Multi-million dollar plan to remove gravel from flood-prone Hawke's Bay rivers

A $5m project to remove gravel from the upper tributaries of the Tukituki River like the Waipawa, pictured, is set to begin "immediately". Photo / File

A multimillion dollar project to remove a large amount of gravel from the upper tributaries of a major Hawke's Bay river is set to begin "immediately".

More than $5m of government funding, as well as $2.7m from Hawke's Bay Regional Council will be used for gravel extraction on the upper tributaries of the Tukituki.

Since the 1980, frequent flooding of the Upper Tukituki River and its tributaries - the Waipawa, Makaretu, Mangaonuku and Tukipo rivers - has been controlled by the Upper Tukituki Flood Control Scheme.

Gravel removal is a key part of the scheme, Hawke's Bay Regional Council group manager of asset management Chris Dolley said.

The $5m from Government is part of the $19.2m received in August, for flood protection in Hawke's Bay, from its Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund.

Dolley said the funding allows the council to deal with the issue "immediately".

"Gravel extraction has been a long-standing issue in the Upper Tukituki," he said.

"We remove gravel from the Upper Tukituki Scheme to protect nearly 25,000 hectares and the 5000 people who live there from flooding."

The project is co-funded, which means HBRC funds roughly a third of the work to the tune of a further $2.7m.

While some flood protection works in the area was built in the 1950s, the current Upper Tukituki Flood Control Scheme was constructed during the late 80s.

Recent improvements to the scheme followed a 2008 review.

Government funding for gravel extraction as part of the HBRC's Upper Tukituki Flood Control Scheme was discussed at public meeting. Photo / File

Discussions between HBRC and landowners from the Upper Tukituki area were held last week.

Dolley said about 30 ratepayers attended the meeting to discuss the funding.

"We met with the community to talk about how we fund the council's contribution as it's a defined scheme that provides benefits to the ratepayers through a targeted rate," he said.

"This initial conversation with the community was positive with a majority supporting the work."

Dolley said conversations with the public will continue later this year, while a meeting with the industry to discuss uses for the gravel is due to take place this week.