A view from the air of the Ōhiti Rd Ōmāhu stopbank, crossing a recently raised section of Ōhiti Rd. The new 1.7km stopbank runs parallel to Taihape Rd. Photo / HBRC
A view from the air of the Ōhiti Rd Ōmāhu stopbank, crossing a recently raised section of Ōhiti Rd. The new 1.7km stopbank runs parallel to Taihape Rd. Photo / HBRC
A cluster of properties at the Hawke’s Bay community of Ōmāhu categorised as risks after Cyclone Gabrielle have been freed from restrictions after a $10 million flood resilience project.
They were first identified as Category 2A in August 2023, but were recategorised three months later to provisional 2C after technical work confirmed that feasible flood mitigation could reduce risks to a tolerable level.
The planned mitigation measures included stopbanks on either side of Ohiwia stream, a 1650-metre stopbank around the former 2C area, and, on the village side, the existing Ōmāhu stopbank extended across Taihape Rd.
Roads are also being raised to meet the new stopbank heights, with Ōhiti Rd complete and Taihape Rd underway.
The last stages are due to be completed by the end of May, to the relief of owners who have faced access and insurance issues while the work has been going on.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council advised property owners, including Grant and Kate Davison, of the changes last week.
“Cyclone Gabrielle flooded our entire property under more than a metre of floodwater,” Grant said.
“For close to two years, we couldn’t come home because of the uncertainty around our future here.
“Living under Category 2C has been tough. We didn’t know when we’d be fully out of the woods, and we were having to make decisions about our future in the hope that this day would come.”
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council staff (from left) Te Kaha Hawaikirangi, Kim Thomas and project manager Dugan Weitz. Thomas and Weitz went to each of the 11 homes to deliver the news that the category 2C restriction had been lifted. Photo / HBRC
The properties at Ōhiti Rd have now been removed from the FOSAL framework and no longer carry a risk category.
HBRC councillor Jerf van Beek said it was a meaningful step forward for the Ōhiti Rd home owners.
“This brings these households something they’ve been without for a long time: certainty.
“We can’t prevent extreme weather, and we can’t say that flooding will never happen again. But we can say the risk has been brought down to a level people can live with, and that this is being backed by stronger, more resilient infrastructure.”
The land categorisation process, introduced by the Labour Government after Cyclone Gabrielle, was a key part of the wider FOSAL programme and identified communities facing the highest risk, particularly where there was a realistic infrastructure pathway to reduce that risk.
The Ōmāhu homes were hit by an unprecedented volume of water from the Ohiwia Stream, but now have protection within the region’s wider $256.5 million flood resilience programme, funded 75 per cent by the Government through National Infrastructure Funding and Financing(NIFF) and 25 per cent by HBRC.
Van Beek said it was the outcome the Government, HBRC and the community had been working towards.
“This is why investment in flood resilience is so important.
“Not just to repair what was damaged but to give communities a way forward. At Ōhiti Rd-Ōmāhu, that path ahead is now visible in the infrastructure on the ground, and in the greater certainty this brings for local people.”
HBRC chairwoman Sophie Siers said the work now visible illustrated how substantial the flood resilience response had to be.
“This is a major piece of infrastructure in a challenging location, and the community can now see the scale of what is being built.
“With construction in its final stages, this recategorisation outcome marks real progress. It shows the post-Gabrielle response is no longer just a plan, but something real on the ground.”
She acknowledged the tremendous effort of everyone involved, especially lead contractors CHB Earthmovers and the “wider project team beside them”.
She also acknowledged the resilience and resolve of the Ōhiti Rd-Ōmāhu community, and a partnership with Te Piringa hapū.
“This has been a long road and we would not be where we are now without their manaakitanga [care] and kotahitanga [collective drive].”
For the property owners, it’s not merely a project milestone, but a deeply personal one. Grant Davison said, “Dugan [Weitz, HBRC project manager] came around and personally gave us the letter with the good news. It was a great relief to finally have closure.”
Kate Davison added, “After waiting this long, we thought the day would never come. It is a wonderful result.
“I said to my husband, ‘We should frame the letter and put it on the wall.’”
