Beyond the storm season: The polyrhythms of coastal hazardscapes on the Kū aotunu Peninsula

Abstract

In this paper, we develop an account of engaged practice of coastal conservation groups with seasonalities on the Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand, focusing particularly on the polyrhythmicity of change in its coastal hazardscape. While the hazardousness of a place has often been considered in static terms, we wish here to draw attention to its complex temporalities and highly seasonal nature. We emphasise the multiple exposures that exist within the local environment, in order to understand the seasonal nature of natural hazards and the co-ordination of human activities as a result. Our aim is to understand how natural hazards are seasonally set out and managed. A critical insight emerging from the paper is the idea of beyond-annual seasonalities shaping the dynamism of hazardscapes with implications for disaster risk planning.