Hokianga Flood Meetings Deferred

An unexpected clash with upcoming Waitangi Tribunal hearing dates has prompted the postponement of a planned round of several meetings in the Hokianga to discuss local authority draft river management plans.

Five meetings were to have been held in the Hokianga over 11 to 13 October as part of a series of more than 20 gatherings around the region to discuss progress on the Northland Regional Council’s ‘Priority Rivers Flood Risk Reduction Project’.

However, locals have subsequently asked the Regional Council if the five Hokianga meetings could be postponed to avoid a clash with the latest in a series of Waitangi Tribunal hearings which encompass a number of Northland claims.

Bruce Howse, the Council’s Land/Rivers Senior Programme Manager, says the Council has agreed to the community request to reschedule the Hokianga meetings, which will now probably be held in late October instead.

The affected meetings were those originally scheduled to discuss the Waima and Punakitere Rivers at the Tuhirangi Marae on Monday 11 October and the Waimamaku River at Waimamaku Hall and the Awapokonui and Whirinaki Rivers at the Mataiaranui Marae on Tuesday 12 October.

The final two affected Hokianga meetings were to have been held on Wednesday 13 October at the Panguru School (to discuss rivers in the Panguru area) and at Pawarenga’s Morehu Marae to discuss the Rotokakahi River.

“It’s unfortunate and we apologise to anyone who is inconvenienced by the change but we felt it was important to listen to the local community, who’d advised us that we risked a significantly lower turnout because of this unforseen clash,” Mr Howse says.

“At the end of the day, this is an important project for Hokianga people and we want to ensure we hear from as many of them as possible.”

Mr Howse says Council staff will release a revised schedule for the Hokianga meetings as soon as details can be confirmed. He’s hopeful the meetings will still be able to be held at the same venues, just on different days.

In the meantime, all other meetings are expected to go ahead as planned over the next few weeks, beginning today (subs: Tues 14 September) with meetings at Tauranga Bay in the Whangaroa area and Otaika in Whangarei.

Mr Howse says the meetings will see the residents of some of Northland’s most flood-prone communities invited to meet to provide their feedback on more than 20 draft river management plans tailor-made for their local areas.

He says people wanting to know more about the project can visit the Council’s website: www.nrc.govt.nz/priorityrivers

ENDS

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