Viewers feeling the force after Sand Wars screening

JULIA WADE

Smuggling, skulduggery, corruption and mafia-style extortion rackets made powerful viewing at a recent movie screening involving the rapid consumption of one of the world’s most precious sources – sand.

Unknown to most people a global war for the mineral has been brewing for many years, a reality brought home to locals recently with the viewing of French director/producer Denis Delestrac’s award-winning documentary ‘Sand Wars’. The film highlights how humans increasing demand for, and intensive mining of sand – the world’s second highest sought-after commodity – for buildings, skyscrapers, highways and even technology, has led sand to became an endangered, finite source as well as desecrating coastline environments and adversely affecting the creatures, including humans, who live close to and rely on, the sea.

Screened at Mangawhai’s Historic Village movie theatre on October 7 and 8, the film attracted full houses, bringing home to many the potential harm ongoing near-shore sandmining activity could be having on the Mangawhai/Te Arai shoreline.

Hosted by Mangawhai Harbour Restoration Society member Ken Rayward and Historic Village trustee John Phillis, who also manages Mangawhai Movies and sourced the film from international film suppliers, says he was delighted the facility could be used to bring passionate locals together for such an important issue.

“I’ve been following closely the recent escalation of concerns being expressed across the broader community on the continuance of sand mining activities along our coastline, and the significant threats these activities would have for the future of Mangawhai,” he says. “So it’s good to provide a platform to commence the building of our own wave of resistance and protection of our much-loved beaches to ensure they remain as they are today for all future generations.”

Sponsor of the film screening, Bayleys real estate agent Tim Brown, says the new experience of promoting awareness of such a huge environmental challenge, was a very rewarding experience for himself and wife Carol, the issue ‘one we are very proud to be involved with’.

“The broad spectrum of people that attended over the two evenings, while diverse in their backgrounds, all had one common bond that resonated across them all, and that was an unflinching passion to protect the most treasured asset of Mangawhai – our beaches and harbour estuary,” he says. “At the end of each screening questions raised reflected how serious our community is for the fight we will have on our hands to stop the Auckland based sand mining companies from destroying our coastline.”

n Missed out on viewing this important environment documentary? Just visit mangawhaimovies.com for more showings of ‘Sand Wars’. Interested in knowing more? Visit Friends of Pakiri at facebook.com/friendsofpakiribeach

Not happening in a galaxy far, far away but in Mangawhai’s own back yard, ‘Sand Wars’ viewers were feeling the force to act after the award-winning film drove home the impact of sand mining at two recent screenings. Host John Phillis and sponsor Tim Brown engage the audience in a discussion on the long-term effects of nearshore mining on Mangawhai’s coastline as well as ideas on how to fight sand mining companies seeking consent.

PHOTO/JULIA WADE