Surfing is one of the most precious things in our lives. Memories of epic sessions with your mates at New Zealand's untouched beaches will be with you forever. But what happens when we lose one of those special places? Your surfing memories will forever be tainted by the knowledge that it can never be the same again.

Well, listen up everyone, because we are on the verge of losing one such special place to the greed of money-hungry developers and the exclusive few who want to grab a piece of our surfing heritage and change it beyond recognition. I'm talking about Te Arai beach, on the Northeast coast near Wellsford. If you've ever surfed Te Arai, Forestry or Pakiri you'll know the untouched beauty of the place. I'm sure it has a special place in the hearts of many Kiwi surfers.

Some developers called Darby Partners are trying to get permission to build a town at Te Arai beach. This is not just a small development, but an entire town with 850 property lots. It will be larger than Wellsford, with hotels, shops, a golf course and everything else that goes along with a town. Apart from limiting access to the surf and destroying the natural beauty of this area, there are other ecological concerns. Te Arai is one of the last places you can find two of our rarest birds - the Fairy Tern and the Northern New Zealand Dotterel. If their habitat is damaged or they are scared away by construction, they may disappear forever.

Te Arai is currently zoned as a "special character activity area" which protects the natural, coastal and remote character of the area. The developers are applying for a special exemption from this zoning. Without this exemption they can't touch Te Arai.

We can stop them getting this exemption - but we have to act now! The more submissions that are made against this special exemption, the less likely it is that council will give it to them. Submissions against the exemption must be received by Rodney District Council by 4pm on September 17th.

Here's how you can help:
Write a submission and send it to the council. Its really easy. It should only take you about five minutes. There is a step by step guide on how to make your submission on the web site www.tearai.org. Take a few minutes to write a submission letting the Rodney District Council know why you oppose this development.

You've only got until September 17th. After then it will be to late and you could regret your lack of action for the rest of your life.
Take a stand for what you believe in. Lets save our beach!
You've got to act now - before it's too late!
www.tearai.org