Otago Regional Council is re-establishing liaison groups for Otago flood protection and drainage schemes, starting with those in the Lower Taieri.

ORC General Manager Science and Resilience, Tom Dyer, says “This is a great opportunity for those who live in this area to help shape Taieri’s flood and drainage schemes and be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the scheme community”.

Re-establishment of these groups follows a council decision as part of the Long-Term Plan process earlier this year.

Initially, three liaison groups will be established for the Lower Taieri, Lower Clutha and Tokomairiro schemes — the Lower Taieri liaison group before the end of 2024 and Lower Clutha and Tokomairiro in 2025/26.

The purpose of the Lower Taieri Flood Protection and Drainage Scheme Liaison Group will be to act as an informal committee who will work alongside Otago Regional Council.

“We are seeking four representatives from East and West Taieri (two each) to join representatives from the Mosgiel Taieri Community Board, Dunedin International Airport, and an ORC councillor,” Mr Dyer says.

Aside from these specific seats, there are two additional seats available to other representatives from the Mosgiel and Taieri area.

The role of the group will be to:
* provide feedback to the ORC on levels of service and proposed scheme operational and capital programmes
* provide feedback on the development of infrastructure strategy, asset management plans and rating/funding proposals; and
* enable effective communication between scheme stakeholders

ORC will also continue to actively engage with mana whenua on key issues relating to these schemes, allowing participation in decision-making, and support in the development of capability.

Nominations and selection process

Liaison group representatives will be elected, and the group formalised at an AGM in December.

Nominations are open to everyone who lives in the scheme area and can be submitted at: orc.govt.nz/LowerTaieriGroup

Nominations will close at 11.59pm on Sunday, 8 December.

An initial Annual General Meeting will be held at:

Henley Community Centre
1218 Centre Road, Henley 9073
7pm Thursday, 12 December

Read the agenda for the AGM.

Read the draft terms of reference for the liaison group.

The Lower Taieri Flood Protection Scheme

The Lower Taieri Flood Protection Scheme helps reduce the flood risk on the Taieri Plain, including the townships of Mosgiel, Outram and Henley.

It also protects critical infrastructure such as key transport routes (state highway and railway networks), Dunedin Airport, and power and three waters infrastructure. It is a complex network affected by many rivers.

The scheme uses ponding areas to detain peak flows and ease pressure downstream, minimising the risk that the scheme will fail. Silver Stream, Waipori River and the Ōwhiro Stream are tributaries to this lower portion of the Taiari/Taieri River.

There are also East and West Taieri Drainage Schemes that help provide effective and reliable drainage for rural land in East and West Taieri.

The flood protection and drainage schemes outlined above are in place to protect:
25,900 ha of land
21 bridges
These schemes include the following infrastructure:
272 km of open drains
107 km of flood banks
106 culverts
6 pump stations

Further information on the formation of this new liaison group and the nomination form can be found on ORC’s website.

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