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Continued Progress In Cyclone Recovery
Hon Mark
Mitchell
Minister for Emergency Management and
Recovery
Councils from regions severely impacted by the 2023 North Island Severe Weather Events continue to make steady progress repairing transport routes and building future flood resilience for their communities, Emergency Management and Recovery Minister, Mark Mitchell says.
“As at the end of February 2025, Auckland, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay councils have stabilised 1,125 slips, repaired 25 local bridges and completed 51 km of stop banks.
“The Crown cost-share agreements with these councils provided more than $1.6 billion for the council-led Category 3 residential property buyouts, flood risk mitigation and local transport projects.
“The Government recently approved plans for the final three projects, bringing the total number of approved projects to 54,” says Mr Mitchell.
“I would like to acknowledge the considerable work councils in Hawke’s Bay, Tairāwhiti and Auckland have done to prepare Delivery Plans for these projects.
“Some of these projects have required significant programmes of work involving multiple workstreams, and I am conscious that councils have also been delivering other aspects of their region’s recovery.
“Many of the flood mitigation projects are technically complex, and councils have taken time to plan and consult with impacted communities to balance the level of protection with minimising the impact on properties before deciding on the final design.
“Completing the flood mitigation projects, which are part funded by the councils, will reduce the risk of future flooding, allowing many impacted properties to move from Category 2C. This will mean many people can continue living on their property with greater confidence.
“Progressing the flood risk mitigation projects and repairing roads and bridges will make a considerable difference for impacted communities and will support growth in these regions.”
Combined, the total cost of the flood risk mitigation and local transport projects is $1,050 million of which the Crown is funding $907 million.
Notes:
Summary of project funding under the North Island Weather Events (2023) Crown Funding Agreements
Flood and landslip risk mitigation projects
| Region | Risk Mitigation Projects | Project Description | Council forecast completion date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | Category 2P properties region wide locations | Residential property mitigation works. | April 2026 |
| Clover Drive | Retreat, bridge upgrade, stream works. | June 2031 | |
| Harania, Māngere - flood risk resilience | Dam removal and stream works. | June 2026 | |
| Muriwai landslip and stormwater resilience - Domain Crescent | Properties expected to be eligible for voluntary buyouts. | Complete | |
| Te Ararata, Māngere - flood risk resilience | Culvert upgrades and stream works. | July 2026 | |
| Wairau | Retreat, detention and stream works. | October 2029 | |
| Hawke's Bay | Havelock North Mangarau Stream 2C upgrade | Community-scale flood protection which includes widening the stream and upgrading infrastructure. | June 2026 |
| Omāhu / Ohiti Road flood management scheme | Widen the stream bed and build stop banks. | May 2026 | |
| Pakowhai | Flood resilience project to protect residential properties in Pakowhai. | March 2027 | |
| Pōrongahau | Flood resilience project to protect Category 2C properties in Pōrongahau. | December 2026 | |
| Pump stations | Upgrades to pump stations across three sites. | December 2026 | |
| Rapid repairs level of service | Service upgrades across multiple sites where initial temporary or medium-term repairs were implemented following flooding events. | May 2027 | |
| Relocate Waipawa water treatment plant | Relocate treatment plant to higher ground. | April 2026 | |
| Scheme reviews | Flood protection schemes review to consider compliance with best practice and industry standards. | January 2026 | |
| Telemetry upgrade | Replace damaged monitoring hardware and improve resilience of the telemetry network. | June 2026 | |
| Waiohiki flood mitigation | Construction of a stop bank with associated drainage works. | May 2026 | |
| Wairoa flood risk mitigation | Create flood protection spillway for North Clyde. | March 2027 | |
| Whirinaki flood management scheme | Extend and upgrade stop banks and upgrade State Highway 2. | March 2027 | |
| Tairāwhiti | East Coast flood resilience improvements | Flood mitigation work to protect the East Coast. | July 2029 |
| Gisborne City flood resilience improvements | Flood mitigation work to protect Gisborne City. | June 2028 | |
| Te Ārai (Rural) | Flood resilience improvements in the Te Ārai catchment. | October 2033 | |
| Te Karaka flood resilience improvements | Upgrading existing stop banks surrounding Te Karaka, establish new stop banks, renew existing pipes and culverts, establish secondary flow paths. | December 2027 | |
| Waipaoa River flood control scheme/Waipaoa stop banks | Upgrade or construction of stop banks on the western side of the Waipaoa River. | June 2027 |
Local Transport Projects
| Region | Local Transport Projects | Project Description | Council forecast completion date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | Mill Flat Road Bridge and Manukau Heads Road | Bridge replacement and road safety improvements for Mill Flat Road. Re-establish road connection for Manukau Heads. | March 2026 |
| Road network reinstatement programme | Work includes 520 projects that are minor to medium in scale. Includes slips stabilisation, restoration of roads, pavements, culverts. Affected roads will be restored to the same level of service as pre-storm damage. | December 2025 | |
| Hawke's Bay | Aropaoanui low level bridge rebuild | Replacement of the existing bridge and concrete spillway with seven box culverts at a raised level. | June 2027 |
| Chrystal twin culvert | New larger permanent culvert structure. | Complete | |
| Cyclone road renewals | Roading repairs. | June 2025 | |
| Dartmoor Bridge rebuild | Full bridge replacement. | July 2026 | |
| Dartmoor Road slips | Restore seven slip sites. | December 2025 | |
| Four regional transport projects | Repairs to four road sites in Central Hawke’s Bay: Elsthorpe Road, Fletchers Crossing Bridge, Wimbledon Road. | January 2026 | |
| Glengarry Road slips | Repair road to pre-cyclone level of service. | June 2025 | |
| Kahika Road culvert | Reinstate stream bed and repair existing culvert. | June 2025 | |
| Kahuranaki Road slip | Repair road to pre-cyclone level of service. | June 2025 | |
| Kereru Road third gorge culvert | A new larger permanent culvert structure will be put in place. | June 2025 | |
| Kereru Road slips | Three significant slips to be repaired, returning road to pre-cyclone level of service. | June 2025 | |
| Matapiro Bridge replacement | Replacement bridge along the same alignment, with a higher deck. | August 2025 | |
| McVicars culvert rebuild | Construct a spillway to improve resilience. | July 2026 | |
| Puketapu Bridge 245 rebuild | Replacement of original single lane bridge to a two-lane bridge and shared use path. | September 2025 | |
| Puketitiri Road tier 2 and 3 slips | Repair of 13 significant under-slips. | October 2025 | |
| Rissington Bridge replacement | Full bridge replacement. | September 2027 | |
| Slips tier 0 and 1 | Slip and culvert road repairs. | Complete | |
| Taihape Road slips | A like for like replacement to repair slips in the regional arterial route between Napier and Taihape, to reinstate the road to two lanes. | June 2026 | |
| Waihau Road slips | A range of repairs tailored for each of 11 slips, including retreat and erosion protection to mitigate against future events. | September 2026 | |
| Waimarama Road slip | Repair damaged road shoulder and repair the culvert. | August 2025 | |
| Wairoa Te Reinga Bridge replacement | Permanent replacement bridge. | December 2025 | |
| Whanawhana Bridge | Bridge repairs. | December 2026 | |
Tairāwhiti | Black bridges | Replace river crossings for eight bridges destroyed by Cyclone Gabrielle. | February 2027 |
| Build capacity | Build capacity and capability within the Gisborne District Council to deliver a works programme several orders of magnitude greater than current business as usual in a compressed timeframe. | June 2026 | |
| Community roading improvements | Agreed package of works that provides greater resilience to communities. | May 2026 | |
| Green bridges | Repairs to 35 bridges which suffered non-structural damage to return bridges to pre-cyclone levels of service. | June 2027 | |
| Red/Orange bridges | Repairs to 28 bridges which suffered structural damage to either the structure and/or approaches, to improve transport route resilience. | June 2027 | |
| Tiniroto Road | Provide an alternate route to State Highway 2 South. Connects with Wairoa. | April 2028 | |
| Slips and dropouts | Repair various slips and dropouts across multiple sites. | June 2027 |
Category 2C: For this category, community level interventions are effective in managing future severe weather event risk, for example building stop banks, or a slipway.
For information about the voluntary buyouts of Category 3 properties visit:
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