We're now faced with about 1800 recovery projects to deliver as well as our everyday business.

Our recovery plan prioritises infrastructure repairs with building back stronger to be prepared for potential future risks. The recovery plan estimates we need about $1.1 billion for recovery efforts over several years.

In November 2023 we secured a $204m cyclone support package from government. This funding is for specific recovery projects across the region.

Where we'll be by 2027

We’ll have established some of the building blocks for our region’s future, but this work will also stretch out beyond 3 years.

  • Roading

    We'll continue negotiating with NZ Transport Agency on significant roading infrastructure replacements. Estimates indicate that fully restoring the network could surpass $465m, with a maximum projected cost of $725m

  • Drainage

    Clearing drains would not completely stop flooding in extreme weather events, but increased maintenance could potentially provide more protection for properties.

  • Flood protection

    Significant progress will have been made with the investigation and modelling of flood protection across our region. We'll also have a better understanding of where to complete further drainage and sediment removal works.

Future of Severely Affected Land – FOSAL

Nearly 2,000 properties across our region experienced devastating impacts from flooding, silt inundation or land erosion. In response, central government launched the FOSAL framework.

This involved mapping the affected properties to pinpoint those at the highest risk of property damage or loss of life during future severe weather events.

Properties have now been categorised according to risk as either Category 2 or 3.

Government funding has enabled us to buy out properties that are at the highest risk and to support mitigations for other properties.

This funding does not cover the costs of house demolition or on-going maintenance from the buyout and will need to be funded through rates.

Category 3 buyouts

This is the highest risk category and means those homes are no longer safe to live in due to an unacceptable threat to life and future potential of flooding or landslide. Homes in these areas cannot be rebuilt on that site. We continue to work with those individual property owners.

Category 2

This is the managed risk category – the risk to life can be mitigated by raising nearby stopbanks, improving drainage or property level interventions such as raising the house.

House lifting

We will work with eligible homeowners to raise houses above the water level seen during Cyclone Gabrielle. The goal is to reduce the likelihood of flooding inside the home in future severe weather events.

More information about FOSAL is on our website

By 2027 we aim to have

  • Completed all voluntary buyouts of Category 3 properties.
  • Progressed improvements to drainage and stopbanks in flood-prone areas.
  • Lifted all identified eligible Category 2 homes.

Roads to recovery

Our roads are our lifelines and without building in long-term resilience, our community’s economic and social wellbeing will be significantly affected.

Our rural network was closed during cyclones Hale and Gabrielle. Some communities were cut off for weeks with 8 bridges destroyed, 54 with major damage and significant slips and dropouts, leaving a repair bill stretching into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The total damage to our roading network has been assessed as $465m to get it back to where we were, but to build back stronger we need $725m. We also spent an additional $85m on the initial emergency response.

This still leaves us with a significant shortfall, so we will be working in partnership with government to try and get more funding.

Our focus for the next 3 years

Our work programme is focused on the greatest risk and the highest priority in terms of people’s safety.

These priorities were consulted on in October 2023 as part of the support package.

Flood protection

Flood protection networks across our region have been impacted by ongoing heavy rain events and 2 cyclones. A major consequence was the reduced drain channel capacity caused by silt building up. This left many residents vulnerable to compromised drainage and heightened risk of future flooding.

Our focus for the next 3 years

Flood protection work will speed up over spring and summer months.

We won’t get through all the work in 3 years, realistically it may take up to 7 years. We will focus on the highest priority flood-prone areas.

We will continue to remove silt and large wood debris around structures, as well as advancing our stopbank projects to ensure resilience for the future.

We'll plan, review and model what can be built where, to reinstate, reinforce and improve the flood protection infrastructure and increase resilience of the networks.

A specific focus on the Waipaoa River’s middle reaches, especially around Te Karaka to identify why flooding occurred. This will be used to develop future flood protection solutions for the area.

Rural land drainage network

We are prioritising clearing drains in flood-prone areas such as Patutahi, Muriwai and Manutuke.

Mangahauini River stopbank repair

Staged work of the Mangahauini River stopbank and erosion protection will help protect Tokomaru Bay township from flooding.

Community-led plans

We’re supporting 25 communities across our region with their community plans identifying recovery priorities. These will take into consideration their aspirations as we plan and prioritise work for recovery.

These plans focus on our rural communities so we can improve efficiencies and increase resilience as we build back stronger for the future. We’re also working with urban communities on the best approach to facilitate opportunities for recovery in the city.

While working in different communities we’re also supporting groups such as Pasifika, sports and recreation and whaikaha (disability and accessibility).

Our focus for the next 3 years

This is a new process and aims to create meaningful connections with our communities.