Horse riders protesting a proposed ban on horse riding at Tuapiro Point near Katikati plan to deliver a petition to the Western Bay of Plenty District Council on horseback next week.

Recreational Horse Riders BOP spokeswoman Lisa Coulson says the petition has received upwards of 500 signatures and will be delivered on Thursday or Friday of next week by a group of about 12 riders who will travel from the Tauranga racecourse along Cameron Road to the council building.

The council says it has not been directly contacted about any proposed petition delivery, which Lisa has confirmed.

Submissions on the proposed bylaw review banning horse riding at Tuapiro Point closed on July 9 with 571 submissions received. About 100 people will be speaking to their submissions at a hearing in Katikati on August 6.

Recreational Horse Riders BOP has expressed concern to the council at the perceived lack of speaking time available to submitters due to the council's group discussion approach, to which the council has responded by extending speaking time to 30 minutes for each group of 10 submitters.

The council says riders at Tuapiro Point are going outside permitted areas, leaving waste behind and riding over kaimoana beds, causing significant damage to what is considered an important source of food for the nearby marae.

Ngāti Te Wai spokesman Riki Nelson, who brought the hapu's concerns about horse riding at Tuapiro Point to the council's attention, says the hapu has also made a submission on the proposed ban and will be speaking to it at the hearing on August 6.

Riki says tangata whenua have been supportive of the horse riding community protesting about the ban.

'We believe protest is a good way for people to get their issues across and gain attention to what is important for them.”

Riki says there is a large area at Tuapiro Point where the hapu have traditionally collected kaimoana, particularly a type of shellfish called titiko.

'Horses are clearly banned from that area but when we go down there we often see hoof prints and, because the tidal flow is quite soft, the horse manure stays there for a couple of tides. These are the areas we are trying to protect.

'Tuapiro Point has been a source of sustenance for our people for generations. We've got a history of 600 years collecting shellfish, specifically titiko. There are middens in this area with significant amounts of titiko-type species, as well as cockles, oysters and pipis which we still collect.”

Riki says it is the 'sheer quantity” of horse riders using the beach at any one time that is of particular concern.

'We've counted up to 50 horses down there at one time. We've tried to get the council to reduce the numbers because more horses means more environmental impact. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council tests the water and if there is too much E.coli they put up shellfish bans.”

Riki says the bylaw review forces everyone to come to the table.

'We're happy to come to an amicable arrangement with [the horse riders] but they can't continue to do their horse riding and stop us from doing our customary practices that we have engaged with for the past 600 years.”

Riki says the hapu would like to find a way forward with the horse riding community, as well as the council, to protect its customary practices.

'We want to try and identify other alternatives. We've got a grassed area available at Tuapiro and we're going to be working with council to help accommodate the horse people.”