Napier City Council’s executive director of water services Russell Bond (left) and newly elected mayor Richard McGrath at the site of the new stormwater pump station on Te Awa Reserve in Napier.
Napier City Council’s executive director of water services Russell Bond (left) and newly elected mayor Richard McGrath at the site of the new stormwater pump station on Te Awa Reserve in Napier.
Napier City Council says a $37.4 million stormwater infrastructure project between Maraenui and Te Awa will help prevent future flooding events and allow 400 new Kāinga Ora homes to be built.
It will also mean relocating an existing colony of nativekōkōwai/northern spotted skinks to a new, predator-proof enclosure onMarine Parade to make way for the project.
A spokesperson for the council said the improvements were one of several upgrades Napier City Council had planned to improve its flood resilience.
The skinks, which are protected under the Wildlife Act (1953), inhabit what the council says is the most cost-effective site for the stormwater outfall infrastructure.
Northern spotted skinks will be moved to a new predator-proof enclosure on Marine Parade. Photo / Biodiversity Hawke's Bay
Napier City Council’s executive director of water services, Russell Bond, said the skink enclosure was a practical solution that kept the project on schedule.
“We can proceed without delays that would cost far more, and it creates a permanent habitat protection for this rare native species,” Bond said.
The purpose-built habitat is currently under construction just north of the new stormwater outfall on Marine Parade.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, National Aquarium of New Zealand, Biodiversity Hawke’s Bay, mana whenua, community groups and local schools are all involved in the habitat enclosure.
The stormwater project is jointly funded by the council ($25m) and Kāinga Ora’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund ($12.4m) and includes a new pump station with a back-up generator, a coastal outfall on Marine Parade and upgraded watercourses.
It is part of the Council’s Long-Term Plan (2021-31). The $25m will come from a mix of rates and loan funding.
Napier’s newly elected mayor Richard McGrath says the infrastructure addresses two critical needs: enabling housing for the city’s growing population and protecting communities from climate-driven flooding.
“The Government’s IAF [Infrastructure Acceleration Fund] investment recognises that resilient stormwater systems are fundamental to sustainable urban growth,” McGrath said.
“The upgrades will redirect high-level stormwater flows from Maraenui south to Te Awa and out to sea, relieving pressure on our northern network and improving water quality discharged to Hawke Bay.
“Increasing the network’s capacity will reduce emergency repair costs and flood-related disruption when extreme weather hits, and enable 400 new homes to help address our housing shortage.”
Project overview
The stormwater infrastructure will support residential development in the upstream suburbs of Maraenui, as well as servicing undeveloped land for future residential development in Te Awa.
It is made up of three workstreams.
The Te Awa pump station, rising main and coastal outfall will be built adjacent to Te Awa Reserve’s Serpentine Pond. Three axial flow pumps will be powered by generators with back-up capability. Stormwater will discharge into Hawke Bay via outfall pods. The work needs specialist electrical, mechanical and hydraulic design work, to navigate complex underground service crossings through KiwiRail and NZTA corridors, with powerlines and gas infrastructure.
Upgrades and enhancements to Serpentine Pond, including recontouring it to accommodate the pump station wet well and inlet structure, and installing bunds to promote water circulation and minimise odour and stagnation issues.
A new open channel extending from the existing Plantation Watercourse to Cowshed Drain will redirect high-level stormwater flows from inner-city Maraenui south through the Te Awa Reserve pond and out to sea.
