Council Approves Local Contractors To Protect Kumeū From Flooding
'This is great news for the Kumeu,' says Rodney Councillor Greg Sayers. 'The community asked for better care of the Kumeū River and the local stormwater systems to protect the town from flooding—and Council has listened.'
Earlier this year, large-scale flood prevention options such as constructing a dam or building a tunnel to the Waitematā Harbour were ruled out as unaffordable and impractical. In their place, Council is now focused on more immediate, high-impact measures—including unclogging culverts, clearing swales, removing river debris, and repairing storm-damaged infrastructure such as stop banks.
Importantly, the work will be delivered by contractors based in Kumeū, Huapai, Taupaki, Waimauku, and Riverhead, who bring local knowledge and pride to the job. 'Local contractors know the land and the flood-prone spots better than anyone,' says Sayers. 'They're better placed to deliver value for money and a higher quality of service.'
The tender process will open late this month and be advertised on the GETS (Government Electronic Tender Service) tendering platform and in local newspapers. Work is expected to begin in November 2025. Contractors will need to demonstrate experience in flood resilience work and meet Auckland Council criteria. Council will also pre-arrange any required earthworks consents.
Councillor Sayers cautions that no flood protection system is perfect. 'If more than 100mm of rain falls within seven hours, the Kumeū River will breach its stop banks and flooding will still occur,' he says. 'But this maintenance work will help to delay such breaches and improves drainage for the surrounding areas during heavy rain events.'
Finally, Councillor Sayers is also urging both central and local government to halt new residential developments on known floodplains. 'Right now, the law still allows consents if buildings are 'engineered' to be safe. That's not good enough when it can still put lives at risk,' he says.
Council is pushing for a change to the Unitary Plan to allow consents on floodplains to be declined without triggering legal challenges. However, this change depends on the Government's upcoming Resource Management Act reforms, expected before the 2026 general election.
'Proactive river maintenance is a positive step toward a locally-led, common-sense approach to flood resilience,' says Sayers. 'It shows that when the community speaks, and the Council listens, real progress can be made.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
5 days ago
- NZ Herald
Civil Defence wrongly blasts ‘complacent' workers mowing during tsunami advisory
As the tsunami threat loomed at dawn, Auckland Council contractors were spotted getting to work. In their hi-vis jackets, the workers started mowing the lawn in St Heliers soon after an emergency alert jolted New Zealanders awake this morning.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- RNZ News
Landslide mapping to be included on Auckland LIM reports from October
A landslide in West Auckland's Karekare during 2023's Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: RNZ / Leonard Powell The first detailed mapping in almost three decades of Auckland areas prone to landslides will go on LIM reports later this year, Auckland Council says. The council has done a study of the entire region, giving new information and putting an end to anecdotal information having to be used. "So we've mapped the entire Auckland region all the way across the whole region, all the way from upper Warkworth all the way down to the bottom of Franklin. "And so we've covered everywhere. If you live in Auckland, these maps apply to you," Auckland Council chief engineer Ross Roberts told Nine to Noon. The mapping will be used by the likes of planners, developers, engineers and homeowners. Roberts said it will also play a key part in the council stopping developments in areas susceptible to landslides. He noted the information shows where there is a potential for a problem, rather than a definite problem. "These give an indication of where people might want to investigate further, they are not saying that there is going to be a landslide here. "We're not in a position yet with the science available to be able to forecast landslides. So it's giving people an indication. So they might want to dig further. They might need to get more information," Roberts said. The biggest problem areas were not surprising, Roberts said and they were in areas with big hills. "So you're looking at areas of the Hunua Ranges and you get up into parts of Rodney sort of north of Ōrewa, you see some of the bigger land sites. Auckland's Hunua Ranges. (File photo) Photo: RNZ/ Olivia Allison "Especially in some of the geology that's more vulnerable," Roberts told Nine to Noon. He said the northern half of Auckland was "particularly vulnerable" to ongoing slow movements that could pose challenges. The mapping also meant there was now consistency with information from across the Auckland region, he said. "We're not just relying on the anecdotal evidence looking at this and saying this looks like a problem area. "Now we've got a map that say, OK, now we could compare one place to another and say 'actually, we know that this is a higher susceptibility, we can start to do something about it'." Roberts said including the new mapping on LIM reports was "the right thing to do". "It's really important that people buying homes understand whether they should be looking harder to understand the problem. "But also we have a legal obligation to, if we have any information about a hazard, we're legally advised to put that on them. "They can look at it and say 'OK, there's a potential problem here, I'll get specialist advice, I'll get an expert to come and give me some information to make sure that in future my house is going to be safe'." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- RNZ News
Auckland Council maps out landslide susceptibility
Landslides are among this country's costliest natural hazards. In Auckland, they have wreaked havoc on homes, roads and other infrastructure as well as causing loss of life. The Auckland region includes significant areas of steep terrain with underlying materials that can be prone to slope failure. Recent large storms have caused significant and widespread landslides. Auckland Council has completed a detailed region wide study to map landslide susceptibility, the first since 1997. It will provide information for homeowners, developers and emergency services. Kathryn is joined by Ross Roberts, the chief engineer at Auckland Council. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
