Hawke’s Bay’s post-cyclone land categories released

Waipawa was inundated by Cyclone Gabrielle floodwaters.

Flood-hit homeowners in Hawke’s Bay were told last week whether they can safely return and rebuild their homes, three and a half months on from Cyclone Gabrielle.

Long-awaited zoning decisions were finally released to cyclone-impacted property owners via email.

In Central Hawke’s Bay, 579 properties have been provisionally categorised as category 2a or 2c.

Cyclone-affected properties in Porangahau and a handful in Waipawa upstream of the SH2 bridge and at Tamumu near the Tamumu Bridge have been categorised as 2a, meaning interventions may be required to manage future risk, but more assessment is needed.

The Waipawa area from SH2 East to Rathbone St, from the river North to Tamumu Rd, and a small area upstream of the SH2 bridge have been categorised as 2c, meaning community-level interventions, for example enhanced flood protection, will be effective in managing future severe weather risk.

No Central Hawke’s Bay properties have received a category 3 rating - which would have deemed them unsafe to return to and off-limits for living.

Maps of all affected areas have been released and are available at

A statement released by Hawke’s Bay’s mayors and HB Regional Council said, “As leaders within Hawke’s Bay, we are pleased with today’s announcement of land categorisations which provides further and much-needed clarity for the communities across the region who were severely impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.

“While the provisional land categorisations are just the start of the process for some of our most impacted areas, today’s announcement will enable those in Category 1 areas to move on with their recovery with confidence, and to move forward with their lives.

“For our Category 2 and Category 3 areas, there is still a significant amount of work to be done. The reality is that categories 2 and 3 cover a wide spectrum of scenarios and circumstances, including properties that weren’t damaged because of the cyclone, and we want to work closely with our impacted residents to ensure we understand the valuable local knowledge that exists within our communities.

“Building back safer, stronger and smarter is going to require investment far greater than anything the region has seen before and together, we look forward to working with central government and the Cyclone Recovery Taskforce as we continue our transition toward meaningful, long-term recovery for the people of Hawke’s Bay.”

The risk assessment process was based on data from the regional council, Ministry for the Environment, and insurance company claims data.