Flood fears over blocked culvert, which has now been cleared

A blocked culvert running under Ormond Road in Mangapapa has been concerning residents who fear what the next big rain event could bring. The drain has since been cleared by the council. Picture by Liam Clayton

A Gisborne man grew so perturbed by the state of his local creek that he left print-outs in neighbours’ mailboxes to see if they shared his concerns.

Earlier this month, Mangapapa resident Rob Moore distributed half a dozen photos of a blocked culvert running under Ormond Road to people he knew had been previously flooded.

Debris could be seen blocking the waterway in the picture, creating a dam.

Mr Moore called on others to help him push Gisborne District Council for a fix, something he said he’d been asking for since August 18.

“I’m so over it, I’m banging my head against the bloody wall, and I’ve been handing them (flyers) out to people who have been flooded out, and they can’t believe the state of it,” Mr Moore said.

“Mentally, I’m up at night. Every time it rains . . . you worry. The thing is people can’t see this — they don’t know it’s here.”

Last Thursday, the culvert was cleared by the council after Local Democracy Reporting put questions to the organisation.

Mr Moore was relieved the job had been completed, saying it was the type that slipped under the radar because it was “hidden”.

“Now everyone’s more aware. I’m sure that there’s more eyes on it,” he said.

Regardless, it was important for neighbours to keep an eye on the issue given the gaps in the council’s monitoring, he said.

“They just need to react a bit quicker.”

He believed the culvert was of particular importance because it collected the water of two streams which merged and cleared the drainage of the back of Mangapapa.

There had been issues with maintaining the creeks for “years”, but it had worsened on the back of severe weather, he said.

Council water manager Leo Kelso said while his organisation held the responsibility of maintaining the waterway to a standard of allowing flood flows, residents also had responsibilities.

“We’d like to take this opportunity to remind residents who live along this stream that if you trim or fell trees on your property, then you are responsible for clearing and removing the material to ensure it does not affect the waterway and stormwater flows,” he said.

Mangapapa Stream was on the council’s programme for scheduled checks and clearing.

The section Mr Moore raised concerns over was last cleared in April 2023, Mr Kelso said.