Police share stories of heroism, trauma and swimming through a sea of apples as Cyclone Gabrielle swept through Hawke's Bay.
Video / Eastern District Police
The infamous swimming pool weeds of Havelock North are finally being ripped out.
Michael Hannah and his family live on Joll Rd.
During Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023, the Mangarau Stream at the back of their property burst its banks and swallowed up their back fence, bringing dirt andmud into their swimming pool and flooding their house up to knee height.
Since then, the Hannahs have been in limbo, unable to do major remedial works on their property because of the risk of being red-zoned.
After Gabrielle, the Hannahs and 41 other properties beside the Mangarau Stream were categorised as 2C by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC), meaning community or council interventions were needed to manage the risk of the stream flooding.
A flood mitigation project plan, which includes acquiring land, constructing access ramps and stream channel-widening, as well as a plan to carry out ongoing maintenance, was devised by the Hastings District Council (HDC).
Funding to complete the project was secured through an integrated package between the district council, the regional council and the Government.
Louis Hannah standing in what was formerly his family's backyard pool in January 2024. Photo / Paul Taylor
The estimated cost of the remedial works for the stream was $10 million, with 75.15% funded by the Crown. Local councils paid the remaining 24.84% ($2.49m), which will be recouped through targeted rates.
The HBRC has now told affected property owners that they have been recategorised as Category 1 – the lowest flood risk category – after it approved HDC’s flood mitigation plans.
An HDC spokesperson said property files were currently being updated to reflect the change.
When Hawke’s Bay Today visited the Hannahs’ property on Friday morning, an army of people in high-vis vests were starting work on the family’s section.
Hannah said he was looking forward to getting on with building now that his property had been recategorised.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the 2C homeowners had been through a lot since the cyclone, and the recategorisation was excellent news.
“The recategorisation will give them certainty and reassurance for the future and is the result of significant work by our team to develop flood mitigation options for Havelock North,” she said.
Hazlehurst said the 2C work was an important part of the broader Karanema-Havelock North programme, where a wide range of activity was under way to upgrade the streams and dams system, and the Havelock North community would see 2C-specific construction work in action over the coming months.
In the first phase, an access ramp will be built at the end of Plassey St, allowing work to begin on retaining walls, bridge upgrades, further access ramps, stream widening, pipe upgrades, and reconstructing a weir along and in the Mangarau Stream.
This work is expected to begin in July and take 12 months to complete.
The reclassification to Category 1 does not guarantee that properties won’t be affected by weather events in the future.
