A dedicated group of volunteers, local community, Coast Care and Bunnings team members spent time in the dunes of Pāpāmoa Beach to restore and protect the area from erosion this week.

The working bee was organised by Coast Care, a coastal restoration programme run in partnership with local communities, local authorities, care groups and schools that aims to reduce the impact of erosion on Bay of Plenty beaches.

Coast Care BOP regional coordinator Rusty Knutson says it's great to see the community come together and spend time maintaining the area.

"Dunes play a vital role in New Zealand's coastal biodiversity and response to climate change – they are the backbone of our beaches and the buffer between the land and the sea.

"We have a responsibility to make sure they are protected but we can't do it by ourselves. These community planting and restoration days are a huge benefit, not only to the health of the dunes, but they also help to educate and inform residents, beach users and schools."

Volunteers spent the day clearing the area of rubbish, weeding and planting native dune species that will benefit the environment and dune stability.

Bunnings team members from across the Bay of Plenty region joined in the efforts to restore the area, providing hands-on help and a donation of planting equipment.

Bunnings area manager Nick Wren says it was a pleasure for the team to take part and contribute to the restoration of the dunes.

"Pāpāmoa is a beautiful beach, and it needs our help to make sure it stays that way for the generations that follow.

"We were grateful for the opportunity to take part and work alongside the community. We learnt a lot from Coast Care and have a newfound appreciation for the importance of sand dunes on our beaches.

"We're so grateful for the time and effort shown by the group of volunteers at Pāpāmoa Beach. We hope to see the benefits of this effort on the sand dunes or years to come," says Rusty.