Foxton flooding: Climate resilience project to help deal with Foxton's flooding issues

Foxton has historically been affected by flooding on a regular basis, something Horizons Regional Council is hoping to rectify. Photo / Horizons

Horizons Regional Council held two public consultation meetings at Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom last week to update the Foxton community on progress of the town's climate resilience project.

According to a recent press release, councillors and staff from Horizons had started the consultation process for the Te Awahou Foxton Climate Resilience Project by meeting with iwi and affected landowners and were at the stage of talking to the wider community.

Horizons also stated funding from central government was contributing approximately 60 per cent of the $11.2 million project cost, making it far more affordable for the community, and enabling the project start date to be brought forward.

Horizons and Horowhenua District Council will be making up most of the remaining cost from funding set aside in both councils' current Long-term Plans.

Foxton has historically been affected by flooding on a regular basis due to runoff from farmland east of the township overwhelming the existing drainage scheme and an undersized stormwater network.

Shaun Edwards, Horizons' river management projects team leader, said the project concentrates on the first issue, diverting runoff away from Foxton township and storing it on low-lying rural land south of the township until it can gravitate or be pumped out into the Foxton Loop.

According to Edwards, there was a reasonable turnout at the meetings on Friday 10 and Saturday 11, with a lot of different reactions to the updated project details.

"It was a real mixed bag of both positive and negative feedback."

Work on the Te Awahou Foxton Climate Resilience Project will predominantly happen over the summer months, starting with prep work of upgrading the culverts. It has a projected completion date of March 2024.