Regional councils from around the country have expressed disappointment over the Government’s decision not to fund a major flood protection programme in the 2023 budget.
Prior to the budget, councils put forward a plan that would see central and local government co-invest $257 million over the next three years to fund 92 urgent flood protection projects.
This included a $14m flood protection project along Upper Hutt’s Pinehaven Stream and a $30m flood control and drainage scheme in Hawke’s Bay Heretaunga Plains.
But the Government has decided not to pick up the proposal.
Greater Wellington Regional Council chair Daran Ponter told the Herald as a sector they had put a solid proposition together.
“We’ve done the heavy lifting, you can see the cost benefit analysis, you can understand these projects are ready to go, they’re consented - they just need some additional funding to go faster.”
Ponter said this plan would ensure that in relation to flood protection they can avoid a set of calamitous circumstances.
“We can avoid having people in high-vis jackets on the sides of rivers steering down at the communities that’ve been flooded because we’ve actually taken pre-emptive action.”
Ponter said he would be following up with the Government to seek an understanding about where they stand on this issue – and to express his concern about the consequences of this project not being funded.
“Increasingly we are playing a game of chance here – had the Cyclone Gabrielle event struck the Hutt Valley area, in all likelihood large parts of the Hutt Valley would’ve been inundated and the costs would’ve gone into the hundreds of millions.”
He said increasingly he thinks he’s going to start losing sleep about the issue.
“As the chairman of a regional council the last part of your job is safeguarding your community and I just don’t feel without Government investment we are going to be doing that over the next few years.”
During Cyclone Gabrielle, flooding reached 1.2 metres high at Todd Smith’s Eskdale home on Pohutukawa Drive – leaving a layer of silt around 200 millimetres thick throughout the house.
Smith told the Herald there has been negligence from both the regional and local councils over the years not preparing for these kinds of events.
He said something needs to change.
“I can’t comment on basically who needs to front the bill but like I say, the infrastructure in the region, I believe is up to the regional council to monitor rivers and all the rest.”
He said the changes that need to be made have to be thoroughly thought through.
“You can build one stopbank somewhere and it can create flooding elsewhere.”
Environment Canterbury chair Peter Scott said he was really disappointed the proposal didn’t get funded in the budget.
“We were looking for co-investment from central Government which has actually been missing since 1989 – prior to that they were involved in river management and river control.”
He said they’ve been funding that themselves – but ratepayers are running out of funds to do that alone.
Scott said a storm like Cyclone Gabrielle could happen anywhere in the South Island.
“Our point is we really need to make sure we have funds to do something about that.”
He said it’s about protecting national assets such as Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency roads and KiwiRail bridges near rivers, but also to provide some protection from flooding.
“We would’ve thought that a really strong partnership arrangement and some collaboration with central Government in this area would be beneficial to everyone in New Zealand.”
Local Government Minister Kieran Mcanulty said in Budget 2023, the Government’s immediate priority was to support those communities affected by recent extreme weather events so they can move on with their lives knowing they’re safe.
“That’s why Budget 2023 provides $100 million for flood protection in affected regions. This will boost the resilience of these communities against future extreme weather events.”
He said in addition Westport received $22.9m from the Government for flood protection and resilience. They’ve also set aside $6 billion for strategic investments as part of a National Resilience Plan.
“This investment will initially focus on building back better from the recent weather events. It will also include future proofing road, rail, and local infrastructure wiped out by the extreme weather, as well as telecommunications and electricity transmission infrastructure.”