For over 80 years, the small community of Pakiri & Mangawhai, just two hours north of Auckland, has been exploited by big corporations for their white sand. It was once considered the largest single nearshore sand mining operation in the developed world.
The sand mining company McCallum Bros applied for consent to continue dredging up to 300,000 cubic meters per year for up to 30 years, exploiting the coastline and causing serious harm to the moana, surrounding land and local communities.
In response, Friends of Pakiri Beach continued their long standing efforts to protect its shores and launched a petition in 2020. In a huge community effort, over 6,000 people joined their call to 'Save our Sands - stop sand mining at Mangawhai & Pakiri Beaches’.
After years of sustained advocacy, the hard work has paid off. In August 2025, McCallum Bros withdrew its appeal to the High Court, formally ending all offshore sand dredging in and around Pakiri and Mangawhai.
This victory confirms earlier wins at both the Council Hearing and Environment Court, making this one of Aotearoa’s most significant environmental successes!
This is the result of years of persistence, advocacy, organising, research and unity across local iwi, residents and environmental groups.
Congratulations to Friends of Pakiri for their amazing work! McCallum Bros is now pursuing consent to sand mine in Bream Bay via the Fast Track legislation. With the recent changes to the Fast Track legislation and the close relationship between NZ First and McCallum Bros the local community will need all our support to protect thei beach and precious marine environment. If you’d like to support, sign their petition here.