New Wairoa River flood management plan is ‘a safer approach’ – Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council says a new plan to manage the Wairoa River bar is a proactive approach to managing flood risks and will improve resilience for the Wairoa community in flood events. Photo / Hawke's Bay Regional Council

An ecological survey of the Wairoa River has helped Hawke’s Bay Regional Council devise a new plan for managing the bar.

The Intermediate Management Plan, led by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) in collaboration with Wairoa District Council and Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa, outlines a proactive approach to manage flood risks and will improve resilience for the Wairoa community in flood events.

The plan includes, when conditions allow, lowering a section of the beach crest between Rangi-houa (Pilot Hill) and the old pier.

HBRC said this will be maintained and monitored, and allow water to safely exit during a flood, reducing the need for emergency bar openings and helping to manage risk more effectively.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says anything that can be done to mitigate the risk of floods is imperative.

“As we near the first anniversary of the June 2024 flooding, I am mindful that we still have many people who have not recovered from the floods, and we will support anything we can to help protect our community,” Little said.

The new plan follows a Government review into the June floods over the decision by HBRC not to begin opening the Wairoa River bar earlier, given the information available to it.

The review hit out at the council’s culture, its communication with Wairoa officials and locals, its tendency to be overly optimistic and the lack of warning given to those in the firing line of the potential for flooding in June.

However, it did not go as far as stating an earlier opening of the bar would have prevented the floods that swamped the lower part of the township.

About 127 homes were flooded and hundreds more properties were affected by water tearing through the northern Hawke’s Bay town.

HBRC says the top priority remains to keep a healthy, open mouth in the river at its optimal location, and where there are opportunities, to relocate it from a poor to an ideal location.

HBRC chairwoman Hinewai Ormsby says the plan is a more resilient way of managing the Wairoa River mouth.

“We’re grateful for the partnership with Wairoa District Council and Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa in delivering this important piece of work.”

The plan is a “living document” that will be reviewed and updated as needed, she said

Crown Manager Lawrence Yule said it was important to have a holistic floodplain management approach for Wairoa, including both short-term and long-term strategies for the river bar.

“This plan marks an important step toward a safer and more consistent approach to managing the Wairoa River mouth. It’s also just one piece of the puzzle, and further work to develop a permanent, long-term solution to the bar is ongoing,” Yule said.

The regional council says the community can expect to see gravel surveying starting soon and diggers working on the bar in the coming weeks.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.