete which is an essential component in major infrastructure projects.
Application Area

Research and Assessments of Effects
We have nearly completed all of the necessary studies required to investigate what the potential assessment of effects will be if our consent application is granted.
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The Assessments of Effects that have been commissioned for this application are listed below. For further details please go to the particular page that details that Assessment or click on the subject of interest below.
Note: At this stage we are still finalising many of the Assessments of Effects so they are not able to be shared until completion. As they become available we will upload them to this page.
The main Assessment of Effects include reports regarding:
- Cultural Values
- Coastal Processes and Geomorphology (Tonkin and Taylor)
- Benthic and Marine Ecology (Bioresearches and NIWA)
- Surf Breaks (MetOceans) Report Summary Here
- Marine Mammals (SLR Consulting)
- Airborne Noise (Styles Group)
- Underwater Noise (Styles Group)
- Sea and Shorebirds (NIWA)
- Water Quality (SLR Consulting) Report Summary Here
- Fisheries (R Boyd) Report Summary Here
- Landscape (Brown NZ Ltd)
- Navigational Safety (Harbourmasters Department Northland Regional Council)
- Economics (M.E Consulting)
- Concrete/ Sand Suitability
- Planning (Osborne Hay Consulting)
Community Partnership

If our application is successful, McCallum Bros Limited® is committed to giving back to the community through initiatives that enhance the wider environment and benefit the local community. We’ll do this by funding things like dune restoration, predator control of bird nesting sites, or other worthy causes important to the people of Te Ākau Bream Bay. We’ll be extracting sand from a common area that we all share, and so we think it is fair and important that funding from our activity goes back to the communities we share it with.
Fish & Fisheries

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The Te Ākau Bream Bay area is highly utilised by commercial and recreational fishers including standard rod and reel, long lining, and various netting and bottom contact trawling techniques. It is not anticipated that the proposal will inhibit fishers ability to use the application area or harvest fish species given the distance offshore and the short duration of extraction (3.5 hours). The risk of fish species getting caught in the dredge equipment is considered to be negligible due to the drag-head design and slow speed during extraction.
Please click HERE to read the short summary of effects on fish & fisheries
Shore & Sea Birds

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For all seabirds and shorebirds, and for all potential effects assessed, the risk posed by the proposed sand extraction in Te Ākau Bream Bay is low and impacts on seabirds and shorebirds will be less than minor. For tara iti (Fairy Tern), a critically small population and very high conservation concern, the low risk of loss of terrestrial breeding habitat is based upon the proposed sand extraction area being more than 4.7km offshore and significantly outside the depth of closure and well beyond their known foraging range from shore.
Marine Mammals

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There is a very low risk of vessel strike, and entanglement with the dredge equipment. The overall effect on marine mammals has been considered low to negligible. McCallum Bros Limited® proposed operational limits will reduce disturbance and acoustic disruption to marine mammals (particularly Bottlenose Dolphins and Bryde’s Whales, which are classed as having a very high ecological value). Effects on all other marine mammals was classified as low to very low.
Water Quality

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The magnitude of effects to water quality from sand extraction is assessed as being negligible. Any effects are expected to be very short term/ temporary, and will return to ambient levels within a short period of the activity ceasing. No contaminants or heavy metals were found from sediment samples taken in the proposed area so there is no risk of contamination in the water column occurring from disturbing the seafloor in the embayment. Due to the cleanness of the sand turbidity will return to background levels after a short duration so effects on fish and other species is assessed as being low.
Please click HERE to read the short summary of water quality effects
Landscape & Amenity

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The effects of McCallum Bros Limited’s® proposal on the natural character of the dunes, beaches, and wider Te Ākau Bream Bay have been considered as low. The William Fraser will be operating at least 4.7 km offshore in the close proximity of commercial shipping and fishing activities, including anchoring or transiting to and from Marsden Point and North Port. As the risk of coastal erosion is low, there will be no change to the amenity enjoyed by the public on the beaches and dunes in the embayment.
Economics

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There are significant economic, social and environmental benefits to extracting sand in Te Ākau Bream Bay. Due to the efficiencies of marine transport and distribution from the Ports of Auckland, the calculated benefit by enabling Te Ākau Bream Bay extraction is estimated at $266.5M over the life of the consent. The benefits associated with enabling extraction at Te Ākau Bream Bay are significant across multiple sectors including, transport ($197m), environmental ($40m), social ($7.5m), and reduced emissions ($23m). The total emissions savings are calculated to be approximately 240,000 tonnes of CO₂ over the term of the consent versus extracting from the Kaipara Harbour (the most likely alternative).
Concrete/ Sand Suitability

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Due to its mineralogical and physical properties, Te Ākau Bream Bay sand is suitable for use in high strength and specialist concrete mixes of the type used in infrastructure development and commercial buildings.
Marine Ecology

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The application area is characterised as being a featureless, soft sandy environment comprised of small to medium ripple bedforms with no reefs or other locations of ecological significance. The extraction area consists of nationally and locally common species, with no “At Risk” species being found to be present or affected by the proposal. The proposed extraction activity has been considered to have a low effect on seafloor and finfish communities.
Navigational Safety

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The navigational safety risks posed by the operation in the embayment found that sand extraction can be effectively managed by placing accepted controls and guidelines on the operation in conjunction with the Northland Harbourmaster. Sand extraction does not pose a risk to either commercial or recreational users as it is short in duration, during extraction the vessel travels at a slow 1.5 to 2.5 knots and is outside the commercial shipping and anchorage areas.
Climate Change

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Transporting and extracting marine sand by barge generates substantially less CO2 emissions compared to other sources of sand.
Using Te Ākau Bream Bay sand will contribute overall to lower carbon emissions by reducing the trucking transport component to end users.
Cultural Values

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Since the inception of the project, engagement has focussed on two groups with links to Te Ākau Bream Bay that includes Te Parawhau (via Te Pouwhenua o Tiakiriri Trust) and Patuharakeke (Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board). Discussions continue weekly with representatives of both groups.
Airborne Noise

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Due to the distance offshore, the noise generated by the William Fraser operating in the proposed sand extraction area will generate a very low level of noise on land that will not be audible to people on the beach or coastal land.
Underwater Noise

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Limiting extraction to no more than 3.5 hours and in the afternoon means that sand extraction will occur in conjunction with elevated levels of human generated activity and biological sound underwater. Therefore, this reduces the effects of underwater noise, “the modelling showed no risk for auditory injury onset for marine mammals beyond 1m from the William Fraser’s dredge equipment whilst actively extracting.”
Low Impact Extraction

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McCallum Bros Limited launched the William Fraser in 2019. We heavily invested in Dutch dredging equipment and technology to minimise the effects and environmental impact of sand extraction.
This included a California style drag head for shallow extraction depths, electric pump to reduce underwater noise, screening plant to separate the sand from oversize material, and use moon pools to reduce the turbidity in the water column post extraction.
Coastal Processes

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The overall effect of the proposed sand extraction activity at Te Ākau Bream Bay on coastal processes within the beach, upper and lower shoreface has been considered as low to negligible. The reason for this is the extraction area is at least 4.7 km offshore and in water deeper than 20 metres. This is beyond the depth at which coastal processes would effect the shoreline (depth of closure).
Surf Breaks

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The impact of sand extraction on surfable conditions is negligible. While minor variations in wave height and period could improve surf quality (with higher waves and longer periods improving conditions), these changes would be imperceptible to surfers. Given the open coastline small shifts in wave direction are unlikely to influence surf quality.
Please click HERE to read the short summary of the report on Surf Breaks
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