The Wairoa District Council has welcomed the Government’s decision to appoint a Crown Manager to progress the flood protection works in Wairoa.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said the Wairoa District Council fully supports Minister of Local Government Hon. Simeon Brown’s decision to appoint a Crown Manager to act on behalf of Wairoa District Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

“Our town is vulnerable. We have been impacted by two significant flooding events within 18 months of each other, and we urgently need to act to develop a flood management catchment plan and flood protection works for Wairoa,” Mr Little says.

“This flood protection work is so important for Wairoa, and it is reassuring that we will have a ministerial intervention to assist in advancing this work for the betterment of our communities that were affected and for the wider Wairoa township.”

Following Cyclone Gabrielle, as part of a $200 million dollar government fund to Hawkes Bay, $70m was ring-fenced for flood protection for Wairoa.

The focus was particularly on North Clyde and developing flood mitigation to enable affected properties to be moved out of the initial Land Categorisation of 2A, which has now moved to 2C.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council has led this work to date, which has included appointing WSP to complete the engineering side of the work, working through the Tripartite Group, which comprises Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa, the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and the Wairoa District Council.

A stakeholder group was also formed to provide grassroots feedback.

Minister Brown said recent events have highlighted the vulnerability of the Wairoa township to future flood damage, and there is an increasingly urgent need to progress flood protection works.

The Crown Manager is expected to direct both councils in progressing the delivery of a flood management catchment plan and protection works, which may include identifying suitable solutions, community engagement, implementation, design, and delivery.

Mr Little said the Council’s sole focus is to get the best design, information, and protection possible.

“Flood protection is not a silver bullet, but hopefully, it will mitigate future flooding events and give our community more confidence that at least we have some level of protection.”

He said he is heartened that the intervention will support upholding the mana of the Tripartite Group, which is crucial to the success of the project and the effectiveness of the Crown Manager.

“We look forward to working with the Crown Manager and progressing flood protection for our town and our people.”

26 July 2024

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