Elevating Tairāwhiti Fund
Background
In February 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle caused extensive damage and flooding across the Tairāwhiti region. Over 150 homes in the Tairāwhiti region were inundated, many of these homes were ‘yellow stickered’ under the Building Act directly following Cyclone Gabrielle and are still unable to be lived in.
Homes have subsequently been categorised as Category 2P under the Governments Future of Severely Affected Land (FOSAL) framework, and require property level intervention, specifically lifting to 500mm above Cyclone Gabrielle floodwaters, to prevent risk to life during future severe weather events.
Cyclone Gabrielle saw many whānau displaced from their homes, our hope is that elevating homes by lifting or relocating them to higher ground on site will reduce flood-related risks, risk to life and potential damage to property and infrastructure.
This will enable whānau to quickly return home following a severe weather event and lead to minimised financial losses for homeowners, insurance companies, and the government, resulting in a more resilient community.
What is the Elevating Tairāwhiti Policy?
$15M of funding has been approved by the Government for Gisborne District Council and Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki to assist recovery and improve future resilience to natural hazards for eligible Category 2P properties that were flooded in Tairāwhiti during the North Island Severe Weather Events in 2023.
The funding will be used to raise a dwelling or relocate a dwelling in a new position on the property to a minimum of 500mm above Cyclone Gabrielle floodwaters.
The aim is to directly mitigate flood-related risks, reducing risk to life and potential future damage to property and infrastructure. This leads to minimised financial losses for homeowners, insurance companies, and the government, resulting in a more resilient community.
The Elevating Tairāwhiti Policy covers eligible Category 2P properties that will be administered by Council and outlines eligibility, application process, funding caps and what work is included and excluded. These guidelines provide additional explanation of the process.
Click here to view the policy.
Click here to view the policy guidelines.
Who can apply for funding?
Owners with a residential dwelling on a property that has been categorised as Category 2P and the dwelling was impacted by flooding in the North Island Severe Weather Events.
The identified mitigation for these owners is to raise the dwelling or relocate the dwelling in a new position on their property to a minimum of 500mm above Cyclone Gabrielle floodwaters.
Please note that this is a voluntary process, and impacted owners will be able to decide whether they wish to apply for funding and complete the identified mitigations.
Key stages in the Elevation Process
If the owner chooses to apply, then the first stage is to have an investigation undertaken to determine whether lifting or relocating the Dwelling on site is practical and feasible, and what level of complexity will be required for physical works. It may also identify any necessary work that needs to be completed but that sits outside of the scope of the policy and therefore will not be covered by the Policy.
The second stage, if the property owner proceeds, is to have a detailed design developed, agreed and physical works undertaken. Upon satisfactory completion of the works, the property will be removed from the FOSAL framework. The Owner will be notified by Council in writing.
Detailed information on the 2 stages is available in the Elevating Tairāwhiti Policy Guidelines. We encourage eligible property owners to read through the guide to gain a better understanding of the process. You can access the guide here.
How to apply
Please complete the application form below to apply for Stage 1 – Investigation and Feasibility.
The policy guidelines will help answer any questions you may have in regards to the below application. Please make sure you read the policy guidelines before applying.
