Working with Nature in Aotearoa New Zealand: An Ethnography of Coastal Protection

by Friederike Gesing

Overview

Working with nature - and not against it - is a global trend in coastal management. This ethnography of coastal protection follows the increasingly popular approach of "soft" protection to the Aotearoa New Zealand coast. Friederike Gesing analyses a political controversy over hard and soft protection measures, and introduces a growing community of practice involved in projects of working with nature. Dune restoration volunteers, coastal management experts, surfer-scientists, and Maori conservationists are engaged in projects ranging from do-it-yourself erosion control, to the reconstruction of native nature, and soft engineering "in concert with natural processes". With soft protection, Gesing argues, we can witness a new sociotechnical imaginary in the making.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783837634464
Publication date:	10/18/2016
Series:	Culture and Social Practice
Pages:	356
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.86(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Friederike Gesing (Dr.) is a senior researcher at artec Sustainability Research Center, University of Bremen. She works on sociomaterial practices of coastal protection and transnational climate policy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction and Outline 13

Part I Introducing Ethnography to Coastal Naturecultures

1 Working with Nature, Working with Water: A Globalized Imaginary 23

2 Natureculture Imaginaries 37

2.1 Making Multiple Natures 37

2.2 "Working with Nature": A Sociotechnical Imaginary 48

3 The Context of the Coast 57

3.1 Coastal Change and the Bi-Cultural Nation 57

3.2 Designing the Field 62

3.3 Para-Ethnographic Encounters and Para-Sites 68

Part II Beyond hard protection? The waihi beach case

4 Historical Transect of a Coastal Protection Conflict 81

4.1 "Have You Seen Waihi Beach?" 81

4.2 Coastal Protection History on a Changing Coastline 89

4.3 Who Owns the Beach? Defending the Local Coast 97

4.4 Narrowing Down the Case: The Environment Court in Search of "The Scientific Viewpoint" on the Conflict 112

5 Possible Futures 125

5.1 Soft Options: "A Sob to the Greenies" 125

5.2 Civil Disobedience Continued: The Council Change Petition 137

5.3 "Things are Changing": Tangata Whenua and the Cultural Pillar of Sustainabihty 141

5.4 Dystopia Waihi Beach: Enrolling the Seawall's Materiality into Future Coastal Policymaking 148

Part III Material Practices Of Working With Nature, Or: Making Coastal Naturecultures

6 Restoring and Maintaining Nature: An Introduction to Coast Care 165

7 Working with Nature, Working with Communities 177

7.1 Keeping Busy: Senior Volunteers Doing Their Part 178

7.2 Volunteering as a Means of Working Towards Paid Work 181

7.3 Reclaiming the Public Space of the Beach: The Anti-Encroachment Project 184

7.3.1 "I am Concerned About the Plants, not the Politics": Tensions Between Coast Care and Council Objectives 188

7.3.2 "Giving Something Back to the Community": More Unpaid Labour on the Beach 190

7.3.3 "I Hope Prince Harry is Gonna Shake my Hand": The Voluntourists 195

7.4 "It Makes You a Better Person": Suzanne, a "Great Kiwi Example" 200

8 "It's a Frontline of Defence" - Dune Restoration as Soft Protection 205

8.1 Erosion is a Natural Process 207

8.2 Do-It-Yourself Erosion Control: A "Kick Cowboy" Approach to Coast Care 212

8.3 Beyond Coast Care: Dune-Reshaping as an Alternative to Hard Protection? 218

8.4 Changing Paradigms: Coast Care as a "Soft Approach to Hard Issues" 226

8.5 Hibernating Through the Financial Crisis: The Mokau Spit Camping Ground Investment 231

8.6 Managing Coastal Naturecultures 233

8.7 Coast Care as Climate Change Adaptation? 234

8.8 "A Moving Target a Little Bit": Coastal Restoration from Foredune to Backdune 238

9 Reconstructing Native Nature 243

9.1 Why Restore (Native) Nature? 244

9.2 Anthropological Perspectives on Native and Invasive Species 247

9.3 Postcolonial Natures: A History of Aotearoa New Zealand's Coastal Dunes 255

9.4 Invasive Native Plants: Mangroves 260

9.5 Naturally Native: A Sustainable Business 261

9.6 Native Naturecultures 269

9.7 Universal Nature and Local Crisis: Maketu Spit 274

9.8 "Soft Is What We Can Do Ourselves": Natureculture Restoration as Employment Project for Maori Youth 281

9.9 Working with Native Natures 286

10 Understanding Nature, Making Waves: Multipurpose Reefs 287

10.1 The Dream of Artificial Surfing Breaks 288

10.2 Towards Multifunctionality - A Soft Option? 296

10.3 Working Economically: Artificial Reefs as Coastal Development Projects 301

10.4 The Future: Managed Advance? 305

Conclusion: Working with Nature, Making Coastal Naturecultures 311

Bibliography 319

List of Interviews 353

Table of Figures 355