Further flood resilience meeting for Whanganui residents

The low wall to Steve Baron's right is his effort to protect his house from floods. Photo / Bevan Conley

The details of three flood resilience options will be presented to Anzac Parade residents next week as Horizons Regional Council works on a flood resilience strategy.

Houses in the low-lying section of Anzac Pde were hit hard by the June 2015 flood.

Horizons Regional Council has paid Massey University consultants $130,000 to come up with a flood resilience strategy.

Residents were invited to a round of meetings last year and they will hear what the Massey team has found about the cost of raising houses, and the legal, geotechnical and climate change factors affecting their options on April 20.

Consultants found the three main options for flood resilience were raising stopbanks, raising houses and buying out houses for removal.

Most of the residents the Chronicle talked to believed their houses would be flooded again.

Wendall Hart said there was nothing people could do about a river that breaks its banks.

"Whatever happens, happens. We choose to live here. We take that chance."

His house has a concrete foundation and can't be raised. He didn't believe that ratepayers would be willing to buy out affected property owners.

"You can't fight nature, and that's it," his next door neighbour said.

Renter Brooklyn Barlow is about to begin her second winter in Anzac Pde. The house she rents was flooded and her backyard floods in heavy rain.

"It's a worry. If it does flood again I don't think there will be anywhere to put any of us because there's a housing shortage," she said.

Steve Baron is one who went to the meetings last year. He had been in favour of raising the Anzac Pde stopbanks, but what he heard convinced him it wasn't viable.

He's spent $5000 flood-proofing his house by Matarawa Stream, with a block wall at the back, gaps sealed and pieces of plywood ready to block off the garage.

"It's not tested yet, but I'm 99.5 per cent sure it will keep the flooding out."

He didn't believe the properties would be bought out until after the next flood.

He said Whanganui District Council should take some responsibility for the flood issue because it gave the building permits.

After talking to residents again on April 20, the consultants will present their strategy to the Horizons and Whanganui councils and to iwi.

They will then get more input from residents and the wider community, have a draft strategy ready by mid-year and a final one for adoption by Horizons in July or August.

It will be nice to have the matter finalised, Baron said, but he's not planning to go to the April meeting.

"I don't think any decision they're going to make is going to have any immediate effect. It's certainly not going to help me," he said.

The meeting will be held of April 20, from 1pm to 8.30pm, at Hakeke St Community Centre and Library.

To register for the April 20 drop-in meeting at Hakeke St, phone 022 689 2459.