'Intolerable risk' phrase raises ire

An alarming description of the risk from a tsunami hitting Tauranga's low-lying undeveloped coastal areas has led to protests from developers and politicians.

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council's plan to sustainably manage natural resources has run into flak after it used the words "intolerable risk" to describe land at the highest risk of being inundated by a tsunami.

Tauranga councillor Larry Baldock raised the issue at a council meeting this week, saying it was crazy to suggest there was an intolerable risk.

He told the Bay of Plenty Times although there were risks according to the size of the tsunami and distance of buildings from the coast, to call a risk intolerable was stupid when a person could live their entire life without experiencing a tsunami.

The words were used in the natural hazards section of the regional council's draft policy dealing with urban growth areas.

Environment Court mediation hearings on this issue, together with other appeals dealing with natural hazards, were heard in Tauranga yesterday.

Mediation hearings are confidential.