Hawke's Bay Regional Council has formally endorsed ‘Option 1C’ as the preferred flood mitigation strategy for North Clyde during today's Extraordinary Council meeting.

This decision aligns with the recommendation presented by both the Crown Manager and Wairoa District Council (WDC) and follows months of public consultation and engagement particularly with mana whenua, marae representatives, affected whānau and property owners, and people whose homes and properties were impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Today’s milestone advances the $70 million Central Government-funded infrastructure project, which will see the construction of comprehensive flood mitigation measures including a spillway and strategic stopbank placements.

Regional Council Chair Hinewai Ormsby says she welcomes her Council’s decision. “This is a significant step forward for the Wairoa community, many of whom have been involved for some time, and all of whom have been waiting for a solution and way forward.

“I acknowledge this has been, and will continue to be, a challenging and significant decision for the Wairoa community. However, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for flood mitigation for now and for generations to come; and one that has not previously been afforded to the people of North Clyde and Wairoa.

“While a preferred mitigation option was supported today, there is important work ahead and our priority remains working closely with those whānau, mana whenua, home and landowners potentially impacted by the recommended option. It’s important we don’t lose sight of the benefits that flood mitigation will bring – protecting hundreds of hectares of whenua Māori and general title land.”

Regional Council’s Wairoa Councillor Di Roadley agreed with Chair Ormsby’s comments and added “we’d like to acknowledge those experiencing the most immediate challenges because of this important work. There is still a lot to be done, and we appreciate the way whānau continue to engage with us.”

At today’s meeting, the Regional Council considered the feedback and recommendations that were tabled at last week’s Tripartite (Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Wairoa District Council, and Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa) hui held in Wairoa. There, the merits of the two most technically viable options - Options 1C and 1D - were discussed at length including their technical viability, hydraulic performance, and potential impacts to affected home and landowners.

Crown Manager Lawrence Yule says “we’ve been talking about flood mitigation in Wairoa for some time now, and we’ve said all along that this is about working together, doing whatever we can to help ensure the safety of the community for generations to come. I want to acknowledge the people of Wairoa who have so willingly come together in pursuit of this shared outcome, particularly those whose homes and land may be impacted by what’s being proposed.

“There is still a huge amount of work ahead for us all, and our priority remains on working closely with potentially impacted whānau, home and landowners regarding the land access required to deliver much-needed flood mitigation for Wairoa. Today’s decision by the Regional Council confirming Option 1C as the preferred flood mitigation option is not just an important step forward, it’s a step forward that will enable us to continue working together with the Wairoa community to progress this important mahi at pace.”

The Tripartite partners collectively acknowledged the significant work that has occurred to date and were united in their commitment to ensuring action is taken to help protect the community of Wairoa.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little welcomed the fact that Wairoa now has an identified proposal to work towards.

“Getting to the stage where we have a preferred option has been a long and hard journey for our impacted whānau. While the final decisions rest with the Crown and impacted mana whenua/land, property and homeowners, we now have a firm proposal that hopefully provides certainty and direction, so our impacted people have the necessary information to make their decisions. Tomorrow is the second anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle. North Clyde has still not fully recovered, our wounds are still raw, and we must all do everything we can to lessen the impact of future significant flood events.

“The devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle was hard enough. Now, we are working through another phase where people and their homes and whenua may be affected. I recognise how difficult this is, and my heart goes out to you all.”

Now a preferred flood mitigation solution has been agreed, a detailed business case will be submitted to Central Government by 7 March to secure approval from Ministers for the project to move forward and to release the ring-fenced funding. Concurrent with this process, the Crown is conducting an independent peer review assessment of the proposed solution.

Progressing the project will be dependent on several factors, including land access being secured to enable the building of Option 1C. To this end, Regional Council and the Crown Manager are continuing to work with mana whenua and landowners to secure access, with the support of the Māori Land Court and Te Tumu Paeroa, where appropriate.

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