Large wood debris impacted and threatened bridges, roads, our water pipeline, residential homes, waterways and beaches.
It’s estimated that around 1.4 million tonnes of large wood debris is within our hill and water catchments, costing over $172m to remove. By February 2024 we had removed 193,000 tonnes in the waterways and there’s still a lot more work to do. Forestry companies have estimated they have removed approximately 300,000 tonnes from hillsides and waterways.
Government funding of $54m still leaves a shortfall of over $100m to remove the wood debris still in the catchments threatening our waterways and infrastructure.
What we can achieve in 3 years
There's a significant shortfall in funding to clear large wood debris in the hill and water catchments. We're likely to see the mobilisation of large wood debris for a number of years to come.
The approach we have taken is to rate for some of this work around protecting our critical infrastructure.
At $2.7m over 3 years, we won’t have enough to do everything and we've never rated for this before.
The priorities for cleanup are based on risk to life, protection of communities and critical infrastructure including the main water pipe, bridges, roads and residential properties.
Catchments are: Waimata, Hikuwai/Uawa, Te Arai, Waiapu and Waipaoa.
Beaches: Midway, Waikanae, Kaiti, Uawa and Whangara
Large wood debris proposed options
Our preferred option - this will give us a budget of $2.7m over 3 years
Rates increase 1.1% - impact on debt $0
- With the government’s funding and additional rate funding, we will continue to prioritise clearing large wood debris threatening critical infrastructure.
If you want us to spend more, to do it faster - this will give us a budget of $5.3m over 3 years
Rates increase 2.2% - impact on debt $0
We will do the work listed above as well as:
- This will boost the budget for clearing large wood debris meaning we can do more clearing faster.
- We'll also continue to spend the government’s cyclone support funding, with a priority to clear large wood debris impacting and threatening waterways, beaches and critical infrastructure.
